Fox Sports Net exposed a "flaw" Tuesday, when its
network of RSNs "could not deliver live postgame reaction to
Mark McGwire's record to about 10 million households,"
according to the AP's Josh Dubow. Fans in Baltimore,
Denver, Seattle, S.F. and AZ saw their local teams instead
of the on-field ceremony, and a "handful of viewers" in N.Y.
and New England missed the first half-hour. But FSN Exec
Producer Arthur Smith defended the non-coverage: "The home
team always comes first. We tried to interrupt the games so
everybody was aware of the moment. I think we covered the
story the way it should have been covered." Dubow compares
that to ESPN's "immediately" update after No. 62, and live
studio coverage from 10:00pm-3:00am ET, with a half-hour
break. ESPN Exec Editor John Walsh: "We showed that we are
a true national voice of sports news. Our competition
showed last night that they are not a national service."
After Fox signed off its coverage of the game at 11:00pm ET,
ESPN's ratings "immediately doubled" from 1.7 to 3.6 when it
covered the post-game celebration. The rating for ESPN
"SportsCenter" peaked at midnight with a 4.1 -- about triple
its normal number (Josh Dubow, AP/DETROIT NEWS, 9/11).
HIGHLIGHT SNUB? In L.A., Larry Stewart alerts readers
to the fact that ESPN's "SportsCenter" used WGN's footage of
McGwire's No. 62 on Tuesday night instead of Fox's: "The
ESPN-Fox rivalry is heating up" (L.A. TIMES, 9/11).
THE KID IN HIM? In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes that
Fox announcer Joe Buck, who also serves as a Cards team
announcer, "drove a stake through his credibility as a
responsible observer" when he asked Mark McGwire for a hug
after Tuesday's game before an interview. Wolfley: "When
you see broadcasters or reporters hugging the athletes they
are supposed to be covering, and their names are not
Sterling and Shannon Sharpe, it's never, ever a good sign"
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/11). In Boston, Howard Manly
called Buck's McGwire hug "pandering at best and jock-
worshipping at worst" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/11). Also in Boston,
Jim Baker notes that Buck "sounded like McGwire's personal
publicist" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/11). In S.F., Susan Slusser:
"Broadcasters on national telecasts are supposed to avoid
the appearance of favoritism, and they have to be especially
careful when it involves a team that pays them." Buck saw
nothing wrong with the hug: "I'm not so sure on a night like
this it's wrong to act like a fan" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/11).
A HIT UP NORTH: In Canada, TSN drew 627,000 viewers for
Monday's Cubs-Cards game, and 542,000 for Tuesday night's
record-breaker. A "typical" Blue Jays game draws around
350,000 viewers (Rob Longley, TORONTO SUN, 9/11).
