What skyline? CBS nixes Indy during Colts game

The compelling AFC Championship game between the Colts and Patriots won record ratings for CBS.

But the broadcast frustrated city officials for what it lacked. CBS didn’t show a single shot of the city. No shots of the skyline. No beauty shots of White River State Park or Monument Circle. No street-level shots.

“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Bob Schultz, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association. “But it’s not one we had control over. That’s their prerogative, their event.”

The ICVA contacted CBS to find out why they didn’t show the city. The network responded that weather was the primary reason there were no aerial shots.

Also, shots filmed in advance may have been rendered useless by a snowfall before the game Sunday.

Networks generally film those shots in advance, and that would have been obvious if there was no snow in them, said Julia Watson, a spokeswoman for Indianapolis Downtown Inc.

“I still think Indianapolis and downtown Indianapolis scored in terms of visual impact,” she said.

The weather apparently didn’t pose any problems for FOX, the network that covered the NFC Championship game in Chicago. It was snowing during the game, but that didn’t stop FOX from using dozens of skyline shots during its broadcast.