The live telecasts of the Hope/Calvin men's basketball games on Public Broadcasting station WGVU in Grand Rapids will continue through the 2005-06 season, officials of the station and colleges have announced.

The live telecasts of the Hope/Calvin men's basketball games on Public Broadcasting station WGVU in Grand Rapids will continue through the 2005-06 season, officials of the station and colleges have announced.

The popular NCAA Division III rivalry has been televised by WGVU since the 1997-98 season. This new three-year pact is the third extension of the agreement.

"We are very proud to be able to bring the biggest rivalry in Division III basketball to the fans of West Michigan," said Michael Walenta, general manager of WGVU.

Hope College officials also expressed their pleasure with the partnership between the station and colleges especially noting that WGVU's commitment to a quality telecast has been noted by many viewers.

"The telecasts have broadened the interest in our two colleges and this basketball rivalry," said Tom Renner, director of public relations at Hope. "We look forward to many more years of great basketball telecasts."

The Hope/Calvin rivalry started officially in the 1920-21 season. The first live telecast of a game between the colleges was on January 11, 1960 from the Grand Rapids Civic Auditorium. It was first beamed from Holland on February 15, 1961.

Since 2000, one of the annual games has also been beamed via satellite to sites throughout North America. This year nearly 2,500 Hope/Calvin alumni and friends gathered at nearly 50 locations from coast-to-coast to watch the game.