A "surge" in ticket buying since the start of the Games has
pushed ticket revenue over projections, "almost ensuring the
Olympics will end up in the black," according to Melissa Turner
of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. ACOG has made more than $458M in
ticket revenue, selling 8.4 million out of 11 million tickets so
far. ACOG COO A.D. Frazier also noted the Centennial Park
Superstore has merchandise sales "over the top." Frazier did
note ACOG will forfeit $10,000 it was charging news agencies for
the "sometimes operational" World News Press Agency system
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/26).
IBM STILL FEELING BLUE: "This is not what [IBM] had in
mind," write Kanell & Unger of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. The
add, "After spending tens of millions of additional dollars
marketing its computer prowess by touting its connection to the
Games, Big Blue could hardly have had a more embarrassing fall"
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/26). Yesterday, the company's stock
price rose 13% after posting encouraging second quarter results.
Still, as the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL's Geoffrey Rowan reports,
"That positive close notwithstanding, IBM still has a public
relations nightmare on its hands in Atlanta" (GLOBE & MAIL,
7/26). As the number of events increases this weekend, IBM's
"backup plan" is to type in results on a Thinkpad and load them
directly into the AP's computer (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/26).
