Last night's Game Seven of the Cardinals-Braves on Fox drew
a 11.0/17 preliminary overnight rating according to Nielsen
Sports Marketing. Fox reports a 11.5/17 preliminary overnight
(THE DAILY). Fox will start its coverage of the World Series
with Game One of the Braves-Yankees from Yankee Stadium Saturday
at 8:00pm ET. Game Two on Sunday will be a 7:30pm ET start. In
Baltimore, Milton Kent writes for Fox the World Series "will be
its biggest chance to date -- the Stanley Cup notwithstanding --
to forge its image as a major sports player on the American
consciousness." But Kent notes the network "suffers in many
markets from appearing on less popular UHF stations" (Baltimore
SUN, 10/18). In Boston, Jack Craig notes Fox "caught a break"
with the Yankees in the World Series, and if the series goes six
or seven games, Fox "will have pulled off a minor ratings
miracle" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18). Fox Sports' Vince Wladika
projects a World Series rating below last year's 19.5 for the
Braves-Indians six games set. The LCS have been the "lowest in
history," and Wladika notes, "It takes time to rebuild a sport
that has shot itself in the foot some much in recent years" (USA
TODAY, 10/18).
MORE TED: Steve Zipay notes, "perhaps in a fallout of the
feud" between Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner, Fox has rarely shown
Braves Owner Turner and Jane Fonda, during the NLCS. Turner
Sports spokersperson Greg Hughes: "The only time Ted would want
to be shown on Fox is if he's holding up the World Series trophy"
(NEWSDAY, 10/18).
INNOVATE: Fox is awaiting word from Acting Commissioner Bud
Selig for permission to put microphones on managers and insert a
tiny camera on the bullpen catcher's mask to get a sense of the
speed of the pitchers warming up. Fox Sports Senior Coordinating
Producer John Filippelli: "The philosophy is to take you places
you haven't seen or heard before. NBC and ESPN do good work, but
I think we've raised the bar and challenged everybody" (N.Y.
TIMES, 10/18).
