Tennis on NBC

Last updated
Tennis on NBC
Genre Tennis telecasts
Presented by See list of commentators
Theme music composerClark Gault (opening theme)
Keith Mansfield (end theme)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons60
Production
Executive producer Don Ohlmeyer
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time180 minutes or until tournament ends
Production company NBC Sports
Original release
Network NBC
Release1955 (1955) –
1964 (1964)
Release1969 (1969) –
2011 (2011)
Release1975 (1975) –
1979 (1979)
Release1983 (1983) –
present (present)
Related
Tennis on ESPN
Tennis on CBS

Tennis on NBC is the de facto branding used for broadcasts of major professional tennis tournaments that are produced by NBC Sports, the sports division of the NBC television network in the United States. The network has broadcast tennis events since 1955.

Contents

The network's tennis coverage normally airs during the afternoon; however for several weeks in the summer, its Sunday coverage during the morning hours of Grand Slam tennis tournaments may start as early as 8:00 a.m., resulting in the pre-emption of regular programming on that day (such as the political talk show Meet the Press ).

Overview

NBC's relationship with tennis dates as far back as August 9, 1939. While at the amateur Eastern Grass Court Championships, in Rye, New York, NBC broadcast the first ever televised tennis match. NBC made history again at the 1955 Davis Cup, where they televised the first tennis match (United States vs. Australia) in color.

US Nationals coverage

NBC broadcast the US Nationals as early as 1952 and up until 1964. Bud Palmer, Jack Kramer, Lindsey Nelson, Don Budge, Bill Stern and Bill Talbert were among the commentators during this period.

Wimbledon coverage

NBC broadcast The Championships, Wimbledon beginning 1969. Americans had made a tradition of NBC's "Breakfast at Wimbledon" [1] specials during the tournament on weekends, in which live coverage (which under the guidance of then-NBC Sports executive producer Don Ohlmeyer [2] and associate producer Bob Basche, [3] began in 1979 for the men's rounds and in 1982 for the women) started early in the morning (as the Eastern Time Zone in the United States is five hours behind the United Kingdom) and continued well into the afternoon, interspersed with commentary and interviews from Bud Collins, [4] whose tennis acumen and patterned trousers are well known to tennis fans in the United States. Collins was fired by NBC in 2007, but was promptly hired by ESPN, which holds the Wimbledon cable rights. For many years, NBC's primary host was Dick Enberg, who called his 28th and final Wimbledon in 2011. [5]

The AELTC grew frustrated with NBC's policy of waiting to begin its quarterfinal and semifinal coverage until after the conclusion of Today at 10 a.m. local, as well as broadcasting live only to the Eastern Time Zone and using tape-delay in all others. NBC also held over high-profile matches for delayed broadcast in its window, regardless of any ongoing matches. In one notorious incident in 2009, ESPN2's coverage of the Tommy Haas-Novak Djokovic quarterfinal was forced off the air nationwide when it ran past 10 a.m. Eastern, after which NBC showed the conclusion of the match on tape only after presenting the previous Ivo Karlović-Roger Federer quarterfinal in full. [6]

The 2011 tournament marked the 43rd and final year of NBC's coverage. NBC issued a statement saying it had been outbid for the rights to future broadcasts, and beginning with the 2012 tournament, all live coverage moved exclusively to ESPN. Wimbledon became the second tennis Grand Slam event (after the Australian Open) to air live coverage in the United States exclusively on pay television, although replays of the tournament finals have aired on broadcast network ABC. Live Wimbledon matches have since returned to broadcast television with ABC televising middle weekend matches since 2022. [7] [8] [9]

French Open coverage

NBC's coverage of the French Open began in 1975. [10] Other than a three-year stint for the tournament on CBS, NBC has remained the U.S. broadcast television home of the French Open since 1983. The network shows weekend morning early-round matches in the afternoon on tape-delay; however, if a match is still being played, it will televise the match live. NBC's current deal for the tournament does not allow ESPN2 or Tennis Channel to show NBC's tape-delayed matches. NBC also tape-delays the men's semifinal, broadcasting it in the late morning on the same day, however it broadcasts both finals live.

On August 5, 2012, NBC announced it had extended its broadcast agreement through 2024. Under the terms of this new deal, NBC would broadcast an additional ten hours of live coverage, [11] including matches on Memorial Day and the women's semifinals. [12] With the United States Tennis Association (USTA) agreeing to an eleven-year deal with ESPN for exclusive broadcast rights to the US Open, the French Open was the only tennis tournament on American network television until 2022, when Wimbledon returned to broadcast television on ABC.

Olympic Games coverage

In 2004 and 2006, Bravo carried overnight and morning coverage of the Olympic Games from NBC Sports. In 2008, the channel did not carry any coverage, as NBCUniversal had acquired Oxygen, allowing Bravo to continue to carry its regular entertainment programming schedule during NBC's coverage of the Games. For the 2012 Summer Olympics, NBC Sports announced that Bravo would serve as the home of Olympic tennis events, providing 56 hours of coverage. [13]

Commentators

See also: List of sports announcers § Tennis

Jack Kramer commentated for NBC from 1954 to 1962.

From 1968 to 1972, Bud Collins worked for CBS Sports during its coverage of the US Open tournament, moving to NBC Sports in 1972 in time for its Wimbledon coverage. During the 2007 Wimbledon tournament, Collins announced that NBC had declined to renew his contract after 35 years with the network. [28] He insisted that did not plan to retire and would continue to cover tennis for The Boston Globe. [29] Fellow Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan ridiculed NBC's decision on ESPN's The Sports Reporters . Ryan said that the 78-year-old Collins "still has his fastball" and praised the BostonGlobe for retaining Collins.

Gayle Gardner worked for NBC from 1987-1993. Among the assignments that she undertook included anchoring NBC's coverage of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Jimmy Connors did commentary with NBC in 1990 and 1991, during its coverage of the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments.

In May 1992, Hannah Storm left CNN and was hired by NBC. She anchored NBC Sports' coverage of Wimbledon and French Open.

Mike Gorman called tennis matches at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

As NBC's voice of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the last tournament for him being in 1999 (alongside Bud Collins and, later, John McEnroe), Dick Enberg regularly concluded the network's coverage of the two-week event with thematically appropriate observations accompanied by a montage of video clips.

Ted Robinson served as the lead commentator of NBC's tennis coverage from 2000 through 2018. Robinson called the French Open and (through 2011) Wimbledon Championships for NBC. He broadcast the US Open for 22 years on USA Network, receiving acclaim for his partnership with John McEnroe, which continued on NBC and Tennis Channel. The pair also called the men's singles Gold Medal match at the 2012 Summer Olympics, played at Wimbledon.

In May 2003, Mary Carillo joined NBC Sports as an analyst on its French Open and Wimbledon coverage, having made her debut as an analyst on NBC for the 1996 Family Circle Cup tennis event. Carillo's candid and insightful commentary has earned her accolades throughout the industry, including the distinction of being called "the sport's top analyst" by Sports Illustrated . [30] She is known for her deep voice, quick wit and pointed sense of humor. Like her longtime friend and fellow Douglaston, Queens, New York City native John McEnroe, Carillo is known for her colorful turns of phrase, and is credited with coining "Big Babe Tennis" to describe the era in women's tennis dominated by large, powerful players such as Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. [31] [32] Carillo's unabashed and opinionated style of commentary has drawn criticism from several top players, notably Andre Agassi, Serena and Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova. [33] Nevertheless, she was named Best Commentator by Tennis Magazine (1988–91), Best Commentator by World Tennis magazine (1986) and Broadcaster of the Year by the Women's Tennis Association (1981 and 1985).

Barry MacKay served as the play-by-play announcer for the NBC Sports coverage of tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China. [34] Meanwhile, Jimmy Arias served as an analyst for NBC Sports' coverage of Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics. [35]

Maria Taylor served as the host for the men's and women's semi-finals and finals during NBC's coverage of the 2022 French Open. [36]

On-screen graphics

NBC Sports first switched to digital on-screen graphics in 1995, although in a very limited, text-based form. A modernized graphics package for the telecasts rolled out in 1999, based around translucent black rectangles, with beveled gold bars at the top and bottom, with blue accents for most sports (green for golf, purple for Wimbledon, and orange for the tennis French Open). Scoring bugs were still not a permanent feature, as they disappeared during plays until 2005, when the network introduced horizontal scorebars for its coverage of college football and hockey, which did not match the other graphics. The graphics, which still did not have any animation, were modified in 2002 to feature rounded edges, and the translucent color was changed from black to the color of the accents, which also replaced gold as the border color.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wimbledon Championships</span> Tennis tournament held in London

The Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is regarded by many as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts, with retractable roofs over the two main courts since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Open</span> Annual tennis tournament held in Paris

The French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and venue are named after the French aviator Roland Garros. The French Open is the premier clay court championship in the world and the only Grand Slam tournament currently held on this surface. It is chronologically the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments, occurring after the Australian Open and before Wimbledon and the US Open. Until 1975, the French Open was the only major tournament not played on grass. Between the seven rounds needed for a championship, the clay surface characteristics, and the best-of-five-set men's singles matches, the French Open is widely regarded as the most physically demanding tournament in tennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Connors</span> American tennis player (born 1952)

James Scott Connors is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 weeks. By virtue of his long and prolific career, Connors still holds three prominent Open Era men's singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and 1,274 match wins. His titles include eight major singles titles and three year-end championships. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in a calendar year, and was not permitted to participate in the fourth, the French Open. Connors finished year end number one in the ATP rankings from 1974 to 1978. In 1982, he won both Wimbledon and the US Open and was ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion. He retired in 1996 at the age of 43.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McEnroe</span> American tennis player (born 1959)

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Enberg</span> American sportscaster (1935–2017)

Richard Alan Enberg was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including NBC (1975–1999), CBS (2000–2014), and ESPN (2004–2011), as well as for individual teams, such as UCLA Bruins basketball, Los Angeles Rams football, and California Angels and San Diego Padres baseball.

CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television broadcaster CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studios 43 and 44 of the CBS Broadcast Center on W 57th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Sports</span> Division of American broadcast network NBC

NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its dedicated national sports cable channels. Formerly operating as "a service of NBC News", it broadcasts a diverse array of sports events, including the French Open, the Premier League, the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, the National Football League (NFL), Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football, the Olympic Games, professional golf, the Tour de France and Thoroughbred racing, among others. Other programming from outside producers – such as coverage of the Ironman Triathlon – is also presented on the network through NBC Sports. With Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, its own cable sports networks were aligned with NBC Sports into a part of the division known as the NBC Sports Group.

Mary Carillo is an American sportscaster and former professional tennis player. She is an analyst for Tennis on NBC and a reporter for NBC Olympic broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bud Collins</span> US journalist and sportscaster (1929–2016)

Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry MacKay</span> American tennis player, tournament director and broadcaster

Barry MacKay was an American tennis player, tournament director and broadcaster. He was ranked #1 in the U.S. in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Olympic broadcasts</span> American sports television broadcasts

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Golf telecasts have aired on NBC since 1954, with some of its earliest telecasts having included the 1954 U.S. Open, and the first televised coverage of the Ryder Cup in 1959.

Tennis on CBS is the branding used for broadcasts of professional tennis tournaments that were produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. At the time the network's broadcast agreements with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) ended in 2014, CBS held the broadcast rights to the U.S. Open, the U.S. Open Series and the Sony Ericsson Open. From 1980 to 1982, CBS also televised the French Open. CBS also during the 1970s and 1980s, broadcast the Grand Prix tennis circuit. CBS returned to show tennis coverage again after five years, with both World TeamTennis (2019–present) and USA matches at the Davis Cup (2020–present)

Tennis on TNT is a television program produced by the basic cable television network TNT that broadcasts the main professional tennis tournaments in the United States. From 2000-2002, TNT alongside CNN Sports Illustrated broadcast same day, weekday coverage of Wimbledon, replacing sister network HBO.

Tennis on USA is a television program produced by the USA Network that broadcasts the main professional tennis tournaments in the United States.

The sport of tennis has been televised by the properties of ESPN since 1979 and for ABC since 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Richard Sandomir (June 27, 2009). "Live, the Men's Final, After a Bit of Subterfuge". The New York Times .
  2. ↑ "Monday Night Football's Hail Mary". New York Times Magazine . September 3, 2000. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Tanner comes out of closet". The Observer . London. July 4, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Bud Collins' first Wimbledon". NBC Sports History Page. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
  5. ↑ Michael Hiestand (2011-06-22). "Dick Enberg says farewell to Wimbledon after 28 fortnights". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  6. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (5 July 2011). "Why Wimbledon Switched to ESPN From NBC". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "ESPN Outbids NBC for Wimbledon Rights Package". adweek.com. July 5, 2011.
  8. ↑ "ESPN acquires all rights to Wimbledon". ESPN Los Angeles. July 5, 2011.
  9. ↑ Richard Sandomir (July 3, 2011). "ESPN Reaches Deal to Carry Wimbledon". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Ken Fang (May 23, 2013). "NBC Begins Coverage of The 2013 French Open This Sunday". Fang's Bites. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ Zemek, Matt (May 26, 2015). "NBC's French Open television schedule is still the worst in sports". Awful Announcing.
  12. ↑ "NBC extends French Open deal through 2024". The Hollywood Reporter . August 5, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ "NBC Lays Out Olympic Schedule". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Medium Well: Your NBC Olympics lineup". Baltimore Sun . Tribune Publishing. July 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  15. ↑ "Mary Carillo".
  16. ↑ Michael Hiestand (July 5, 2007). "Collins will call final Wimbledon for NBC". USA Today. Gannett Company.
  17. ↑ Larry Stewart (July 9, 2007). "Collins makes exit from NBC". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ↑ Shipley, Reice (May 23, 2024). "NBC Sports names Noah Eagle play-by-play voice for 2024 French Open". Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  19. ↑ "1989 French Open Gayle Gardner Interview of Chris Evert (11min) (Quality: Good)". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "NBC's Dan Hicks is pumped to have the US Open back and also looks forward to the Tokyo Olympics". 26 August 2020.
  21. ↑ "John Mcenroe".
  22. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (August 27, 1995). "SIGNOFF; McEnroe Puts His Candor to Work". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  23. ↑ Smith, Michelle (May 17, 2000). "Must-see tennis lures Giants broadcaster". SF Gate. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Is Tim Ryan Network TV's Most Versatile Announcer Ever?". 5 March 2018.
  25. ↑ "Hannah Storm".
  26. ↑ "Maria Taylor to Host Roland-Garros Semifinals and Finals Live from Paris This Thursday Through Sunday on NBC and Peacock". 31 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "MIKE TIRICO AND DAN HICKS JOIN NBC SPORTS' PRESENTATION OF 2019 FRENCH OPEN FROM ROLAND-GARROS". NBC Sports Group Press Box. May 22, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  28. ↑ Michael Hiestand (July 5, 2007). "Collins will call final Wimbledon for NBC". USA Today.
  29. ↑ Larry Stewart (July 9, 2007). "Collins makes exit from NBC". Los Angeles Times.
  30. ↑ "NBC Pressbox:Bios:Mary Carillo". NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com. NBC . Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  31. ↑ "The Biggest Babe". insidetennis.com. Inside Tennis. August 17, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Exponents of Big Babe Tennis set to meet for Wimbledon women's title". Sports Illustrated . July 1, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  33. ↑ Maffei, John (June 23, 2006). "These Voices Don't Mince Words". North County Times . Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  34. ↑ Medium Well: Your NBC Olympics lineup - A blog on sports media, news and networks - baltimoresun.com Archived August 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  35. ↑ Ray Frager (July 16, 2008) Medium Well: Your NBC Olympics lineup. Baltimore Sun. Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ↑ "Maria Taylor will host NBC's Football Night in America". NBC Sports . May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
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