When did CBS, NBC, and ABC began broadcasting golf events?

[oldvnewschool]

On the CBS Corporation Website,

they mentioned that in 2000 that it celebrates 50 years of covering golf events.

With the new PGA deals starting in 2007, ABC will no longer air PGA events

although they still have the rights to the British Open until 2009.

My perdicitions is that

CBS (1951/some PGA)

NBC (1954/US Open and some PGA)

ABC (1961/British Open)

Any clarification if this is correct?

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

According to this page on About.com, the first televised golf tournament was locally televised and not on a network: The 1947 U.S. Open in St. Louis, covered by KSD-5 there (now KSDK). I suspect they only covered the 18th hole.

There were probably other golf tournaments televised locally for the next few years, but it was not until 1953 that a golf tournament was televsied live on network television. It was the Tam O'Shanter World Champiobship held at the course of the same name near Chicago, and was broadcast by ABC (which was paid to produce and broadcast the event by tournament organizer and O'Shanter course owner George S. May). It also had the richest purse in golf history to that time, a then unheard-of $25,000 to the winner. Lew Worsham dramatically won the O'Shanter on the 18th hole, and it might have been for golf what the 1958 NFL Championship between the New York Giants and the old Baltimore Colts would be for pro football-----a milestone that turned the sport into a major TV attraction.

Although Oldvnewschool noted on CBS' website that the network celebrated 50 years of covering golf on television in 2000, it's quite possible that the first "golf tournament on CBS Television" could have been a local telecast on CBS-owned WCBS-2 New York of a tournament in that area.

As noted earlier on this board, the 1954 U.S. Open was the first time that tournament (and I think the first time any of golf's "majors") was ever televised on a network.

One other note: The British Opens of 1961 through 1964 were shown on a week's delay on "Wide World Of Sports". Starting in 1965, until the early 1990's or so, the final round (and later final two rounds) would be seen on a same-day via-satellite basis on "Wide World" (and I believe in color starting in 1967; that was the year the BBC got it's first "colour outside broadcast vans").

 

[oldvnewschool]

> According to this page on About.com, the first televised
> golf tournament was locally televised and not on a network:
> The 1947 U.S. Open in St. Louis, covered by KSD-5 there (now
> KSDK). I suspect they only covered the 18th hole.
>
> There were probably other golf tournaments televised locally
> for the next few years, but it was not until 1953 that a
> golf tournament was televsied live on network television. It
> was the Tam O'Shanter World Champiobship held at the course
> of the same name near Chicago, and was broadcast by ABC
> (which was paid to produce and broadcast the event by
> tournament organizer and O'Shanter course owner George S.
> May). It also had the richest purse in golf history to that
> time, a then unheard-of $25,000 to the winner. Lew Worsham
> dramatically won the O'Shanter on the 18th hole, and it
> might have been for golf what the 1958 NFL Championship
> between the New York Giants and the old Baltimore Colts
> would be for pro football-----a milestone that turned the
> sport into a major TV attraction.
>
> Although Oldvnewschool noted on CBS' website that the
> network celebrated 50 years of covering golf on television
> in 2000, it's quite possible that the first "golf tournament
> on CBS Television" could have been a local telecast on
> CBS-owned WCBS-2 New York of a tournament in that area.
>
> As noted earlier on this board, the 1954 U.S. Open was the
> first time that tournament (and I think the first time any
> of golf's "majors") was ever televised on a network.
>
> One other note: The British Opens of 1961 through 1964 were
> shown on a week's delay on "Wide World Of Sports". Starting
> in 1965, until the early 1990's or so, the final round (and
> later final two rounds) would be seen on a same-day
> via-satellite basis on "Wide World" (and I believe in color
> starting in 1967; that was the year the BBC got it's first
> "colour outside broadcast vans").
>
Thank You

 

[timmyb]

> > As noted earlier on this board, the 1954 U.S. Open was the
>
> > first time that tournament (and I think the first time any
>
> > of golf's "majors") was ever televised on a network.
> >
> > One other note: The British Opens of 1961 through 1964
> were
> > shown on a week's delay on "Wide World Of Sports".
> Starting
> > in 1965, until the early 1990's or so, the final round
> (and
> > later final two rounds) would be seen on a same-day
> > via-satellite basis on "Wide World" (and I believe in
> color
> > starting in 1967; that was the year the BBC got it's first
>
> > "colour outside broadcast vans").
> >
this is what i have for the majors and their first year of network and cable coverage

Masters: CBS since 1956, USA since 1982.

U.S. Open: I actually have 1958 as the first year of coverage instead of 1954, but it is quite possible that it could be '54. NBC did the U.S. Open from 1958 thru 1965, then it went to ABC thru 1994, when it returned to NBC in 1995. cable, ESPN since 1982.

The Open: Joe G is right. 1961-1964 on videotape delay on ABC's wide world of sports. 1965 final round same day satellite coverage (britain forbade sunday sports of any sort until the late 70's). then live final round coverage - i think - in 1970. then the final two rounds live when the open went from a wednesday-saturday format to a thursday-sunday format circa 1979. cable, ESPN from 1982 thru 2002, TNT since 2003.

PGA: changed from match play to stroke play just so CBS could begin televising it starting in 1958, where it stayed thru 1964. ABC carried the PGA from 1965 thru 1990, and it returned to CBS in 1991 (john daly's cinderella win), where it remains. cable, ESPN from 1985 thru 1990, TBS 1991 thru 1999, TNT since 2000.

the masters on cbs is the longest exclusive "big event" sports partnership on network tv in north america, and perhaps one of the longest on the planet. it has been nowhere but on cbs since 1956. yes, cbc has been doing the stanley cup final since 1953, but in 1972, ctv carried the final to avert the nabet strike, and in the mid-80's it shared coverage with carling-o'keefe with ctv (85-86) and global/canwest (87-88).

there is talk that with abc having ONLY the (british) open as the only golf tournament it will cover for three years (2007-2009), that it may sell off the last 3 years to - likely - cbs. it is no secret that cbs's top golf reporter jim nantz dearly covets covering the open as he makes no bones that golf is his #1 sport, and i believe that he has been a guest of abc for several years to attend the open. if cbs doesn't get the open next year, it will all but certainly lock up the open with a new deal with the r&a by 2010.

sorry for the tangent, but i hope this supplements joseph g's offerings.

tb