"Next time: Probably best to show entire Monday finale on Golf Channel"

Ed Sherman polled Twitterers about their local CBS affiliates and found several major cities (Atlanta, Orlando, Providence, Phoenix) did not get the network portion of Monday's Farmers Insurance Open finish.

Sherman concludes that it might be best for Golf Channel to do the entire thing if the network is going to have spotty affiliate support.

CBS officials are in full Super Bowl mode in New Orleans and haven’t gotten back to me for a comment.
Obviously, the network is going to hear from plenty of angry golf fans. Then again, if those local affiliates showed golf, they probably would be hearing from angry Ellen and Judge Judy fans.

Next time: Probably best to show entire Monday finale on Golf Channel if a network can’t get clearance from all of its affiliates.

Sadly, not enough know about the new digital streaming unveiled this week through GolfChannel.com, PGATour.com and CBSSports.com. It worked splendidly and I heard from several with rave reviews about how well it was working, including one Twitterer watching on an airplane.

Comments

[DTF]

They'll never do that again even if Tiger and Rory are tied with 9 holes to go...except for possibly a major. Broadcast was just a disaster today. I was under the impression the affiliates didn't have a choice in a situation like this but I could be wrong (it was until the bitter end here in the city). At one time I knew some guys that ran an NBC affiliate and they told me a story about a competitor pre-empting weekend golf for a paid programming telethon and getting called on the carpet for it by New York. Maybe weekend schedules are different...

[Colin MacGillivray]

Was it worth watching anyway? Only if Tiger lost a 6/7 shot lead which was extraordinarily unlikely. Pictures of his group waiting for the group in front weren't very interesting. Even at fast forward 4x.

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

Tuned in to watch Tiger close the deal and was reminded why I hardly ever watch 'the american tv game' now.

Nope, not going to have a pop at Tiger; I just can't stand listening to hysterical fans screaming "get in the hole". Compare that to fan behaviour at the closing stages of last year's Open at Lytham ... well, the contrast is stark. American fan behaviour is beyond the pale and frankly, disrespectful to the game itself.

Perhaps the time has come to introduce a separate etiquette fan code ... one that's just for the adults!

[Bobby D]

@c and c.....all I can say to you sir is, Mashed Potatoes!

[Charlie]

the morons yelling stuff out normally follow Tiger. It doens't matter if he's in the US or Europe or Australia. If Tiger were in the last years Open you would've been hearing the same thing.

I also hears countless times officials saying no cameras, only to see people with their phone or camera trying to sneek a pic. nothing is going to change until we start kicking these people out, but Tour officials are too scared to alienate fans. too bad they are doing it by allowing the drunk obnoxious yelling fans to stay.

[F. X. Flinn]

No finish on the local NBC affiliate here either. When a foot of snow is falling people need their Judge Judy. What was the barrier to TGC replaying the entire final 2 rounds in a shot-by-shot manner ala the NFL channel replays? That would have been a good fit to the late night programming. Set the DVR's.
The slow play was inexcusable. They all should have been done by 4pm EST -- 2.5 hours for Tiger's group to play 11 holes, not 3:45. Scheduled to be done by 5pm EST with a 1:10pm EST start time, it means the TOUR (there you go, PVB EVPs, I threw you a bone) expected the last group to be playing at a 7 hour pace!
Sign me -- I just don't get it

[HP]

was not on in Houston either, very dissapointing.

[RLL]

By the time Tiger was finally allowed to hit up to the last green, I think HE was ready to shout, "Mashed Potatoes" to the lummoxes in front of him. At one point, he leaned his chin on an elbow atop his bag like a bored office worker waiting for 5:00. The last few holes of this tourney looked like what most golfers endure on a muni where the only rhythm golfers are able to get into has to do with how often they reach for their trail mix or a water bottle to suppress wait-rage... Worst run final day of a tourney I've ever seen managed to drain the thrill out of even Tiger starting a season like the Tiger people have been waiting to see again...

[Chicago John]

Unless it is a major, the younger crowd of golfers will continue to find golf coverage completely obsolete.

Some older viewers have caught on with the DVR, but the younger generation DVR's everything. There is no sense watching it live, even if it is Tiger, when you are forced to dedicate an afternoon to watching 2 putts, boring commentary, and then a slew of Cialis and investment commercials.

Many golfers can probably play a full round, come home watch DVR and almost catch up with the coverage. You can literally cut a 5 hour round into simply following the leaders shots in roughly 45 min or so.

[benseattle]

Having worked in TV sports on the local level I can tell you that in virtually every case, it's up to the particular affiliates to carry network programming or not. In this instance, program directors in Atlanta, Phoenix, etc., simply said "We're not showing golf when we can make more money -- and keep an expectant audience happy -- by skipping the network" and running the usual "Judy Judy" or "Ellen" or whatever else syndicated fare they usually offer. Trust me: when the housewives are deprived of their normal daily fix, they simply scream.

It happens every year here in Seattle when the local CBS station skips the final round of the Bridgestone at Firestone (I think) in favor of -- get this -- our annual HYDROPLANE races during Seafair. Like anybody, even in Seattle, gives a flying flip.