The news of David Feherty’s departure from CBS was a bit of a surprise to golf fans who had been accustomed to seeing him on the Tiffany Network. But with his ties to Golf Channel, it’s not all that shocking that he expanded his role as moving to NBC. We haven’t heard why Feherty chose to leave CBS for NBC after 19 years until now.
In an interview with Golf.com, Feherty was candid on why he chose to leave now and how he’ll miss working The Masters and all of the friends he has made with CBS over the years. First, Feherty said he’s looking forward to teasing NBC analyst Johnny Miller and fellow on-course reporter Roger Maltbie. And expanding his broadcasting portfolio to calling golf in the 2016 Rio Olympics and even calling some events in the Winter Olympics.
But then he went into why it was time to leave CBS for a change of scenery.
“It was a combination of things. Money was always an issue, of course. I have been doing this for about 19 years, it was time to make that change. But the other aspect was that I’m going to be doing basically the same thing at NBC/Golf Channel. I’m going to be working more four-day events there than I was at CBS. Because I’m working all four days, whereas I was only working five four-day events at CBS, I’m going to work less events overall but more of the four day ones [by extension, more time in the booth]. The first few days, I’ll be in the tower like I was at CBS, but look, I’m an outside pet. Someone has got to be out there stirring things up on the course.”
As for his Golf Channel interview program, “Feherty,” it will continue. Feherty said he’s surprised on how popular it has become and how he’s remained in TV all these years:
“I’ve done 19 Masters and haven’t gotten fired, so there’s that. I’m proud of my television show; that was a big step to branch into that kind of medium. I’m not sure I can call that my accomplishment because there were so many people involved in that. It wasn’t my idea and I didn’t see it going as long as it has. I’m dumbfounded. We thought it might last a season – I’m not sure I’d consider it an achievement. I’m completely floored by how popular it is.”
Feherty has been candid in the past about his alcohol addiction, suffering from depression and having Attention-deficit Disorder. He says he takes things one day at a time:
“The addiction is one of those things you live with…I try to do the same thing with mental illness. You say you suffer from it, but I prefer to think that I live with it. There’s a creative aspect to it that I take advantage of. I’m still overwhelmed by sadness, almost daily, but I don’t have the manic episodes where I’m overly happy, I just get overly busy. It’s something I live with.
“At CBS I had people who really cared about me, who looked out for me. I’ve been lucky my whole life, whether it’s at work, or the fact that I made it through school. I was “stupid” before we had a pill for stupid – then Adderall came along. [Laughs] I’ve been really very lucky.
“When I look back, for me to be here today and for me to have been able to do the things I’ve done and seen, it’s just… I’m the luckiest human being in the Northern hemisphere, I think. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Overall, Feherty’s humor and candor on the course has made him into one of the more popular golf commentators. His change of networks won’t affect that, but it will be strange not to see him as part of the CBS golf crew. But it will be good to hear him on the Open Championship and the Olympics this summer.
[Golf.com]
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