NBC's coverage of Game Two of the NBA Finals on Friday
earned a 10.0/19 overnight Nielsen rating, down 44% from
last year's 17.7/31. That comes after ratings for Game One
were down 38% from last year's Game One (NBC). USA TODAY's
Rudy Martzke writes Game Two is "likely to be the lowest
Finals game in prime time without an O.J. Simpson car
chase." NBC Sports VP/Press Information Ed Markey: "These
ratings are no surprise." But BBDO's Steve Grubbs: "This is
a surprise with New York in there" (USA TODAY, 6/21).
REAX: In Toronto, Craig Daniels writes that Games One
and Two of the NBA Finals "did not exactly invite fans to
return. They invited viewers to run and hide, to click to
something that actually qualified as entertainment" (TORONTO
SUN, 6/21). In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote that "no one is
watching Out There. Sometimes you think the NBA is in as
much trouble as the Knicks are" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/20). In
Orlando, Brian Schmitz writes, "The city that never sleeps
now can't help but nod off, along with the rest of the
country." Schmitz: "What is David Stern going to do to save
this eyesore of a game, and when?" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/21).
In L.A., Mark Heisler wrote that for NBC, the Finals are "a
bigger turkey than that giant balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving
Day parade" (L.A. TIMES, 6/20). In Houston, Fran Blinebury
wrote that the "sounds" of the NBA "from coast to coast are
these: Clank! and Click! That's Clank! as in all of the
missed shots by both teams. ... That's Click! as in all of
those channels changing on all of those TVs" (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 6/20). In Minneapolis, Dan Barreiro wrote the
"series has not exactly captured the imagination of the
nation" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/20). In Denver, Mike
Littwin: "In a season that has gone from bad to very bad, it
has now gotten even worse" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 6/20).
I WANT TO PRAISE YOU: In San Antonio, David King wrote
that NBA.com is "here, there and everywhere at The Finals,"
as there are "photographers everywhere, shooting and posting
photos of everything from Tim Duncan ... to the sweating
masses of media elbowing through the broom closet the Spurs
use for a dressing room" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS, 6/18).
In New Orleans, Trey Iles wrote NBA.com "seems to break new
ground each season" and "it's done that during the NBA
Finals" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 6/20).
MORE ON TURNER'S REBATE: As reported Friday, Turner
Sports is "shelling out more than" $20M to compensate cable
operators for 32 NBA games that were canceled due to the
lockout. National Cable TV Cooperative VP/Programming Frank
Hughes: "I'm proud of what they're doing. They did the
honorable thing" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 6/19).
