CBS Sports was as much in the dark as anyone on whether power would return to Superdome 
CBS' Jim Nantz, right, was able to get on with his post-Super Bowl duties, such as interviewing winning Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, after the network also lost power during the 33-minute blackout early in the second half. Other announcers took over until CBS could restore power in its play-by-play booth. (Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) Story Highlights - CBS Sports chief Sean McManus hoped the Super Bowl blackout "was a power failure," not a CBS outage
- CBS scrambled to get its pregame/postgame set back up during the 33-minute power delay
- McManus said CBS, as well as everyone, weren't getting a whole lot of answers from the NFL
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus tells USA TODAY Sports that his immediate reaction to the 33-minute Super Bowl XLVII power outage Sunday was "that we had a power problem in our truck and if the game had gone on it would have been a huge problem."
MORE: CBS' epic Super Bowl power failure
Then, McManus added, "While we were surprised and stunned, we were hoping it was just a power failure. ... But in those moments you have no idea what it is. And you're just trying to figure out how to cover it. ... I think the initial fear was that it was something more dangerous than a power failure."
CBS' first move from its production truck was to try to contact game announcer Jim Nantz, but the network production staffers could only reach him by calling his cell phone. With four to eight on-field cameras still working, McManus says, CBS managed to get sideline reporter Steve Tasker on-air in makeshift fashion.
"We could hear him, but he couldn't hear us," McManus said Monday.
CBS also scrambled to put up its collapsible pregame/halftime set at the Superdome in New Orleans, where the Baltimore Ravens were leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6.
Responding to online criticism that CBS didn't get more information on-air more quickly, McManus says that "in retrospect, it would have been a good idea to get NFL officials on-camera. Like a lot of people, we didn't have lots of solid information, and we were trying our best to get it."
He says CBS staffers were asking lots of questions about what was going on: "But it wasn't as if there was any information we had that we weren't putting on the air."
Does McManus think the NFL, if it came down to this, would have played the game without CBS being able to cover it?
"It's tough to speculate about that," McManus said. "That's why we have backup power and more backup power in our facility. ... I don't know what we could have done. Even in my worst dreams, I haven't contemplated that."
Still, the game's TV ratings were nearly off-the-charts. CBS ended up with a 46.3% national rating, which towers over all other U.S. TV ratings but is down 1% from last year's New York Giants' victory against the New England Patriots on NBC and up slightly from the 2011 Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers on Fox.
PHOTOS: Power goes out during Super Bowl XLVII 
A fan looks around the Superdome after the lights went out during the second half of Super Bowl XLVII. Gerald Herbert, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers wait during third quarter blackout in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
The Superdome is seen after the lights went out during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLVII. Dave Martin, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
The San Francisco 49ers stand on the field after a sudden power outage in the second half during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Dilip Vishwanat, Getty Images Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Baltimore Ravens players look around the Superdome after the lights went out during the second half of Super Bowl XLVII. Matt Slocum, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
A general view as the power goes out in the third quarter during Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
The Superdome is seen after the lights went out during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLVII. Marcio Sanchez, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
A policeman guards the field during the third quarter blackout in Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
A policeman guards the field during the third quarter blackout in Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Players look around the stadium after the lights went out during the second half of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Matt Slocum, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Field judge Craig Wrolstad stands on the field after the lights went out during the second half of Super Bowl XLVII. Matt Slocum, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) looks around a dark stadium after the lights went out during the second half of Super Bowl XLVII. Matt Slocum, AP Related story Fullscreen Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: Replay 
Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions Fullscreen Last Slide Next Slide Game coverage ratings for the Ravens' victory against the 49ers didn't include the time during the power outage. Advertisers pay to put commercials on during the game, and ratings are created to put values on what advertisers are buying.
But McManus is happy about getting a close game, even one that was delayed: "It looked like by the time the lights went out we were looking at another blowout."
Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/02/04/super-bowl-nfl-cbs/1891367/
CBS' Jim Nantz, right, was able to get on with his post-Super Bowl duties, such as interviewing winning Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, after the network also lost power during the 33-minute blackout early in the second half. Other announcers took over until CBS could restore power in its play-by-play booth. (Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images) CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus tells USA TODAY Sports that his immediate reaction to the 33-minute Super Bowl XLVII power outage Sunday was "that we had a power problem in our truck and if the game had gone on it would have been a huge problem." MORE: CBS' epic Super Bowl power failure Then, McManus added, "While we were surprised and stunned, we were hoping it was just a power failure. ... But in those moments you have no idea what it is. And you're just trying to figure out how to cover it. ... I think the initial fear was that it was something more dangerous than a power failure." CBS' first move from its production truck was to try to contact game announcer Jim Nantz, but the network production staffers could only reach him by calling his cell phone. With four to eight on-field cameras still working, McManus says, CBS managed to get sideline reporter Steve Tasker on-air in makeshift fashion. "We could hear him, but he couldn't hear us," McManus said Monday. CBS also scrambled to put up its collapsible pregame/halftime set at the Superdome in New Orleans, where the Baltimore Ravens were leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6. Responding to online criticism that CBS didn't get more information on-air more quickly, McManus says that "in retrospect, it would have been a good idea to get NFL officials on-camera. Like a lot of people, we didn't have lots of solid information, and we were trying our best to get it." He says CBS staffers were asking lots of questions about what was going on: "But it wasn't as if there was any information we had that we weren't putting on the air." Does McManus think the NFL, if it came down to this, would have played the game without CBS being able to cover it? "It's tough to speculate about that," McManus said. "That's why we have backup power and more backup power in our facility. ... I don't know what we could have done. Even in my worst dreams, I haven't contemplated that." Still, the game's TV ratings were nearly off-the-charts. CBS ended up with a 46.3% national rating, which towers over all other U.S. TV ratings but is down 1% from last year's New York Giants' victory against the New England Patriots on NBC and up slightly from the 2011 Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers on Fox. PHOTOS: Power goes out during Super Bowl XLVII Game coverage ratings for the Ravens' victory against the 49ers didn't include the time during the power outage. Advertisers pay to put commercials on during the game, and ratings are created to put values on what advertisers are buying. But McManus is happy about getting a close game, even one that was delayed: "It looked like by the time the lights went out we were looking at another blowout." Story Highlights
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Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/02/04/super-bowl-nfl-cbs/1891367/