Carolyn Bivens
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Bivens was the commissioner of the LPGA
from 2005 until her resignation on July 13, 2009. She was the seventh person and the first woman to hold the position of commissioner since the LPGA was founded in 1950.
Bivens was previously president and chief operating officer of Initiative Media North America, the largest media services agency in the United States and part of the Interpublic Group of Companies
. She also worked at USA Today
, where she led the worldwide advertising operations for USA Today and USA Today’s international edition. In 2002, Electronic Media
magazine named Bivens one of the most powerful women in television.
, the LPGA reached a stalemate with certain members of the press while negotiating media rights. Two Honolulu newspapers, the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated
, Golf World and other unnamed publications refused to cover the first round of the tournament. Golf World continued to withhold coverage of the event for two subsequent rounds, before returning after reaching an agreement with the LPGA. Details of the dispute were never released by either side, despite frequent references to the dispute by the press. A year later, the LPGA made its media rights credential available to the public at LPGAMediaCredential.com.
during the middle of a round." Bloomberg removed the original interview without explanation, making it impossible to contextualize the remark, or to objectively evaluate the merits of the criticisms which followed. The article put in the place of the original interview focuses upon the reactions of two highly ranked players, Paula Creamer
and Morgan Pressel
, who used Twitter itself to inform their fans that they would not be tweeting while on the green. On June 5, 2009, eight days after Bivens's original statement in the media, Bivens commented on the LPGA website that her remarks had been taken out of context, emphasizing that players would not be tweeting during rounds.
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
from 2005 until her resignation on July 13, 2009. She was the seventh person and the first woman to hold the position of commissioner since the LPGA was founded in 1950.
Bivens was previously president and chief operating officer of Initiative Media North America, the largest media services agency in the United States and part of the Interpublic Group of Companies
Interpublic Group of Companies
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. is one of the "big four" global advertising holding companies . Headquartered in New York City, it has 41,000 employees and reported full−year revenues of US$6.5 billion for 2010...
. She also worked at USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, where she led the worldwide advertising operations for USA Today and USA Today’s international edition. In 2002, Electronic Media
Electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which today are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end-user in the printed form...
magazine named Bivens one of the most powerful women in television.
LPGA Commissioner
Bivens served as commissioner of the LPGA from late 2005 until her resignation in July 2009. The LPGA commissioner serves as chief executive and administrative officer of the LPGA and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The LPGA search committee selected Bivens to serve in that capacity on the basis of her media and sales experience, with the intention of capitalizing on the brand value of the LPGA's deepening talent pool. At the time of her hire, the LPGA was experiencing an unprecedented influx of new potential superstars, many of whom fell into demographics new to the traditional LPGA audience. Bivens's strategy has been described by several writers as an attempt to re-align the business model of the LPGA with that of other professional sports organizations. Primary objectives of the plan included increasing tournament purse sizes, establishing greater control over event venues and LPGA-associated media rights, and the provision of viable pension and health care plans.Introduction of drug testing
In 2006 Bivens announced the first formal drug testing program in professional golf. The program was introduced in the 2008 season.Media credential policy change
At the second tournament of 2006, The Fields Open in HawaiiFields Open in Hawaii
The Fields Open in Hawaii was a golf tournament for professional female golfers, played on the LPGA Tour. It was held from 2006 and 2008 at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, an incorporated community within the city of Honolulu, Hawaii....
, the LPGA reached a stalemate with certain members of the press while negotiating media rights. Two Honolulu newspapers, the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, Golf World and other unnamed publications refused to cover the first round of the tournament. Golf World continued to withhold coverage of the event for two subsequent rounds, before returning after reaching an agreement with the LPGA. Details of the dispute were never released by either side, despite frequent references to the dispute by the press. A year later, the LPGA made its media rights credential available to the public at LPGAMediaCredential.com.
Acquisition of Duramed FUTURES Tour
In July 2007 the LPGA acquired the Duramed FUTURES Tour, incorporating it more closely with the LPGA and formally making it the official development tour of the LPGA.International player on LPGA Board of Directors
In 2008, the LPGA constitution was amended to require the inclusion of an international player on the board of directors.Television programming
In February 2009, Bivens unveiled two major television rights deals. On the domestic front, the LPGA agreed to a 10-year partnership with cable network Golf Channel, making it the exclusive home of the LPGA Tour. Internationally, the LPGA and JoongAng Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) agreed to a five-year partnership that names J Golf the LPGA’s official Korean media rights partner starting in 2010. JBC also will underwrite an event in the greater Los Angeles area on the 2010-2014 LPGA Tour schedules. J Golf’s overall media rights investment in the LPGA over five years is the largest in LPGA history.Proposed use of Twitter
On May 28, 2009, Bivens is purported to have said in an interview that she would, "love it if players TwitteredTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
during the middle of a round." Bloomberg removed the original interview without explanation, making it impossible to contextualize the remark, or to objectively evaluate the merits of the criticisms which followed. The article put in the place of the original interview focuses upon the reactions of two highly ranked players, Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...
and Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings....
, who used Twitter itself to inform their fans that they would not be tweeting while on the green. On June 5, 2009, eight days after Bivens's original statement in the media, Bivens commented on the LPGA website that her remarks had been taken out of context, emphasizing that players would not be tweeting during rounds.