Let’s give you some linkage. Some interesting stories out there.
Starting with Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, he visits the NBC Olympics headquarters in midtown Manhattan where badminton, baseball, soccer and weightlifting are among some of the sports being called from New York instead of Communist China. Bill Carter of the Times says the Olympics are also helping the ratings of NBC’s cable networks.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today says online viewing is definitely helping the TV ratings for the Olympics. Robert Bianco of USA Today likes the NBCOlympics.com’s streaming video, but he says it could be better.
David Bauder of the Associated Press says NBC is seeing habits forming with its online package of the Olympics.
Kevin Cooney of the Bucks County (PA) Courier Times says NBC’s live primetime schedule at the Olympics is definitely raising ratings.
Bill Glauber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the ratings for these Olympics are on a par with the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Lauren Boyer of the Patriot-News (PA) says not everyone is watching the Olympics.
Paul J. Gough of the Hollywood Reporter says NBC has sold an additional $10 million more in ads since the Olympics began.
Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury Times writes that track & field has lost some clout as it’s not being televised live in primetime during these Olympics.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press went through 24 hours of watching the Olympics. Don’t try this at home.
The Canadian Press reports that the chief organizer of the 2012 Olympics in London will not alter the schedule to accomodate NBC.
William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBC’s commentators are running out of excuses to describe Canada’s slow start at the Olympics. Houston also looks at NBC and CBC using announcers to call games off a monitor at their home headquarters instead of on-site in Communist China.
Also from the Globe and Mail, Grant Robertson says NBC is riding the Michael Phelps wave, but it can only last so long.
Paul Farhi of the Washington Post is enjoying Bela Karolyi’s work, but can’t totally understand him through his heavy Romanian accent.
Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t like Bela Karolyi’s commentary on NBC. Barry also reviews the second installment of Hard Knocks on HBO.
Warren Gerds of the Green Bay Press Gazette says all of the Packers exhibition games will be shown in HD.
Doug Lesmerises from the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the talks between the Big Ten Network and Time Warner Cable are going down to the wire.
Mike Lucas of the Capital (WI) Times profiles the Big Ten Network’s Gerry DiNardo.
Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald reveals that his long absence from WEEI last year was due to throat cancer. Thanks to Bruce Allen of the Boston Sports Media Watch for the link.
Phil Swann of the TV Predictions website says DirecTV has added 4 FSN channels in HD.
TSN says it will launch TSN2 later this month. Back to William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail who says TSN2 will help TSN settle programming conflicts.
That’s going to do it for now.
