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Notes
& Quotes By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--Interesting items on a variety of subjects that I just couldn't fit elsewhere.... Back To 9 p.m.
"I think it was a pretty quick assessment that we might have made a mistake, and 9 o'clock is really the place that it belongs. Instead of letting this linger on and try another year or stretch it out to right before the season is going to begin, let's just announce the change now. Let's just get together with the NFL and let's go back to 9 o'clock, where we basically across the board think it belongs." Wolfe said, though, that "the decision was made at the absolute upper echelon of our company. But I do know for a fact that the bottom line was no one was particularly happy with what happened last year as far as kickoff and ratings, and what it meant to the West Coast." Last year, Monday Night Football's ratings fell 14% in the Central and Pacific zones and 11% in the Mountain zone. However, in the East, ratings rose 3%. "So it was a relatively quick decision, after everyone assessed the numbers and the feelings based on last year." Wolfe said, though, don't expect ratings to automatically rise with the time change. "If we're able to keep last year's rating, or even improve upon it, that would be a huge success as far we're concerned," Wolfe said. "In this day and age, to improve upon last year's ratings is basically becoming unheard of." Click here to read more about the Monday Night Football's two-man booth.
That's 28 years, or one year before I was born. "It's astonishing," said former partner, Al Michaels. "I can't imagine anybody in the history of this business ever having that kind of a run. It just won't happen again. That, to me, just speaks volumes about what Frank meant to the show." Given that, shouldn't ABC have done something special for him? "I don't think Frank would have wanted anything like that," Michaels said. "That's Frank. If it was going to end, it was going to end quietly." Click here to read more about the Monday Night Football's two-man booth.
Howie Long on the career-threatening offseason injury to Patriots running Robert Edwards: "When I played, they wouldn't let me play in pick-up basketball games, and they've got this guy playing football over at the Pro Bowl in the sand. Athletes are like plants, you take them out of their environment, and they wilt." Terry Bradshaw on Patriots coach Pete Carroll's future, should he get fired: "He's the best-looking coach in the National Football League, so if that doesn't work, he's got a job in television - guaranteed." John Madden on instant replay: "I really don't like this system. I don't like having the guy going over there and sticking his head in something. Because as a kid, you always taught to stay away from the television. If you get too close, you can't see and you're going to ruin your eyes. Then they stick a blanket over the guy's head and stuff his head in there. Hell, I don't think that works. Try it yourself, just stuff your head in a hole and look at a television monitor, and I don't think you can see." Click here to read about Fox Sports Net's NFL This Morning.
"I think the claymation campaign was very distinctive and separated us from all the other promotion out there, whether it be for the NFL or any product," Fox executive producer Ed Goren said, adding that the campaign will continue all year and include other Fox and NFL personalities. "The temptation is down the road do we do a Sunday morning or Saturday morning claymation show with the guys, that isn't strictly football? It's been very effective." Fox coordinating producer Scott Ackerson said campaign is also true to life. "I think the campaign goes with our image of you don't necessarily know what we're going to do on the set next. ... I guarantee that we'll have some surprises for you guys on week one." Click here to read about Fox Sports Net's NFL This Morning.
To which, Phil Simms responded, "Yeh, Norm Van Brocklin," who guided the Falcons from 1968-74. Click here to read about CBS' revamped NFL Today.
"I think the blackout policy, probably not. There's obviously a great desire by the NFL and its ownership to protect the live gate, and we understand that. ... There's a school of thought that if you don't have blackouts, that the live attendance will go down. Whether that's true or not, it's something that a lot of people believe and we're obviously supportive of the NFL when it comes to that. As for the doubleheader blackout... "There's been some discussion with the NFL about bringing two games into a home market. It think it's something that we will continue to discuss with the NFL. But based on the ratings that we got last year and based on how the NFL is doing in almost every way, I think the current rules seem to be working pretty well for everybody. "We don't have any major complaints as far as the blackout or doubleheader rules, but we're always available to talk with the NFL if they want to do something to help them and help us." Click here to read about CBS' revamped NFL Today.
"It's very difficult. ... 45 minutes is hard. The hardest part being that the big games, we don't slice at all. But the teams that are the 5-9s down the stretch, who really might be playing some of the most interesting games, you have to slice those down. And Tommy and I don't get to banter back and forth on set after the highlights." Berman explained that because of league rules, NFL Primetime can't start before 7:30 p.m. ET. However, the NFL could move the night game to 8:35 p.m., giving the show its necessary 60 minutes. "We were hopeful that we would get a little later start time from the league. But with Monday Night moving back, the league elected not to move both games back. ... The NFL, I believe, did not want to move both kick times twice in two years." Berman said he hopes the league switches to the later kickoff next year but added that there is a benefit to starting at 7:30 p.m. "Almost all the games are over before we go on the air, there's the plus. The minus is as fast as I talk, I have to talk faster." Click here to read about ESPN's unique three-man booth Back
to top |
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ABC
may have debated at length whether there would be two men or three
men in the booth but, according to Monday Night Football
producer Ken Wolfe, the network quickly and unanimously decided
to return to its original 9 p.m. ET starting time.
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