Hannigan on Bivens v. Media

As usual, Golfobserver's Frank Hannigan whittles the brouhaha down to a few sentences:

Suppose a calendar maker in Thailand lusted for a photo he's seen of Morgan Pressel in Golf World wearing a skirt that would not be allowed on the premises of Winged Foot or Seminole. The issue: Who does he pay? Big stuff, huh?

Forget about readers who have gone hungry in order to pay for subscriptions in the expectation they would get Michelle Wie's SAT scores. All Golf World has been running is little agate print results of LPGA events way in the back of the magazines, next to its Viagra ads.

The Bivens Files

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post sat down for an interview with the LPGA's Commissioner and brand development specialist prior to this week's first major.

"It's a matter of taking a product that's really on the upswing and figuring out how to market it," she said in a recent interview at tour headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. "What motivates me now is making certain there will never be another generation of women who leave the game without having realized economic stability.

"We're changing the business model for how we operate. It's all aspects -- the way we run tournaments, the way we structure them. We're looking at health care options and retirement options. It includes figuring out whether we want to own our own real estate. We're looking at everything."

LTPC's...just what the world needs.

Asked about Augusta National Golf Club's all-male membership policy, she said: "I do believe a woman should be a member. It is a private club and they do have the right to invite private members, and I do believe at some point they will invite a woman. I just hope it's soon, and I do think Nancy Lopez would be ideal for them."

You go Carolyn! Take that Martha!

As for the media regulations boondoggle, Bivens told Peter Yoon of the LA Times that there is a black market for LPGA related photos that is cutting into revenues. Yoon writes:

Bivens said the regulations were designed to give the tour more control over how it is branded, much like other major sports leagues.

It was also an attempt to slow the proliferation of black-market photographs often taken by credentialed photographers under the guise of working for a news agency.

"The regulations were not directed at the mainstream media at all," Bivens said. "Everything hinged on the commercial use of the images and stories. It was not an attempt to step on 1st Amendment rights."

Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, said the regulations were a good idea gone bad.

"Some would sort of scoff at some of those policies," he said. "Too much control can work against you."

Gee, you think?

Swangard, the sports marketing expert, said Bivens' next moves are critical.

"The LPGA sits at an interesting transition point," Swangard said. "It's climbed one flight of stairs, but it's still trying to find its place. The issue now is how to attack the next flight of stairs."

Nothing like a good stair metaphor to put things in perspective. 

Hot Property

Doug Ferguson is covering the LPGA's first major of the year, and on behalf of his AP colleagues, gets a little revenge for this season's LPGA shenanigans.

But there is much work to be done if the LPGA Tour, as new commissioner Carolyn Bivens recently gushed, is really "one of the hottest properties in the sports world."

Of course, it's hard to take her seriously when Sorenstam's 2006 debut was shown on tape delay in the evening by The Golf Channel, which devoted its afternoon coverage to the Canadian Tour.

Now comes the first major championship of the year, and there is work to be done.

It takes away from the aura of a major when an Oscar Meyer "wienermobile" is parked between the putting green and the practice range. Equally rare at a major championship is when the top players have to play a pro-am for two days before Thursday's opening round.

The reasons why the LPGA Tour is riding a wave illustrates how far it has to go.

You go Doug! Oh and you thought the wienermobile couldn't be topped?

And there is Christina Kim, who speaks her mind, and sometimes she makes sense.

Sometimes she doesn't.

Asked about the world ranking in women's golf, which has been lampooned since the day it was published, Kim thought it should be based on more than performance.

"I think there should be opinion put into that," she said. "I think there should be other factors, not necessarily popularity, but if people, you know ... it's hard to describe. I think you have to have your heart and opinion put down on paper. And for that reason, I don't think it's ever going to be a truly successful means of ranking."

Key words: not necessarily popularity.

I mean, you know, it's like, you have to have your heart and opinion put down on paper.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Not The Smoothest Transition...

Thanks to reader Scott for the link to this John Davis story on Carolyn Bivens' rocky start.

It began with the world rankings, which had Michelle Wie No. 3 even though she hasn't won an LPGA title and only one significant amateur championship. She has since climbed to No. 2, based on 16 events. That puts her ahead of Paula Creamer, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, who has won two tour titles and four worldwide.

"I was a little surprised," top-ranked Annika Sorenstam said Wednesday. "I do think it needs to be tweaked a little bit."

Bivens said the new media regulations fall in line with those of other pro sports and give the LPGA more control over its own property and player images.

But, as a result, the season began with virtually no media coverage of the new Fields Open in Hawaii as writers and photographers refused to sign credential forms. After two revisions, AP agreed to sign the new forms, but Golf Digest refuses to do so. That's no small loss for the tour because it also publishes Golf World and Golf for Women magazines.

Fields Open Executive Director Tim Humes wasn't happy about the lack of coverage, telling Golfweek magazine, "We felt like we delivered. How do you have this good a product and not allow it to be covered? My disappointment was more towards the LPGA for not thinking about the impact this would have on our tournament."

Four of the tour's top executives have resigned in the past six months, but Bivens dismisses that as the normal fallout that comes with new leadership.

"That often is what an organization does from one administration to another and from one stage to another," she said. "I look back on my career at USA Today, and there was a wonderful group of people who were part of the launch. There were people who were so critical for the first five years that didn't make the transition to the next for a variety of reasons.

"It's not that unusual for people to leave, and I have maintained friendships with a number of those who have left the LPGA."

Wendy Ward had this to say about Bivens:

"She has ruffled some feathers because she has a different way of going about things, and some people don't like change," Ward said. "But I wish I had another year left on the board because I see her as someone who is confident in her ability and not afraid to do things her way."

I'd love to know how keeping Golf Digest/Golf World/Golf For Women from covering your Tour is a good thing? 

Maybe This Is Why...

...Carolyn Bivens wants control of all photos taken at LPGA Tour events?

 

Getting Ready For Oscar Night

I don't know about you, but I can only think brand consistency when I see these spellbinding images from LPGA Oscar night preparations.

Yes, that's right, LPGA.com has the exclusive details on the gift-bag trade out on LPGAers being invited to post-Oscar parties. I bet Elton immediately recognized Stephanie Louden!

Thanks to reader John for the link. 

It's All About Brand Consistency

Carolyn Bivens talked to Golf World's Ryan Herrington about the credential release form controversy (which still has not been resolved with the Golf Digest Companies):

"If you don't have some control of how your image is used commercially, you really can't build a consistent brand," Bivens said. "You're not a good steward. And for 55 years we never asserted any rights to that. In order to more consistently build our brand, we have to have control over the commercial use."

See, she's a good steward, unlike those past commissioners who had no sense of brand consistency. 

But here's the beautiful irony part, printed in the same pages where the vital publication in question featured no coverage of the event due to the uh, brand consistency-driven policy:

"When media assert their rights, I don't think that means fans aren't going to come out and see or attend the tournaments or the games," she said. "I don't think to the average consumer this makes any difference."

These Girls Rock (In Oscar Gift Bags Too)

I wish I could make stuff like this up...gosh the Carolyn Bivens years (if she makes it that long) are going to be fun. Shoot, they already have been! This is really special:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., March 2, 2006 – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) just made possibly the biggest cut in Association history.  When the 78th Annual Academy Awards Presenters Gift Bag is distributed exclusively to celebrity presenters, performers and key show executives at Sunday’s Academy Awards, the LPGA will have a gift among a myriad of top-of-the-line items that total more than $100,000. 
          Each gift bag, which is presented on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as a thank you to celebrity presenters and performers, will include a “These Girls Rock” themed CD case (see attached) containing a certificate redeemable for all-access, VIP treatment at any LPGA Tour event throughout the 2006 season.  Additionally, each celebrity will receive a photograph and biography of an LPGA Tour star who will provide an exclusive golf lesson at the LPGA tournament of the celebrity’s choosing.
           “We believe the committee chose our gift because the LPGA is one of the hottest sports properties in the world right now, and the LPGA gift is a unique offering that stands out from the spa packages, electronics and hotel trips that are traditionally included,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens.  “Our product is our players, and what better way for A-list Hollywood celebrities to experience the LPGA than at a tournament and through a golf lesson with one of our stars.”
           The bag is filled with a diverse range of luxurious items, putting the LPGA’s offering in the company of premier gifts of resort stays, jewelry, top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, cellular phone service, cashmere clothing and cosmetics.  The 78th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Jon Stewart, will air March 5 on ABC at 8 p.m. EST.
           In addition, six players will be in Los Angeles on Sunday night to attend some of the infamous Oscar after-parties.  Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Jimin Kang, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim and Stephanie Louden will be outfitted in designer gowns and accessories and join Bivens as VIP guests at the Oscar Rocks: US/Rolling Stone event and the Elton John AIDS Foundation Viewing and After-Party.

Huggan On Rankings

John Huggan slices and dices the silly new women's world golf ranking.

Unlimited, Perpetual, Nonexclusive...

Frank Bridgewater in the Honolulu Star Bulletin elaborates on the LPGA's photo policy and shares details not previously reported. Hard to see how there was a misunderstanding here:

"ALL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN AT LPGA EVENTS ARE TO BE USED SOLELY BY THE SPECIFIC NEWS MEDIA OUTLET FOR WHICH THE CREDENTIAL HAS BEEN ISSUED AND FOR NO PURPOSE OTHER THAN THE NEWS COVERAGE FOR THE PARTICULAR LPGA EVENT AT WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TAKEN."

 And...

"the LPGA shall have an unlimited, perpetual, nonexclusive right to use ... photographs taken at LPGA events for the noncommercial promotion of the LPGA and LPGA events, at no additional expense, in any form worldwide."

And several thousand dollars of legal fees later, the corrected language:

"Notwithstanding any other provisions of the LPGA Photographer and Journalist Media Credential Regulations, media outlets may make unrestricted editorial use of any images or articles they create pursuant to their access to any LPGA event."

LPGA Wises Up...

...but the PR damage was done. You have to figure that Commissioner Bivens will be getting a second look from golf publications in the coming weeks.

A Wie High?

Brian Hewitt looks at the absurdity of Michelle Wie debuting at No. 3 in the new women's world ranking, and the even more ridiculous idea of someone named Yuri Fudoh landing in the No. 4 spot.

The Latest Bivens Era Fiasco

If you wonder why many believe the hiring of LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens is not looking too hot, this story ought to give you some idea where things are headed for a tour that is otherwise on the rise.

Actually, before you read it, keep in mind a little behind the scenes saga that was just averted last week.

It seems that Bivens wanted to give USA Today (where she used to work!) first right to release and print the new Rolex World Ranking. The AP and others questioned the fairness (and logic) behind the move.

Until the last moment, it appeared Bivens was going to follow through with the USA Today fiasco. Someone obviously changed her mind because all news agencies received the rankings at the same time, except weekly magazines that needed them in advance of presstime midday Monday.

So now it seems the LPGA wants control of photographs taken at their events. To receive a credential, reporters and photographers must sign away rights that say the use of any photograph used after the event covered requires LPGA approval. 

This AP story spells out what may become exhibit A in why Bivens may not be the right person for the LPGA job, bypassing her handling of longtime official Barb Trammell, the suspect Annika-Creamer ruling or her first press conference.

The Associated Press was denied credentials to cover the LPGA Fields Open tournament Wednesday in a dispute over new restrictions on use of its stories and photos.

AP reporter Jaymes Song was not allowed on the course during Wednesday's practice rounds or in the media room to cover Michelle Wie's pretournament news conference after refusing to sign the credential form with the new restrictions. Freelance photographer Ronen Zilberman also refused to sign the form and was denied a credential.

It's one thing to ban the photographer from the East Valley Penny Saver, but you don't mess with AP when you are already begging for media coverage in newspapers. 

Update on 2006-02-23 15:17 by Geoff

The Honolulu paper joins AP in not covering the event. I forgot that Michelle Wie is playing in this event. Nice.

How Many Credit Cards Do You Have and What Color Are They?

"The Golf Digest Interview" is typically full of fresh stories and revealing insights. Then there was January's sitdown with Paula Creamer that would have been better suited for pages of Miss Teen. Maybe.

And no, I'm not making this up:

GD: When you turned pro, was your press conference televised?
PC: Um . . . no. I think I had something later on The Golf Channel, but it was nothing like she had.

Do you have any idea how much you're worth?
I have no idea.

No idea?
I don't care about that kind of stuff. I care about my quality of life and money, but I don't know an exact number.

Definitely not $10 million?
No, not $10 million.

Maybe $5 million?
In that area.

Who handles your money?
IMG [International Management Group]. My parents are also involved, but I have a person who handles all of my money.

So if you go to an ATM right now and get cash, what's your available balance?
I've never gotten cash out of a machine. I use my credit cards, so I don't need to do that.

You've never gotten cash out of a machine?
Never. I've watched people, but I've never done it.

Come on! How do you get cash?
My dad, I guess.

How many credit cards do you have?
Three.

What color are they?
I have platinum. I have a new green one, which is pretty cool.

Golf Digest people probably don't get the new green ones.
[Laughs.] I do go to the bank and make withdrawals, but not from those machines.

Do you have a PIN number?
I might have one, but I don't know it. I have a debit card, I think, but I've never used it.

Do you get an allowance?
From who, my parents? No, but I'm trying to learn how much I'll allow myself to spend each month: $4,000, maybe $2,000. I haven't figured out the number yet. It depends on where we play. New York was terrible. That was the week I won for the first time, so I went crazy.

How much a month do you spend on clothes?
Too much. It depends. I can go from $1,000 in a week to $1,000 in a month. It's a lot.

Bivens Gives In

Not a big surprise (or a big issue?), but new LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens is going to allow Morgan Pressel to play before her 18th birthday. Something tells me this is not that big of a deal.

On the other hand, Bivens has already shown a tendency to overvalue marketing and undervalue the rules.