TBS Chair Ted Turner "reinvented" the Goodwill Games
yesterday, putting up "an unprecedented" $5M in prize money to
attract top athletes to the '98 edition of the Olympic-style
games in New York, according to Henry Unger of the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. The mission of this edition of the Games will be
to benefit children, unlike earlier Games which focused on
improving U.S.-Russian relations. Atlanta-based Boys & Girls
Clubs of America will benefit from new programs the Games will
help to establish and finance. About 1,300 athletes from 70
countries are expected. Turner & Time Warner Chair Gerald Levin
said making money was not imperative for the Games to survive
into the next century, and Levin added Time Warner's resources
will be used to ensure their success (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
9/25). Industry sources tell the N.Y. TIMES that Game organizers
project a $30M deficit this year (Frank Litsky, N.Y. TIMES,
9/25). CNN's Fred Hickman reports the '98 Games will be "leaner,
meaner, and more TV-viewer friendly." They will be cut from 24
sports to 12, and emphasis will be on basketball, swimming and
diving, figure skating and gymnastics. Michael Johnson is the
first athlete to officially commit ("Sports Tonight," CNN, 9/24).
Turner, on why the Games will be in New York: "Dallas offered us
a better deal, but New York won the bidding" (N.Y. POST, 9/25).
TV TIME: After losing $109M on three Games, '98 coverage
will be scaled down to 45 hours on TBS (and "possible" weekend
network coverage) from 64 hours in '94. Games President Michael
Plant said the '98 production will have a "more up close and
personal feel," similar to Olympic coverage (Michael Hiestand,
USA TODAY, 9/25).
TED TALKS: Ted Turner: "This will be the fourth edition of
the Goodwill Games. I'm so glad that we are rededicating them.
They already accomplished their first goal which was to end the
Cold War. [Or at least] They helped to." Quipped Turner: "I
don't want to take all the credit, but I'll tell you what, you've
got to remember Nixon got credit for ending the war with China by
sending a ping-pong team over" ("Sports Tonight," CNN, 9/24).
