Survey Says Golf Fans Hate Golf Channel
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Dec 13, 2009 10:08 AM EST
19 comments
The Nielsen ratings tell us who is watching what show when and is the barometer the television industry uses to spend billions of advertising dollars. Even though there are 114 million TVs in America, only 25,000 homes are surveyed.
Presidential voting pollsters often use as few as 1,200 participants to predict our next Chief Executive.
And, the One-Eyed Golfer did not survey every golf fan in America when it wanted to find out what the golfing blogosphere thought about television's golf personalities. So, I am not saying this is an accurate poll, but it is what it is.
David Feherty and Gary McCord at Ryan Ballengee's 4th of July cook out
Instead of asking twenty questions about appearance, diction, golf knowledge, hair style, etc., I asked one simple question. "In your opinion, do you feel this person enhances the golf show when you watch it or does that person detract from the show"?
After the jump, you can see the results from the survey.
Here is a list of the TV golf personalities and their 'customer satisfaction rating'. I have some other facts below that.
|
|
|
|
Detract |
Enhance |
|
|
Andy North |
US |
ESPN |
11 |
9 |
45% |
|
Beth Daniel |
US |
TGC |
13 |
7 |
35% |
|
Brandel Chamblee |
US |
TGC |
7 |
13 |
65% |
|
Brian Hammons |
US |
TGC |
9 |
11 |
55% |
|
Curt Byrum |
US |
TGC |
7 |
13 |
65% |
|
Dan Hicks |
US |
NBC |
7 |
13 |
65% |
|
David Feherty |
F |
CBS |
1 |
19 |
95% |
|
Donna Caponi |
US |
TGC |
12 |
8 |
40% |
|
Dottie Pepper |
US |
TGC |
8 |
12 |
60% |
|
Frank Nobilo |
F |
TGC |
5 |
15 |
75% |
|
Gary Koch |
US |
NBC |
5 |
15 |
75% |
|
Gary McCord |
US |
CBS |
6 |
14 |
70% |
|
Inga Hammond |
US |
TGC |
9 |
11 |
55% |
|
Jerry Foltz |
US |
TGC |
9 |
11 |
55% |
|
Jim Nantz |
US |
CBS |
10 |
10 |
50% |
|
Johnny Miller |
US |
NBC |
10 |
10 |
50% |
|
Judy Rankin |
US |
ESPN |
6 |
14 |
70% |
|
Julian Tutt |
F |
BBC |
9 |
11 |
55% |
|
Kay Cockerill |
US |
TGC |
13 |
7 |
35% |
|
Kelly Tilghman |
US |
TGC |
15 |
5 |
25% |
|
Mark Lye |
US |
TGC |
12 |
8 |
40% |
|
Mark Rolfing |
US |
TGC |
5 |
15 |
75% |
|
Mike Tirico |
US |
ABC |
10 |
10 |
50% |
|
Nick Faldo |
F |
CBS |
3 |
17 |
85% |
|
Paul Azinger |
US |
ESPN |
11 |
9 |
45% |
|
Peter Alliss |
F |
BBC |
4 |
16 |
80% |
|
Peter Kostis |
US |
CBS |
6 |
14 |
70% |
|
Peter Oosterhuis |
F |
CBS |
4 |
16 |
80% |
|
Renton Laidlaw |
F |
BBC |
7 |
13 |
65% |
|
Rich Lerner |
US |
TGC |
15 |
5 |
25% |
|
Roger Maltby |
US |
NBC |
2 |
18 |
90% |
|
Steve Sands |
US |
TGC |
13 |
7 |
35% |
|
Val Skinner |
US | TGC | 16 | 4 | 20% |
So, the range of fan happiness with Val Skinner is 20% and runs up to David Feherty at 95%.
The overall level of satisfaction with this group is 58%. If you remove non-American born announcers (Nobilo, Tutt, Laidlaw, et al.) the score for American TV golf personalities is 53% and the score for the foreign born announcers is 76%.
The network with the highest rating is CBS with a 75 number. They are followed by NBC at 70 and ESPN at 53. The Golf Channel heads up the rear with a 48 number. Without TGC, the poll tells us over two-thirds of the group are satisfied with the golf announcing (67%). The Golf Channel has dragged the industry into the crapper, especially considering the sheer number of hours they broadcast each season.
A couple of surprises for the One-Eyed guy are Nick Faldo at 85%, Azinger at 45% and Brandel Chamblee at 65%. I personally like Faldo, but I felt, based on what I read in the golf world, that Nick was not that well thought of. Also, It surprised me Azinger was not at 0%. He might be the worst announcer ever to have a microphone hooked on. And, I feel Brandel Chamblee is the very best at what he does whether in the studio or on the course.
I know when Arnold Palmer was the cheese at TGC, they were not going to have a superstar announcer like Miller, Faldo or others. Arnold was to be the only star. Arnold's birthday is September 10th. TGC starts Arnold's celebration in June and finish up by Christmas. Peter Kessler got a little too much attention and made a comment about AP and he was never heard of again. But, I think the Golf Channel needs THE marquis name in golf to be the face of TGC golf on TV.
How about looking across the pond and see if Ben Wright or Peter Alliss are interested?
FanPosts are written by Waggle Room members. Viewpoints expressed do not necessarily reflect those of WaggleRoom.com and its editor, Ryan Ballengee. The Waggle Room member whose byline appears with the FanPost is solely responsible for its content.
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ok – who fudged the numbers on Kelly Tilghman and Val Skinner !!???!!! How did you find that many people who said they enhance the broadcasts ? (lol)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Skinner should have a 0. She’s the worst ever. I mean ever.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Dec 13, 2009 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
I thought it was you being nice.
I should have known better. LOL
...from the land of pleasant living, Baltimore. Stop by and visit us anytime at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Dec 13, 2009 11:52 AM EST reply actions
Ben Wright
Ben Wright lives in Flat Rock, NC
I live in Flat Rock.
I see Ben at the Post Office.
Feisty as ever.
Don't worry, nothing will be allright.
If I had eyebrows as bushy
as his, I would be a lot more than feisty…
...from the land of pleasant living, Baltimore. Stop by and visit us anytime at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Dec 13, 2009 1:40 PM EST reply actions
Interesting #'s
I always thought Renton Laidlaw was the most articulate of the lot. Perhaps not as knowledgeable as the former players(Faldo,Feherty,Oosterhuis,Miller,Maltby)but he’s been around and can hold his own against any of them. Class act. Just exactly what you’d expect from a member of the" Empire". (that was for you,…Easingwold. lol)……………………………..Z.
you're still away,...choke on it !
Laidlaw is a host – former players are analysts. Not the same job to compare
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Player/commentator/analyst
This topic reminds me how things go full circle. Peter Alliss, once a fine player, Ryder cupper, came close to winning the Open, and now senior commentator for the BBC, honed his considerable skills behind the mike under one Henry Longhurst. Both had this skill of letting the golf do the talking…letting the drama unfold, so to speak. Analysts were almost unheard of, players were not coached as they are today…video replays today with the super slow mo brings them more to the plate, ( Alliss today has Ken Brown and Wayne Grady as analysts and it works well) . Alliss stepped into Longhursts shoes and became the main man in ‘77 with his playing days over and had become an institution, working for the BBC and ABC. By ’92, when Faldo was world number 1 Alliss and Faldo and a fall out,( Alliss said Faldo was so good he had become boring and over coached) but in ’96 when Faldo was so supportive of Norman after the Masters, Alliss and Faldo buried the hachet. Fast forward 10 years later, and we saw Woods falling out with Faldo after the now commentator/analyst had a go at Woods swing. They were paired together at Hoylake and the press tried to stir it up more, but they kissed and made up. It all came back to me when during the Open in ’08 Faldo and Alliss were in the same booth. On the subject of American commentators, sometimes I think they try to talk through a round, much like they do at a basketball game, where the action is thick and fast…golf of course, isn’t like that..Alliss imo, has it about right…and his humour is priceless.
The Shark Shootout...sans Johnny Miller...
….was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Good analysis…good humor…enjoyment of the game by the broadcast team. Sure, there was the occassional dumb cliche (“that was left all the way” – duh, did you think the laws of Physics are excused on the PGA Tour ?…or “Perry wants to take this from right to left”…ya think ? When’s the last time you saw him hit a cut shot ?), but for the most part, it was one of the best American broadcasts of the year.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
TGC What a Joke
Comcast/Golf Channel = $$$$ and marketing and thats it. Lerner and Randal Mell should be replaced as well as Tilghman. Nothing but a bunch of que card / tele-prompter readers. The majority of the so-called articles the senior writers write are edited and re-scripted to suite their own marketing agenda. Should be interesting to see how things “SHAKE OUT” minus Tiger. After all thats all they even spoke about 75% of the time anyway. I’ve known Mr. “Just a Par” Peter Oosterhuis for many years and even he over the years had become a TW bandwagoner. O well, we shall see when the shake out begins. Some of you remember back prior to this TW fiasco, I reported on TGC blog that the “kicking to the curb” was coming in 2010 and now it will only be accelerated..jumpn/progolf
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
NNNOoooooooo – a company that wants to make money ? Say it ain’t so !!!
xxx Golf Channel’s problem has been their bad hiring and arrogant belief that their producers could turn pretty faces and nice suits into broadcastsers without having any understanding of the game. They thought they could teach people like Tom Abbott, Inga Hammond, John Hawkins, Rich Lerner, Todd Lewis, and Scott Walker how to be good on air people. Time after time, they prove that they are wrong.
Add to that their poor choices of golfers as analysts and you have some really weak broadcasters.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I don’t watch enough Golf Channel to know, or even care, who the announcers are. I’m not sure why any somewhat knowledgeable golf fan would care about announcers because they aren’t talking to us. Usually graphics give most if the information we need (golfer (as if you didn’t recognize her/him anyway), hole, yardage and maybe best guess on club).
There will never be enough really good golf broadcast analysts to go around, so quit worrying about it.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
"FAN" TASTIC
Yes indeed, the shark shootout was awesome to watch and the crowds were quite large. TW not needed.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Dianemarie, you make an excellent point. Especially with
the Golf Channel, if the viewers could simply hear nothing, it would improve the broadcast. Maybe are right. If you don’t like the broadcasters, turn down the volume. I wish you had written me sooner, I spent a lot of time on that damn thing…
...from the land of pleasant living, Baltimore. Stop by and visit us anytime at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Dec 14, 2009 4:55 PM EST reply actions
Golf Channel Announcers
Inga Hammond is a joke. When she comes on I change channels.
Why has the golf channel started so many interviews? Again I change channels and when I figure they are showing golf again I switch back.
If I wanted interviews I would watch Oprah. (NOT)
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