The PGA Tour will meet later this month with TV
networks officials to discuss the process of a new TV rights
package starting with the '99 season, according to Richard
Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. With the negotiations, tour
officials "discover how valuable its events are, and perhaps
whether Tiger Woods will make it substantially richer."
Sandomir: "Fox wants in badly, and can offer weekday
coverage on FX; it can also employ FX and its other cable
outlet, Fox Sports Net, for morning coverage of weekend
telecasts leading into broadcasts by the Fox Network." The
Tour "expects higher rights fees" from its total '97 take of
$95.6M from its current TV partners (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18). CBS
now has 16 events, twice as many as either NBC or ABC (Steve
Zipay, NEWSDAY, 4/18). GOLFWORLD reports that Fox officials
have met with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem regarding a
TV package, and "it didn't go well." Fox reportedly
proposed making the ball more recognizable, a la FoxTrax,
"without the foggiest idea that this would undoubtably
violate USGA rules and probably mess up the balls'
aerodynamics" (GOLFWORLD, 4/18).
TSN GRABS ITS DRIVER: TSN says it has "locked up the
exclusive" Canadian TV rights to the PGA Championship and
other "major golf events, beginning in 1998," according to
Etan Vlessing of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. TSN and French-
language counterpart RDS, said they signed six-year deals
with an "unspecified price tag" to air the PGA Championship,
the Senior PGA Tour Championship, the PGA Grand Slam and the
Ryder Cup. TSN currently holds rights to the U.S. Open and
the British Open (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/18).
