Golf Channel today formally unveiled plans for a three-part series on the life of Arnold Palmer. "Arnie" will air on consecutive nights at 10:00pm ET beginning April 13, the final day of The Masters. The series spans Palmer's childhood through his amateur and pro careers, as well as his off-the-course ventures and his legacy. The series is produced by 13-time Emmy Award winner and former NBC Sports Olympics features producer Israel DeHerrera, and written by 18-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Cohen (Golf Channel). In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, John Ourand reports Golf Channel is "breaking the series up into three one-hour shows: 'Arnie and His Army,' which explores his influence on sports marketing; 'Arnie and His Majors,' which looks into his on-course accomplishments; and 'Arnie and His Legacy,' which delves into his influence on popular culture." The series "features more than 100 interviews conducted over the past year," including interviews with former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as "unseen footage from some of Palmer’s home movies."Golf Channel said that sponsors "will be attached to the documentary series." Golf Channel President Mike McCarley said, "This is the most ambitious documentary project that Golf Channel has ever undertaken." He added that the net "will look to do similar documentaries" in the future (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/3 issue).
THE MISSING LINK: Golf Channel’s "Morning Drive" will broadcast live from a PGA Tour event for the first time this year when the net teams up with technology provider CDW to showcase its CDW Technoliner vehicle on the grounds of Trump National Doral in Miami. Tomorrow through Sunday, "Morning Drive" co-hosts Holly Sonders, Charlie Rymer and Matt Ginella will be reporting from the WGC-Cadillac Championship and will use the Technoliner and its retractable 14-foot video wall as a backdrop for remote reports. CDW has teamed with the Tour since '08 to sponsor ShotLink Intelligence, a technology system that collects and analyzes statistical data in multiple areas during play (Golf Channel).
