"Unlike the 1994 baseball strike, from which the sport
still hasn't recovered on television, fans are tuning in to
watch basketball games, even if many of them aren't very
good," according to Ed Sherman of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Ratings for the "NBA on NBC" are "down just slightly" from
last year, while TNT and TBS cable ratings are "actually up"
6%. Turner Sports VP Kevin O'Malley: "I'm surprised we've
done as well as we have right out of the box." NBC Sports
President Ken Schanzer: "We're really not surprised about
this. Even with Michael Jordan gone, this sport has
residual strength. We're buoyed by the ratings, but not
stunned." But Sherman writes that one area where NBC could
take a hit is in the playoffs, minus Jordan. Schanzer: "It
will affect us late in the finals when all you had was the
Michael Jordan effect" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/26)
SOME LOCAL NUMBERS: In Miami, Barry Jackson reports
that WAMI's "average" Heat rating is a 4.6, "down only
slightly" from UPN's 4.8 last season. Meanwhile, the NHL
Panthers "finished" with a 0.9 rating on SportsChannel FL,
up from 0.7 last season, but "still well below Heat and
Marlins cablecasts" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/26). In DC, Leonard
Shapiro reported that the Wizards averaged a 1.0 share in 17
games on HTS, down from 1.6 last season. The Capitals saw a
"slight increase" for the regular season with a 0.6 rating
on HTS, up from 0.4 last season (WASHINGTON POST, 4/25)
NBC'S RIGHT MOVES? In Miami, Barry Jackson writes that
NBC has "found the right mix this year -- Doug Collins with
Bob Costas in a two-man booth on games, and Isiah Thomas
with Hannah Storm and Peter Vecsey in the studio." Thomas
has been a "success in the studio" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/26).
