Ken Mack is enjoying his 1st Final Four as CBS’ lead producer for March Madness
Ken Mack usually takes a couple moments before each game he produces to go out and savor the opportunities he has had during 35 years at CBS Sports.
Monday night’s walk onto the court of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, though will be different than the others.
Mack will be the lead producer for the national championship game between Florida and Houston on CBS. It will be the first time he will be in that role for the main broadcast.
“It’s exciting. I’m working with an unbelievable group of people, both in front of and behind the camera,” Mack said. “It has been an enjoyable season. The stories are just kind of writing themselves.”
Mack took over from Mark Wolff, who retired last year after being the lead producer since 2011.
The top crew for the NCAA Tournament on CBS and TNT Sports has undergone plenty of transition over the past three years. Mark Grant took over as lead director in 2023 following the retirement of Bob Fishman, who had done 39 Final Fours.
Last year, Ian Eagle took over as the play-by-play voice on the main crew when Jim Nantz decided to step back from doing March Madness after calling 32 Final Fours.
Nantz, though, will be in attendance for Monday night’s game with his alma mater, Houston, trying to win its first men’s basketball national title.
Mack — who turns 57 on April 25 — produced CBS’ first 3D broadcast of the Final Four in 2010. He also was the producer when the First Four games began in 2011.
Eagle and Mack are also familiar working with each other from their years together on CBS’ No. 2 NFL crew.
Mack has been a part of many of CBS’ big events over the years. While the technology has evolved, the main tenet of making sure the game remains the most important thing remains, even though there are more cameras.
CBS has over 50 cameras for Monday’s game, including drones to capture the scene outside the Alamodome and a Skycam to capture the action above the court.
“We love all the tools and the toys and want to use those to help tell the story, but the game is the game,” Mack said.
Even though the Final Four saw all four top seeds make it for the first time since 2008, Mack thinks that has heightened the drama. Saturday’s games averaged 15.3 million viewers, the best audience for the national semifinals since 2017.
“You can’t tell every story, but hopefully the more viewers see these teams, the more they fall in love with them,” he said. “You’ve got great players, coaches and programs. It’s fun to be able to highlight their accomplishments.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
