Fox Sports' broadcast of Sunday's Daytona 500 earned a 8.4/19 overnight Nielsen rating, marking an 11% increase from last year's broadcast on CBS (THE DAILY). In Dallas, Barry Horn notes the overnight rating was the "best the race has gotten since at least" '86 (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/20).
DECISIONS TO MAKE: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke: "Because Fox had gone over its scheduled race program time by 30 minutes, the network had to go off the air before a report on [Dale] Earnhardt's death was received." Earnhardt's death "cast a pall over the Fox crew, which had generally succeeded with its initial NASCAR telecast." Fox Sports VP/Media Relations Lou D'Ermilio, on how the net treated news of Earnhardt's death: "We broke into programming on Fox Sports Net and Fox News Channel as soon as we got word from NASCAR at about 7:10 p.m." (USA TODAY, 2/19). In Atlanta, Prentis Rogers noted Fox reporters "did not receive any word on Earnhardt's condition before" its coverage ended, but race announcer Mike Joy "mentioned the situation would be updated" on FSN's 9:00pm post-race show "NASCAR Victory Lane." Rogers: "Earnhardt's death put a heartbreaking final touch on a race that for [a] few fleeting moments was better than anything the network could have scripted for its first Daytona 500 telecast" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/19).
DID FOX DO ALL IT COULD? As Fox's Darrell Waltrip fought back tears watching his younger brother, Michael Waltrip, win the Daytona 500, he said, "This is great. I just hope Dale's [Earnhardt] OK. I guess he's alright, isn't he?" After Earnhardt crashed on the final lap, Fox showed Michael Waltrip winning and then went to commercial break. Fox then showed the crash site and replays of the accident and discussed the crash for the final 3:22 of the broadcast ("Daytona 500," Fox, 2/18). In L.A., Larry Stewart reported Fox "lost communications with the Earnhardt crew once the car crashed." NASCAR and Fox officials "scrambled to get as much information as they could before it was time to go off the air" (L.A. TIMES, 2/19). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes Fox' "first foray at Daytona produced a breathtaking race [and] a better-than-expected broadcast." Fox went off the air at 5:00pm ET, and Earnhardt was pronounced dead at 5:16pm ET, and Sandomir notes Fox "insisted that it would not report Earnhardt's death until it was confirmed, letting other news organizations report it first." Fox Sports TV Group Chair David Hill: "I wouldn't do anything until I heard from [NASCAR President] Mike Helton" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20). Fox Sports Dir of Media Relations Dan Bell: "We had no way of knowing how serious it was. To speculate would have been foolish" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/19). In N.Y., Bob Raissman: "Speculating [by Fox on Earnhardt] would have been irresponsible. Staying on the air — replaying the crash ... would have served no good purpose" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/20). In FL, Don Coble wonders why it took two hours to announce Earnhardt's death, "Why does it take so long to make it official? Because NASCAR doesn't have to be in a hurry" (TIMES-UNION, 2/20).
SOME SAY FOX DROPPED BALL: In Palm Beach, Charles Elmore noted "nearly every other network" reported the news of Earnhardt's death before Fox. Fox, "for all its cameras and reporters blanketing Daytona, ... offered little hint of the seriousness of the crash on the final lap." The net "went too long on celebration without enough reporting on the accident." Elmore: "At Fox, entertainment is clearly in the driver's seat. This may have been a sports news story, but it was a big one. And Fox put it in the back seat" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/19). The AP's Howard Fendrich wrote announcer Darrell Waltrip rooting for his brother Michael "continued during the postrace portion" of the telecast "at the expense of coverage of Earnhardt's crash" (AP, 2/18).
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE FOR FOX? In Chicago, Ed Sherman writes Fox "was left numb on what should have been a day-after of celebration for the network." Sherman adds that "loyal viewers will ... have to get used to watching NASCAR without its biggest star. ... Not having Earnhardt could affect the ratings." Fox announcer Mike Joy, on next Sunday's race: "Nobody wants to go to Rockingham, but we will. It's going to be an extremely difficult show to do" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/20). Fox Sports President Ed Goren, on the impact of Earnhardt's death: "Right now the future doesn't matter. At this point I don't know what this means" (USA TODAY, 2/19). DeWitt Media VP/National Broadcasting Kristian Magel: "When the attention fades away, who knows how the sport will be affected?" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/19).
HOW THE NEWS WAS TREATED: In Houston, David Barron noted that Sunday's 6:00pm ET edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" led with the news of Earnhardt's death, "just a minute after" the AP moved the story. FSN reported it at 7:13pm, but it "did have the best immediate analysis" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/19)....In Ft. Lauderdale, Jim Sarni reported that NASCAR.com announced at 6:34pm that Earnhardt "was dead, then changed its story to say that he was 'seriously injured.' It later confirmed the death'" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 2/19)....Last night's 6:30pm ET edition of ABC's "World News Tonight" led with a 2:34 report on the death of Earnhardt and followed at 18:10 into the broadcast with a 3:11 report on safety in NASCAR. ABC's Ron Claiborne: "With Earnhardt's death, stock car racing has lost its greatest champion and to some, even more. It has lost the very soul of the sport." Last night's 6:30pm ET edition of NBC's "Nightly News" was pre-empted in the Charlotte market due to local coverage of Earnhardt's death. Last night's 7:00pm ET edition of the "CBS Evening News" reported on Earnhardt at 2:43 into the broadcast with a 2:17 report on driver safety....Fox's Darrell Waltrip was a guest on CNN's "Larry King Live" last night (THE DAILY)....On today's morning shows, CBS' "The Early Show" featured Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip in the show's first half-hour segment. Bryant Gumbel said with Earnhardt's death, NASCAR's "safety records [are] being called into question" (CBS, 2/20)....Earnhardt's death was the lead story on ABC's "GMA," as Darrell Waltrip and Dr. Jerry Punch were interviewed ("GMA," 2/20).....The Daytona Beach News-Journal printed 90,000 additional copies of Monday's addition "after 140,000 papers quickly sold out" (Mult., 2/20).
