Ten Masters coverage Totally Wild
Did we all notice what happened during the interview with Stuart Appleby after his third round at the Masters? He was remarkably frank about the triple bogey seven at 17 which took him from a three shot lead back to the pack. There was so much more to hear. What will be a winning score tomorrow? How about the prospect of playing with Tiger? Is his hand OK after he appeared to jar it? Within two seconds of Appleby’s explanation of 17, we were treated to the Ten sport logo and rushed into the theme tune to Totally Wild.
Coverage over, I suppose.
Apart from more Appleby, we missed the remaining players splutter up eighteen, handing back Appleby sole possession of the lead and more importantly grouping him with Tiger on Sunday. Important, you would think.
Ten’s first crack at the Masters has had its up and downs. The high definition broadcast we are constantly reminded about really is worth the hyperbole. If you think Augusta looks pretty now, HD would make you want to spend your Sunday afternoon with the wife at the garden shop. Ten need to be congratulated for taking sports television into the 21st century, when the other networks are happy to play it safe. Their fifteen minute Australian focused annex before the main coverage each morning is also a nice addition. These pluses though are cancelled out by seemingly additional commercial breaks (as if the hosts don’t take enough timeouts as it is) as well as unnecessary interruptions.
Here’s the thing: Australians are among the best broadcasters of sport in the world, however when it comes to the Masters, CBS has home ground advantage. They’ve been doing it for fifty years and they know how to milk it. Just leave it to them. In this particular time of holiness, let us pray we don’t have a repeat of 1996, when in the midst of Greg Norman’s infamous meltdown, Nine decided they wanted to call the Amen Corner holes. My old Rank Arena still has an axe jammed through the front.
There’s one round left. The message is simple. Ten may get very lucky. No Aussie has won at Augusta in 70 years and they could get one first go. Keep the satellite on and David and Kim in the green room. I think we can wait until play ends to hear the minuscule details about their weekend.
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