After a year of tape-delayed broadcasts, the LPGA may be reconsidering its long-term deal with Golf Channel, according to Golf World’s Ron Sirak.“Sources tell Golf World the LPGA is looking for a way out of the 10-year contract that made Golf Channel the exclusive cable partner for the women's tour beginning this year,” Sirak wrote Monday.
Former LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens inked the pact that made the women’s tour an afterthought in Golf Channel’s live programming. Because the PGA, European, Champions, and Nationwide Tours rule over the LPGA in the Golf Channel pecking order, the network aired 38 of 94 official LPGA rounds on tape delay, Sirak noted. TV audiences could not find another 11 at all, even with the golf network offering hours of canned programming.
With more than half of the tour’s contests blacked out, “It’s hard to build a fan base that way,” Sirak said of the struggling LPGA. The women’s tour, which has yet to announce its schedule for next season, offered an abridged calendar in 2010.
LPGA and Golf Channel spokespersons did not respond to Waggle Room requests for comments.
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