Release
CBS SPORTS' 2003-2004 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTED BY NFL, SUPER BOWL XXXVIII, COLLEGE BASKETBALL, NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, THE MASTERS? AND PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND
August 2003
CBS SPORTS' 2003-2004 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTED BY NFL, SUPER BOWL XXXVIII, COLLEGE BASKETBALL, NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, THE MASTERS? AND PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
CBS Sports' 2003-04 schedule includes a prominent lineup of events, including the NFL broadcasts, now in their 44th year on CBS (see separate release), highlighted by the CBS Television Network's coverage of Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004. Some of the other highlights of the CBS Television Network's sports broadcast schedule follow.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE -- This is the 44th season the NFL will be broadcast on CBS. THE NFL ON CBS schedule kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 7, and continues over the 17-week regular season. The culmination of the Network's coverage is its broadcast of an AFC Wild Card Playoff game, the Divisional Playoff games, the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl XXXVIII from Houston. Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms, along with Armen Keteyian reporting, comprise CBS Sports' lead announce team for game coverage. The Network's pre-game studio show, THE NFL TODAY, will be hosted by Jim Nantz, along with analysts Dan Marino, Deion Sanders and Boomer Esiason, with Marcus Allen and Lesley Visser reporting.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- CBS continues to be the leading network broadcaster of college basketball. For the 14th consecutive year, the Network will have exclusive television rights to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, annually one of the most-watched sporting events on television. More than 65 hours of coverage of this coveted property are scheduled during the 2004 tournament, which culminates in the Final Four and Championship game from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, April 3, and Monday, April 5, respectively. In addition to covering all tournament games, CBS Sports will broadcast the NCAA SELECTION SHOW and preview programs.
For the 23rd consecutive season, CBS Sports features college basketball, with a comprehensive regular-season schedule. The 2003-04 season marks the continuation of agreements with the Big Ten, Big East and Southeastern (SEC) conferences. Regular-season coverage debuts with national coverage of Kentucky-UCLA on Saturday, Dec. 6. In addition, CBS Sports broadcasts several matchups from the ACC, Big 12 and PAC-10 conferences, as well as from Conference USA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL -- CBS Sports kicks off its 2003 college football coverage this fall on Saturday, Aug. 30, with live coverage of USC at Auburn (6:00 PM). The 14-week regular-season schedule features exclusive Network broadcasts of the home games of the Southeastern Conference, as well as one of the greatest rivalries in sports, the Army-Navy game, on Saturday, Dec. 6. Highlighting the Network's schedule is coverage of SEC powerhouses Georgia and Florida on Saturday, Nov. 1, and the Florida State-Florida game on Saturday, Nov. 29. For the third year, CBS Sports will present the SEC Championship game, featuring the Eastern and Western Division champions, on Saturday, Dec. 6. CBS Sports' college football schedule concludes with coverage of the Wells Fargo Sun Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31.
GOLF -- CBS Sports' 2004 golf broadcast schedule, the most comprehensive of any on network television, is headlined by extensive coverage of two of the four Grand Slam events: the Masters® and the PGA Championship. The Masters, broadcast from Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., perennially ranks as the highest-rated golf tournament on television. The 2004 Masters, scheduled for April 8-11, marks its 49th consecutive year on CBS, making it the longest-running sports event on network television. A tradition is also evolving with another Grand Slam event as, for the 14th consecutive year, CBS Sports broadcasts the 86th PGA Championship, Aug. 12-15, from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis. In all, CBS Sports will broadcast 14 PGA TOUR events, with a total of 18 golf events showcasing more than 130 hours of tournament coverage, including one LPGA competition and one Champions Tour event.
U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS -- The 36th U.S. Open Tennis Championships, America's only Grand Slam event and a cornerstone event of the 2003 season, will feature 14 days of coverage and more than 40 broadcast hours beginning on Monday, Aug. 25, and culminating in the men's final on Sunday, Sept. 7. Late-night highlight coverage follows the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Monday, Aug. 25, through Friday, Aug. 29, and Monday, Sept. 1, through Friday, Sept. 5. First-weekend coverage includes men's and women's third-round action on Saturday, Aug. 30, men's third-round and women's fourth-round action on Sunday, Aug. 31, and men's and women's fourth-round action on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.
CBS Sports' final weekend of U.S. Open coverage begins on Friday, Sept. 5, with the women's semifinals and men's doubles final and continues on Saturday, Sept. 6, with "Super Saturday," featuring the men's semifinals and primetime coverage of the women's final. This will mark the third time in network television history that a Grand Slam event final will be broadcast in prime time. Coverage concludes with the men's final on Sunday, Sept. 7.
CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR -- The Network's sports anthology series includes a unique and diverse lineup of event coverage originating from venues both national and international. It is broadcast during the second and third quarters and features such events as track and field, tennis and figure skating.
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