NBC is averaging a 14.7/26 national Nielsen rating
through ten days of its Olympic coverage, down 35% from
Atlanta's 22.5/42 in '96, down 21% from Barcelona's nine-day
18.6/35 in '92 and down 17% from Seoul's 17.8/32 in '88.
NBC's primetime coverage on Sunday, from 7:00-11:00pm ET,
averaged a 16.6/26, more than doubling ABC's 6.7/10,
tripling Fox's 4.5/7 and 87% higher than CBS' 8.9/14. NBC's
full coverage, from 7:30pm-12:00am ET, earned its highest-
rated competition telecast to date with a 16.1/26, up 10%
from the previous Sunday's average of 14.6/24 (NBC).
THE BUZZ SLOWLY CHANGING? Initiative Media Exec VP &
Dir of National Broadcast Tim Spengler, on NBC's Olympic
ratings: "Do I wish the ratings were better? Yes. But
there are a lot of pluses, and the Olympics are still a very
powerful marketing platform for advertisers. You are also
reaching a lot of hard-to-reach people -- normally light TV
users and upscale viewers." Campbell Mithun Esty Chief
Broadcast Negotiator John Rash: "In an age when viewers
would have to live in an isolation chamber not to know the
results of the tape-delayed coverage, NBC has really
achieved remarkable audience results" (MEDIAWEEK, 9/25).
STILL SOME JABS: During last night's Jags-Colts "MNF"
game, ABC's Dennis Miller said, "Australia is so far ahead
of us with this Olympic thing I think maybe we should call
down there and ask our friend Bob Costas who wins this game.
I think it's over [down] there. I don't quite understand
the time differential, but this game might have already been
played in Australia" (ABC, 9/25)....ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's
Ken Tucker gives NBC a B- for its Olympic broadcast, and
writes, "The level of discourse from a slew of commentators
on NBC, as well as MSNBC and CNBC ... has been dismal." But
hosts Hannah Storm and Bob Costas have been the "calm
centers of eloquence amid all this bubbly burble," while
soccer announcer Andres Cantor has offered "crisp, pointed
criticism" (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, 9/29 issue).
A COUPLE OF STARS: Storm and her husband, NBC's Dan
Hicks, are profiled by PEOPLE's Jewel & Wang under the sub-
head, "In Sydney, NBC's Hannah Storm and Dan Hicks see the
Games, but rarely see each other" (PEOPLE, 10/2 issue).
A BOOST FOR "TODAY": The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Michele
Greppi writes ratings for NBC's "Today" show, broadcasting
live from Sydney, have "soared." During the week ending
September 24, the show averaged 6.7 million viewers, its
fourth-highest level ever (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/26).
