Peter Kostis was an institution in televised golf – at least until CBS chose not to renew his contract for 2020. Perhaps no one is in a better position than Kostis, a CBS analyst since 1992, to analyze the future of golf broadcasts and the challenges networks face.
Kostis touched on several of those topics this week when he spoke on a No Laying Up podcast. He also spoke candidly to host Chris Solomon about his break with CBS and how much influence he believes the PGA Tour has in the network’s coverage.
Kostis, 73, touched on the way CBS delivered the news that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, and why he believed that decision was made. He said he believes that the Tour told CBS its broadcast team needed to get younger and that it served as an initial catalyst for change. He also believes the Tour took issue with him not being a “cheerleader” in his analysis and coverage.
News broke in October that neither Kostis nor Gary McCord would be returning to the network in 2020.
Asked by Solomon if he was aware of any documented performance issues that would have led CBS not to renew, Kostis had this to say:
“I asked (CBS Sports chairman) Sean McManus why he was doing it. Was it something I did or didn’t do, whatever? He said, ‘No, we just feel like things have gotten a bit stale and we want to go in a different direction.’ That was the exact quote. He denies it now but that was the exact quote and that’s what he told Gary as well, in a separate call.”
CBS declined to comment when reached by Golfweek.
On the No Laying Up podcast, Kostis also said he declined an on-air send-off that CBS had offered during the San Diego or Phoenix Tour stops. After some thought about the offer, he called back with his answer: “I’m not retiring. I’m not going to have a retirement party. You’re not renewing my contract so I’m not going to acquiesce to that.”
Kostis repeatedly referred to the Tour’s involvement in TV coverage and what he believes is a desire for both promotion of the product and control over it.
As an example, he referenced a post-round interview with a winner (whose name he did not give) who also happened to be a PGA Tour rookie. Kostis began with a question about the two-year Tour exemption and upcoming Masters start the player had just earned. He said he later received criticism from CBS – which had come from the Tour – for failing to preface the interview with a comment about the number of FedEx Cup points the player had won.
Kostis said he ignored the feedback and then pointed out that by the end of the season, he was no longer doing the post-round winner interview, even if he had been out walking with that player.
“I’m not going to be disingenuous and just pump up FedEx and be a spokesman for the Tour, I don’t work for the Tour,” he said.
He named cost as a major hurdle in the quality of Tour coverage going forward – particularly as rights fees soar – and explained that it affects everything from analysts (like himself and McCord) to experienced cameramen to number of cameras available.
The full No Laying Up podcast is available here.
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