MLB's interleague games on Fox on Saturday earned a 3.8
overnight rating for four games, which was 9% higher than
the 3.5 rating for games aired on the comparable weekend in
'96, according to Rudy Martzke of USA TODAY. Fox Exec
Producer Ed Goren: "It was a pretty strong schedule, but it
would have been helpful to have some intracity matchups"
(USA TODAY, 6/17). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes that
ratings for Fox, MSG Network, SportsChannel NY, WPIX and
TBS' interleague telecasts are "respectable, but no
chartbusters." Raissman blames poor scheduling and the
crowded TV marketplace over the past weekend: "MLB either
should have led into its All-Star break with the start of
interleague or debuted it after the star soiree. The suits
obviously forgot that it's best having the stage to yourself
in the world of sports clutter" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/17).
NUMBERS: Last Friday's Royals-Pirates game posted a
record 7.6 rating, the highest rating ever for a Pirates
game on Fox Sports Pittsburgh (FSP)....In Baltimore, Milton
Kent reports that the Orioles-Braves game "didn't win the
war on Friday night in a television showdown with the NBA
Finals, but they grabbed a significant part of the battle."
The O's-Braves game drew a 14.0 local rating, while the
Jazz-Bulls Game Six received an 18.3 (Baltimore SUN, 6/17).
