CBS Says It Will Map Out Pan Am Games Coverage on Day-to-Day Basis

CBS plans to borrow a page from the print medium to map out its coverage of the Pan American Games beginning this weekend in Indianapolis and running through Aug. 23.

Executive producer Ted Shaker isn’t ashamed to say he has taken the approach of the big-city newspaper.

“I guess we’re going to have what you call a budget meeting,” he said. “We’ll get our venue producers together each day and decide what’s important and what’s going to get on. We’ll listen to what they say, just like the various editors do, and we’ll make our decisions based on that.”

Thus, CBS hasn’t gotten itself locked into a set schedule for its coverage, which will be spread over three weekends. The opening ceremony will be shown on the first telecast, but Shaker wants to be able to show timely events.

“I guess in a sense the venue producers will have to sell me and our production team on what could make a good story,” he said. “There are some naturals that are obviously going to get a good hearing. Basketball, baseball, track and field, but we’re going to keep an open mind and not have a set schedule for the entire time we’re on the air. We’re going to try the democratic process.”

Shaker wants a different-looking telecast from the Olympic Games. Because CBS and Shaker haven’t done the Olympics in recent years, they are going to have a fresh outlook, he said.

Shaker has hinted that the network plans to stay away from the “up-close-and-ttpersonal” approach of rival ABC, which hit individual features hard in its Olympic coverage.

“Our belief is that the event is the thing,” Shaker said. “We want to show as much live as possible and maybe we’ll mix in some tape of what has happened earlier in the week with a story we’re working on at a given time.

“We’ll do live interviews, but we’re not going to get carried away with production values to the point where we may miss some live action. We’ve got a videotape bank of interviews which we’ll use if they are timely.”

Unlike the Olympic Games, which seem to have a built-in audience, the Pan American Games pose some question marks on viewer interest. Shaker saidt that the jingoistic factor may play a part in the ratings.

“If the competition is keen enough and stories develop and Americans are tested, the Pan American Games will do well on TV. Of course, we don’t have any control over that,” Shaker said. “Let’s face it. If the home country does well, say in a baseball or basketball venue, then the interest is going to be there.”

With that in mind, CBS will televise the United States vs. Panama basketball game Sunday and also will cover the U.S. team in its opening-round baseball game.

“We’re not going to shy away from the minor sports or from events that involve other countries,” he said.

Brent Musburger will anchor the coverage, and there will be announcing groups at the principal venues of baseball, basketball, boxing, gymnastics, track and field and swimming and diving.