"Eye on CBS (An Intervention)"
/Tron Carter at No Laying Up watched Saturday's CBS telecast and offers this therapeutic venting for those who found CBS's coverage stale, dull, uninspired, tired, dated, lacking, or, some combination of those.
I watched most of the replay last night along parts of the live telecast from Northern Trust Open media center, I was a bit astounded that what they were showing the same tournament I was witnessing out on the course. Then again, considering what I heard about the greens, maybe their minds and hearts were elsewhere.
Capturing the energy of a golf tournament is tough. Even tougher when you have so many plugs to get in, and even more difficult when ten players have a shot at winning.
Still, for the improvements in graphics, the always competent sound and camera work, the vitriol toward CBS golf broadcasts really has little to do with the actually announcing or visual presentation, and everything to do with a sense that we, the viewer, are serving at their pleasure. They are doing what suits them best and not what is the best for the viewer, sponsor and tournament story telling.
As Carter lays out, this is a start shift from the philosophy of Frank Chirkinian.
I also thought his observations here were worth noting:
• A few issues with regard to technology: No effort made to show the design of the golf course. Flyovers, explanations, some way to show elevation changes, nothing. NBC often uses technology to show the slopes of each green (and does so without interrupting the action) – would be a cool feature on a classic course like this with, ya know, severe greens. Also very limited use of ProTracer. I get the sense that they’re on a budget and skimping hard. All of this is particularly ironic considering this Q&A with Mr. Barrow.
• Don’t recall hearing any caddie-player convos. Shame.
• At least half the top twenty players on the leaderboard did not have a single shot shown on television.
• It’s unbelievable how many PGA Tour produced commercials there are. We’re already watching your tournament, let the action speak for itself instead of putting together some splashy commercial that everyone resents after the third or fourth week of it airing.
Hopefully these and other Carter points will be absorbed in Ponte Vedra and by Team Barrow.