NBC said that Wednesday night's Jazz-Bulls Game Four
earned a 19.1/33 rating and was watched by 58 million
people, the largest Game Four audience ever. For the
series, NBC is averaging a 17.5 rating, a 2% increase from
the previous four-game Finals high of 17.1, set during the
'93 Bulls-Suns series (NBC Sports). The '93 Finals had a
18.0/33 final rating, which is still the record (DAILY
VARIETY, 6/12). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that 60
million viewers are expected to watch tonight, which "could
be" Michael Jordan's final game (USA TODAY, 6/12).
GRADING NBC: Reviews of NBC's broadcasting personnel
continue to be mixed, with the AP's Josh Dubow calling the
in-game broadcasting team "not up to the task." Dubow:
"[T]here's Bob Costas pontificating, Isiah Thomas defying
facts and Doug Collins trying to save the broadcast with
sharp analysis" (AP/DETROIT NEWS, 6/12). In Chicago,
Michael Hirsley writes that "[u]nlike predecessor Marv
Albert," Costas "isn't as concise in describing action or as
consistent in identifying players by their last names, and
is still a bit uneven in when to turn on the vocal
afterburners for key plays or shots." But he adds Costas
"hasn't tried to force a signature call on us. ... And
that's good." Hirsley writes that Thomas is "having a
decent series in terms of analytical accuracy" (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 6/12). In Boston, Howard Manly says Thomas
"represents the rarest of commodities: an articulate
champion, capable of delivering subtle insights in a living-
room style" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/12). In St. Petersburg, Ernest
Hooper writes that NBC's Ahmad Rashad "continues to pander
to Jordan in post-game interviews and it appears the only
reason NBC keeps him involved is because he has a good
relationship with His Airness." More Hooper: "It'll be
interesting to see if Rashad is retained as a courtside
reporter if Jordan retires" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/12).
PETER, PETER: In Baltimore, Milton Kent notes that
Peter Vecsey "stumbled and bumbled" through his halftime
news report on Wednesday. Kent: "Maybe it was some sort of
cosmic payback for the nastiness Vecsey has delivered on
camera, in print and in person" (Baltimore SUN, 6/12). In
L.A., Larry Stewart called Vecsey's halftime performance
"one of the more embarrassing things seen on a major sports
telecast in recent memory" (L.A. TIMES, 6/12). In San
Diego, Fritz Quindt writes of Vecsey's "vapor-lock," and
adds, "Hear everyone who he's ever zinged on air/in his
column guffaw. Loudly" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/12). In
Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes that both Vecsey and host
Hannah Storm "flunked" Wednesday's halftime report. Wolfley
adds that while Vecsey struggled, Storm "smiled her perky
smile" instead of helping him out (JOURNAL-SENTINEL, 6/12).
FINALS NOTES: For Game Five, Chicago ticket brokers are
charging $700 for tickets priced at $40 during the regular
season. Courtside seats could go for as much as $9,000
(AP/SPORTSZONE, 6/12)....Bill Murray and the Nets' Jayson
Williams are correspondents for this weekend's "NBA Inside
Stuff" (NBA)...NBA.Com attracted 503,000 users during Game
Four, breaking records for the most one-day traffic in the
Web site's three-year history. Thirty percent of visitors
logged on from outside the U.S. (NBA).
