Let me get this straight. CBS turned down an offer to be one of three networks, and the only non-cable network, to interview Tiger Woods on Sunday. They objected to the time restriction that Woods placed on the interviewers, allowing them only 5-6 minutes each. But he didn't put any restrictions on the questions that could be asked. I wouldn't be happy about the time limitation either, but that wouldn't lead me to pass on the interview. Especially considering CBS is televising the Masters in two weeks, when Woods returns to competitive golf. The interview would essentially provide free advance publicity for their broadcast. How many commercials are they running to promote the tournament?
CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade told the Associated Press: “Depending on the specifics, we are interested in an extended interview without any restrictions on CBS." That's all well and good, but take what you can get for now.
So what did CBS do to make the decision even more stupefying? The network invites North Myrtle Beach native Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel, who conducted one of the two Woods interviews, to appear on its Early Show at 7 a.m. the next day to discuss her interview of Woods. So CBS executives passed on their own opportunity to interview Woods and air it on their network, then interviewed someone who did interview Woods to talk about her interview of Woods. Huh?
Lets hope they have it figured out by the time the Masters rolls around.
