Joanne Wright figures she has been throwing a Civil War party at her home for a quarter century or more.

She planned one this year too.

"To me the Civil War is right up there with the Super Bowl," the Southeast Portland resident said. "It's a big deal."

Then Wright picked up her copy of the Sunday Oregonian and noticed this year's game -- noon Saturday, Reser Stadium -- would be televised only on the Pac-12 Networks.

Wright is a DirecTV customer. DirecTV does not carry the Pac-12 Networks.

For Wright, this means no party and few options.

"I don't think it's right," she said. "The Civil War is 116 years old, and all of a sudden they're denying all these people the chance to watch it."

For this week and this game, the problem is exacerbated by two things:

-- This week's Pac-12 television schedule wasn't announced until last Saturday night.

-- In Oregon, the Civil War is a game of interest to people who ordinarily don't follow football and might not be aware of

between the Pac-12's television arm and DirecTV.

The Pac-12's position is that DirecTV wants a better deal than

including Comcast in the Portland area, and other satellite providers.

"We put together a fair market proposal," said Pac-12 Enterprises president Gary Stevenson said. "DirecTV has chosen not to carry us. It's very frustrating for our fans and for us."

DirecTV contends the Pac-12's asking price is exorbitant.

A

reads, in part:

"First, we cannot allow all of our customers to absorb price increases well beyond the normal adjustments we make to their monthly bills. And second, we believe very strongly that when a channel's cost is too high, our customers must have a choice over whether they want pay for it or not themselves. Unfortunately, (the) Pac-12 doesn't see it that way and has been withholding games from its most loyal customers to force everyone to pay its unnecessarily high price."

For people like Wright,

doesn't matter as much as the fact the game will be dark on their home televisions.

And while Stevenson said he would leave his Thanksgiving Day dinner and "fly to Los Angeles if DirecTV wants to listen to the fans," there is little chance of that happening.

Streaming the Civil War on a computer isn't an option for fans who aren't already Pac-12 Networks subscribers, which means DirecTV customers are out of luck. And streaming it on a phone isn't available for Comcast customers either, even though Comcast carries Pac-12 Networks.

Nor will Pac-12 Networks permit a local over-the-air channel to televise this year's Civil War on a one-shot basis.

"Allowing somebody to cherry-pick one game would be unfair to our fans, our partners, the schools and the other athletes," Stevenson said. "We have business arrangements with 50 other companies. We have committed to them, to each school and to those athletes to provide this kind of programming for the next 12 years."

The Pac-12's television deal, which also includes agreements with more widely available channels, eventually could be worth as much as $30 million per school per year according to some estimates.

Apparently neither Oregon nor Oregon State has plans to facilitate viewing parties beyond their normal alumni functions.

Craig Pintens, Oregon's senior associate athletic director of marketing and public relations, responded by direct message on Twitter: "The athletic department isn't (planning anything). Not sure about the alumni association."

Jeremy Olsen, UO assistant director of alumni relations, said the alumni association will host its regular watch party for away games in the Giustina Ballroom at the school's Ford Alumni Center.

Cost is $15 for entry, food and a raffle ticket for members of the alumni association, the Oregon Club or the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, and for UO faculty and staff. It's $20 for everybody else.

Olsen said the ballroom has seating for about 250.

For other games, Olsen said, the school has hosted watch parties in Portland at the White Stag Block.

"For this particular game, we're not," he said.

Steve Fenk, Oregon State's associate athletic director for communications, directed a query to the OSU Alumni Association, which has an on-campus watch party at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center.

OSU alumni center director Richelle Hayes said admission is free for members of the alumni association and $5 per person for others. Capacity is about 400.

"If we reach capacity, we close off the ballroom," she said.

Both alumni associations

around

that televise their teams' games. This week, the

to find the Civil War for fans without tickets.

At least one such establishment,

, advertises itself as family friendly.

For Wright, who has charge of her two preteen grandchildren that day, Big Al's is a long way from home. She isn't wild about taking them to a bar.

Besides, she said, "bars are noisy and expensive."

She cancelled her party, and has been looking for a local pizza parlor that will show the game.

"I'll have find a public place," she said. "This is really depressing."

Ken Goe: 503-221-8040;