NBC's telecast of Game Three of the NBA Finals earned a
12.1/21 national Nielsen rating, down 25% from last year's
Game Three rating of a 16.2/28. NBC has a cumulative Finals
average of 11.1/20, down 35% from '98's 17.0/30. The game
pulled a 23.1/35 rating in N.Y., and a 54.0/70 in San
Antonio (NBC). DAILY VARIETY's Tom Bierbaum writes the
Knicks win on Monday "may signal the start of a ratings
rebound" for the "struggling" Finals (DAILY VARIETY, 6/23).
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT: In N.Y., Don Kaplan profiles NBA
Entertainment, the NBA's production arm, and writes "it is
NBAE's job to give professional basketball its personality."
NBAE President Adam Silver: "On any given night, we've got
every angle covered. We're looking for the character angle
to tell the stories" (N.Y. POST, 6/23).
TURNER-ING AROUND? ESPN.com's Jeffrey Denberg reports
that after the departure of Bucks Dir of PR Bill King, TBS
"may start working games" from the Bradley Center, following
"a lengthy hiatus." The hiatus resulted from an incident
involving King and a TBS camera man (ESPN.com, 6/23).
