CBS's coverage of the Nagano Games, and the TV outlook
for Sydney and Salt Lake, are examined by SI's Richard
Hoffer. CBS's Rick Gentile, on how NBC should cover the
Sydney Games: "If what the public wants is immediate and
free access to the Olympics, then the network needs to get a
cable partner and show everything live, wall-to-wall, and
get [Olympics film chronicler] Bud Greenspan to do the show
in prime time, present a completely taped, movie-field
package. And I'm not being ridiculous." Hoffer:
"Gentile's solution would acknowledge the truth about the
Olympics, that they're both sports and entertainment, and
allow everybody to have it both ways" (SI, 3/2 issue). NBC
Sports President Dick Ebersol said that NBC will "offset"
Sydney's 15-hour time difference with New York by "having
all the major events' medal rounds" conducted at night, when
they will end around 5:00-6:00am ET, and too late for
newspapers coverage in the U.S. (USA TODAY, 2/25).
EBERSOL'S TAKE: Ebersol talked to USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke about CBS's coverage: "Although I found that CBS had
some unbelievable compelling stories, the old ABC of Roone
Arledge, the NBC of Dick Ebersol and old CBS of Mike Pearl
would have made more of them. ... Storytelling isn't just
telling a story. It's keeping up with it, updating it each
night and bringing the viewers into it." Ebersol, on
Nagano's weather problems: "Weather has always been a major
issue with the Winter Olympics. What you do is prepare a
schedule that won't leave you hanging." More Ebersol:
"Producing the Olympics means building a bond with the
viewers. What Roone Arledge taught us is don't take it for
granted the viewers will be with you. Tell stories every
night and keep the host at it. You don't pay hundreds of
millions to put on a sports event for sports fans. With the
Olympics, you put on entertainment" (USA TODAY, 2/25).
