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EARLY NUMBERS DOWN 30% FOR NBC'S COVERAGE FROM SYDNEY

          NBC is averaging a 14.5/27 national Nielsen rating
     through the first two nights of its coverage of the Sydney
     Games.  The rating is down 30% from the 20.5/41 two-day
     average of the '96 Games in Atlanta, but up 5% from the
     13.8/29 two-day average from the '92 Games in Barcelona. 
     NBC earned a 16.1/29 fast national rating for Friday's
     coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which was down 47% from
     '96's opening broadcast, which earned a 23.6/45.  However,
     the rating was up 17% over '92's 13.8/29 and up 6% over the
     15.2/29 in Seoul in '88.  On Friday, NBC's coverage
     outperformed all three networks combined by 68% among
     persons aged 2+, and beat the three networks by 43% in
     combined HHs.  On Saturday, NBC's primetime coverage earned
     a 13.1/25 national rating, down 30% from '96's first day of
     Olympics competition coverage, which earned a 17.2/37 (NBC). 
     West Palm Beach, FL, was NBC's highest-rated market for
     Saturday's coverage with a 19.5 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/18). 
     USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke notes NBC has guaranteed
     advertisers a 17.5 average prime-time rating.  But NBC
     Sports Chair Dick Ebersol said, "Saturday night is the most
     difficult night to deliver a rating" (USA TODAY, 9/18). 
     Last night's coverage earned a 17.4/27 preliminary overnight
     rating (NBC).  DAILY VARIETY's Rick Kissell writes NBC
     "should have a better idea of where these Games will rank
     after the numbers come in for the first few days of this
     week, when the Olympics face formidable competition from the
     likes" of ABC's "MNF" and "Millionaire."  Meanwhile, CBS'
     rebroadcast of "Survivor" doesn't "appear to be posing much
     of a challenge" (DAILY VARIETY, 9/18).  "Survivor" earned a
     4.5 rating on Friday (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/17).  FSN's
     Keith Olbermann: "Those of us who thought tape delay in the
     Internet age might hurt [ratings] a bit were conservative"
     ("The Keith Olbermann Evening News," FSN, 9/17).  
          CRITICS CORNER: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that
     Saturday's coverage "was a struggle" for NBC, but
     "fortunately for NBC, the USA bounced back Sunday."  Martzke
     questions if there is "enough intriguing programming to keep
     viewers awake during a record five-hour prime-time show,"
     which is a half-hour longer than in '96 (USA TODAY, 9/18). 
     Saatchi & Saatchi's Allen Banks said U.S. team performance
     is key to NBC's ratings: "If we have a disastrous team over
     there, the ratings could go right into the tank" (BOSTON
     HERALD, 9/18).  USA TODAY's Robert Bianco: "To be sure,
     there have been times [NBC] threatened to go under. ... Yet
     so far NBC has been able to overcome its setbacks."  The
     network "seems to be keeping the biographical sob stories to
     a minimum," and anchor Bob Costas "has been solid and
     unobtrusive" (USA TODAY, 9/18).  In Boston, Howard Manly
     wrote NBC's "staggering amount of facts, information and
     stories" during the Opening Ceremonies was "almost to the
     point of overload."  But NBC "did a good job of informing
     viewers when events were going to be televised" (BOSTON
     GLOBE, 9/16).  In DC, Leonard Shapiro writes Saturday's
     coverage "was everything the network advertised -- heavy
     doses of sports such as gymnastics and swimming that have
     demonstrated big ratings turn-ons."  Costas, "as always, is
     silky smooth, affable, well-informed" (WASHINGTON POST,
     9/18).  In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich noted NBC's promo for
     Saturday's coverage "featured three American athletes.  Does
     this mean 15 more days of jingoistic flag-waving?" (TORONTO
     STAR, 9/17).  In Miami, Barry Jackson wrote, "So far, NBC
     has delivered on its promise to air more profiles of foreign
     athletes."  But Jackson added that viewers have "every right
     to be annoyed by the stubborn refusal of NBC and its cable
     partners to constantly display the score and time" (MIAMI
     HERALD, 9/17). In Baltimore, Milton Kent calls NBC
     "hypocritical" for refusing to show a score/clock display,
     while "clogging up half the screen with its incessant promos
     for its Olympic Web site."  During Friday's Opening
     Ceremonies, NBC's cameras "were sure to search out the U.S.
     athletes that are bound to be featured during the next
     couple of weeks.  Wouldn't it have been nice, though, if we
     could have seen the archers and canoeists and badminton
     players for whom these Olympics mean the most?" (Baltimore
     SUN, 9/18).  In Seattle, Kay McFadden wrote on the "creeping
     self-glorification of NBC. ... Every other commercial touts
     an NBC cable channel, future Olympic story or new fall show"
     (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/17). In Atlanta, Robbyn Footlick cites
     comments on NBC's Olympic coverage in NBCOlympics.com's chat
     room "ranged from disgust with the overabundance of
     commercials ... to disgust at the network's jingoistic
     coverage" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/18).
          TAPE DELAY DEBATE CONTINUES: At 2:43 into Friday's
     broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies, NBC's Bob Costas told
     viewers, "Please be aware of this.  Here in Sydney, we're 15
     hours ahead of New York and 18 hours ahead of the west coast
     in the states.  And so to present these Olympics at a time
     convenient to you -- that is while most of you are awake --
     the event coverage you'll see broadcast will be on tape." 
     Costas repeated the tape-delayed notification before
     Saturday's and Sunday's coverage (NBC, 9/15).  In
     Cincinnati, John Fay called the decision to show only taped
     results "a flawed one.  Why not break into the Opening
     Ceremony broadcast and show a snippet of the triathlon?" 
     Fay: "To NBC's credit, they've been upfront from the
     beginning about showing tape-delayed coverage" (CINCINNATI
     ENQUIRER, 9/17). In Detroit, Tim Kiska: "If Friday night is
     any indication, somebody ought to bring up NBC Sports on
     fraud charges. ... Plenty happened during prime time
     [Friday]: the women's triathlon. ... NBC isn't showing the
     Olympics.  It's showing one big informercial for NBC"
     (DETROIT NEWS, 9/17). In Boston, Jim Baker notes that NBC's
     "Today" show didn't even show a "snippet" of the Opening
     Ceremony on Friday, "preserving every inch of it ... for use
     Friday night."  WBZ-CBS Sports Dir Gil Santos: "I can't
     believe [NBC execs] are doing that to their own bloody news
     coverage. ...  Preventing the NBC News division from showing
     any cuts is an insult to journalistic integrity!"  But NBC
     Sports Dir of Communications Cameron Blanchard responded,
     "If we let 'Today' show a snippet, the clock would start
     ticking and our exclusivity could be vastly reduced" (BOSTON
     HERALD, 9/17). In Milwaukee, Tim Cuprisin writes the delay
     gives the telecasts "the feel of an NFL film that comes out
     well after a football season is over."  Yesterday's coverage
     of the men's triathlon seemed like "The History Channel"
     (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/18).  The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Thomas
     Weber: "The U.S. viewer deserves better, an option, at
     least, to come to the Games live" (9/18). ESPN's Mike
     Lupica: "Asking me to get worked up about an event whose
     results I already know is a little bit like asking me to get
     overheated about some game from 1983 on ESPN Classic.  It's
     not going to happen" ("The Sports Reporters," 9/17).  In
     L.A., Tom Hoffarth criticizes ESPN for scrolling Olympic
     results before they aired on NBC: "Imagine that happening if
     [ABC] was carrying the Games delayed" (DAILY NEWS, 9/17).  
          ONE-ON-ONE: While NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol said
     that NBC's taped coverage would be better than CBC's live
     coverage, CBC Exec Producer Joel Darling responded, "Better
     coverage is live coverage" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/18).    
          SCANDAL REPORT: At 8:44 into Friday's broadcast, NBC
     presented a 13:58 report on the Salt Lake City bid scandal,
     and a SALT LAKE TRIBUNE editorial stated NBC "jumped feet
     first" into the scandal with its report: "Airing this dirty
     laundry was the right thing to do.  Of course, it was to
     NBC's advantage to try to defuse the bribery cloud" (SALT
     LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/17).  But in Richmond, Jerry Lindquist
     writes, "[NBC] eventually rolled over and turned it into a
     commercial praising the IOC for reform it never wanted in
     the first place" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 9/18).
          OPEN UP THE BIDDING: IOC VP Dick Pound said that the
     IOC will "probably" open bidding on its next U.S. TV deal,
     rather than hold "secret negotiations as it did with NBC" in
     '95.  Pound: "We probably owe it to the Olympic movement to
     explore what the other networks may offer" (AP, 9/16).

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