Pac-12 fans frustrated with the state of the Pac-12 Networks — whether it’s in the areas of dollars, distribution or definition (SD v HD) — are probably not upset about the departure of president Lydia Murphy-Stephans, who announced late last week that she would step down this summer to form her own media advisory firm, which … presto! … has already signed the Pac12Nets as a client. Related Articles College Hotline: Chris Petersen’s whopping new contract isn’t the Pac-12’s most significant (for that, look to Eugene)

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If you’ve come here in hopes of reading an evisceration of Murphy-Stephans, you probably will be disappointed.

The Hotline rarely eviscerates, largely because the coaches/administrators/officials addressed in this space have difficult jobs with loads of context and nuance.

Murphy-Stephans is Example A of the need for context.

The dominant story of her four-year tenure is the Pac12Nets inability to land a carriage deal with DirecTV, and yet the circumstances that made a deal so difficult to achieve were in place before she became president.

(And by circumstances, I mean the in-market subscriber fee of $0.8 that commissioner Larry Scott and execs from Comcast and Time Warner agreed to back in the spring/summer of 2011.

(That price point was too steep for DirecTV, and market demand, or lack thereof, has thus far proven DTV correct.)

Murphy-Stephans also made some shrewd talent hires — too bad she couldn’t keep Neuheisel! — and proved an able champion of Pac-12 Olympic sports.

And lest anyone forget: Exposure for those sports was a crucial selling point for the conference chancellors and presidents … a higher priority, in fact, than turning a substantial profit.

At the same time, I would stop well short of calling Murphy-Stephans’ tenure an unqualified success, and the reason has little to do with matters in the public realm (i.e., distribution issues).

Instead, I’d argue the culture needs to change.

Here’s what I mean:

The Pac-12 Networks are a media company owned by the schools, and yet it’s often difficult to tell whether the Pac12Nets are working for the membership … or the membership is working for the Pac12Nets.

Murphy-Stephans and her leadership team have, over the years, shown an alarming lack of understanding of the life and challenges the schools face on the front lines.

Countless times, I’ve heard stories from campus administrators about their concerns and frustrations being ignored by the Pac12Nets, whether it’s in the form of daily production demands or bigger-picture issues.

(Worth noting: Murphy-Stephans has never worked on a campus, and neither did the vast majority of her senior management team.)

To far too great an extent, the networks view themselves not as a media entity working on behalf of the campuses but as an independent media enterprise with the campuses as a client.

The result: A complete disconnect between the campuses and the networks — an unhealthy culture … a stunningly unhealthy culture.

Not every instance of disconnect involves Murphy-Stephans directly. But we all know where the culture starts, and it’s not at the bottom.

So yes, the networks and the campuses could use a relationship reset.

In that regard, I’d argue that Murphy-Stephans’ successor must have two qualities above all:

1) He/she must have a deep understanding of, and passion for, the Pac-12 campuses, and 2) He/she must be a champion not of the Olympic sports but of the money makers.

It was all well and good for the Pac12Nets primary decision-makers — Murphy-Stephans, a speed skater, and Scott, a tennis player — to have backgrounds in, and inclinations for, the Olympics sports.

But not anymore.

As the next wave of Tier I deals and potential realignment builds on the horizon, the Pac-12 must have someone in charge of the Networks who views the world first-and-foremost through the lens of football/basketball lens.

(One candidate to consider is John Entz, the president of production at Fox Sports and an Arizona graduate. I have no idea if he’s interested, but he checks every box and should be the first call.)

It was suggested to me that Murphy-Stephans’ departure could be a signal of massive change, that Scott and the chancellors/presidents have decided to sell an equity stake as a way to slow expansion of the revenue gap between the Pac12Nets and their counterparts at the Big Ten and SEC.

That possibility can’t be discounted, I suppose, but it seems unlikely.

Just two years ago, the conference conducted a thorough examination of the marketplace and determined that retaining 100 percent ownership of the Pac12Nets was the best course.

It’s difficult to believe the plans could have shifted so dramatically in such a short time.

That said, we’re only three or four years from the conference beginning to position itself for Tier 1 negotiations. Scott has bet heavily that 100 percent ownership of all content will translate to a windfall.

The Pac12Nets are a vital component to that equation. The healthier they are — and football/basketball will lead the way in that regard, not soccer, swimming or softball — the more leverage Scott will have.

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