NBC's coverage of the Bulls-Jazz NBA Finals Game Six on
Friday drew an overnight rating of 20.1/35 share, down 4%
from the '96 Bulls-Sonics Game Six, which earned a 20.9/36
on a Sunday night, but up 7% from last year's second Friday
rating, an 18.8/34 for Game Five. The Game Six overnight
rating assures that the '97 Finals' cumulative average will
rank no lower than third all-time. The game earned a
53.1/78 in Chicago and a 50.9/78 in Salt Lake City (NBC).
REVIEWS: In Boston, Howard Manly writes that NBC
interviewing NBA Commissioner David Stern at halftime "was
another example of the comprehensive coverage provided in
the NBA Finals by NBC" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/15). In Chicago,
Michael Hirsley noted that Rebecca Lobo and the WNBA were
being "promoted ad nauseam via commercials and a halftime
report" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/14). SUN-TIMES columnist Phil
Rosenthal echoed that and wrote, "Shame NBC couldn't at
least mention that the Women's NBA is about to begin its
first season. Sheesh" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/15).
OPEN IS SHUT: Overnight ratings for NBC's Saturday
coverage of the U.S. Open were a 6.5, up 35%, "highest in
ten years" (Rudy Martzke, USA TODAY, 6/16). In Houston,
David Barron writes on NBC's coverage, adding that Sunday's
"drama made for riveting television. Good thing Johnny
Miller isn't Bill Walton; otherwise, we would have had 45
minutes of 'Somebody make a birdie putt, already'" (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 6/16). In Toronto, Rob Longley wrote the U.S
Open, "thanks to NBC's superb packaging, was golf as good as
it gets. ... NBC put on a major show" (TORONTO SUN, 6/16).
In N.Y., Phil Mushnick: "NBC/ESPN Tigered us to death. We
spent more time watching Woods line up putts than watching
other contenders actually hitting theirs" (N.Y. POST, 6/16).
