FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 20th, 2012

NBC SPORTS GROUP TO DEVOTE MORE THAN 60 HOURS OF COVERAGE TO THE RYDER CUP

16 Hours of Live Weekend Coverage on NBC Ryder Cup Week on Golf Channel to Feature Nearly 50 Hours of News, Instruction and Original Programming Former European Tour Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie Joins Golf Channel as Guest Analyst Ryder Cup Veterans John Cook and Larry Nelson “Morning Drive” Guest Hosts David Feherty to Host “Feherty Live” Special from Chicago to Air on Golf Channel Wednesday, Sept. 26, Featuring Olympian Michael Phelps as Special Guest Golf Channel to Premiere “War by the Shore” Special on Tuesday, Sept. 25, Providing an Insider’s Look into the Historic 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah

ORLANDO, Fla. / NEW YORK (Sept. 20, 2012) – NBC Sports Group will present unprecedented, comprehensive Ryder Cup news coverage, tournament action, original themed programming and online digital coverage of the 39th Ryder Cup – with more than 60 hours in total of on-air content – Sept. 24-30. The 39th edition of the biennial golf competition between the world’s top professional golfers representing the United States and Europe takes place Sept. 28-30 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.

Golf Channel on NBC will present 16 hours of live tournament coverage of the final two days of the Ryder Cup (Sept. 29-30). Complementing NBC’s live coverage, Golf Channel will provide nearly 50 hours of wraparound programming, featuring news, talk and instruction, headlined by its franchise show, Live From the Ryder Cup. Comcast SportsNet Chicago will provide robust news coverage with a regional twist for its viewers throughout the week, and NBCSports.com and GolfChannel.com are teaming up to provide the most comprehensive digital coverage of the Ryder Cup in their respective histories.

TOURNAMENT BROADCAST TEAM: Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller – together for their 13th season – will anchor NBC’s weekend coverage of the Ryder Cup (Sept. 29-30), joined by Gary Koch and Peter Jacobsen in tower positions; Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper and Mark Rolfing reporting from the golf course; and essayist Jimmy Roberts and Steve Sands conducting interviews. Golf World senior writer Tim Rosaforte will provide insider news and notes.

RYDER CUP AIRTIMES ON NBC (all times ET):

Sept. 29 Saturday Day Two 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sept. 30 Sunday Day Three Noon-6 p.m.

50 HOURS OF ON-SITE NEWS COVERAGE: Golf Channel has planned nearly 50 hours of live, wraparound news coverage of the Ryder Cup throughout the week, featuring highlights, inside analysis, player interviews and news conferences, special guest appearances and compelling features. Headlined by its franchise show – Live From the Ryder Cup – coverage begins Monday and concludes Sunday with a two-hour recap show. Live From the Ryder Cup will originate from two sets at Medinah Country Club – the main stage overlooking the clubhouse and a roundtable stage behind the clubhouse adjacent to the driving ranges. Golf Channel also will host live reports from the European and U.S. Team driving ranges throughout the week. Live From coverage on Tuesday and Wednesday will include European and U.S. Team news conferences in the afternoon, followed by shows in primetime each evening. Live From also will air the Opening Ceremony live from Medinah on Thursday from 5-6 p.m. ET, and the show will precede and follow tournament play Friday-Sunday. Morning Drive, the network’s weekday morning show, will expand weekday coverage next week, with additional live hours on Sunday and will feature daily special guests from Medinah Country Club. Additionally, The Golf Fix (Monday, 7 p.m. ET) and The Grey Goose 19th Hole (Thursday, 2 p.m. ET.) also will air live from Medinah Country Club.

NEWS CONFERENCES: Live From the Ryder Cup news conference shows from Medinah Country Club will air Tuesday from 1-7 p.m. ET and Wednesday, 1-5 p.m. ET.

LIVE FROM THE RYDER CUP SCHEDULED FEATURES FOR THE WEEK:
– Nobilo Goes Tee to Green at Medinah Country Club – Frank Nobilo scouted the Medinah Country Club layout and will host short features that provide details about the course setup for the Ryder Cup, including insight into U.S. Captain Davis Love III’s influence on the setup.
– U.S. and European Team Captains Go One-on-One – U.S. and European Team Captains Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal sit down with Golf Channel to discuss their respective roles leading up to this week’s Ryder Cup.
– Michael Jordan Talks Ryder Cup and Medinah – Basketball Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan sits down with Golf Channel to discuss the Ryder Cup coming to Chicago and Medinah Country Club, his involvement with this year’s U.S. team and the pressure of competing in the Ryder Cup.
Sergio Garcia One-on-One with Steve Sands – Steve Sands sits down with European Ryder Cup team member Sergio Garcia. Garcia discusses spirit for the Ryder Cup, reflecting on his famous shot at the 16th hole in the 1999 PGA Championship and Seve Ballesteros’ passion for the Ryder Cup.
Graeme McDowell One-on-One Interview with Sands – Steve Sands sits down with European Ryder Cup team member Graeme McDowell. McDowell relfects on winning the 2010 Ryder Cup and his relationship with Rory McIlroy.

LIVE FROM THE RYDER CUP BROADCAST TEAM: Scottish golfer and former European Ryder Cup Player and Captain Colin Montgomerie returns to Golf Channel as a guest analyst for the network’s Live From the Ryder Cup telecasts Friday-Sunday following live tournament coverage. Ryder Cup veterans and Golf Channel analysts Nick Faldo and David Feherty also will contribute to Golf Channel’s Ryder Cup news coverage throughout the week, joining the network’s Live From broadcast team that includes Rich Lerner, Kelly Tilghman, Ryan Burr, Frank Nobilo, Brandel Chamblee, Charlie Rymer, Rex Hoggard, John Feinstein, Tim Rosaforte, Ken Schofield, Damon Hack and Alex Miceli. Steve Sands will be Golf Channel’s European Tour reporter throughout the week, with Todd Lewis reporting on the U.S. Team. Members of NBC’s on-air team also will contribute throughout the week, including Dottie Pepper, Jimmy Roberts, Mark Rolfing and Roger Maltbie.

RYDER CUP VETERANS JOHN COOK AND LARRY NELSON CO-HOST MORNING DRIVE Morning Drive will keep viewers up-to-date throughout the week on all of the happenings and the latest news from the Ryder Cup with daily interviews with Golf Channel expert analysts, reporters and contributors from on-site at Medinah Country Club. 1993 Ryder Cup team member John Cook will guest co-host Morning Drive throughout the week, and three-time Ryder Cup team member Larry Nelson will guest host Wednesday and Thursday. Morning Drive will air a two-part interview with U.S. Team Captain Davis Love III and Gary Williams Monday and Tuesday. Morning Drive’s coverage will expand to four hours on Thursday (7-11 a.m. ET) and also features a two-hour show on Sunday (7-9 a.m. ET) leading into Live From the Ryder Cup.

MICHAEL PHELPS FEATURED GUEST ON FEHERTY LIVEFunnyman David Feherty’s off-beat humor and unique interview style will be on full display in this live variation of his popular Feherty series on Golf Channel. Feherty will perform in front of a live audience from the Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove, Ill., nearby to Medinah Country Club where the Ryder Cup will be contested. Feherty Live will air on Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. ET, and feature interviews with Michael Phelps, decorated Olympian and the newest student on Golf Channel’s The Haney Project, as well as former Ryder Cup Captains Paul Azinger, Sam Torrance and Lanny Wadkins.

WAR BY THE SHORE – The epic competition between the U.S.A. and Europe on Kiawah Island, S.C., in 1991 that forever changed golf’s Ryder Cup from a friendly exhibition to a high-stakes rivalry is captured in War by the Shore, a 60-minute film by 51-time Emmy Award-winning producer and former president of HBO Sports, Ross Greenburg. War By The Shore premieres Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. ET. This special goes inside the ropes on those three historic days in September with in-depth and insightful interviews with many of the competing players and the captains who led their teams during one of the most memorable Ryder Cups ever played. Contested by the best golfers on either side of the Atlantic on Kiawah’s picturesque and brutal Ocean Course layout, the 1991 Ryder Cup was a spectacle for tournament patrons and television viewers, alike. All were witnesses to a tense, back and forth – not all together civil – affair, filled with miraculous shots and epic collapses.

COMCAST SPORTSNET CHICAGO

Comcast SportsNet Chicago will provide extensive regional coverage of the 39th Ryder Cup beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN Chicago) will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2012 Ryder Cup on its nightly sports news program, SportsNet Central. Titling segments as “SportsNet Central at the Ryder Cup,” CSN Chicago will air numerous feature stories produced by Golf Channel, including:

Michael Jordan 1-on-1: Jordan talks about his love of golf, the Ryder Cup, his love for Chicago and Chicago as a sports town. Golf Channel’s Mark Rolfing conducts the interview. (Airdate: Tuesday September 25th and Thursday September 27th).
David Feherty 1-on-1: CSN Chicago’s Pat Boyle goes 1-on-1 with the former PGA Tour member/current Golf Channel analyst.
Profile of Medinah Country Club and the history of the Ryder Cup: Viewers will be provided with an in-depth, hole-by-hole analysis of the course, along with history of the tournament filled with highlights.

SportsNet Central at the Ryder Cup also will have complete highlights and interviews from The Ryder Cup Captains & Celebrity Scramble Golf Event (Tue, Sept. 25) featuring numerous celebrity participants, including Bill Murray, Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps and George Lopez.

In addition, CSN Chicago’s nightly sports roundtable talk show, Chicago Tribune Live, will have live interviews featuring Golf Channel analysts throughout the week nightly at 5:30 p.m. CT. Thursday-Sunday, SportsNet Central will provide live reports nightly at 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. CT, featuring a comprehensive breakdown of the day’s key moments, including highlights, interviews and detailed analysis. The reports will be hosted by Pat Boyle and Golf Channel analysts.

CSNChicago.com also will host tournament highlights and additional coverage throughout the week.

WALL-TO-WALL DIGITAL COVERAGE: NBCSports.com and GolfChannel.com will combine efforts to provide users with the most comprehensive digital coverage in Ryder Cup history, featuring expanded editorial content and interactive capabilities. Fans also can access Ryder Cup content on the go with the GolfChannel.com mobile application.

Ryder Cup Live Streaming
NBCSports.com will live stream NBC’s weekend tournament coverage of the Ryder Cup (Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Sunday, Noon-6 p.m. ET). GolfChannel.com users also will be able to link to the NBCSports.com live streaming link Saturday and Sunday.

Live Blogs & Chats
John Hawkins and Jason Sobel will host live chats on GolfChannel.com Friday-Sunday to keep fans up to date as the action unfolds. Live chats will take place on Friday from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET and Sunday from Noon-7 p.m. ET

Editorial Coverage
Jay Coffin, Damon Hack, John Hawkins, Rex Hoggard, Ryan Lavner, Randall Mell and Jason Sobel will contribute daily to GolfChannel.com’s GolfTalk Central blog, along with daily columns, news articles, features and breaking news.

Exclusive Online Video Content on GolfChannel.com:
– Morning and evening updates from Golf Channel’s Live From the Ryder Cupteam will be available each day.
– John Hawkins will provide video recaps from Friday through Sunday.
– The “Tee to Green” features hosted by Frank Nobilo for Live From the Ryder Cup on Golf Channel also will be available on demand on GolfChannel.com.

Social Media
Golf Channel will engage fans with content via Facebook and Twitter, and also will integrate social media into GolfChannel.com by grouping golf-relevant Twitter handles, including those of Golf Channel personalities, on the site for viewing.

NBC Sports Group Ryder Cup Coverage (all times ET)

Monday, Sept. 24
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 6-7 p.m.
The Golf Fix Golf Channel 7-8 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 25
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 1-7 p.m. (News Conferences)
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
War by the Shore Golf Channel 9-10 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 26
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-10 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 1-5 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Feherty Live Golf Channel 9-10 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 27
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-11 a.m.
Grey Goose 19th Hole Golf Channel 2-3 p.m.
Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony Golf Channel 5-6 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 6-8 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 28
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7-8 a.m.
Ryder Cup Day 1 ESPN 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 29
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Ryder Cup Day 2 NBC 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 30
Morning Drive Golf Channel 7-9 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 9 a.m.-Noon
Ryder Cup Day 3 NBC Noon-6 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup Golf Channel 6-9 p.m.

-NBC Sports Group-