Remembering CBS Sports, USTA Production Legend Steve Gorsuch For more than 40 years, he transformed golf, tennis production By SVG Staff
Friday, March 29, 2024 - 9:50 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Steve Gorsuch, who spent decades at CBS Sports in a variety of roles and then spent 15 years as head of broadcasting for the US Open tennis tournament, died this week at the age of 74. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he redefined both tennis and golf operations, oversaw their transition from SD to HD, and was known for having a great understanding not only of how technology works but of people as well.
Steve was instrumental to our success across a variety of sports and was the cornerstone to our golf operations on CBS Sports, says Patty Power, EVP, operations and engineering, CBS Sports. His contributions are immeasurable, and his impact will live on for years to come. Steve was a friend to all and mentor to so many across our industry. He will be greatly missed. My condolences go out to [his wife] Patti and the entire Gorsuch family, including his children, who are carrying on his legacy and standard of excellence at CBS Sports.
Steve Gorsuch (second from left) with his children (from left) Scott, Krissi, and Ryan, all of whom are in sports-TV production
Gorsuch is survived by Patti Gorsuch; three children, Scott Gorsuch and wife Alysia; Ryan Gorsuch and wife Becca; Krissi Florian and husband Matthew; grandchildren Lucas, Noa, and TJ; and his beloved golden retriever, Hudson.
No one has affected technical operations and engineering for the two sports of golf and tennis like Steve Gorsuch, says Ken Aagaard, former chairman, SVG, and chairman, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, who worked closely with Gorsuch at CBS Sports and the US Open. His legacy within how these sports are covered is everlasting.
The Monmouth County, NJ, native's career began at the local Monument Park Racetrack and ranged from working a camera (capturing Secretariat winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and Dwight Clark's famous The Catch, which propelled the San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl XVI) for CBS Sports to becoming director of broadcast operations for the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Steve Gorsuch was known for being able to make everyone feel equally welcome at the US Open, whether a long-time domestic rightsholder or a brand-new international rightsholder.
USTA CEO Lew Sherr says that, for more than 15 years, Gorsuch was the US Open broadcast team: He made sure the US Open was on the air all around the world. He knew every inch of the grounds, the angle of every camera. Steve oversaw many of the innovations of the US Open coverage as the event grew beyond all expectations to include new stadiums and a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.
ESPN VP, Production, Jamie Reynolds, who worked closely with Gorsuch on the US Open, says he made an event work seamlessly. He had a great sense of understanding the scope of a project, the ability to bring the right people together, and could always find a solution to any sort of problem. Steve always came with a smile that matched his dry wit and always had just enough historical perspective to make every recommendation (or directive) take on a little more meaning. His experience and storytelling benefit us all.
Starting Out In the summer between his junior and senior years at American University in Washington, DC, Gorsuch was walking down a hallway in Monmouth Park Racetrack and saw a sign that said TV Control Room. At the time, he was studying TV production at school.
I walked in, Gorsuch once recalled, and the head guy in the control room said, What do you do?' And I said, I'd like to do camera.' He said, OK, great, you start on Monday.' That was basically the interview.
Gorsuch operated camera at Monmouth Park for the rest of that summer. Although his interests tended more toward sports video and photography, he secured an internship with NBC News in Washington, DC, during his senior year. After graduating, he continued to do racetrack camerawork for two more years, adding Aqueduct, Saratoga, Belmont, Yonkers, Roosevelt, Liberty Bell, Atlantic City Racecourse, and Freehold to his r sum .
While working at Belmont and Saratoga, Gorsuch became acquainted with the CBS Sports team covering the races. Two years after graduating from college, he went to work for the company packaging the CBS Sports Spectacular, Marvin Sugarman Productions. In 1975, while covering a race at Yonkers, he heard that CBS Sports was hiring. Once again, Gorsuch decided to walk into the place he wanted to work and see what would happen.
I heard that the next day was the last day they were hiring, he said, so I went down to CBS, walked in the door, went up to be interviewed, and they hired me on the spot. Luckily, a lot of the production people were CBS Sports people I had worked with on CBS Sports Spectacular, so they already knew me [even though] I wasn't a CBS Sports guy.
It didn't take long for Gorsuch to become a CBS Sports guy. From 1975 to '82, he served as a camera operator, covering various events including the U.S. Open and the Super Bowl. Gorsuch's last year in this capacity coincided with John Madden's first as a Super Bowl commentator - Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silver Dome - for which Madden stressed the need for camera assignments when televising football.
[Madden] took the whole camera crew and said, Listen, guys. We're going to do assignments,' remembered Gorsuch. Instead of having each camera operator follow a wide receiver in motion, who may do nothing, Madden encouraged the entire crew to recognize the plays and to break away in the middle to focus on the action.
Somewhere during the first quarter, I think, everybody on the camera crew realized
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Remembering CBS Sports, USTA Production Legend Steve Gorsuch For more than 40 years, he transformed golf, tennis production By SVG Staff 
