IOWA CITY - Gary Barta hears it on the phone.

He reads it when he sorts through his mail.

Even the inbox of e-mail that greets the Iowa director of athletics each morning is filled with the concerns of Hawkeye fans worried about whether or not they will be able to watch every Iowa football game on television this season.

Most express concerns about the shift of live game coverage from a syndicated package shown by local television stations to the new Big Ten Network, which has not yet reached an agreement with Iowa's largest cable provider, Mediacom.

"It's something I'm hearing a lot about on a daily basis wherever I go," Barta said Monday during Iowa's football media day. "People want to know what they can do, who they need to call or write, and most are pretty passionate. It's something that people are concerned about and I am hearing more about that than about anything else right now, no question."

Iowa fans have grown accustomed to having easy access to Hawkeye games in recent years. The last 65 football games Iowa has played have been televised. That won't change.

The Big Ten Network will televise any Iowa game that is not selected by ABC or one of the ESPN networks. In the past, those games have been aired by local stations across the state.

Since 2000, an average of four Iowa football games per year have been part of the Big Ten's syndicated package and between 15-19 men's basketball games annually have been part of a package marketed to local stations.

Beginning this fall, those games will all shift to the Big Ten Network, which debuts Aug. 30 and is scheduled to air its first Iowa football game 10 days later when the Hawkeyes host Syracuse.

"Most of the people I've talked with or corresponded with are looking for the same things that we want. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to see our games," Barta said.

However, continuing talks between Mediacom, which controls 80 percent of the cable market in Iowa, and the Big Ten Network remain stalled as the two parties disagree on where the network should be placed.

Mediacom views it as a niche network and has offered placement on its sports tier, a package of sports-related networks that subscribers much purchase an additional digital package to receive.

Big Ten Network officials believe the network belongs on the expanded basic package that is received by a majority of Mediacom customers. Placement there would generate more revenue for the network because of the larger number of homes the network would reach.

"Price is negotiable. The sticking point is placement," Barta said. "That is the one sticking point. In (the Iowa City) market, there are 78 channels on the expanded basic package, and our belief is there is more than sufficient interest to place it on that level.

"I don't believe the cable companies have accurately gauged the level of interest of fans in this state. I've had people tell me they would trade 40 of the channels they currently receive for one Big Ten Network given the chance."

Barta appreciates those sentiments and lists the current impasse among the "growing pains" of establishing the new network.

"Television is a changing industry, and one of the reasons that commissioner (Jim) Delany, the presidents of our institutions and the athletic directors embarked on this project was to have more control over our destiny," Barta said.

"This is certainly the direction that sports television is headed in general, and the Big Ten is at the forefront of that. In a few years, I believe it will be the norm. The downside right now is that you have to go through the growing pains of being first."

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz labeled the network "cutting edge" and believes the national exposure to be gained outweighs any initial setbacks.

"It's an exciting opportunity for our conference and something I think you will see all BCS conferences switch to in the next few years," Ferentz said.

The Big Ten Network does have agreements with 30 smaller cable companies throughout the state and will appear on the expanded-basic tiers of those systems. It also has a contract to be aired on DirecTV, but has not come to terms with the Dish Network.

"There are options out there for people, but I'm still hopeful that something can be worked out and that it won't drag out too long," Barta said. "From what we're hearing from fans, we know they feel that way, too."

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.