ABC's broadcast of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday
earned a 3.4/9 preliminary overnight Nielsen rating, down
48% from last year's 6.6/17 overnight. In signing off from
the broadcast, ABC's Jim McKay said, "Well, it's more than a
pleasure -- it's a privilege -- to have covered 26 Kentucky
Derbies, 24 Preaknesses and 15 Belmonts for ABC Sports.
We've reached the end of the line. For the next five years
at least. Now, we hand over to NBC Sports, many of whom are
our friends and colleagues. We wish them the best"
("Belmont Stakes," ABC, 6/10). In Richmond, Jerry Lindquist
writes that ABC "kissed the Triple Crown good-bye Saturday
with a ragged telecast." Lindquist: "It was interesting to
hear members of the horse set tell McKay how much they were
going to miss him -- and not the network." Only jockey Pat
Day said, "We're going to miss ABC" (RICHMOND T-D, 6/12).
ECHO ECHO: NBC's broadcast of the French Open women's
final on Saturday earned a 2.3/6 overnight Nielsen rating,
down 39% from last year's 3.8/12. Sunday's men's final
earned a 2.4/7, down 40% from last year's 4.0/12 (THE
DAILY). In Houston, David Barron writes that the men's
final yesterday was shown live in N.Y. but delayed for an
hour "in the hinterlands." While the French Press Agency
story on the results broke at 11:01am CT yesterday, the
match-winner was hit "just under an hour later" on Houston's
KPRC-Channel 2 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/12). In Atlanta,
Prentis Rogers writes that NBC "hoped viewers didn't notice
the coverage wasn't live, since a graphic denoting 'taped'
never popped on the screen" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/12).