Channel 7 in Rough After Going With Oprah Over Golf

The infamous “Heidi” game, in which an NBC technician gave national viewers the start of the children’s movie instead of the end of an exciting 1968 New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game, is usually recognized as the biggest blunder in sports television history. But that may have been topped this week.

At least, it was in the minds of golf fans in Los Angeles.

The Heidi game was a spur-of-the-moment mistake. What Don Corsini, program director at Channel 7, did Monday was premeditated. While the rest of the country was shown the final round of the British Open, Corsini, knowingly and willingly, chose to televise the “Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The British Open, one of golf’s four major tournaments, is played once a year. Oprah is on every weekday.

Also, the final round of the British Open was golf at its best, so good that ABC had its public relations people calling TV sportswriters Monday morning to remind them to watch the delayed coverage later in the day.

But all that didn’t stop Corsini from deciding on Monday, a day after ABC announced an afternoon showing for the rain-delayed British Open, to shelve the golf telecast until after the late-night “Morton Downey Jr. Show.”

Channel 7 didn’t even show a graphic letting viewers know when the golf would be on.

And then, because of an expanded “Nightline” show that night, the British Open didn’t make it on the air until 1:50 a.m., long after the highlights were shown by every station in town.

Even though ABC owns Channel 7, the station was within its rights by choosing not to show the golf at the specified time.

However, Corsini’s move angered the network’s sports brass in New York. And you can’t blame them. Because the network covered the first three rounds, its Los Angeles station, one would think, had the responsibility to show the final round, even if Oprah Winfrey would get a better rating.

Network spokesman Bob Wheeler, passing along the official word from New York in a toned-down statement, said: “What happened in Los Angeles was extremely unfortunate.”

Efforts to reach Corsini this week have been unsuccessful. It seems as if in one stroke, he embarrassed his network and angered his viewers.

Add Corsini: He is married to Channel 7 news anchorwoman Tawny Little, who had a run-in with Dennis Swanson, ABC Sports president, several years ago when Swanson was the news director at Channel 7.

Witnesses say Swanson came on the set one night during a newscast and so berated Little during a commercial break that she was nearly in tears as she continued the newscast.

Now, Little’s husband is in Swanson’s doghouse.

It wasn’t a good weekend for ABC. The end of the third round of the British Open, played Sunday after being rained out Saturday, was preempted by “This Week With David Brinkley.”

And the network’s Olympic track and field trials coverage was disjointed, disorganized and incomplete. The competition was terrific, but the coverage was bad, particularly on Saturday.

Announcer Al Trautwig again had his troubles. At one stage, he said Willie Banks leaped 59 point 3 in the triple jump. Try just 59-3. And he called Calvin Smith and Carl Lewis the co-world American record-holders in the 100 meters. Ben Johnson is the world record-holder; Smith and Lewis share the American record.

Also, announcers Dan Dierdorf, Becky Dixon and Kathrine Switzer had no business being in Indianapolis. Dierdorf, whose sport is football, offered little, and Dixon, who did only one interview, with Carl Lewis, and Switzer, both simply gushed.

And a lot of top competition got short shrift. Smith’s 9.87-second, wind-aided 100 meters heat Saturday, although it was mentioned, wasn’t shown. And the 400-meter hurdles heat with Andre Phillips and Kevin Young also was mentioned but not shown.

The high jump final results were never reported. All that was shown was the co-American record-holders, Jerome Carter and Thomas McCants, missing their final attempts at 7-5. Jim Howard won at 7-8.

Also, it wasn’t reported that the wind-meter reading was 0.00 for not only Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record 10.49 heat Saturday but also for Sheila Echols’ 10.83. Two straight wind readings of 0.00 is a real oddity, especially considering that it was a windy day, but ABC apparently wasn’t impressed.

The network thoroughly covered Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s assault on the heptathlon record but forgot about the third-place battle between USC’s Wendy Brown and Jane Frederick, which was decided by a stirring 800-meter race.

Sunday in the women’s 100, Gwen Torrence, who placed third, was misidentified by Trautwig as Jennifer Inniss. In the women’s 3,000, Trautwig twice identified Ruth Wysocki as Trina Leopold.

And on and on it went.

It is hoped, ABC will do better this Saturday, when it presents a two-hour wrap-up, beginning at 4 p.m. PDT. Of course, it’s delayed in the West, which is another bad mark for ABC.

But the main problem is ABC doesn’t have knowledgeable track people working the meet. Marty Liquori is the exception, but at times he appears unprepared, although he shines next to Trautwig.

Pat Riley, responding to CBS’ possible interest in him as a replacement for basketball commentator Billy Cunningham next season, now that Cunninghan has given up the job to remain as general manager of the expansion Miami Heat, said: “I’ll talk to them because that’s a direction I eventually hope to take, but I can’t see me doing it at this time. But you can never say never.”

This may not be the best time to be selling a pay-per-view fight, considering the recent Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks ripoff. But Jay Larkin of Viewer’s Choice, promoters of the pay-per-view telecast of next Thursday night’s Michael Nunn-Frank Tate International Boxing Federation middleweight title fight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, isn’t discouraged.

“The suggested retail price is only $12.95, and what we’re offering is what boxing experts are calling the most competitive fight of the year,” Larkin said. “The problem is Tate and Nunn don’t have a lot of marquee value, at least not nationally.”

Does this fight belong on pay per view?

“If it weren’t for pay per view, this fight would not be available to the public,” Larkin said. “Pay per view is the hero here, not the villain.”

The announcers for the telecast will be Steve Albert, Gil Clancy and Newsday boxing reporter Wallace Matthews.

The telecast will be available in about 500,000 homes in the Southland and will also be shown on closed circuit at the Country Club in Reseda.

TV-Radio Notes

ESPN is bringing Roy Firestone back for the pro football season but only as a halftime reporter. Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann will handle the game coverage. . . . Look for NBC to announce soon that it has hired Larry Csonka as a football analyst. . . . To CBS’ credit, Dick Butkus will not be asked to fill Jimmy The Greek’s role on “NFL Today” as a handicapper. “We’re looking for Dick to make contributions in other ways,” said Ted Shaker, CBS Sports’ executive producer. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to take part in the great national pastime of who is going to win.” . . . Butkus, who also stars in the NBC sitcom, “My Two Dads,” lives in Malibu and says he’ll commute to New York during the football season. “Because of the writers’ strike nothing is certain, but we usually tape the show on Tuesdays,” Butkus said. “That could mean seven-day work weeks.” . . . The football season is almost here. The Rams face Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame game on ABC a week from Saturday. . . . Steve Sax will be on “It’s Your Call” with Rich Marotta on Prime Ticket from C.J. Brett’s in Hermosa Beach next Thursday night at 6.