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| Raiders-Buccaneers A Fitting Ending To
NFL’s Impressive Ratings Season |
Last night's Raiders-Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVII earned a 43.8/62 overnight Nielsen rating from 6:30-10:15pm ET, up 3% from last year's Patriots-Rams game, which earned a 42.5/61. Last night's game is the highest-rated Super Bowl since a 44.4/65 for Broncos-Packers on NBC in '98. The game earned a 49.1/79 in the Bay Area and a 52.7/71 in Tampa (THE DAILY).
MOSTLY PRAISE FOR MADDEN & MICHAELS: In Jacksonville, Jeff Elliott writes ABC "showed why it continues to rank as many fans' favorite network to watch the NFL with the exceptional job" last night. With the Super Bowl a "mismatch until Oakland scored a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns," Al Michaels and John Madden "had to be at their best in order to keep the viewers. They were, both individually and working together" (TIMES-UNION, 1/27). In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes Michaels and Madden rose "above the hype," as they "didn't wait for the Raiders to go into full self-destruct mode before they began telling viewers exactly what was happening" (TORONTO STAR, 1/27). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes Michaels and Madden "showed the teamwork that some doubted they could have." Michaels and Madden "were flaying the Raiders" for their poor performance." They also "joked about how to hold an audience and the scrunchy faces of [Buccaneers] Coach Jon Gruden. This happens when hope is lost" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/27). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes under the header, "ABC Team Of Michaels And Madden Works Smoothly" (USA TODAY, 1/27). In Phoenix, Jim Gintonio writes Michaels and Madden "saved their best effort of the season for the game that mattered most" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/27). In Toronto, Steve Buffery writes "one of the saving graces" of the game was the work of Michaels and Madden (TORONTO SUN, 1/27). In Detroit, Mike Brudenell writes under the subheader, "Madden, Michaels Flawless In Broadcast: ABC's game coverage was rock steady" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/27). In St. Petersburg, Pete Young writes Michaels and Madden, "despite a few hiccups, handled the occasion with aplomb" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 1/27). In Chicago, Ed Sherman: "As usual, the two delivered another professional job" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/27). In Boston, Jim Baker writes under the header, "Madden Was On The Ball." Madden "had ABC's Super Bowl pegged before Shania Twain's halftime act last night" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/27). In Seattle, John Levesque: "Al Michaels is as good an analyst as he is a play-by-play man" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 1/27). In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley notes Michaels and Madden "were up to the task of a big-time call" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/27). In Denver, Mike Judson writes Michaels "usually was on top of his game," but Madden "was the stronger horse of the two. ... Madden's offerings were sober, relevant and timely" (DENVER POST, 1/27). In S.F., Steve Kroner: "Madden has the reputation of being one of the few — if not the only — football analyst who can start talking about a replay before it appears on the screen. He did that on the game's first key play, describing how Regan Upshaw's pressure forced Brad Johnson into [throwing an interception]" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/27).
A FEW CRITICS: In Dallas, Manuel Mendoza writes that by the second quarter, Madden "was out of gas, stating and restating the obvious." Madden and Michaels "never found their footing" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/27). In Miami, Barry Jackson writes that though Madden "still ranks among the top tier of analysts, he remains incapable of speaking concisely" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/27). The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE: "Madden does have a tendency to state the obvious" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/27).
SUPPORTING CAST: The FLORIDA TIMES-UNION's Elliott writes sideline announcers Melissa Stark and Lynn Swann "were absent, except for one brief Swann segment in the third quarter. Otherwise, the two announcers were relegated to pregame, halftime and postgame" (TIMES-UNION, 1/27). The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL's Wolfley reports Stark tried to interview Raiders WR Tim Brown before the game, but Raiders PR Dir Mike Taylor "stepped in to stop it. ABC cameras showed some of this." A source said that Taylor "went over to owner Al Davis and appeared to ask him if it was all right for the interview to take place. Davis gestured as if he didn't care. Stark eventually talked to Brown" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/27). The DENVER POST's Judson writes that ABC "made a wise call limiting the roles" of Stark and Swann (DENVER POST, 1/27).
OVERALL GRADE FOR ABC: In Tampa, Rick Harmon writes that ABC "came up with its best performance," as the net "was on top of every play." There "were only a few technical problems" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 1/27). In L.A., Larry Stewart: "The biggest problem for ABC was the quality of the game. ... But overall ABC had a decent day." ABC Sports Producer Fred Gaudelli: "Were we perfect? No. But I think we had a good telecast. I think we had everything covered. It's just unfortunate the game turned into a blowout" (L.A. TIMES, 1/27). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes that ABC "did a good job on the things that counted most. ABC had a good picture telecast." But it "was the things that counted second most — the enhancements and the focus on individual game issues, the things that add smart to good — that ABC didn't always provide" (N.Y. POST, 1/27). The N.Y. TIMES' Sandomir writes Gaudelli's "production had a few flaws, like the underuse of Skycam, which worked well" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/27). USA TODAY's Martzke writes that ABC earned a "couple of production penalties on the telecast," as graphics "chronicling the Bucs' defensive dominance were too scarce, and Lynn Swann's field mike never was fixed to eliminate cutting out on interviews" (USA TODAY, 1/27). The CHICAGO TRIBUNE's Sherman: "ABC made a good move when it borrowed the sky-view camera that ESPN uses on Sunday nights. The look was particularly effective in showing what the quarterback saw — or did not see — on interceptions" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/27). The DENVER POST's Judson writes that late ABC Sports President Roone Arledge "would have been proud" (DENVER POST, 1/27). The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE: "ABC's production had a few rocky moments early, including some shaky camera work. But, overall, ... Gaudelli and his crew had a strong game" (STAR TRIBUNE, 1/27). But the WASHINGTON TIMES writes that ABC "did a lousy job. Replays overlapped live action. The camera didn't always follow the ball. There's no excuse for such sloppiness" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/27).
MIC CHECK: ABC had microphones on Buccaneers S John Lynch and Raiders WR Jerry Rice, but Rice took his off before the second half. The TORONTO STAR's Zelkovich writes the enhancement"produced a lot of banal stuff, but there were some gems" (TORONTO STAR, 1/27). The N.Y. POST's Mushnick writes miking the players "genuinely enhanced the telecast, primarily because ABC didn't over-do it" (N.Y. POST, 1/27). The ARIZONA REPUBLIC's Gintonio writes that Rice "was so-so at best." Lynch "said a couple of things of interest" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/27). In Ft. Lauderdale, Jim Sarni calls the mics "a dud" (SUN-SENTINEL, 1/27). The DALLAS MORNING NEWS' Mendoza writes that Lynch "produced nothing of note" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/27). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth: "Give [ABC] a B-minus for its miked-up players feature." One "gem came from" Lynch when he said, "They're running every play we practiced against" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/27). The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL's Wolfley writes Lynch and Rice "added dimension to the telecast" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/27). The MIAMI HERALD's Jackson writes that ABC "earned plaudits for being the first network to mike players during a Super Bowl" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/27).
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| ABC Panned For Ignoring Robbins’
Situation Early |
BREAKING NEWS: Raiders C Barret Robbins was dismissed from the Super Bowl because he reportedly missed some team meetings, and USA TODAY's Martzke writes that considering Robbins "was the talk of the day, ABC erred by waiting eight minutes into the pregame show to address the incident" (USA TODAY, 1/27). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes that "there was one missed story, and particularly one question Michaels should have asked Madden. Instead he let him off the hook — big-time. It was all about this Barret Robbins situation. ... If Madden was coaching, would he have done the same thing?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/27). On Long Island, Steve Zipay: "After coming on the air at 2 p.m., Chris Berman should've told viewers the breaking news of the day [about Robbins]. ... It was seven minutes into the show" (NEWSDAY, 1/27). In Houston, David Barron: "If Barret Robbins' absence has a logical explanation, such as a reoccurrence of a chemical imbalance that popped up during the 1996 season, ESPN's analysts have a lot of apologizing to do — including [Emmitt] Smith and Shannon Sharpe, who said, 'It's bad for whoever his name is (Robbins)'" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/27). The CHICAGO TRIBUNE's Sherman writes ABC "did a poor job of reacting to" the Robbins situation (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/27).
OUTSIDE THE WHISTLES: The N.Y. TIMES' Sandomir: "The game could not have started soon enough after a four-hour pregame clunker" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/27). But USA TODAY's Martzke writes that several segments "proved to be entertaining" (USA TODAY, 1/27). In Orlando, Jerry Greene writes that ESPN's two hours "was far superior to ABC's mostly boring four hours." Greene calls ESPN's Andrea Kremer the "pregame MVP" for her "fine features for ESPN and live duty reporting" on Robbins (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/27). In Nashville, Paul Kuharsky calls Jim McKay's feature on late HOFer Johnny Unitas the "best pre-game show segment." The "worst" was Jimmy Kimmel's interview with Raiders LB Bill Romanowski (TENNESSEAN, 1/27). The L.A. TIMES' Penner writes that ABC "reduced the greatest one-day sporting spectacle on the planet to a four-hour warmup act for Jimmy Kimmel's new talk show" (L.A. TIMES, 1/27). However, in Calgary, Mike Bell writes that "perhaps the most entertaining pre-game moments were provided" by Kimmel (CALGARY SUN, 1/27). Syndicated columnist John Molori writes that Giants DE and guest analyst Michael Strahan "was about as informative as a corpse. ... Why is it that networks hire inexperienced commentators for the biggest game of the year?" (BOSTONCITYBEAT.com, 1/27). The L.A. TIMES' Stewart writes that though it "was impressive to get interviews" with Tiger Woods, Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Derek Jeter for the "Mind-set of a Champion" segment, "no one really said anything of substance" (L.A. TIMES, 1/27). The INDIANAPOLIS STAR's Allan writes in a separate piece that ABC's halftime show —which featured performances by Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting — "made it easy to turn to NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' special" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/27). But in N.Y., Adam Buckman writes that "all-too-brief halftime concert was a heart-pumping smash. ... The producers of the Super Bowl telecasts seem to have figured out how to put on a world-class halftime show" (N.Y. POST, 1/27). Gaudelli said the net and the NFL made a joint decision to "make the postgame ceremony more entertainment-driven" (L.A. TIMES, 1/27).
PROMOS: In DC, Tom Shales writes ABC promos "relied heavily on sex and violence, especially desperately pandering spots" for the series "Alias," which aired after the game. "Dragnet" promos were "slathered with blood and filled with violent imagery" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/27).
HDTV: The AP's Alan Robinson notes ABC broadcast the game in HDTV to about one million people on 65 digital stations and assorted cable systems and calls the broadcast as "good as the Buccaneers' game plan." Despite the "relative small size of the audience, the super-picture Super Bowl could mark the start of HDTV's passage from an expensive gadget owned only by technophiles to the de rigueur centerpiece of America's family rooms" (AP, 1/27). In DC, Sean Flynn reports that a "blown circuit on the high-definition transmitter" at WJLA in DC "left viewers of HDTV with a blank screen or a greatly reduced viewing area during much of the Super Bowl pregame show. The transmitter was repaired by mid-afternoon, ... in time for the opening kickoff" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/27).
