NBC Coverage Of US Open Looks To Pick Up Where ESPN Leaves Off

It's always interesting when ESPN and NBC switch coverage after the first two days of the U.S. Open because the styles are so different. For the Masters, ESPN uses many of CBS' production elements, but for the first two days of the Open the "Leader" is on its own.

NBC is looking to analysts Peter Jacobson and Curtis Strange to team with Bob Costas this weekend and even wanted to use the windsurfers off the coast for camera shots.....

Since there's normally a "hang-gliding port" near the 12th green at Torrey Pines, the San Diego course hosting the U.S. Open, NBC producer Tommy Roy says he looked into recruiting gliders to carry cameras. That's before tournament officials decided to shut down that form of air traffic during the Open. Says Roy: "I was going to sail on breaks to reduce tension."

It sounds pretty dumb on the surface but going in and out of breaks it would be pretty neat to see that different point of view. Oh well. There will be forty eight NBC cameras to provide different angles for the viewing audience, and we get to admire the attempt at transition from Chris Berman to Bob Costas. Good luck with that NBC.

McKay never lamented leaving airwaves (USA Today)