On Monday night, the Golf Channel will premiere two of its most popular programs — “The Haney Project” at 9 p.m. followed by “Feherty” at 10 p.m. The two prime-time shows continue to grow in ratings.
During the past year, the Golf Channel realized David Feherty could do more than talk about golf. His special “Feherty Live” from the Super Bowl was a huge hit and proved that the host was comfortable talking about things outside of golf. And his sense of humor played well to a mainstream audience.
Feherty discussed his show and other topics this week on a conference call.
You have had demons of your own with drinking and your divorce. Does what happened in your life make asking personal questions to your guests easier?
Feherty » “I think at the time that these things were happening to me, I didn’t ever imagine they’d be an advantage. But yeah, I think you’re right. If you’re coming from a place where you’ve actually been in worse shape and you have to ask someone who has made mistakes in their life or looks like they might be heading in that direction, yeah. I’m more comfortable asking awkward questions because I feel like an awkward person. A lot of my life, all of which has been public, is an open book. It’s therapeutic for me to be able to talk to people about these things.”
Starting with Monday’s season premiere with Sergio Garcia, your show is now an hour. What will you be doing with that extra time?
Feherty » “We found that the interviews and the subjects of the interview were often so compelling that it was extremely difficult to get the essence of what they said into 22 minutes of programming and a half-hour show. Leading up to the new season, we extended the Tom Watson and Johnny Miller interviews, the Lee Trevino one was already an hour, and there were several more that should have been an hour. Greg Norman was an hour. We just felt it’s a better format, and that we can get more out of it. Plus, it will allow to introduce some new characters into the show.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
