NBC'S OPEN COVERAGE GARNERS GOOD REVIEWS; OVERNIGHTS DOWN

          NBC's Saturday coverage of the U.S. Open earned a 5.0
     overnight rating, down 23% from last year, according to NBC. 
     For more weekend ratings, see (#29).  USA TODAY's Michael
     Hiestand said NBC's U.S. Open telecast "finished
     fabulously," with the split-screen view of Payne Stewart on
     the 18th green and Lee Janzen in the locker room reacting to
     winning the tournament.  Hiestand calls Johnny Miller NBC's
     "star" and "insightful as ever" (USA TODAY, 6/22).  In S.F.,
     Michelle Smith wrote that NBC's team of analysts "now
     rivals, if not surpasses, the group at CBS."  Smith also
     called NBC's new-look graphics "a success, cleaner and
     sharper than the pervious ones" (S.F. EXAMINER, 6/21).  But
     in Toronto, William Houston called NBC's coverage "a good
     walk spoiled by too much talk" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/22).  

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