1 of 1- RadioActive
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Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
It's golf's most prestigious tournament and it's tightly controlled. Which is why what happened at this year's Masters broadcast is so unusual.
It started on Saturday, as eventual champ Rory McIlroy was readying a shot. He took a swing and launched the ball, as some unknown voice in the crowd screamed, "Give Me Back My Son!" It's a line from the Mel Gibson movie "Ransom" and it came out of nowhere. Not only was it inappropriate, it was extremely loud and could be clearly heard not only on the course, but on TV.
That kind of noise is forbidden at the tourney and if they find who did it, the prankster could be banned from the Augusta course for life.
You can hear the offending chant here.
But it didn't stop there. The next disaster happened on Sunday, the final day of the event, when viewers inundated CBS with complaints about the network's cameras missing at least key four shots on route to McIlroy's victory.
“Very on brand for golf broadcasting that the cameraman lined up in the only place where you couldn’t see if Rory missed the putt. Only the 72nd hole at the Masters, not a huge deal lol."
CBS has yet to comment on what happened.
CBS bashed for botching Rory McIlroy’s Masters-winning shots
- Radiowiz
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
I don't understand how they don't know who made that horrible undue noise.
When I worked the Canadian Open (A different place, I know, but still...same rules)
as a vendor I had to hold up a paddle so everyone could see the food I was selling.
I was not allowed to yell out what I am selling.
They were not only very strict, but they also had security everywhere and anywhere one could turn.
Where was the security for this event? Noise that loud is kinda hard to hide...
- Shorty Wave
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Just another sign of western decline! There were unruly “fans” at the Masters last year as well. I think it might be due to Mcllroy is from Northern Ireland, not the States. They should be able to weed these trouble makers out, as Radiowiz pointed out, noise that loud is hard to hide!
As far as the substandard camera work is concerned, someone should lose their job as in this day and age you can use a drone camera if your manned camera shot is blocked/obscured.
The Masters is a showcase broadcast so you’d think CBS would be on top of their game as well!
Last edited by Shorty Wave (April 13, 2026 7:48 am)
- Glen Warren
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
18th Green - One camera with a long box lens, and minimum 2 RF hand helds... perhaps the blame should be on someone other than the cameraman... Maybe the director in the truck....
- BowmanvilleBob
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Generally, I thought the Masters crowd was pretty respectful, especially compared to other events where the booze starts flowing at 9:00 am and by the time the networks arrive, half the gallery is so soused they can barely remember why they’re standing in some field watching a bunch of guys hitting little white balls. The “gimme back my son” guy was an anomaly, rather than the norm.
As for the camera angles on 18, no doubt there will be a lot of discussions about getting guys in the right spot to follow the ball. Augusta exercises iron control over where the networks are allowed to place stationary cameras, which is why more and more of the work is being done by drones, which both players and fans find annoying.
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I suppose in some ways this is so much worse than what happened at The Masters. For those who don't know, NESN is the New England Sports Network, the Boston and area version of TSN or Sportsnet. Imagine being the director doing the Red Sox game this weekend when this happened...
(I love how the two on air TV guys decide to treat the game like they were calling it on radio!)
NESN left with only dugout camera on Red Sox broadcast due to technical difficulties in St. Louis
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Thread Starter- paterson1
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
TSN had two and sometimes three different feeds of the Masters on their various channels. They had their own on air crew which gave the coverage a different perspective on one of the channels. Seems like on every tournament broadcast now there is some clown who always has to shout "In the hole!" when the top players are driving. Must be annoying for the gallery to hear this all day.
I was lucky to get to the Canadian Open in 2019 when it was in Hamilton. It was fantastic and a lot different than what I was expecting. Rory won that year and in 2022 after the tournament was cancelled for two years because of COVID.
- Shorty Wave
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Glen Warren wrote:
18th Green - One camera with a long box lens, and minimum 2 RF hand helds... perhaps the blame should be on someone other than the cameraman... Maybe the director in the truck....
The director and/or the producer, whoever is calling the shots should catch it in the neck before the cameraman/woman does!
- mace
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Television coverage of the Masters has come a long way since the first telecast in 1956. CBS was permitted to broadcast holes 15-18 on Sunday only. The broadcast rights are awarded on an annual basis and at a pretty reasonable rate of under $1M. However, for that reasonable price that CBS gets, The Augusta boys have a say in who the sponsors are and how many spots can air during the broadcast. A few other rules CBS must follow. Negative comments about the course is a serious no-no. Discussion of the prize money is not permitted and fans must always be referred to as patrons. As a colour commentator, Gary McCord once mused that the greens are never cut at Augusta. Bikini wax is used to keep them so smooth. After that, he never worked another Masters.
- Tq345
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
Television coverage of the Masters has come a long way since the first telecast in 1956. CBS was permitted to broadcast holes 15-18 on Sunday only. The broadcast rights are awarded on an annual basis and at a pretty reasonable rate of under $1M. However, for that reasonable price that CBS gets, The Augusta boys have a say in who the sponsors are and how many spots can air during the broadcast. A few other rules CBS must follow. Negative comments about the course is a serious no-no. Discussion of the prize money is not permitted and fans must always be referred to as patrons. As a colour commentator, Gary McCord once mused that the greens are never cut at Augusta. Bikini wax is used to keep them so smooth. After that, he never worked another Masters.
The peculiarities concerning The Masters and CBS seem to be endless.
Even though CBS has carried the event for 70 years, Augusta National and the network only agree to a one year at a time contract. In order not to lose one of their most events,CBS pretty much agrees to anything Augusta wants.
Calling the gallery patrons is the most famous quirk, but the network can't say that a ball is in the rough, it's in "the second cut."
Augusta doesn't have a front nine and a back nine, it has the first nine and the second nine.
And Gary McCord was not the first announcer to run afoul of the club by using slightly unsavoury descriptions. In the 60s,Jack Whitaker was banned after referring to the patrons as a "mob." He was allowed to return to the booth several years later.
But for all their petty rules, all the other traditions, the green jacket, the par 3 contest, the Champion's Dinner, etc, make it my favourite event of the year.
And the complete ban of all cellphones is refeshing. And by complete ban, I mean complete. Don't put it on mute, don't turn it off and put it in your pocket. They are not allowed on the property. Leave it in your car or check it at the entrance.
- Glen Warren
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
Augusta National is very image conscious ...
A few other rules that CBS must abide by when covering The Masters... First, no CBS branding can appear anywhere on the course or fairways... this includes the camera towers and scaffolding for spotters, or scoring. Think of the green vinyl wrap material that would surround a scaffold tower with a big CBS Sports logo... big no no... Second, no mic flashes with a CBS logo. This applies to commentators in the booth(s), on the course, or even at the clubhouse (typically used for "rain cover") . Finally, on screen Chyron graphics... no CBS logo permitted on the top carrier of any graphic. leaders, bio boards, etc.
What is permitted on both the mic flashes and the Chyron graphic is "The Masters" logo which is a stylized yellow pin marker over a green background. These are also familiar on the course at Augusta National as the regular hole/pin marker flags on the pole.
The Masters, similar to the NFL and Super Bowl, reserves the right to be in the broadcast truck and check each shot down the various fairways from Tee to the Green. They do this to ensure that the look, and brand of the course and the tournament is always presented in the best possible manner.
- mace
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In addition to the cell phone ban [on tournament days] smart watches and any recording device are prohibited Chairs must be collapsible and without arms. No umbrellas, flags or banners or seeking autographs. "Fast Waliking" is acceptable but no running anywhere on the course. Outside food and beverages are prohibited but the concession stands are very reasonably priced. Egg salad sandwich $1.50. Chicken salad, Clubhouse, ham&cheese $3. Domestic/Imported beer 16 oz cup/ 9 oz. white wine $6.00. Soft drinks/water $2.00. It is also encouraged to purchase an official Master's chair if you don't have one that passes approval because sitting or lying on the grass is also not permitted. AND don't even think about taking a souvenir from the course like one of the Azalea flowers or a thimble of sand from one of the bunkers or you will have some very serious legal issues to contend with.
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
The Masters has an unfortunate history of controlling everything - even to the point of terrible and unimaginable shame.
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
The Masters has an unfortunate history of controlling everything - even to the point of terrible and unimaginable shame.
Speaking of controlling everything, FIFA and the IOC come to mind.
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The Masters has an unfortunate history of controlling everything - even to the point of terrible and unimaginable shame.
Speaking of controlling everything, FIFA and the IOC come to mind.
Yep. I have no time or respect for any of them.
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Thread Starter- Shorty Wave
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
The Masters has an unfortunate history of controlling everything - even to the point of terrible and unimaginable shame.
Speaking of controlling everything, FIFA and the IOC come to mind.
Yep. I have no time or respect for any of them.
But FIFA now awards a peace medal, that must count for something!
- mace
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Speaking of controlling everything, FIFA and the IOC come to mind.Yep. I have no time or respect for any of them.
But FIFA now awards a peace medal, that must count for something!
That sounds a lot like the "Participation"medals awarded to kids today. Hey you tried. That is GREAT! AWESOME! Losing is too traumatizing for the youth of today. What was the term I read somewhere. If you think school is hard, wait until you get a Boss.
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Yep. I have no time or respect for any of them.
But FIFA now awards a peace medal, that must count for something!That sounds a lot like the "Participation"medals awarded to kids today. Hey you tried. That is GREAT! AWESOME! Losing is too traumatizing for the youth of today. What was the term I read somewhere. If you think school is hard, wait until you get a Boss.
This reminds of a time I had to gently criticize a much younger employee. I've long lost track of who is in what demo - Gen Z, Millennial, etc. But this was in the early 2000s and we'd just hired this really nice young woman as a writer for our TV newsroom's website. I was technically her boss, and there were a few things she was doing that weren't quite the right style, so we took her into a meeting in the board room and very, very gently told her that, though we were happy overall with her work, she needed to change a few things.
My co-producer and I were absolutely stunned when, instead of saying she understood and would work on making the slight corrections we cited, she began to cry.
We looked at each other. What in the world? Why is she crying? No one was rude to her, nobody yelled, we told her we mostly liked her work but she just needed to improve on two or three small points. We later figured out that she came from a generation where no one criticized her for anything in school and she came from that "everbody gets a medal regardless of contribution" world.
It was the first time either of us had ever seen this, although we'd certainly heard of it. A small criticism and she breaks out in tears?
We wound up trying to comfort her just to get her to stop weeping. And it was incredibly uncomfortable for me as her manager. So I fully understand what Mace is trying to say. Times have definitely changed. But one thing hasn't - if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the - well, you get the idea.
Fortunately, she eventually became a great employee and we all put it behind us. But it certainly sticks in my memory all these years later.
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Thread Starter- RadioActive
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
Bizarre goings on or not, this was one of the best rated Masters tournaments in over a decade,
Masters’ unique broadcast strategy pays off with 14 million viewers on CBS
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Bizarre Events Mar "Masters" Broadcasts On CBS
But FIFA now awards a peace medal, that must count for something!That sounds a lot like the "Participation"medals awarded to kids today. Hey you tried. That is GREAT! AWESOME! Losing is too traumatizing for the youth of today. What was the term I read somewhere. If you think school is hard, wait until you get a Boss.
This reminds of a time I had to gently criticize a much younger employee. I've long lost track of who is in what demo - Gen Z, Millennial, etc. But this was in the early 2000s and we'd just hired this really nice young woman as a writer for our TV newsroom's website. I was technically her boss, and there were a few things she was doing that weren't quite the right style, so we took her into a meeting in the board room and very, very gently told her that, though we were happy overall with her work, she needed to change a few things.
My co-producer and I were absolutely stunned when, instead of saying she understood and would work on making the slight corrections we cited, she began to cry.
We looked at each other. What in the world? Why is she crying? No one was rude to her, nobody yelled, we told her we mostly liked her work but she just needed to improve on two or three small points. We later figured out that she came from a generation where no one criticized her for anything in school and she came from that "everbody gets a medal regardless of contribution" world.
It was the first time either of us had ever seen this, although we'd certainly heard of it. A small criticism and she breaks out in tears?
We wound up trying to comfort her just to get her to stop weeping. And it was incredibly uncomfortable for me as her manager. So I fully understand what Mace is trying to say. Times have definitely changed. But one thing hasn't - if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the - well, you get the idea.
Fortunately, she eventually became a great employee and we all put it behind us. But it certainly sticks in my memory all these years later.
Another scary similar tale my sister told me about. She was on the subway and overheard a conversation between a young woman who was early 20 something and a guy who was mid 30's. The woman had just got a new job and was confused about when she had to work. He tried to explain that she would work every Monday to Friday from 9am TO 5pm. She could not grasp the consept. In her mind 9 to 5 meant 9-2-5. AND she got hired.