Well Reasoned Perspectives On Tilghman

Now that the initial reactions are in, there are a couple of pieces worth reading that have taken more into account with regard to Kelly Tilghman's unfortunate comment and her future with The Golf Channel.

Steve Elling writes at CBSSports.com:

Sure, her comedy-challenged, dunderheaded, racist statement about stopping the world's No. 1 player by lynching him in a back alley was hurtful to African-Americans and offensive to many other hues. Yet without getting too deep into details, rest assured that Tilghman has personally felt the sting of discrimination in her career many times, and knows what it's like to be on the receiving end, too.

So, for those trying to look into her heart to see whether it's filled with sunshine or darkness, those demanding that she be ceremoniously canned for a statement that was blurted out in an unscripted exchange on live TV, take a step back for a moment and walk a mile in her spikes.

It was awful, yeah. But unforgivable?

And Cameron Morfit at golf.com makes this excellent point.

Why is Woods the only arbiter here? He hasn't exactly been a paragon of political correctness himself, having been quoted telling racial and lesbian jokes in GQ magazine in 1997. (He later claimed the jokes were off the record; writer Charles Pierce disagreed.)

Something still feels wrong here. Golf Channel's punishment of its anchor ought to reflect the feelings of its viewers and of sports fans everywhere more than what Tiger thinks. That's the way it works in television — the audience is the thing.

Update on 2008-01-12 04:57 by Geoff

CNN has posted the Al Sharpton appearance.

"Faldo’s remark prompted Tilghman to glibly raise the verbal ante to a level that would make anyone shudder..."

The paper of record's Richard Sandomir weighs in on the Kelly Tilghman episode and lumps her in with Jimmy the Greek and Ben Wright in TV-screw up lore.

This was interesting:  

No one knows what triggers sportscasters or public figures to say what they shouldn’t say to large audiences, and one can only speculate as to their intent. Experience seems to shield most of them from making dreadful, career-altering mistakes, but it did not prevent George Allen, the former United States senator from Virginia, from labeling an American of Indian descent, then working for his opponent, a “macaca” during his failed re-election campaign in 2006.

Working live isn’t easy. There is a tendency to make mistakes and strain for creativity when simplicity will do. Tilghman and Faldo were wrapping up Day 2 of the tournament when they were discussing how young golfers could challenge Woods’s primacy, and Faldo said they should “gang up” on him “for a while.”

Faldo’s remark prompted Tilghman to glibly raise the verbal ante to a level that would make anyone shudder and wonder, What would make her say that? or, What else is in her oratorical toolbox? Sadly, her remark made her and Faldo giggle.

Key word here: glibly.

Kelly Tilghman is good at a lot of things. She's a strong reporter, has a great ability to recall past anecdotes and she clearly has a passion for the game. Glib is not one of her strong suits, yet all of today's anchors seem to feel the need to do the Sportscenter thing. (Or perhaps they are told this is how you have to announce in today's world.)

 
So once again I ask, isn't her lynching comment a product of the type of announcing asked for today, all while trying to provide such a humorous edge over an excessive number of hours?

Tilghman Suspension Clippings

For what it's worth, this incident ought to generate a debate. Not about the word lynch, but about the origin of Kelly Tlghman's joke gone awry: overexposure.

During the Kapalua event, Tilghman and Nick Faldo are asked to be entertaining four hours a day, over the course of four days. It was inevitable that something stupid would be said. Golf Channel's skimpy production approach and overuse of announcers caught up to them here.

I don't expect them to change their ways, but hopefully it is a reminder to Golf Channel executives that there is a reason other networks have so many announcers on long telecasts to spread out the commentary.

Anyway, other writers had plenty to say.

Craig Dolch says it's overblown and if Tiger has not problem with it, we should not.  Ron Green Jr. says she apologized, end of story.

Steve Elling with help from Doug Ferguson's AP piece fleshes the story out with some interesting background and all of Al Sharpton's quotes from a CNN appearance. Sharpton:

 "If I got on this show and said I wanted to put some Jewish American in the gas chamber, I don't care under what context I said it, the entire Jewish community has the right to say I should be put of this show or put off my radio show," Sharpton said Wednesday night on CNN, before Tilghman was suspended. "This is an insult to all blacks. It's not murder in general, it's not assault in general, it's a specific racial term that this woman should be held accountable for."

Tilghman, 38, who ascended through the network ranks to the top of her profession after starting as a low-level lackey in the video archives room, until late Wednesday night was scheduled to anchor all four rounds of the Sony Open, which begins in Honolulu on Thursday. However, 2½ hours after the Sharpton interview aired, she was suspended for by network officials.

Jeff Rude believes the punishment doesn't fit the crime" and that we need to keep her comments in context. Exactly. If Bobby Clampett said it, we all know what would have to be done. But Kelly, come on...

And in case you haven't seen it...

Tilghman Suspended; Won't Have To Say Nice Things About The Classic Club

I was out trouncing around in cactus and other stuff with big thorns in Cabo all day, so I didn't see Golf Channel's earlier statement that said they would not be suspending Kelly Tilghman for her lynch remark. But apparently Al Sharpton speaking out may have changed their mind?

"Lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley." **

Thanks to the reader who caught this wire story:

Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized after saying during Friday's telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."

Somewhere, Ben Wright is smiling. He's off the hook!

A spokesman for the network said Tilghman apologized on Sunday's telecast and has reached out to Woods' representatives to express her regrets for the comments, according to New York Newsday.

Yeah, that'll do the trick. 

Update on 2008-01-09 02:46 by Geoff

**Scott Hamilton fills in a few more gaps in this Golfweek column.

Golf Channel UK Goes Dark; Decency Laws May Have Forbidden Any More Big Break Airings

UK readers the channel went dark just in time for the Mercedes Championship's must flee TV opening ceremony. Perhaps the UK's ITC stepped in?

This discussion seems to confirm that viewers are going to be spared The Big Break and Mike Ritz, while Golf Channel UK's web site link takes you somewhere else.

"The network improved somewhat, but its progress was a little disappointing."

Credit Gary Van Sickle for revisiting his 2007 predictions, though his Golf Channel critique was more interesting (to me anyway):

The network improved somewhat, but its progress was a little disappointing. Critiquing the on-air personnel choices would be subjective, so I won't do it, but the Golf Channel proved no better than the other networks when it repeatedly signed off for the day even though play wasn't finished. Its post-round coverage at majors was spotty. It delivered one good hour, but unfortunately was on the air for three. Quality, not quantity, should be a goal in '08. The lack of audience was such a sore spot that the network only released the numbers that included the viewers who watched the nightly replays, too. Score a point.

Well there's good news. WinZone (remember that!) says there's a 95% chance this will be a winner:

A Doppler radar system made by the Denmark-based software developer Interactive Sports Games will begin to be used to convey club movement, ball trajectory, and other statistics to viewers, according to the company. The Golf Channel's first use of the TrackMan system will be at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii on January 3, according to reports.

"This entire exercise exists to bring you the 20 least interesting things they pick up."

Intrepid L.A. Times NBA columnist Mark Heisler pens a fun look at the league's mike-the-participants idea and I couldn't help but think that golf is the one sport that would stand to benefit from such an idea, assuming that the sanitizing wasn't excessive. Because as Heisler notes, we never hear the good stuff and therefore, these exercises are not translating into increased viewership numbers.

With all this interactivity, everyone's ratings continue to decline, even the NFL, which this season had the five lowest-rated Monday night games ever.

Despite the new insights from its managers, Major League Baseball just saw the World Series post its three lowest ratings ever in consecutive seasons.

Now for the exciting debut of babbling coaches with the Denver Nuggets in Dallas!

Denver Coach George Karl:

"OK, Marcus Camby, get in the game, babe!"

Johnson:

"Way to go, Stack!"

That would be Jerry Stackhouse. Talk about participating in the experience! Then there was Karl's memorable interview on the bench, in which he concluded: "I really think the key to our team is passing the ball."

It may be the key to his team, which doesn't pass the ball much after it's inbounded. Everyone else already knew it was good to move the ball.

Not that it was a total waste of time. In that night's second game, Portland's Brandon Roy told the sidelined Greg Oden that Miami's Shaquille O'Neal said to tell him, "You're lucky you're sitting out tonight."

In the high point, Utah Coach Jerry Sloan was caught telling his team there were "four @#$%^&! minutes" left during Wednesday's loss in Phoenix.

Unfortunately, this was a mistake on the part of someone at ESPN, who may not be at ESPN anymore.

If ESPN and TNT actually showed the interesting stuff, it would be great. But as NBA partners, their first obligation is to see that nothing too interesting goes out over the air.

In other words, this entire exercise exists to bring you the 20 least interesting things they pick up.

The Wit And Wisdom Of Bobby Clampett, Vol. 497

It warms my heart to learn that our friends Down Under are getting to experience the profound announcing insights of Bobby Clampett on the Sun City coverage. From reader Mike, two Clampett gems:

"I love the strategy on this hole. The fairway is only 17 yards wide."

Either hit the fairway, or do not the fairway. Such strategy! That's really something to be tout.

But my favorite:

"Designing courses is like duck's soup.It's a piece of cake if you've got a great piece of property."

Yes, that's so...not true. But don't let that discourage you Bobby from continuing to say what's on your mind.

"The diamond in our jewelry was the PGA Tour"

Tim Rosaforte catches up with Don McGuire, ousted as head of Golf Channel programming and development. 

Industry sources have indicated that Thompson hopes to create new programming and may be looking to hire an executive with experience in that area. In other words, developing more shows like The Big Break that can draw ratings during the hours when The Golf Channel is not broadcasting its 15-year investment potentially worth several billion dollars. "The diamond in our jewelry was the PGA Tour," McGuire said. "That was 100 percent of our focus in 2007. That was the mandate from the top down."

Judging by this, things are looking good for the reality show I've been hoping to pitch TGC: a group of hot models and even hotter Big Break rejects are asked to run a Nationwide Tour day care center to find out who will be the last to break into tears. The winner gets to babysit the Mickelson children during next spring's educational trip to Dubai. Thoughts?

Gaffe Channel At Disney

Steve Elling notes a most unusual (well, silly) decision by the Golf Channel Saturday.

But The Demos Are Strong!

Jon Show and John Ourand pen a Sports Business Journal story on the Golf Channel's ratings for season one of 15.

Though numerous sources acknowledge that the network did not meet its ratings guarantees to advertisers this season, Golf Channel executives said a majority of its current advertisers already have renewed for next year, with several cutting multiyear deals. In the first of a 15-year deal with the PGA Tour, Golf Channel has aired full coverage of 13 official money events, and early-round coverage of 30 official money events.

“We will deliver on all, or the majority, of our deals by the end of this year,” said Tom Knapp, Golf Channel’s vice president of strategic partnerships. “The PGA Tour and the Golf Channel is no different than any program on CBS, on NBC; it’s a wide array of deals on different demographics and different terms and conditions.”

For the most part, ad buyers contacted by SportsBusiness Journal said they are not concerned about the network’s ratings shortfall, calling it a common situation among networks, and said they are happy with Golf Channel’s upscale demographics.

But Larry Novenstern, executive vice president for media buying agency Optimedia, cautioned that the ratings shortfall could hurt Golf Channel more than it would bigger, over-the-air broadcasters.

“When you get a contract as big as the PGA [Tour], you have to be careful what you wish for,” he said. “When you’re dealing with [ratings of 0.3 and 0.4], it’s different.”

Though they would not get into specifics, network executives said advertisers are renewing at a brisk pace and paying more than they paid last year.

“Last year (buyers) speculated what they would get,” Knapp said. “This year they know what they’re going to get.” Knapp added that some companies that took a wait-and-see approach this year are signing on for 2008, and the network has had “a lot of success” among nonendemic categories such as financial services, luxury cars, pharmaceuticals, technology and consulting.

And they're happy in Ponte Vedra. For the most part.

“We have some ideas on how the Golf Channel and the networks can probably explain (the FedEx Cup) better next year,” he said. “A little more emphasis on our players and profiling them, I think, is the only thing we would look for them to do in addition next year.”

And...

Data provided by Golf Channel shows coverage of events from the season-opener in early January through the Tour Championship in mid-September, which signaled the end of the inaugural FedEx Cup season, delivered 29 percent more 25- to 54-year-old male viewers with income of more than $75,000 than the comparable coverage on USA and ESPN last year, and 21 percent more adult 25-54 viewers in the same income bracket. Comparisons are made on an event-to-event basis.

In each demo, half of the viewers watched the live coverage and half watched the prime-time re-air.
The PGA Tour coverage helped increase year-to-date total viewership on the network by 49 percent over 2006. That includes increases of 44 percent and 42 percent in males 25-54 and adults 25-54, respectively.

In Case You Missed It...TNT Notes From Grand Slam Day 1

Shocking as it may seem, but I elected to have baseball on instead of the Grand Slam of Golf. But thanks to TNT, we can still relive Bobby Clampett's most profound day one insights:

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the 25th Annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf from the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda

First Round – Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Clampett on Zach Johnson’s early-round struggles:  “(Zach Johnson) has been like a deer in headlights on these greens.  (The greens) have really spooked him.”

Like a deer in headlights? Never heard that one before.

Clampett on the different style of play at the Grand Slam: “Players are not used to playing in foursomes, so it’s a different pace of play.  That’s why I like a guy like (Angel) Cabrera who plays so quickly in this format.  The slower player feels like he is in everybody’s way if he takes extra time.”

Or the fast player gets itchy and cranky thinking that he picked the wrong month to quit smoking.

Clampett on Angel Cabrera’s physical fitness: “(Angel Cabrera is) a modern-day John Daly.”

I'm sorry, did I miss something? John Daly is still alive and playing isn't he?

Clampett on player’s hitting off the scenic 18th tee along the shoreline: “It’s a challenge to get set up on a hole like this with all this beauty around.”

Kratzert: “(Players) find (themselves) staring and kind of dreaming.”

Clampett: “Zach Johnson and (Angel) Cabrera (are) looking out in the ocean more than they are looking at (Jim) Furyk (hitting his tee shot).”

Boy am I sorry I missed that exchange when it happened. 

Where's Marty Hackel When You Need Him? Vol. 397

Accidentally clicking on a link in an attempt to get another broken link to work, I stumbled upon one of those CBS-Golf Digest Rules of the Game deals and was thoroughly impressed with the look cultivated for Bobby Clampett, though I'm guess it wasn't the handiwork of Golf Digest's intrepid style guru Marty Hackel.

The sagging green shirt he picked up at a Las Vegas Golf factory store, complete with a circa 1997 below the elbow cut. Then there's the fully branded, certificate of authenticity verified Dale Earnhardt Commemorative Edition shades straight from Walmart (to cut down on glare), and of course, the sweat stains for a touch of Central Florida post-Villages golf outing gritty.

Please, I know Marty's on the road too much as it is, but can we get him to do one of those fashion rehab things with Clampett (minus the $520 belt).

 

Tour Championship Ratings Skyrocket Thanks To Tiger and Phil...

...not up showing last year!

From Sports Business Daily:

NBC earned a 3.3/7 overnight Nielsen rating for the final round the the Tour Championship, the final leg of the inaugural Playoffs for the FedEx Cup,  from 1:30-6:00pm yesterday, up 200.0% from a 1.1/2 overnight rating for the Tour Championship in '06, which aired in early November on ABC from 1:00-5:00pm.  Tiger Woods won yesterday's event to clinch the FedEx Cup title.  Woods did not play in last year's Tour Championship.  Saturday's third-round coverage earned a 2.8/7 overnight from 2:00-6:00pm, up 86.7% from a 1.5/3 overnight on ABC last year from 3:30-7:00pm.  During the same weekend last year, ESPN aired coverage of the 84 Lumber Classic, and overnights were not available.

And who said there were no benefits to them skipping the 2006 finale?