If it's a big game -- a sporting event that has become a cultural touchstone -- it apparently requires a more-is-better approach in terms of broadcast talent, too.
While CBS Sports has garnered some attention as it expands from a two-man broadcast team (Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg) to three (adding Steve Kerr), it has no exclusivity to the approach this weekend at the Final Four.
Westwood One, the radio home for the NCAA Tournament on 450 stations across the United States, has twice that many talkers.
After host John Tautges welcomes listeners to the broadcast, Westwood One still has enough for its own starting five. The team: play-by-play man Kevin Kugler; former national champion coach John Thompson; former coach and veteran analyst Bill Raftery; two-time national champion and three-time Final Four participant Bill Walton; and reporter Jim Gray, he of the lengthy resume and amazing ability to aggravate people.
On the TV side, CBS Sports hopes the addition of Kerr brings a bit more discussion and interaction to the booth. Ironically, while everyone associated with the move insists it's a no-egos, win-win addition, they also hope for some disagreement between Kellogg and Kerr during the broadcast.
"It's better TV," director Bob Fishman said Friday.
And honestly, more might be better on radio, too. As long as those involved keep in mind that it's the game that matters most, some varied perspectives can help and make a broadcast better.
Still, just like the larger venues the NCAA values as hosts for the Final Four (because of more ticket revenue), there is a point at which more can become a bit much. If the broadcasts have not reached that point, listeners and viewers can certainly hear and see it from here.
HOUSTON -- When most people spend a $1,000, and especially thousands of dollars, they usually know what to expect from their purchase. They certainly hope they got a good deal, and they usually have all their questions answered.
Ironically, the folks at CBS Sports and Turner Sports, the entities that combined to spend $10.8 billion over 14 years for TV rights to the NCAA Tournament, were not so sure about what would happen with their investment.
During the past three weeks, though, that outlay has proven to be pretty wise -- at least in terms of success measured by fan response, ratings and viewership for the first year of the deal.
"We had a lot of questions going into this," said CBS Sports president Sean McManus. "Everything turned out even better than I had hoped. From a production standpoint, the broadcasts were seamless. The presentation was as good as it's ever been."
In addition, CBS and Turner have been thrilled with ratings, which were at record levels through the first two weeks as four different networks shared the broadcasts with each carrying games in their entirety. This past week, those numbers leveled off a bit as CBS regained its exclusivity for the regional semifinals and finals, but the overall numbers remain high.
So, CBS takes a decidedly upbeat approach into this weekend's Final Four in steamy Houston (where temperatures could near 90 degrees Saturday) -- a significant contrast from last year in Indianapolis when the possibility that CBS could lose rights to televising the tournament was openly debated.
With the Turner partnership, though, CBS effectively ushered in a better way to televise the event.
"We couldn’t be happier or more optimistic as we go into Final Four weekend," McManus said. "We're only a couple weeks into a 14-year deal, but so far it's pretty good."
Even if ratings for the Final Four stay flat with previous years, the tournament overall would have enjoyed a great ratings run this year. And if those ratings somehow uptick this weekend, it would only add to the CBS/Turner success -- even with an event they've tweaked significantly.
Those changes will continue during the Final Four, as CBS uses a three-man broadcast crew, adding NBA veteran Steve Kerr, who worked earlier rounds of the tournament with Marv Albert, to the proven duo of Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg.
The trio worked a handful of games together earlier in the season, most notably the first night of the First Four and the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, where they were rough at times (as they seemed unprepared or unwilling to focus on the teams involved in the games) but play-by-play man Nantz insists the trio has meshed well from the beginning.
"I felt really good about how it went from the get-go," Nantz said. "Some of those earlier games we were focusing on bigger-picture items, who was going to make the tournament or what the selection committee thought of a team's chances. Now we're going to be locked in on these critical games."
Technologically, CBS will focus with a total of 22 cameras while working on a basketball venue that has been crafted inside a football stadium.
Producer Bob Dekas, who has worked the past 30 Final Fours with director Bob Fishman (the longest run of any such tandem in TV sports), believes Reliant Stadium ranks as the best of recent big-venue locations for the event. CBS has worked at the stadium three previous times with the basketball configuration and Dekas thinks the layout works better here in Houston than it did in Indy (Lucas Oil Stadium) or Detroit (Ford Field) in recent years.
Plus, the production pair knows that having all those cameras does not mean they must use them all.
"We're going to cover the game with the cameras it makes sense for the viewers to cover the game with," said Fishman, who has directed 91 Final Four games. "The others are used for reaction and things like that. You're not going to see 20 different angles every trip up the floor."
Thankfully, the viewer-first approach seems to be the main mantra for CBS -- right behind the network's happiness over the ratings/viewership. Kellogg pledged to practice the viewer-first approach during the weekend broadcasts.
"My job is to be prepared, be the best partner you can for the people you're working with and remember to serve the game and serve the viewers," Kellogg said.
While expanding the NCAA men's basketball tournament remains a prominent topic because the NCAA wants more money -- with potential TV revenues driving that discussion for change -- CBS Sports announced its lineup of on-air talent for this year's event, and it included just one slight change.
The announcing tandems are ... Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg Dick Enberg/Jay Bilas Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery Gus Johnson/Len Elmore Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel Tim Brando/Mike Gminski Spero Dedes/Bob Wenzel
Only Dedes represents a change from last year's lineup.
Game assignments will be made Sunday after the tournament field is announced.
CBS Sports plans to roll out 3D broadcasts of its events beginning with the Final Four in April.
Network officials announced the move, in partnership with LG Electronics USA and Cinedigm Certified Digital Cinemas.
So, with CBS talent (Dave Ryan/Steve Lappas), LG technology and 100 theaters owned by Cinedigm across the country, some people will be able to watch the national semifinals and national championship game in 3D.
The broadcasts will also be available in Lucas Oil Stadium and at the NCAA's interactive fan event in Indianapolis, Bracket Town.
With ESPN and its partner Sony having already experimented with 3D (for college football and again earlier this month with a Harlem Globetrotters game), and ready to roll out broadcasts with the FIFA World Cup this summer, the CBS-LG partnership represents another logical step -- with a broadcaster and technology source pairing up to address the same challenge.
Not surprisingly, the jockeying to be the first, or at least perceived as the first, with 3D has already started.
“CBS Sports has always been on the forefront of new technology to enhance the viewing experience,” said Ken Aagaard, executive vice president operations and engineering for CBS Sports. “Through our partnership with the NCAA and LG, and the technological innovations of Cinedigm, we are excited to be able to present Men’s Final Four weekend in 3D offering fans an exciting and different way to view a major sporting event.”
The rollout of 3D also allows LG, which LG which introduced the first 3D LCD sets in Korea last year, to preview its entrance into the U.S. consumer electronics market with that technology. The company will be introducing the new feature in a line of 3D-enabled LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players in the United Sates beginning this May.
So much for simple or subtle.
