([Soviet Censorship]) Chess Tourney Coverage Fuss

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The Des Moines Register Des Moines, Iowa Thursday, June 29, 1972 - Page 6

([Soviet Censorship]) Chess Tourney Coverage Fuss
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) — Organizers of the Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky world championship chess match will restrict move-by-move coverage and photographs of the contenders inside the contest hall, it was announced Wednesday.
The announcement brought protests from news wire services and from two television outlets which are planning in-depth accounts of the 24-game match based on move-by-move reports from the Associated Press. The first game is scheduled for Sunday.
Gudmundur Thorarinsson, chairman of the Icelandic Chess Federation, said the restrictions were decreed because photographic and move-by-move coverage rights had been sold.

Thorarinsson said journalists would be allowed to transmit move-by-move reports only three times during each game between the Soviet world champion, Spassky, and the American challenger. He said newsmen would be required to sign a pledge to abide by the agreement in order to obtain accreditation.

Spokesmen for AP and United Press International said they were lodging protests against any curtailment of news coverage.
Joseph G. Groth, general manager of the TelePrompTer Manhattan Cable TV, said in New York: “If this capricious move succeeds, a large and interested segment of the public served by TelePrompTer Manhattan CATV will be deprived of one of the most exciting showdowns in the history of chess.”
The firm has announced plans for a move-by-move analysis of each of the matches, utilizing the AP service and comment from a U.S. chess grand master.
The Icelandic Chess Federation contends that TelePrompter's use of the AP reports infringes on its property rights, the company said. The federation has sold U.S. broadcast television rights to ABC.

FISCHER: “I was more disappointed than anybody that this thing wasn't televised because, you know, there was a lot of publicity and a lot of money involved and I wanted the people to see me in action. Let's face it. But they had these characters there, who instead of having, some kind of video tape film that didn't make any noise, just, nobody around to operate them, just sort of stationless and they just had guys there with film cameras that were worrying, and they were all around me. Making a racket. A nuisance.”
CARSON: “Too much noise.”
FISCHER: “Too much noise, and visually you could see them moving around.”
November 08, 1972 Johnny Carson Interviews Bobby Fischer (8:43/18:30)