NBC pulled a 2.1 overnight Nielsen rating for its two-hour coverage of the US Open's first round on Thursday from 3:00-5:00pm ET. The rating is up 50% from last year's mark of 1.4 and represents the best overnight since '06, which also pulled a 2.1. US Open coverage peaked at a 2.4 between 4:30-5:00pm. ESPN posted a 1.5 overnight rating for its U.S. Open coverage from 12:00-3:00pm Thursday. The mark is up from last year's first-round coverage (0.8 rating), which was on the East Coast from 10am-3pm. The mark is also up from a 1.2 for the first-round overnight for the '10 event, which was held in a West Coast venue. ESPN's coverage from 5-10pm yesterday drew a 1.5 overnight rating. That mark is up from last year (5-7pm), which posted a 1.1, but down from two years ago (2.0) (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
TRADING PLACES: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar reports Fox Sports Midwest over the next week "plans to swap" MLB Cardinals analysts "with those from the opposing team's telecast for several innings once per series." Cardinals analyst Al Hrabosky "is to go to the Royals' TV booth" Friday to "work alongside Ryan Lefebvre for innings 3-6, with Rex Hudler coming from the Fox Sports Kansas City side to join" Cardinals play-by-play man Rick Horton on FSM. Hudler "was a fan favorite when he was a Cardinal in the early '90s." Hrabosky on Wednesday "will trade places with" Fox Sports Detroit's Rod Allen (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/15).
GETTING THEIR KICKS: ESPN reported that the number of viewers for UEFA Euro 2012 "has tripled compared to the same tournament four years ago." ESPN analyst and former U.S. soccer player Alexi Lalas said, "The attention that is paid to it has grown exponentially. The soccer folks are going to watch it regardless, but the interest has grown because of the drama, the theatre, the stars. Americans like spectacles. We love shows and that's what these tournaments are about, and that's why we produce it that way for television" (N.Y. POST, 6/15).
SWEET SUMMERTIME: In Albany, Dennis Yusko reports the NYRA and NBC on Thursday “agreed on the network's '12 ‘Summer at Saratoga’ broadcast schedule.” The roster includes “five telecasts and six total hours of racing coverage from Saratoga Race Course compared to the eight hours it dedicated last year.” NBC Sports will televise Travers Stakes on Aug. 25 (Albany TIMES UNION, 6/15).
FINE TUNING: In Sacramento, Ryan Lillis reports former KHTK-AM radio personality Dave Weiglein "will launch an Internet radio station" Monday and co-host two weekday shows. Weiglein said that he "will host a 10 a.m. show with" former NFLer and ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury. He will then "have a show at 7 p.m. with" his former co-host Sean Thomas. The shows, which Weiglein said would be "unfiltered and uncensored," will stream on www.thecdnetworks.com (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/15).
