LAWRENCE, Kansas — Even after the Kansas men’s basketball team had escaped with a one-point victory against UCLA last night, something just didn’t feel right. How could officials have put 0.7 seconds back on the clock after reviewing the same footage I’d seen on television?

The issue to me was not whether KU’s Mario Little was in fact fouled but whether the official had called the foul before time had expired in the second half. After the replay had aired several times, it was clear that the official hadn’t raised his arm until after time had run out.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Technology by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – When I said three weeks ago that, for CBS, this year’s NCAA Tournament “may very well be the network’s own shining moment,” I never could have anticipated the whirlwind ride that followed. Not only were we treated to two overtime games in the first session of the first round, but we were also treated to close game after close game, upset after upset.

In a year with so much uncertainty about the future of the tournament, teams delivered the most exhilarating set of games in history. They showed off everything that is right with the current format, making a seemingly imminent expansion to 96 teams look that much more ridiculous.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – As CBS embarks on another NCAA Tournament, it is important to remember just how good they are at doing this event. Sure, they will miff some viewers by jumping around from site to site to update other games – the necessary evil known as “walking the dog” – but when your game is on the line, you can be sure you’ll see it live.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – If you choose which games you watch based on the announcers or crew covering them, this is for you. Here is the breakdown of which crew is at which site for the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament as well as the early and late first round games.

Filed under:
Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – America loves an underdog, and America loves a comeback. Put those together, as the New Orleans Saints did in Sunday’s Super Bowl, and you get ratings. Big ratings.

CBS’ average overnight rating/share was a 46.4/68. In layman’s terms, an average of 46.4% of U.S. television households watched the game, with 68% of those watching television from 6:30-9:45 p.m. ET tuning in to the Super Bowl. It marks the highest rating since current CBS lead analyst Phil Simms was leading the New York Giants to victory in Super Bowl XXI (47.8/68). Conveniently, that too was a come-from-behind win.

Filed under:
Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – I can sum up Super Bowl XLIV in a phrase: good but not great. Save a commercial here or a play call there, little about either the game or the telecast was particularly noteworthy. As much as the many fans who’ve proclaimed themselves members of the “Who Dat Nation” would like to think that this game will go down “as one of those sports moments,” it won’t.

Filed under:
Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Let me begin by making a couple things clear.

First, as most people who have read my blog, visited my sites, listened to my podcasts or followed my tweets would know, I have worked for CBS Sports off and on as a runner and tape logger since I was a sophomore in high school. (That’s 2001 for those not keeping score.)

Second, I am gay. I came out when I was 17, began to have some doubts when I was 20, and ultimately came out for a second time shortly after my 23rd birthday. Was I gay that entire time? Yes. Was I sure? No, but I am now. For me and practically every other person, sexual orientation isn’t just black and white, cut and dry. It’s nuanced and complicated.

So too is CBS’ criteria for accepting and rejecting Super Bowl commercials.

Filed under:
Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – This week I had the pleasure of interviewing CBS Sports director Bob Fishman for my podcast, “No Relation.” I have known “Fish” for seven years, meeting him by chance as a senior in high school. It didn’t take long for me to see that there is something truly special about him.

He commanded the respect of everyone working with him, but not the kind forced by title or protocol. It was more of a collective fondness and warmth for their leader. I shadowed “Fish” as his unpaid assistant for the SEC Football Championship in December 2002. Surrounded at a round table of camera operators, most of whom were twice my age if not older, they marveled my unique opportunity. “He doesn’t know yet how lucky he is,” one said. I didn’t then. I do now.

Filed under:
Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

O’FALLON, Mo. – Where do I begin? There’s been a lot of interesting television in the last week, and some other intriguing item looking forward.

Late Night

Saturday Night Live delivered one of its best episodes in recent memory. And I have a pretty good memory, particularly with regard to SNL. Beginning with a well-executed cold open and perhaps the most physically demanding monologue since Bill Murray scaled the “Homebase” set 10 seasons ago, Joseph Gordon-Levitt proved himself a more-than-formidable host. Musical guests Dave Matthews Band made yet another appearance on the show. DMB is the only musical act I can think of who’s performances have now spanned the three longest-tenured directors in SNL’s history – the late Dave Wilson (with host Courteney Cox in 1994), multiple appearances with director Beth McCarthy Miller, and now Don Roy King. I have no doubt I’m the only person who really cares.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Sports TV, Technology, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – By now, it’s hard to have totally avoided the news of the video taken through a peephole that shows ESPN reporter Erin Andrews walking around a hotel room nude. The blog post that surfaced in the media late last week is getting all kinds of reactions–from outraged to obscene.

ESPN attorneys took immediate action, sending a cease and desist letter to the blog’s owner. Andrews’ own attorney subsequently released a statement confirming what had previously only been suspicion of the identity of the “Hot naked blonde.” Deadspin, which has been covering developments in the story since it broke, has reported that the video had actually been online for months before widespread news of it broke.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Social Media, Sports TV, Technology, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After putting forth my arbitrary list of the best in live television for the past year, I have seen that the Sports Emmy Awards were given out last night. I’ve decided that, since I have yet to look at the winners, I might as well give my picks to a slightly less arbitrary selection.

Here’s a quick digression: I’m sitting in the Kansas Union on the KU campus in Lawrence with ESPN’s newsmagazine attempt, E:60, on a television to my left. I can’t really hear what’s being said. What I can tell is that the film noir pitch meeting footage is horribly over the top, and the camerawork for the interviews in this Stephon Marbury piece is basically what I’d expect from ESPN trying to do break into this genre. Could someone please watch Real Sports or 60 Minutes?! They do it right.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For as long as I’ve been writing about the world of live television, I don’t think I’ve ever actually put forth a list of who I think is the best for on-air and production.

Here are a couple of rules: 1) individuals must still be active in their respective roles (network changes are okay); 2) there is no limit on how many people working for a particular network can be chosen (if the network happens to be that good, it wouldn’t make sense for me to suggest otherwise); 3) for sports, when I feel it is warranted, I may select multiple people holding the same position but for different sports.

Filed under:
Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – You couldn’t tune in to last weekend’s Masters coverage without incessant reminders that Tiger Woods was playing. Honestly, how could we forget? CBS probably would have run promos mentioning Woods whether he was “within striking distance” or not. It’s understandable. Like Duke and North Carolina in basketball, a tournament with Tiger is sure to get big ratings, especially if he’s threatening the lead.

In this year’s case, however, CBS didn’t need golf’s biggest name to draw in viewers. Americans Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell did plenty to help. Oh, and they didn’t even win. Perry and Campbell led after two rounds at Augusta National and kept it more than interesting for the final two. Neither golfer is entirely unknown, which was a plus. But what really made the tournament was the competition.

Sure, Tiger has put up some wowing scores at the Masters, but he has often won convincingly with no threat on Sunday. This year’s final round had all the makings of a network executive’s dream. The scenery at Augusta is always something to behold, and high definition doesn’t hurt. That much is a given. After some concern of stormy weather earlier in the week, the clouds cleared and the stars on the course shone bright.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – In a rare moment, reporter Mary Joe Fernandez landed a live interview from James Blake’s box in Arthur Ashe Stadium with older brother Thomas, who spoke candidly during the fifth set. As the younger Blake mounted a comeback, he failed to capitalize on three match points, and Tommy Haas answered by forcing a tiebreak.

Meanwhile, the trio of Dick Enberg, John McEnroe and Mary Carillo, who spent much of the afternoon in jocular exchange, flipped on the serious switch when the occasion called for it and provided excellent, meaningful commentary that viewers have come to expect; and coordinating producer Bob Mansbach, working his 27th U.S. Open, expertly selected relevant replays that director Bob Fishman interwove with dramatic live shots of the players, their families, coaches and fans in what Enberg declared the highlight of the two-week tournament.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – On a cold January night in Eastern Kansas, the heated rivalry between the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers was reignited inside Allen Fieldhouse. The gates opened and the students poured in, decked out in their crimson and blue, filling the highly-sought-after student sections to the brim.

Meanwhile, outside the venue in the 53-foot-long high definition production truck for ESPN’s first night of “Student Spirit Week,” temperatures were also rising beneath the collars of some of the telecast’s key production personnel. As has become the custom at KU, countless students donned their royal blue “Muck Fizzou” t-shirts, displaying the now-trite spoonerism reflecting the student body’s hatred for the Tigers. And, while ESPN may be on cable, it still has standards for what it will and won’t allow on the air. The t-shirts did not make the cut.

Often the case – as with the Fieldhouse’s TV-unfriendly layout – since the school won’t change, the network must. The result: director Ken Dennis and his team of camera operators must be constantly vigilant to keep the shirts off the air. So, no matter how brilliant the paint job is on your face, if your torso is covered in a “Muck Fizzou” shirt, don’t count on getting any air time. To complicate matters further, since the game is in high definition, Dennis must be aware of the wider frame that HD allows, ruling out even more shots.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Two months have passed since my hectic schedule last allowed me an opportunity to vent. I’ve seen a lot of television in these eight weeks, so here’s what I’ve concluded:

The first year back to multi-network coverage of the Triple Crown was disappointing at best. NBC’s telecasts at Churchill Downs and Pimlico Race Course were almost entirely comprised of cuts (rather than dissolves or other effects) that were exceedingly jarring, and director David Michaels seemed to be cutting out of sync with the field. His cutting during The Preakness Stakes, when jockey Edgar Prado was forced to pull up heavy favorite Barbaro, at least provided a silver lining in the cloud over the first two races. ABC/ESPN’s coverage of The Belmont Stakes, however, had no such upside. As The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir pointed out in his June 13th column, “an inferior ESPN production showed how unprepared it was to carry a Triple Crown race.” Indeed, there was nothing positive to be taken from the broadcast except for the hope that it can’t possibly get any worse next year.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

ROSWELL, Ga. – As the 2006 NCAA Tournament enters its second week of competition, I will be in Atlanta, somewhere neither of “my teams” – the Kansas Jayhawks and Syracuse Orange – will be: the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. In the Atlanta bracket, a superior #12 Texas A&M team defeated Syracuse, an overrated 5 seed that only made the tournament because of its unlikely run in the Big East Tournament. Meanwhile, #4 Kansas was in early-season form, looking like a shadow of the Jayhawks that won the Big 12 Tournament the week before, losing to Missouri Valley runners up Bradley, an at-large 13 seed triumphant in the opening weekend. Bradley will play top-seeded Memphis in the Oakland regional semifinal tomorrow night. The early departure for the Jayhawks and Orange marks the second straight year that both 2003 finalists have failed to win their first round games.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

ROSWELL, Ga. – During the chaotic first round of the NCAA Tournament, details are likely to fall through the cracks. Such was the case on CBS Sports’ broadcast of the Kansas-Bradley game Friday night when a graphic, identifying legendary Kansas broadcaster Max Falkenstien, contained an incorrect spelling of Falkenstien’s last name. While it’s an easy mistake, and one that I made on a graphic promoting Falkenstien’s appearance on Jayhawk Sports Talk: Monday, the error is just as inexcusable on KUJH as it is on CBS. Falkenstien, who has been calling KU football and basketball games since 1946, ended his 60-year career as the voice of the Jayhawks when Kansas lost to the Bradley Braves, 77-73, in their opening round game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. On February 27, he was a guest on Jayhawk Sports Talk: Monday two days before calling his final home game at Allen Fieldhouse. The first-round broadcast was produced by Mark Wolff and directed by Suzanne Smith.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A new feature produced by SWPnet, “From Allen Fieldhouse to Your House,” aired tonight on Jayhawk Sports Talk: Monday, taking a behind-the-scenes look at CBS Sports’ production of college basketball at Allen Fieldhouse. Conversations with CBS director Mark Grant and announcers Craig Bolerjack and Dan Bonner complement exclusive footage of pregame preparation to provide unprecedented access for college television to take an inside look at network sports production. The premiere coincided with legendary announcer Max Falkenstien’s appearance on the show. Watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – I’m back at KU for the spring semester, introducing a new look to the site, to me and to Jayhawk Sports Talk. While specifics of the coming season at KUJH are still pending, I will share my recommendations for the weekend programs you shouldn’t miss:

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer