ESPN's Sunday night NFL ratings are down 7% from TNT's
first two telecasts last season, according to USA TODAY's
Rudy Martzke, who writes under the header "NFL's Network
Ratings Don't Add Up To $18B Yet." ESPN is averaging a 7.6
to TNT's 8.2 last year. ESPN spokesperson Mike Soltys:
"With two non-competitive games, we're pleased." Martzke
notes "record lows" for ABC's "Monday Night Football," which
is averaging a 13.8, down 2% from last year's 14.1, after
the 49ers-Redskins game earned a 12.7 (USA TODAY, 9/16).
The season premiere of Fox's "Ally McBeal" outdrew "MNF" for
the first time ever among adults 18-49. "Ally" also won in
"all key female demographics" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/16).
In the 9:00-10:00pm hour, "Ally" drew an 8.3/20 among
adults, edging "MNF" (8.1) by 3% (DAILY VARIETY, 9/16).
BLAST OFF: Martzke writes that ABC's "much-maligned"
pregame show, "Monday Night Blast," was "spruced up." Host
Chris Berman: "We slowed down the pace and got into more
football" (USA TODAY, 9/16). In DC, Leonard Shapiro reviews
the early season NFL TV broadcasts, calling ABC's "Blast"
"blatant hucksterism." Shapiro, on Berman: "Slow down,
Chris, take a deep breath, and lower the decibel level a
notch or three." He calls ABC's Monday night telecast "a
tad sloppy," and noted that Al Michaels, "in particular,
seemed slightly off his usually meticulous presentation."
Shapiro writes that analysts Boomer Esiason and Dan Dierdorf
"clearly are enamored of the sound of their own voices." On
CBS, Shapiro calls its "NFL Today" pregame show "tedious,"
noting that the net "had a shot" at Fox's Cris Collinsworth,
but "didn't pull the trigger" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/16).
