Media Notes
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Golf Channel Fails To Edit Out Watson's
Expletive In Zurich Classic Re-air |
CBSSPORTS.com's Steve Elling reported during Golf Channel's second-round coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week, PGA Tour player Bubba Watson "backed off a shot and vented in NC-17-rated language at playing partner Steve Elkington." Right before Watson muttered, "Tell you what, veterans can kiss my ass," he "drops an F-bomb under his breath." The scene was "aired live on the Golf Channel, and the sound of a broadcaster gasping is seemingly heard in the background." Golf Channel said that it "re-aired the entire Bubba blast in its prime time replay on Friday night, with no editing." Elling: "That's irresponsible or lazy, if not a bit of both." Golf Channel Managing Dir of PR Dan Higgins said that there is "no fabled seven-second delay on the broadcasts and the re-airing of the comments without editing was a mistake the network acknowledges" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/31).
STILL GROWING: ESPN Exec VP/Sales & Marketing Sean Bratches at the Advertising Research Foundation's annual event in N.Y. said that the "mega-brand he oversees wouldn't be nearly as influential had the net stuck to its linear TV roots." Bratches: "We're measuring our success in large part in how much time people spend with our media at any given point in time." In addition, the net "refers to 'fans' instead of viewers to highlight the deep emotional connection people have to the ESPN brand. Bratches notes one man's family "even put the ESPN logo on his tombstone but that the net asked that the word 'fan' be placed after it 'so there's no confusion over the cause of death'" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 4/1).
REVIVAL? SI's Peter King wrote "Inside the NFL" will not "return in anything like its previous life on HBO." While some TV companies, including one of the current rights-holding companies, are "actively trying to resuscitate" the show, the "cost of doing the show and paying the talent is just too high." There is a "chance that a cut-rate version of the show could appear on NFL Network" (SI.com, 3/31).
BENCH TALK: In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich noted the idea to place a TV analyst between benches for hockey games, "used to great advantage by TSN and NBC, is proving to be one of the best broadcasting innovations since the advent of the second camera." NBC’s Pierre McGuire for Sunday’s Rangers-Penguins was stationed between the teams and provided viewers "with the kind of insights that only someone in that position could get." But Zelkovich wrote there is a "downside" to the approach, as NBC "adds another analyst to the mix, which means there’s more talk, which means there are more things that don’t need to be said." But it "does eliminate the rinkside reporter’s job, which means fewer interruptions for useless information and pointless interviews" (TORONTO STAR, 3/31).
SMOOTH TRANSITION: In San Jose, John Ryan reports CSN Bay Area's takeover of FSN Bay Area yesterday "appeared to go off without a hitch" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 4/1).
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