 |
| PBA on USA | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Bowling telecasts |
| Presented by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 90 to 180 minutes or until tournament ends |
| Production company | USA Sports |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA |
| Original release | 1982 – 1984 |
PBA on USA is a presentation of professional ten-pin bowling matches from the Professional Bowlers Association Tour formerly produced by the USA cable television [1] in the United States from 1982 to 1984.
The USA Network broadcast matches every Thursday night. [2] USA's first telecast was the Kessler Open from San Jose, California in July 1982.
Commentators included play-by-play announcers Eddie Doucette, [3] Pete Liebengood, [4] and Al Trautwig [5] [6] and color commentators Mike Durbin [7] and Earl Anthony.
Peter David Weber is an American semi-retired bowler in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Weber was one of the sport's most active players and became known for his maverick, chirpy and rebellious personality. He is also known for being incredibly versatile, with his high backswing and the side rotation he puts on the bowling ball helping him control numerous oil conditions. Weber is featured in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen. He has won 37 titles on the PBA Tour, including ten major championships, and another 13 titles on the PBA50 Tour. He is one of only three bowlers in history to have amassed at least 50 combined titles between the PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour. Weber and Williams Jr. are the only two bowlers to have amassed at least 100 total PBA titles, with PBA Regional events added.
Chris Barnes is an American professional bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), who currently competes on both the PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour. He has also competed internationally as a member of Team USA.
Wayne Webb is an American professional bowler from Rehoboth, Massachusetts. He was known for his success from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s. Webb is one of only 16 players in history to win at least 20 PBA Tour titles, and is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Mika Juhani Koivuniemi is a Finnish bowling coach and semi-retired professional ten-pin bowler. He competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour in the United States, and won bowling titles in 21 different countries during his career. He is a two-time PBA Player of the Year, one of only three players born outside the USA to win that award. Koivuniemi is the second international player and first European ever elected to the PBA Hall of Fame; he was inducted in 2019. He is also a member of the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame and Finland Bowling Hall of Fame.
The Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) organizes and oversees a series of annual tournaments for the top competitive women ten-pin bowlers. The series is often referred to as the "women's tour" of bowling.
The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional professionals, a small percentage of the bowling membership competes at the national and international level, forming the PBA Tour. Founded in 1958, the PBA Tour has been in continuous operation since the inaugural 1959 season.
Nelson "Bo" Burton Jr. is a professional ten-pin bowler, PBA Hall of Famer, and former longtime analyst for the Professional Bowlers Tour on ABC Television. He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu. Bo compiled 18 titles on the PBA Tour, including two major championships, and earned $763,782 (USD).
The Professional Bowlers Tour, also known as Pro Bowlers Tour, is a broadcast of the Professional Bowlers Association that aired on ABC from 1962 to 1997. In the telecasts, sportscaster Chris Schenkel and the graphics displayed during the show would refer to the show as "The Professional Bowlers Tour", possibly to disambiguate from the NFL's use of the term "pro bowler" when referring to players who were selected for the Pro Bowl—an event also televised on ABC for many years.
Mark Stephen Roth was an American professional bowler. He won 34 PBA Tour titles in his career, and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Roth was most dominant from 1975 through 1987, a stretch in which he made 107 televised finals appearances, captured 33 titles, and won four PBA Player of the Year awards. He is also known for having been the first professional bowler to convert a 7–10 split on national television.
Rob Stone is a sports commentator for Fox Sports, covering various sports including Major League Soccer (MLS), NCAA and NFL football, and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Stone previously covered sports for ESPN. A WWE fan, Stone briefly won the WWE 24/7 Championship during a Fox promotional event, becoming the first non-WWE Superstar to win the championship.
Michael William Durbin is a retired American professional bowler and bowling broadcaster, and is a member of both the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Halls of Fame. Durbin won 14 PBA Tour titles in his career, including three major championships.
Bowling on NBC is a presentation of professional ten-pin bowling matches from the PBA Tour formerly produced by NBC Sports, the sports division of the NBC television network in the United States.
John Douglas "Guppy" Troup is a ten-pin bowler who has competed professionally since the mid-1970s. During his career on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, he earned eight national titles, along with another 41 in PBA Regional Tour competitions.
Tennis on USA is a television program produced by the USA Network that broadcasts the main professional tennis tournaments in the United States.
PBA on Fox is the branding used for Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) broadcasts produced by Fox Sports and airing on the Fox broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1). On March 21, 2018, the PBA announced that Fox Sports signed a multi-year agreement to acquire the television rights to its events beginning in 2019 and running through at least 2022. Most events will be carried by FS1, but at least four events per season will air on the Fox broadcast network.
USA Sports was the branding used for broadcasts of sporting events by the cable channel USA Network. The network's history with sports dates back to its forerunner, the Madison Square Garden Network, and in the past has included coverage of the major professional leagues, college football, golf and tennis.
Bowling on CBS is the de facto title for CBS Sports' professional ten-pin bowling television coverage.
HBO Sports Bowling is the branding used for Professional Bowlers Association broadcasts on the HBO premium cable and satellite television network. Bowling was one of HBO's earliest programs, back when it debuted in the early 1970s. HBO's first bowling telecast was the Winston-Salem Open on June 10, 1973. About 21 PBA TV finals aired on HBO from June 1973 through July 1975.
PBA on ESPN is the branding used for Professional Bowlers Association broadcasts on the ESPN cable television network. ESPN's relationship with bowling began in 1985, when the network aired the 12 Summer Tour events. By 2001, ESPN provided exclusive coverage of 20 regular-season events and four to six summer telecasts, all on Sundays or Tuesdays.
Bowling on Prime Network is the de facto name for ten-pin bowling events broadcast on the now defunct Prime Network. In particular, Prime Network televised tournaments from the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour in 1993. The official name of the telecasts was The Bud Light LPBT Spring Tour. Leandra Riley (play-by-play) and Leila Wagner (analysis) provided the commentary.