CBS received its highest primetime rating of the Winter
Olympics, as Wednesday's coverage earned a 20.9/32 and was
seen by an estimated 65 million viewers. Through Wednesday,
an estimated 174 million people have watched all or part of
the Nagano Games and the primetime average for the Games
through Wednesday's broadcast are 16.5/27 -- 14% behind
Albertville and 40% lower than Lillehammer (CBS Sports).
DAILY VARIETY's Tom Bierbaum reports that CBS was
"reportedly projecting at one time that Wednesday's telecast
might generate a 31 rating" with the opening of the women's
short figure skating program. Bierbaum adds that CBS's
ratings-to-date are down 22% in adults 25-54 demo, 25% in
the adults 18-49 and 32% in adults 18-34 from the '92
Albertville Games. Male viewers "are bailing out in greater
number than female," as women 18-49 are down 20% from '92
and men 18-49 are down 30% (DAILY VARIETY, 2/20).
MONEY MAKER? In N.Y., Richard Wilner writes that "the
most bearish" Wall Street analysts are predicting that CBS
will finish the Games at "break even." Other "Wall Street
types" are "more optimistic," saying a break even is the
"worst case scenario" and will only happen if figure skating
ratings "fall through the floor." Gruntal & Co. analyst
Rita Zanella Benson said that CBS "could make as much as"
$20M. Benson: "CBS is moving quickly on their make goods
and I feel they will not carryover beyond the first quarter
and maybe not even beyond the Olympics" (N.Y. POST, 2/20).
SHARING A FEW MOMENTS: CBS's coverage is profiled by
Bill Carter on the front page of today's N.Y. TIMES. Carter
writes that the Nagano Games "have provided fewer stars,
fewer stories -- and fewer viewers -- than almost any other
Olympics in recent memory." The Games have been "hurt" by
"the failure of the American Olympians to live up to
expectations and a location that offered little in terms of
touristy ambiance and a lot in terms of time difference
between premier events and prime time." CBS "has also been
subjected to a fusillade of criticism for its own production
failures," not only by the media, but by "average Americans
who have been fans of the Games in the past." One CBS exec,
who spoke anonymously: "I don't think anything we could have
done in the production would have significantly increased
the ratings." Carter: "Some CBS executives have openly
questioned why the new president of CBS Sports, Sean
McManus, did not install a new hands-on producer for these
Games, taking that role out of the hands of the executive
producer, Rick Gentile" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20). Also in N.Y.,
TV critic Eric Mink wrote that letting Gentile produce the
Games "may not be the smartest choice" since his prior
Olympic TV experience was "planning and administration, not
event production" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/19).
MORE REAX: In DC, Leonard Shapiro takes exception to
Gentile's quote saying, "This Olympics has no charisma, no
personality." Shapiro: "Excuse me, but didn't the U.S.
women's hockey team just win the gold medal in a sport being
played for the first time in Olympic history?" Shapiro
writes that CBS's coverage "hardly reflected the growing
interest in a team now being ballyhooed as the feel-good
American story of the '98 Games" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/20).
On NBC, Jay Leno said, "Tonight here on NBC they reran an
episode of Friends that was taped several years ago. Or as
CBS calls it, 'Live From Nagano!'" ("Tonight Show," 2/19).
