The real problem is that the way the TV contract is structured, neither Golf Channel nor the networks nor the Tour has the authority to decree whether or not to extend coverage. The decision needs to be a consensus, and the discussions have to happen in real time as the telecast window is closing.
Belatedly recognizing the inherent complications in this arrangement, Finchem says, "It is an issue, and it's under discussion among us and Golf Channel and the two networks. It has not been totally resolved yet, but we're looking at a system where, when discretion is necessary, it has to leave us, the Tour, in the driver's seat."
Manougian is looking forward to a change in policy.
"How we are able to manage our brand properly is a big concern of mine going forward," he says. "The bottom line is, we look bad going off the air, and the viewers at home don't really care about the reasons for it. They only want to see golf."
And lots of it.
Coming Up
Two weeks ago in New Orleans, following a taxing telecast spent trying to enliven a starless tournament, Faldo gingerly descended from the 18th-hole tower. Don't look so weary, Nick, you have only 14 years and five months to go.
"Crumbs, it's astonishing to think how long this contract is," said the 49-year-old Faldo. "If I'm not careful, I could wind up doing this until I'm 65!"
For all the scrutiny, the opening four months of this season are merely the prelude.
Just as Golf Channel has all the time it needs to further refine its coverage, there is plenty of room to grow in other ways. USA Network is now out of the golf business but for one notable exception: televising the first two rounds of the Masters. Might Golf Channel be interested in taking over those duties too?
"We stay focused on what we're doing," Manougian says, nearly pulling a muscle trying to swallow his smile. A source at Augusta National says, intriguingly, "All of our TV contracts are for one year, and we will review our relationship with USA this summer."
The British Open may also be in play after 2009, when the contract expires for ESPN and ABC, two other networks that have been marginalized in golf's new TV landscape. No tournament cries out for a prime-time re-air like the British Open since the live telecast ends during brunch hour in the western U.S.
If Golf Channel is going to snag the sport's most important events, it needs to continue to expand its reach.
According to Manougian, a series of ongoing negotiations with various cable operators should be resolved by the summer, at which point the total number of households will exceed 80 million.
Two other points of emphasis are: increasing the number of hotel chains that carry Golf Channel — which may or may not be related to the public griping of some players that they often can't see the channel while on the road — and getting more penetration in and around New York City.
Neither of the two big providers in New York, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable (owned by SI's parent company, Time Warner), currently offers Golf Channel as part of its basic service; Cablevision provides it as part of a sports package for an extra $4.95 a month, while Time Warner has Golf Channel on a tier that costs about $20 a month more than standard basic service.
"Everybody wants to be on basic," says Mark Harrad, Time Warner Cable's vice president of corporate communications. "Hey, I'd like a beachfront house, but it doesn't mean that's going to happen, either. To put a new channel on the dial means pulling something else off, and one thing about TV viewers, they get very, very angry if you take away something they like."
Manougian is undeterred. "It's really a matter of when, not if, we get to 90 million," he says.
