Media Notes
In Pittsburgh, Gerry Dulac wrote with the U.S. Open being held at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, the USGA is planning to finish the final round at 7:00pm PT, the "first time the USGA has done that with a West Coast event." The late finish of the June event means the winner won't be crowned in Britain until 3:00am and one hour later "in most of continental Europe" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/20).
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Pope's Visit In N.Y. Preempts Local
Coverage Of PGA Tournament |
COVERAGE SHIFT: Local CBS affiliates in the N.Y.-New Jersey area yesterday preempted coverage of the PGA Tour's Verizon Heritage to cover Pope Benedict XVI's visit to N.Y. However, CBS on Saturday and Sunday streamed its coverage, including commercials, to cbssports.com and pgatour.com, marking the "first time CBS and the tour have streamed coverage on the Internet." The PGA Tour for the weekend "expected 1 million visitors to its Web site" (Hilton Head ISLAND PACKET, 4/20).
NOTES: In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley wrote if "money talks," Walt Disney Co's $1.1B annual rights fee for ESPN's "MNF" games "has to be the mutest deal in the history of sports television." Wolfley: "What other conclusion can you reach after comparing which games the NFL gave" to NBC for its "SNF" package to what it gave ESPN? (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/20)....In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote "it's time to officially start wondering if some CBS execs are turning on [Billy] Packer, the man who invented college basketball." Some people are "still ticked over Packer cavalierly declaring Kansas a winner over North Carolina with 7:32 left in the first half" in the Final Four semifinal game on April 5. Raissman noted from a "business perspective, telling viewers to turn off the TV is not a great idea" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/20)....The N.Y. Times each Monday will run a new weekly print and online feature called "On Par," a golf section written by sports reporter Bill Pennington (THE DAILY).
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