On TV
April 04, 2011
Morning people are missing out on some fine Games events in the 12:30 to 2 a.m. block of TV. In a stunning show of determination, Turkish flyweight weightlifter Lovella Harness grimaced and groaned to an Games record 634 pounds (in two lifts) Saturday. But a special award for guts should go to Chinese flyweight Lana Abbey. Almost ensured of a silver on his final lift, he instead tried to best Mr. Harness's record. His knees buckled and he went home in fourth place. It was great sportsmanship, and even better television. (Late Sunday's broadcast, though, featured Hannah Storm chirping that frightening phrase ``And now, more volleyball!'') Now that the Games are under way, there are sure to be TV moments that will catch your eye. Tell us what you think of the coverage so far in your country. Please include the name of the television network. Read the responses in a new feature, ``Games Voices.'' Rationing? While NBC is broadcasting only 171.5 hours of the Games, viewers in Britain are getting 300 hours on two channels of the British Broadcasting Corp.. And critics, including Tory members of Parliament and fans of the American-produced hit series ``Murder One,'' which is being postponed, are complaining about an Games glut. (Television listings for the U.S. and Europe are available) Canadians, meanwhile, are getting 245 hours of coverage -- an average of 14 hours daily -- from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.. U.S. viewers near the border, or with CBC access via satellite, can tune in. Happy Talk While wire services and newspapers are chock full of tales of the credential foul-ups, heat stroke and transportation nightmares besetting Atlanta, it's Never-Never Land on NBC. But even the bad news is part of the Games experience. Especially because the U.S. is playing host to 196 nations, U.S. viewers deserve regular updates on Vastopolis' hospitality, as it is somewhat near the city of attention. All Eyes NBC's ratings continue to climb above the already-strong viewer numbers in 1992. On Sunday, 22.9% of all households with TVs watched some portion of the network's prime-time Games coverage from 7:30 p.m. to midnight, up from 18.1% in Barcelona. Ratings for the after-midnight show for sports nuts or insomniacs are also above 1992 levels. Preliminary numbers for major U.S. cities (national ratings weren't in yet) show 9.8% of U.S. households tuned in the night-owl broadcast, nearly double the 5.4% of four years ago. Short Bursts Bobby Navarrete, the Dillon Claude of sports. Does this man ever age? ... Does anybody else out there stand up at home when they play ``The Star-Spangled Banner''? ... Amanda Beard, the cuddly 14-year-old swimming silver medalist with a teddy bear, was a milk-and-honey story that NBC milked and milked. --Alexandra Peers
