The "challenge facing" ABC this week is "getting the
entire country interested" in the Titans and Rams, according
to the AP's Josh Dubow, who writes that "there hasn't been"
a Super Bowl "between two outsiders like this" since the
Bengals-49ers played in Super Bowl XVI in '82. But Dubow
notes that game is the "highest-rated ever," with a 49.1
Nielsen rating. ABC announcer Al Michaels, on Super Bowl
XXXIV: "This game is perfect for the fans tired of seeing
the Packers, 49ers and Broncos every year." J. Walter
Thompson ad exec Ron Frederick said, "Because there aren't
big markets involved, there's bound to be some fall off [in
ratings]. How much is anyone's guess." But ABC Sports
VP/Production John Filippelli said, "The Super Bowl is
always a matter of degree in ratings. At the high end, it
will be a 45 or 46, at the low end 39 to 40" (AP, 1/27). In
DC, Michael Wilbon: "I love it that there are new faces, new
story lines, fresh subplots." More Wilbon: "You know those
people screaming that viewership will be down for this Super
Bowl? They're the same ones who told you to buy months'
worth of batteries and milk because Y2K was going to disrupt
the world. The Super Bowl, boys and girls, is recession-
proof" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/27). In Richmond, Jerry
Lindquist wonders if the lack of star quality could impact
ABC's Super Bowl ratings: "Once you get by the quarterbacks,
[Rams RB] Marshall Faulk, [Titans DL] Jevon Kearse and a
handful of others, how many players can you name on the
teams?" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 1/27).
PREGAME OVERLOAD? Filippelli discussed ABC's four-hour
pregame show, which will begin at 2:00pm ET on Sunday:
"We're going off-road. ... You need emotion in our pieces to
get people saying the next day, 'Did you see that feature on
the Super Bowl pregame show.'" Among the features will be
Jimmy Roberts reporting on Dolphins QB Dan Marino's wife
Claire, who is traveling to China to adopt an orphan girl.
Filippelli: "Originally on Lifetime, it deserves a wider
audience. This segment celebrates life and football."
Another segment has Lesley Visser and Barbara Walters co-
hosting "Super View," a version of Walters' weekday "View"
show (USA TODAY, 1/27). In Toronto, William Houston writes
that ABC's message for its pregame show is that it will be
"tighter than the bloated seven-hour Fox production last
year and the content will be superior" (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/27).
FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK...: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's
Joe Flint examines the virtual technology around NFL
broadcasts and writes that SportVision's 1st & Ten markers
are "just the latest example of how the battle for sports
audiences in an era of proliferating choices on TV and the
Internet is increasingly turning to high-tech weaponry."
Fox Sports President David Hill: "My wife now fully gets
'first down.' It's demystified part of the game." Flint
notes the 1st & Ten technology "isn't cheap," costing an
estimated $20,000 per game (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/27).
ESPN IS BOOKIE-ING IT EVERYWHERE: In Las Vegas, Kevin
Iole reports that a "few" local directors of sports books
and pro gamblers are cooperating with ESPN's "Outside the
Lines" for a special on gambling around the Super Bowl.
Besides sending a crew to Las Vegas for interviews, ESPN has
also sent a crew to the Caribbean. The show will air
February 4 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/27).
