Print this page  |  Close Window

By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

A legend in sports television production, Frank Chirkinian is being discovered all over again of late.

The longtime producer and director for CBS Sports earlier this week was among the inaugural inductees into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Eleven men comprised the first class, which was introduced Tuesday at the New York Hilton Hotel. Such luminaries like Roone Arledge, Howard Cosell and Pete Rozell were also among the honorees.

"A distinguished list to say the least," Chirkinian, 81, said with his smooth baritone voice. "It was a tremendous honor, and a wonderful evening."

Chirkinian was a logical choice to be inducted at the outset of the new hall, which was created by the trade association Sports Video Group. The celebrated "Ayatollah," a name Pat Summerall bestowed upon him for his iron-fisted, do-it-himself running of golf broadcasts, has been credited with numerous television innovations and for more than 40 years did both producing and directing jobs simultaneously. His unique genius earned him numerous honors, including two Peabody Awards, four Emmys and eight Emmy Nominations before leaving the network in 1997.

In addition, he received the PGA of America's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993 and the Lifetime Journalism Award by the Golf Writers of America Association in 1996. Earlier this year he received the Memorial Tournament's Journalism Award at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Next year, he is due to receive another Emmy Award for lifetime achievement.

Chirkinian is retired, though his passion for golf remains. He has an ownership position in Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., and he was reached on his mobile phone Thursday afternoon following a round of golf at the club.

You've received a lot of honors here lately. Is it rewarding to keep receiving recognition?

Well, there's the good news, which is that you're recognized for your contributions, however minimal. The bad news is they usually give all this attention to old guys. I wish they'd have done this 20 years ago, when I could enjoy it more. But it's all quite an honor. I actually got quite emotional the other day when I was introduced. It's great to be acknowledged by your peers no matter how old you get.

You produced a lot of sports. How did golf become your calling?

I loved the game and I had an intuition about it. Golf was the most difficult sport to put on the air. There are no parameters, no structure, no clock, no periods where you can stop play. Golf was always a giant amoeba, and you had to create a form on the air. That's what made those shows exciting and difficult. There was always uniqueness to the concept of creating something as you go long.

You are credited with many TV innovations. Which are you most proud of?

It's not a technical thing, but changing the scoring system to plus and minus in 1960 was a pretty decent idea. It simplified things so much. Before you extrapolated and worked with cumulative scores, so you never could give a clear picture of things. I'm proud of that idea.

What's the best tournament you ever covered?

The 1975 Masters -- so much drama and great golf and it just sort of all flowed and happened and it was mesmerizing. There was this great duel with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller and great dialogue to go with the action. Jack was always so stoic, but he wasn't that year.

Other than the obvious icons, Nicklaus and Palmer, who was the best player to cover?

Greg Norman. In his prime he had a persona that the other guys didn't have. More than anyone else he showed emotion; every shot he hit told a story. If it was a good shot, he would grin just a bit, and if it was bad he stared at the ball in a way that was telling. He was so demonstrative in a very personal and explicit and natural way. He made for good television.

When you look at golf telecasts today, what would you be inclined to change?

There are too many graphics, too many different things going on that take away from the flow of the broadcasts. They're dehumanizing the game. It's tiresome, but they think they have to use all the toys they have because they have them. But do they enhance the broadcast? I don't think so, but what do I know? I'm done, and once you're gone, whether you approve or not is irrelevant. The next generation has to do its own thing.