ABC's "MNF" average Nielsen rating for the season is a
12.8/22, down 7%, "and on pace to be the lowest ever," from
last year's 13.7/22, according to Rick Westhead of BLOOMBERG
NEWS. But "MNF" Exec Producer Don Ohlmeyer said despite the
lower rating, analyst Dennis Miller will return next season:
"I can't imagine a scenario where Dennis wouldn't come back.
Hiring him was a risk with a reward. I knew there would be
people who would go 'hey that's cool' and I knew there were
people who would go 'that's a dreadful idea.' The point is,
he's created conversation about the show" (BLOOMBERG NEWS,
11/15). In N.Y. Richard Sandomir writes that while Miller
has "brought an edgy humor" to the telecasts, "tried to
stretch the bounds of the audience's education with his
obscure references" and has "shown some insights into the
game," he has also "sounded in awe of many of the team's
head coaches." Sandomir: "It is difficult to point to any
broad impact associated with Miller. But the rating ...
with the coveted demographic of males 18 to 34 years old,
where Miller presumably holds the most appeal, is up 5
percent to a 9.6, first among all prime-time shows, up from
third at this time last year" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/16).
CAT SCRATCHED: In Charlotte, David Scott reported that
the Panthers "are no longer a regional radio giant, at least
not in terms of the number of network stations that carry
their games." In '96, the franchise's second year, 103
stations throughout the Carolinas and the Southeast
broadcast Panthers games, but that number "has dwindled by
more than" 50% this season to 45, as the team "made some
fundamental changes to its broadcast philosophy." Scott:
"Much of that is by design. However, it has left some
smaller stations around the region with bruised feelings."
Panthers President Mark Richardson: "We completely cover the
territory with the one best signal we can, and not have a
lot of network stations. ... We've tried to change the mix
of stations, and the FM stations have a generally larger
signal." With the team controlling game advertising and
marketing, Scott adds that "there's not much left to sell
for smaller stations" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/16).
