Too Bad PGA Tour Doesn't Depend On Ratings: Farmers UP 54%!

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Before you read this release from CBS, take 32 minutes and visualize the end of a blowout game between Duke and St. Johns, then proceed.

RATINGS RISE FOR CBS SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF PGA TOUR’S “FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN” FINAL ROUND WITH 54% INCREASE
 
CBS Sports’ final-round coverage of the PGA TOUR’s FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN on Sunday, January 30 (3:30-6:30 PM, ET), which saw Bubba Watson beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke and Jhonattan Vegas and Dustin Johnson by three strokes, scored an average overnight household rating/share..

Wednesday night marks the return of Blue Bloods! See Tom Selleck play the first openly blue collar member of the USGA Executive Committee battling a super-secret group of Walter Driver lackeys disputing the importance of returning to the New York market every seven years. That's 9:30 Wednesday, only on CBS.

of 3.7/7, up +54% from last year’s 2.4/5 in the metered markets.
 
Sunday’s final-round rating peaked at a 4.8/9 (6:00-6:30 PM, ET).  In addition,

Tonight on 60 Minutes, Julian Assange reveals whether WikiLeaks really has all PGA Tour Vice Presidential emails from the last 13 years and whether he will post them online. Steve Kroft reports, only on CBS.

Sunday’s 3.7/7 was the highest overnight rating for the final round of the FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN since 2008 (4.6/9).
 
CBS Sports' third-round coverage of the FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN on Saturday, January 29 (3:15-6:00 PM, ET) earned an average overnight household rating/share of 2.5/6, up +47% from last year's third round 1.7/4 in the metered markets. Saturday’s 2.5/6 was the highest-rated third round for this event since 2008 (3.2/7).

Why Are The Waves Near Torrey Pines Fluorescent Yellow?

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I figured my eyes and my television were deceiving me during today's Farmers Insurance Open first round telecast from Torrey Pines when the white foamy waves appeared to have been touched up with a yellow highlighter. Then reader Josh emailed and noticed the same thing, wondering if this was caused by camera filters to beef up the green grass? Anyone know?

Because I drove by those waves several times and I'm pretty sure this is not caused by the general public whizzing in the water. Anyway, it's less prevalent in these photos as it appeared live, but you'll get the drift.

 

"Golf Channel Tournament Ratings Setting High Marks"

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This post is a waste of your time because as Michael Buteau explained in a Bloomberg story today, the PGA Tour doesn't "depend on" ratings for its business model to work.

Golf Channel Tournament Ratings Setting High Marks
 
PGA TOUR Telecasts up 33% After First Three Tournaments of 2011
 
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2011) – Record-setting tournament ratings have highlighted the start of the new year for Golf Channel, marked by the highest PGA TOUR season opener ever on the network and double digit increases for entire events.
 
After posting an impressive 38 percent event increase year over year for the PGA TOUR season kick-off event, Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and continued increases for the Sony Open in Hawaii, Golf Channel recorded its largest gain with a 60 percent increase in ratings for the Bob Hope Classic.
 
To date, combined ratings for the first three events of the 2011 PGA TOUR season represent a 33 percent gain over last year.
 
The first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions represented a 37 percent ratings increase from the same round in 2010, with the tournament average for all five rounds (0.6 household rating/593,000 average total viewers) the best since 2008.  Sunday’s final round of the Bob Hope Classic (0.6/652,000 average total viewers) was the event’s best final round since 2007 that was opposite stiff competition from the NFL playoffs.
 
“We’ve worked extremely hard to improve our tournament telecasts and we’re extremely excited the PGA TOUR on our air is off to a great start,” said Tom Stathakes, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming, production and operations.  “We’re getting better every day, and that will always be our mantra.  Things are looking promising for a great year ahead.”

Nantz, Johnny Win In Popularity Poll Landslides

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Golfweek's informal online poll on golf telecasts is up and the closest race was for Best Announcer In An "Hmmm, that's interesting" Performance.

Which analyst is most likely to make you think, "Hmmm, that's interesting"?

Paul Azinger, ESPN   12.2%
Curt Byrum, Golf Channel   2.3%
Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel   24.4%
Nick Faldo, CBS/Golf Channel   27.5%
Johnny Miller, NBC 33.5%

Of course Johnny won by an even bigger margin in the "remote throw" division.

But even better, fans want to see more shots. Another landslide.

What reason is most likely to make you turn off the TV?

Coverage focused too much on Tiger Woods   28.6%
Don’t see enough golf shots   45.7%
Find the commentators annoying   19.1%
Prefer watching sports other than golf   6.6%

"Because our scatter value on television would go up, and that's why we like to have better ratings, because it is a value proposition."

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Commissioner Tim Finchem took a few minutes from his schedule to visit the Farmers Insurance Open press center. While some scribes were taken by the newsworthiness of several answers, I will contend that it was his concoction of a potentially life-changing b-speakism that should be the lede story.
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"You can’t just look at ratings and say the sport has a problem. People who say that don’t know what they’re talking about.”

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Nice reporting by SBJ's Michael Smith and John Ourand on where the tour stands with its television partners (who sound positively giddy) and we learn that the 30% ratings really doesn't mean much. Get our your value-count reference clickers...
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Jack: “Probably the whole book of the rules of golf should be changed."

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I tuned in for a bit but missed Jack Nicklaus joining Morning Drive's Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams via phone for Wednesday morning. Thankfully, the Golf Channel PR folks sent out a few highlights, including this response to an email question about any rules of golf he would like to see changed:
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"Even in today's must-know everything culture, if pro golf's TV fortunes rise or fall on whether someone is miked up, that is a sign of greater problems."

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That's what Bill Fields says in today's Golf World Monday. He also writes:

TV could better utilize the mics already on course, and the tour mandate its players to do interviews during a round. The latter would give viewers more without taking away something from the stars of the show.

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"In the age of blogging, Tweeting and podcasts, wearing microphones shouldn't be a big deal. I think it's worth a try."

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According to Sal Johnson in this uniquely conveyed disquisition, SI Golf Plus commissioned a counterpoint My Shot to Justin Rose's view that players should not wear wireless microphones. However, Ted Purdy's piece did not make the magazine and was buried at golf.com, but here it is.
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