Yesterday's Game Five of the Mets-Braves NLCS earned a
13.3/22 preliminary overnight Nielsen rating on NBC, up 34%
from the comparable ALCS Indians-Yankees afternoon Game Five
last year, also on NBC. The game earned a 26.0/43 local
rating in N.Y. and a 38.2/56 in Atlanta. During the last
half-hour of telecast, from 9:30-10:00pm, the game earned a
20.8/30. Friday and Saturday's primetime games on NBC
earned an 11.1/20 and 8.9/16 overnight rating, respectively.
Last night's Game Four of the Yankees-Red Sox ALCS earned a
9.0/14 overnight rating on Fox, down 5% from the comparable
NLCS Padres-Braves Game Four last year. Saturday's Game
Three from Fenway earned a 8.4/20 overnight (THE DAILY).
REVIEWS AND RECAPS FROM WEEKEND ACTION: USA TODAY's
Rudy Martzke writes that NBC has "regrouped" this year to
"challenge Fox's lofty standing" in its MLB production
through "improved cohesion" of Bob Costas and Joe Morgan and
by "using the same sophisticated technology minus the glitz
younger fans prefer but purists don't." Martzke adds that
Fox "still remains ahead in production" (USA TODAY, 10/18).
In Chicago, Ed Sherman writes that both NBC and Fox "should
get flagged for excessive use of replays during the baseball
playoffs." In addition, Sherman writes that Fox's "rapid
cutaways make us dizzy." Noting the many camera shots of
the crowd, dugout, managers and players, Sherman writes,
"It's kind of like Oliver Stone at his worst" (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 10/18). In Atlanta, Prentis Rogers writes that NBC
devoted more camera time yesterday to Braves manager Bobby
Cox. The "added attention to Cox was an example of NBC
reacting well to the situation" of yesterday's tense 15-
inning game (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 10/18). In Boston,
Howard Manly writes that Fox's Joe Buck and the network crew
"continued their solid coverage of the series, capturing
action on the field and the stands" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18).
