Webster's defines producer as "a person who supervises the production of a stage or screen production."

And so it seemed, as Harvard signed with a pay television company to broadcast delayed coverage of as many as 15 hockey and basketball game this winter. But a clause in the contract between Harvard and StarCase requires that the producer of the events may not attend them.

Harvard signed with a company called DBD, Inc., last year to produce nine events for commercial television. Harvard officials were not happy with DBD or its personnel, DBD sources say. So the University was more than pleased when DBD's president sold the rights to StarCase.

But StarCase hired the former president of DBD to produce this year's games. Sources say that a personality conflict between John P. Reardon Jr. '60, director of athletics, and the producer, Dudley Freeman, prompted Reardon to insist that the contract specifically bar Freeman from attending the events.

Freeman this week said the contract was "totally illegal." The general manager of StarCase said, "It was an unusual request on Jack's part." Freeman's attorney said, "I find it personally reprehensible that Harvard would take such a petty attitude like that." Reardon and the Harvard negotiator on the deal wouldn't say anything about contract.

Freeman said one of his employees would serve as the on-site producer.

At a press conference this week, StarCase announced tentative plans to show same-day delayed coverage of the Harvard-B.U., Harvard-Dartmouth and Harvard-Yale hockey games at Bright Center. The schedule also lists two Harvard basketball games, againt Holy Cross and Yale, as alternates.