Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sorry, I disagree. And I promise I will disagree with anyone that defends CBS’s coverage! In fact, I would be very surprised if the Masters bigwigs didn’t berate CBS for the Tiger overexposure (unless, as I’ve mentioned before, showing nothing but Tiger was a conspiracy to get people to hate Tiger!). It would have been a great opportunity to show the masses of non-typical golf viewers some of the other players. Justin Leonard was listed in Cosmopolitan as one of the top 10 eligible bachelors last year. He placed in a tie for 7th and WAS NEVER SEEN ON TV! There were plenty of opportunities when Tiger was stalking putts, when they could’ve shown somebody else actually hitting a golf ball! I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a single shot of Tiger’s, but CBS’s coverage just plain sucked! -Barry — * Binary Data Services – Barry Smith, Owner * "Ask me about setting up your own Web Site *** Buy Sell Trade Golf Clubs – http://www.looksee.com/barry
I teach figure skating, and use a skating newsgroup. We have the same thing – overexposure, bashing, etc… – but with Tara Lipinski. –
Response:
I know it is popular to bash CBS and their coverage of the Masters, but [snip] Much , but certainly not all, of CBS’s coverage is tightly controlled by the dictates of the Masters Tournament directors. Sorry, I disagree. And I promise I will disagree with anyone that defends CBS’s coverage!
Barry, before you go too far with your criticism, I urge you to read the book, "Augusta, Home of the Masters Tournament" by Steve Eubanks. In it, he exposes all the good and bad about Augusta National. I refer you specifically to chapter 8, entitled, "Eye on Augusta: The CBS Story." He goes into quite a bit of detail about the verbal tongue lashing the CBS brass has taken year in and year out following The Masters. Make no mistake about it: Augusta National Golf Club keeps CBS on a very short leash. Remember, in the 30-something years CBS has been doing the tournament, they’ve never (to this day) had more than a ONE YEAR contract. Frank Chirkanian, longtime CBS golf production guru (and in the minds of many, the man who wrote the book on televised golf coverage), talks about how the network’s relationship with Augusta National was unlike that of any other tournament venue. In fact, I would be very surprised if the Masters bigwigs didn’t berate CBS for the Tiger overexposure (unless, as I’ve mentioned before, showing nothing but Tiger was a conspiracy to get people to hate Tiger!).
Doubtful. Did you see the ratings? The 1997 Masters Saturday coverage was the most-watched Masters 3rd round in over 10 years. Sunday’s coverage was the most-watched GOLF COVERAGE in 22 years! After seeing the overnight Arbitron audience estimates, John Madden telephoned the head of Fox Network Sports to tell him the ratings should teach everyone in television sports a valuable lesson: that despite years and years of bitching and moaning about blowouts in Super Bowls and World Series, the ‘97 Masters coverage (and the audience it drew) proved beyond a doubt that blowouts don’t have to be boring, and that people WILL watch them! The Masters isn’t likely to berate CBS for covering the biggest golf story of the year. It only helped increase the value of Cadillac and Traveler’s TV spots by reaching the largest audience in two generations. (Trust me on this: the audience wasn’t that big because lots of people were saying to each other, "hey, Mark Calcaveccia is just 18 shots back, let’s tune in and watch him!") It would have been a great opportunity to show the masses of non-typical golf viewers some of the other players.
In theory, that’s a noble thought. However, golf is a business, and television is a business. It’s not about EDUCATING the audience, it’s about REACHING the audience. People were tuning in BECAUSE OF Tiger, not in spite of him. (Otherwise, the ratings would have reflected that they were tuning out.) Justin Leonard was listed in Cosmopolitan as one of the top 10 eligible bachelors last year. He placed in a tie for 7th and WAS NEVER SEEN ON TV!
Look, I like Justin Leonard. He’s a fine player, and a very nice guy. But if you’re running CBS Sports and your telecast is reaching millions of people, do you choose to keep the cameras on an historic event unfolding, or do you cut to a nice young man who’s going to finish the tournament 16 SHOTS OUT OF THE LEAD???!! Get real. You wouldn’t ask to have networks cover players that far out of the lead at any other event. There were plenty of opportunities when Tiger was stalking putts, when they could’ve shown somebody else actually hitting a golf ball!
Agreed. But showing these players would have only taken the largest audience to follow a golf tournament in 22 years away from the storyline they came to see. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a single shot of Tiger’s, but CBS’s coverage just plain sucked!
Millions disagree… For example: No on course reporters,
This is the way CBS does golf. The other networks have reporters following groups of players. CBS opts for the other approach, having reporters in fixed positions at each hole. (They do, occasionally, use rovers, too, but you’re right in saying they didn’t at The Masters. It’s because they used their rovers, and a few "special occasion" commentators to provide coverage of additional holes.) Simply stated, there are two approaches to covering golf: fixed position announcers, and roving announcers following groups. One is not better than the other, they’re just different. One distinct advantage to have the announcers in fixed positions is that they can read the putts better. They’ve seen other players putt from the same part of the green, and they can say, for example, "everyone’s been missing this putt to the left." Or, "nobody’s gotten it up and down from this position all day." You just can’t get that perspective if the announcers are following one group all day. No permanent camera positions allowed on the front nine, Camera positions on the back nine that have not changed in more than a decade. No talk allowed about prize money, or attendance figures. No Gary McCord.
Read the book. Every one of your objections is addressed in the book. All of these issues are dictated by the big boys in green jackets. We’d all like to see the first few holes at Augusta, but we never will on CBS or on NBC or on ABC or on XYZ. Augusta National will not permit it. They have built permanent perches on the golf course for cameras and broadcast towers (and they ain’t gonna move ‘em to suit you). They strictly prohibit announcers to discuss prize money, and they refuse to divulge (and don’t want the network to discuss) attendance figures. And it’s widely known (where were YOU?) that Gary McCord was banned from Augusta by the folks AT Augusta, not by CBS. Hell, long ago, Augusta National banned Jack Whittaker from being part of the Masters telecast! Can you imagine??!! Jack Whittaker? Controversial? They thought so. (His remark about "the mob" of people converging on the champion didn’t set well with Clifford Roberts.) You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but I suggest you get all your facts straight first. RANDY "I am NOT Tiger Woods" BROWN
Response:
I know it is popular to bash CBS and their coverage of the Masters, but I will repeat a point I made in another thread on Ken Venturi. Much , but certainly not all, of CBS’s coverage is tightly controlled by the dictates of the Masters Tournament directors. For example: No on course reporters, No permanent camera positions allowed on the front nine, Camera positions on the back nine that have not changed in more than a decade.No talk allowed about prize money, or attendance figures. No Gary McCord. Given this , did CBS do a perfect job with the telecast , of course not. But, to bash them because they didn’t show enough of Tommy Tolles ( or one of your other favorite golfers) is extreme. CBS had the biggest golf story since Nicklaus won his 6th Masters 11 years ago. They also had a huge non-golf audience watching, and that audience wanted to see Tiger Woods, not Paul Stankowski, or somebody else they’d never heard of and don’t care about. For all the fans of televised *random golf* , your viewing is going to become torturous, because when Tiger is in the field of a televised event, its going to be all Tiger all the time….and remember he hasn’t missed a cut yet as a pro! — Enjoy, Tut
Response:
Sorry, I disagree. And I promise I will disagree with anyone that defends CBS’s coverage! In fact, I would be very surprised if the Masters bigwigs didn’t berate CBS for the Tiger overexposure (unless, as I’ve mentioned before, showing nothing but Tiger was a conspiracy to get people to hate Tiger!). It would have been a great opportunity to show the masses of non-typical golf viewers some of the other players. Justin Leonard was listed in Cosmopolitan as one of the top 10 eligible bachelors last year. He placed in a tie for 7th and WAS NEVER SEEN ON TV! There were plenty of opportunities when Tiger was stalking putts, when they could’ve shown somebody else actually hitting a golf ball! I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a single shot of Tiger’s, but CBS’s coverage just plain sucked! -Barry — * Binary Data Services – Barry Smith, Owner * "Ask me about setting up your own Web Site *** Buy Sell Trade Golf Clubs – http://www.looksee.com/barry