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Cycling on CBS
GenreMultiple-stage bicycle racing
Directed byDavid Michaels
StarringGreg Amsinger
Tim Brant
James Brown
John Dockery
Jim Gray
Eric Heiden
Craig Hummer
Armen Keteyian
Bob Neumeier
Phil Liggett
Tim Ryan
Paul Sherwen
John Tesh
ComposersJohn Tesh
Yanni
Geoffrey Downes
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersTed Shaker
Harold Bryant
ProducersDavid Michaels
Victor Frank[1]
Production locationsFrance and other countries
AnimatorPost Group
EditorsRaymond Ek
Stig Johansson
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time3 1/2 hours
Production companiesCBS Sports
OLN
Original release
NetworkCBS
Release1980 (1980) –
July 24, 1988 (1988-07-24)
Release2001 (2001) –
July 25, 2010 (2010-07-25)
Related

Cycling on CBS is the de facto name for broadcasts of multiple-stage bicycle races produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network. CBS was notably the first[2] American television network to provide coverage of the Tour de France.[3] CBS also provided coverage of Paris–Roubaix during the 1980s.

Overview

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Tour de France coverage

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Further information: Tour_de_France § Broadcasting

CBS first covered the Tour de France in 1980, airing approximately five minutes of action. During that time, CBS typically taped segments of the beginning of the stage in order to air them the following weekend on CBS Sports Sunday. The final stage would however, be broadcast live.[4]

On April 7, 1985, CBS entered into an agreement with Broadcasting Rights International Corporation to retain the American television broadcasting rights to the Tour de France through 1988. The agreement was said to initially be worth approximately $50,000 with an additional $237,000 for the broadcasting rights to the 1987 tour. By 1986,[5] CBS would devote to 3+1⁄2 hours of coverage for five consecutive weekends.

When CBS broadcast their final Tour de France in 1988,[6] their coverage for the first three weekends[7] consisted of highlights and features. Tim Brant and Phil Liggett served as hosts for the telecasts airing under the CBS Sports Sunday umbrella. CBS would however, air the final stage live on July 24.

In 2001, the Outdoor Life Network[8] (or OLN[9][10]) replaced ABC and ESPN as the principal American television broadcaster for the Tour de France. The network in the process, purchased air time[11] on CBS,[12] where three one-hour[13] tape delayed specials would air on Sunday afternoons. These specials mainly recapped[14] the past few days of action[15] from the final three weeks[16] of the tour. CBS however, devoted 3+1⁄2 hours to the final stage of the tour on CBS Sports Spectacular. In total, the arrangement with OLN and CBS was worth approximately $3.3 million.[17]

CBS employed the services of commentators Armen Keteyian,[18] Phil Liggett,[19] and Paul Sherwen. In 2006, Bob Neumeier[20] succeeded Armen Keteyian[21] as the host. The following year, Craig Hummer[22] succeeded Neumeier in the hosting role[23] for CBS.

In 2008, Greg Amsinger hosted the Tour de France for CBS.[24]

CBS' involvement with the Tour de France once again ended when NBC[25] took over the American broadcast television network rights in 2011.

Tour of America

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In 1983, CBS teamed with World Tour Cycling to devote at least 27 minutes to the Tour of America,[26] which was a 130 km race from Williamsburg, Virginia to Richmond, Virginia.[27]

Paris–Roubaix

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CBS began covering Paris–Roubaix in 1984 and continued on through 1988, when the coverage like with the Tour de France moved over to ABC. Theo de Rooij, a Dutchman, had been in a promising position to win the 1985 race but had then crashed, losing his chance of winning. Covered in mud, he offered his thoughts on the race to John Tesh after the race:

"It's a bollocks, this race!” said de Rooij. "You're working like an animal, you don't have time to piss, you wet your pants. You're riding in mud like this, you're slipping ... it’s a pile of shit".

When then asked if he would start the race again, de Rooij replied:

"Sure, it's the most beautiful race in the world!”[28]

Tour DuPont

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In 1991,[29] CBS succeeded NBC in providing broadcast network coverage of the Tour DuPont.[30] While ESPN would provide daily, 30-minute long recaps each weeknight, CBS would provide their coverage on May 12 and May 19 as part of CBS Sports Sunday. The following year, CBS again provided two weeks worth of coverage, this time on May 10 and May 17 on 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time respectively. Jim Gray anchored the broadcasts alongside Phil Liggett and James Brown.[31] By 1994, when CBS Sports Sunday was now branded as Eye on Sports,[32] CBS[33] devoted at least two hours to the finale on May 15. James Brown[34] once again helped anchor the coverage.

Commentators

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See also: List_of_sports_announcers § Cycling

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Braff, Carolyn (July 23, 2010). "CBS Sports To Provide National Exposure for Tour de France Finale". Sports Video Group.
  2. ^ "Broadcasting Rights International Corp. v. Societe du Tour de France". Casetext.
  3. ^ Reed, Eric (7 January 2015). Selling the Yellow Jersey: The Tour de France in the Global Era. University of Chicago Press. p. 155. ISBN 9780226206677.
  4. ^ Wilcockson, John (February 10, 2006). "Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: The "premature" Tour of America, and a Phinney first". VeloNews.
  5. ^ Hersh, Phil (June 8, 1986). "FOR AMERICA'S LEMOND THE WORLD IS HIS BICYCLE PATH". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ^ Hersh, Phil (June 10, 1988). "NEW U.S. HOPE PEDALS PAST AILING LEMOND". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ^ Fang, Ken (July 26, 2009). "Videos of the Week - Tour de France". The Sports Daily.
  8. ^ Green, Kristen (July 1, 2005). "Outdoor Life Network ready to show 'Super Bowl of cycling'". Ocala.com.
  9. ^ Liggett, Raia, Lewis, Phil, James, Sammarye (4 May 2011). Tour De France For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118070109.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Ennis, Connor (July 29, 2003). "OLN Gets Big Boost From Tour De France". AP.
  11. ^ "For Tour Coverage, CBS Asleep at Wheels". Los Angeles Times. August 4, 2001.
  12. ^ Katz, Richard (July 30, 1999). "Outdoor Life rides on Tour". Variety.
  13. ^ Andera, Scott (July 29, 2002). "ARMSTRONG'S WINNING STREAK A VICIOUS CYCLE". The Orlando Sentinel.
  14. ^ Mugmon, Matthew (August 1, 2002). "Tour de France overlooked in sports world". The Daily Pennsylvanian.
  15. ^ Ennis, Connor (July 3, 2003). "Cable Channel Awaits Tour De France". The Intelligencer.
  16. ^ Miller, Nicole M. (July 3, 2005). "For Tour Viewers, a Familiar Cycle". The Washington Post.
  17. ^ Albergotti, O'Connell, Reed, Vanessa (July 2014). Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports ... Penguin. p. 299. ISBN 9781592408887.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Penner, Mike (June 30, 2001). "CBS Leaves U.S. Viewers With an Unguided Tour". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ^ Conley, Cecil (July 19, 2005). "Liggett sees best team around Armstrong". East Bay Times.
  20. ^ "CBS SPORTS RIDES INTO PARIS WITH FINAL STAGES OF "TOUR DE FRANCE" ON SUNDAY, JULY 23". ViacomCBS Press Express. July 19, 2006.
  21. ^ Sandomir, Richard (July 22, 2007). "Doping Scandal Puts Dark Cloud Over Coverage of Tour de France". The New York Times.
  22. ^ "CBS SPORTS PEDALS INTO PARIS WITH FINAL STAGES OF "TOUR DE FRANCE" ON SUNDAY, JULY 29". ViacomCBS Press Express.
  23. ^ "CBS SPORTS BULLETIN BOARD -- CBS SPORTS AIRS ARMSTRONG'S AU REVOIR TO TOUR DE FRANCE". ViacomCBS Press Express. July 27, 2010.
  24. ^ "On-Air Personalities: Greg Amsinger". MLB Network. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  25. ^ Berenz, Ryan (June 30, 2011). "2011 Tour de France TV coverage on Versus and NBC". Channel Guide Magazine.
  26. ^ "Tour of America 1983". Cycling Archives.
  27. ^ "The 1983 Tour of America". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 27, 2015.
  28. ^ Charles Pelkey (2009-03-11). "The Explainer: Daily life in the peloton". VeloNews. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  29. ^ Connolly, Steve (February 6, 1991). "POCONOS SEE PAYOFF FROM TOUR DU PONT". The Morning Call.
  30. ^ Leffler, Pete (February 27, 1992). "TOUR DU PONT RACERS TO CROSS THE POCONOS". The Morning Call.
  31. ^ Hasen, Jeff (May 17, 1991). "Broadcast Column: Sportscast". UPI.
  32. ^ "CBS to Offer 'Eye on Sports'". The New York Times. March 9, 1994.
  33. ^ Steadman, Tom (May 3, 1994). "CYCLISTS HIT THE HIGHWAY". Greensboro News & Record.
  34. ^ Dearth, Sonny (May 13, 1994). "LISTENERS HEAR EXCITING FINISHES". The Daily Press.
  35. ^ "John Dockery". CBS News. February 19, 1999.
  36. ^ Hildenbrand, Brian. "ERIC HEIDEN: MEMORIES OF THE TOUR". Peloton Magazine.
  37. ^ "Outdoors Inc". Outdoors Inc. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  38. ^ Lawrence, Kelli (10 January 2014). Skating on Air: The Broadcast History of an Olympic Marquee Sport. McFarland. ISBN 9780786485444.
  39. ^ "Denver's Paramount Teshed by an Angel". Blacktie Colorado. February 16, 2002.
  40. ^ Tesh, John (25 February 2020). Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith. Thomas Nelson. p. 91. ISBN 9781400208739.
  41. ^ Workmon, Bob (October 5, 2010). "John Tesh says being expelled from N.C. State was turning point in his life". Star News Online.
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