From: J056600@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM
Subject: Re: ESPN shoots and scores on the opening night
Organization: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 19:57:50 GMT

In <1967@hsdndev.UUCP>, Mark Shneyder writes:

>The Flyers-Penguins season opener on ESPN proved that US hockey fans
>don't care about H.Ross Perot and could care less about about Major
>League Baseball playoffs on CBS.

Ross who?  Never trust a man whose ears are half as big as his face.

>Not only did CBS registered the lowest prime-time Nielsen(12.0 rating)
>in the history of National League Championship Series even with a relatively st
With the help of small media markets for the participants.  If you have the
playoffs on your network, you want New York vs. Los Angeles.  The '81 World
Series was a bonanza for that reason, even after the strike that year.
Pittsburgh and Atlanta are not exactly the largest media markets.

>H.Ross Perot audience, ESPN rating for the season opener was quite
>impressive - a 1.5 reflecting 921,000 homes and a boost over 0.9 average
>in 1988(the last time ESPN televised NHL). SCA audinece for the last
>three years was never measured since its subscribership base was way too
>small to qualify for Nielsen.

>It looks like ESPN actually ate into the baseball audience and not
>the other way around as was feared earlier.

Hockey fans are, in general, fewer in number but greater in devotion than fans
of other major team sports.  Most people who are hockey fans prefer hockey to
other sports, even if they are avid baseball fans.  Besides, people have seen
baseball for six months, but haven't seen hockey in the last four months.  At
least that's the impression I get...

>The reason why Bill Clement was put behind the studio desk and not in the broad
>booth as the game analyst is quite simple - ESPN doesn't want anyone in a
>SportsChannel carryover role.

I thought it was a good choice by ESPN not to have a Flyers announcer do a
Flyers game on national television.  I have no problem with a little bias for
the home team in local broadcasts, but not in national broadcasts.  I'm sure
my wife would disagree, though.  She's an avid Flyers fan (whom I displaced a
few months ago) and she really likes Clement.  Now she'll have to get used to
Joe Starkey for local Sharks telecasts...what a bonanza!

>Schoenfeld impressed me with good insight. He just have to cut down on
>using the same words all the time. What can you say about Gary Thorne?
>Currently one of the best hockey announcers on this side of the border.
>Tom Mees? Looked very at ease and right at home as the studio host.
>Al Morganti? Good supplement to the intermission show. However,picking
>Quebec to finish on top in the Adams is just stretching a little, Al.

>Stay tuned for Devils at Flyers tonight at 7:30pm.

So when are they showing Senators vs. Lightning?  :-)

>For New England viewers : Tomorrow night's TV schedule has NY Islanders
>at Bruins at 7pm on NESN and SC New England has Buffalo visiting Hartford
>at 7:30pm.


Tim Irvin   j056600@lmsc5.is.lmsc.lockheed.com
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The Sharks, Senators and Lightning in first place?  I'll never drink again!