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NBC coverage of Games too American? So what?
By Scott D. Pierce
Deseret News television editor
NBC continues to receive criticism in some quarters for being somehow too American in its coverage of the 2002 Winter Games — and I have absolutely no patience for the criticism whatsoever.
There are two reasons for that impatience — for one thing, the criticism simply isn't true. And for another, it would be misguided even if it were true.
The fact is that NBC spends a considerable amount of time reporting on foreign athletes.
Even the network's personality profiles — which, mercifully, have been much more limited (two or three a night) and, thus, much more effective — have been evenly split between American athletes and foreign athletes.
Not only that, but I have yet to hear an NBC announcer refer to American athletes or teams as "us" or "we" or openly root for them. It's much more impartial coverage than you'll see on, say, Jazz or Ute broadcasts.
NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol acknowledged that viewers may hear more enthusiasm in the voices of his announcers if an American is doing well, "But unlike the other announcers from around the world, we absolutely, consistently as long as I've been in charge, do not allow rooting."
But let's assume for a minute that NBC focused primarily on American athletes. What, exactly, would be so terrible about that?
"We're not covering the Games for the world," said NBC President Randy Falco before the Salt Lake Olympics began. "We're covering the Games for the American viewers."
Exactly. And, in large part, American viewers want to know what happened with American athletes.
"As the American network . . . we'd be shot if we didn't cover every American story," Ebersol said.
Well, I don't know about anybody shooting them. But there'd be whining and complaining the likes of which TV executives have rarely heard if NBC didn't focus much of its attention on Americans.
Has the coverage been more focused on U.S. athletes the past few days? Absolutely — but that's because Americans have done so well in so many high-profile events. It would be dishonest not to cover them.
And what makes me even more impatient with the criticism of NBC is that a lot of it comes from non-Americans who accuse the network and the United States of being somehow arrogant because we're interested in how U.S. athletes fare. Like it isn't exactly the same in every other country.
"You don't get homer coverage (from American TV)," Ebersol said. "And the next time you're in a foreign country and you see them do a profile on a foreign-born athlete, I'll pay for the collect call."
LET'S HEAR IT FOR NBC: The network did an outstanding job covering the women's figure-skating finals, from the commentary to the insight to the 31 uninterrupted minutes of competition while Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes skated.
For my money, that live shot of Hughes as she realized she had won the gold will be one of the enduring memories of these Games.
THE RATING GAME: The finals of the women's figure-skating competition were a smash hit for NBC — an enormous 26.8 rating a 41 share, beating out the opening ceremonies as the most-watched night of the Salt Lake Games.
The night also tied what the Atlanta Summer Games drew on July 25, 1996 — the highest-rated night of any Olympics (summer or winter) since 1980.
The numbers peaked between 9-9:30 p.m. as the three American skaters took to the ice — an amazing 32.5/53.
You probably won't be surprised to learn that Salt Lake City continued to be the highest-rated local market by a wide margin — a whopping 49.5 rating and a 69 share.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com
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February 23, 2002
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