CBS produced a "solid and fast-paced" NCAA Tournament Selection Show last night, one year after an "elongated 'Selection Show' ... drew howls for its glacial pace," according to Dan Caesar of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. CBS was "on fast-forward" yesterday after viewers had to "wait 20 minutes last year to see the first of the four regional brackets begin to be revealed." This year, CBS had "shown the entire field by the time the program was 38 minutes old." Last year, it was an hour and 17 minutes into the program before "the last line finally was filled." It was a "pleasant, viewer-friendly production Sunday after last year’s version bogged down with analysis and conversation" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/13). SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote the show had "such a better rhythm to it." Analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis "were able to get thoughts on each bracket and you didn’t feel like you had somehow missed out because there was not a long discussion." Keeping the analysts who cover the sport year-round on screen before getting to Turner’s talent "was also a smart move." Deitsch: "CBS now has its Selection Show blueprint for years to come" (SI.com, 3/12). SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy wrote the show was "far more informative and entertaining than last year's turgid, misbegotten mess." It is "good to know that TV networks do listen to their viewers and do the right thing" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 3/12).
SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS: In San Jose, Jon Wilner listed the show as one of his "winners" last night, as CBS was "rightfully panned for its drawn-out, two-hour show last year." Wilner: "Lesson learned" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/13). MCCLATCHY's Greg Hadley wrote the speed with which CBS host Greg Gumbel and the net's analysts "whipped through the bracket’s traditional unveiling was widely expected after last year’s leak" (MCCLATCHY NEWS, 3/12). The N.Y. Times' Andrew Das tweeted, "Credit to CBS for getting down to business with the selection show and unveiling the picks ASAP for a change." Galvanize VP/Digital Marketing Andy Glockner: "Credit to CBS for responding to last year's Selection Show fiasco and moving briskly through reveals." Detroit-based WXYZ-ABC's Kacie Hollins: "Kudos to CBS for doing Selection Sunday right this year. All out in about 30 mins. No time for any leaks."
SHOWING ITS HAND? In N.Y., Marc Tracy writes CBS’ producers "may have been unable to spare themselves from some inadvertent foreshadowing." In the opening shot of the studio, before a single team was named, banners of various teams "could be seen lining the set above the announcers’ desk." The four banners at the center of the tableau "belonged to Villanova, Gonzaga, Kansas and UNC -- the four No. 1s" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/13).
LOST CONNECTION: SI.com's Deitsch noted CBS has the Final Four and national championship game this year, so there will be "no Team Stream." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, "We have a slightly different model than Turner does and exclusivity for our stations is important to us. Our goal is aggregate the largest audience so it’s important to us for the semifinals and final game that we do that on CBS." Turner President David Levy said that Turner will "bring it back" in '18. Levy: "We got great perspective back from consumers who want to see a different perspective. I think it is additive to the overall experience of March Madness" (SI.com, 3/12).
LONG TIME COMING: In N.Y., Juliet Macur noted Debbie Antonelli will be a "leading voice" during the tournament. Ann Meyers Drysdale was the last female to be an analyst for a tournament game more than two decades ago and McManus said that he had "watched and admired Antonelli, who is under contract with ESPN, for so many years that he couldn’t pinpoint the date when he had first noticed her." Antonelli: "There’s no margin for error if you hear a woman’s voice during a broadcast. If you make a mistake, they’ll say, ‘It figures.’ And they will blame it on me being a woman" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/11). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth wrote Antonelli's resume "speaks more than for itself." CBS Sports Exec Producer & Senior VP/Production Howard Bryant said she is “well spoken, has a good depth of knowledge on the men’s and women’s games, does great analytic work and it’s really a case that this is a good fit." Antonelli: "I don't even have an agent, and I never have had one." Bryant added, "We know we’re not breaking any ground and we’re not trying to do that. We are always looking to improve our broadcast and look, whether it’s announcers or graphics or production, and we look across the board on this. We don’t work in a bubble" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/12).
JET AIRLINER: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes NFL Jets radio voice Bob Wischusen has "grown to be a reliably credible ESPN college basketball man." His "evolving thoughtful treatment of on-screen stats -- even correctly explaining why they’re not particularly significant or surprising -- is appreciated." As heard throughout West Virginia's win over Kansas State in Friday night’s Big 12 semifinal, Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla have "become a strong team, one that is especially good on the central nervous system" (N.Y. POST, 3/13).
