5.23.11
ebersol’s
resignation
the sudden resignation may 19 of dick ebersol
as chairman of the nbc sports group could
have a ripple effect in golf. not only is the
network about to embark on negotiations with
the pga tour for a tV contract to replace the
one that expires after next season, but nbc
also has the rights to usga championships—
including the u.s. open and the u.s women’s
open—and the ryder cup, which is run by the
pga of america. both of those contracts expire
after 2014. ebersol says comcast, the cable
company that bought nbc universal, was unwilling to pay what he believes he is worth. the
new york times said ebersol lost “a power play
with stephen b. burke, his boss since earlier
this year when comcast took control of nbc
universal.” comcast also owns golf channel,
which has rebranded itself as “golf channel on
nbc.” ebersol was known for his “big event”
strategy of programming, most notably the network’s award-winning coverage of the olympics. the question now is whether comcast will
continue to spend for the top-tier golf events,
especially if espn or another network gets into
the mix and drives up the price. —Ron Sirak
08
stephen loVekin/getty images for sports illustrated
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