Newspaper Page Text
NBC begins its
celebration of the
world's top Olympians
By Mark Passaro
©TVData Features Syndicate
It’s all in the family. And NBC is
inviting everyone over for 18 days
of the most comprehensive Olympic
coverage in history.
The Games are spread among
NBC’s “family” of networks, which
includes cable partners CNBC and
MSNBC. The three-pronged
approach is a bonus for viewers,
who are presented with a total of
441 1/2 hours of programming from
Sydney, Australia, nearly triple the
171 1/2 the peacock network doled
out in Atlanta four years ago.
Each network serves a distinct
purpose. NBC continues with its
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storytelling approach, one that
seems to be popular with the casual
sports fan. Bob Costas is the host for
prime-time and late-night coverage,
while Hannah Storm serves as the
daytime host.
MSNBC, for the most part, is the
home of team sports, such as men’s
and women’s soccer, baseball and
softball. And CNBC gives boxing
fans a ringside seat with two hours
of matches nearly every day during
the Games. Veteran TV broadcasters
Jim Lampley (MSNBC) and Pat
O’Brien (CNBC) are the hosts.
In all, more than 30 gold-medal
finals are on cable, including those
ia baseball, boxing, equestrian, soc
cer, tennis, water polo and
weightlifting. Beginning Sunday,
Sept. 17, viewers will see at least
one gold-medal final every'day.
Because Australia is on the other
side of the world, NBC is dealing
with the 15-hour time difference
between the U.S. East Coast and
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American swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg is one of the
world’s best backstrokers, and he’s out to prove the
point this month in Sydney, Australia, at the Olympic
Summer Games. NBC’s first full day of coverage is
Saturday, which features four swimming events.
Not only are the 2000 Olympics
the biggest event ever carried on
cable, the Games actually begin on
MSNBC. On Wednesday, Sept. 13,
the U.S. men’s soccer team battles
the Czech Republic. The next night,
the defending Olympic and World
Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer
squad plays its first match against
Norway, also on MSNBC. Andres
Cantor, whose famous drawn-out
“GOOOOOOAL” call helped bring
the sport national recognition dur
ing the 1994 World Cup, is the play
by-play announcer. It marks the first
time Cantor will call a game in
English.
On Friday, Sept. 15, NBC pre
sents the opening cferemony. A
crowd of approximately 110,000 is
expected in Sydney’s Olympic
Stadium to witness the Parade of
Nations and the lighting of the
flame.
The first full day of events is
Saturday, Sept. 16. Swimming
anchors NBC’s coverage, with finals
in four events: men’s 400-meter
freestyle, women’s 400-meter indi
vidual medley, and men’s and
women’s 4xloo freestyle relay. At
the trials last month, Klete Keller
set an American record in the 400-
meter freestyle, but world-record
holder lan Thorpe of Australia is the
clear favorite.
The Australia vs. United States
battle in the pool will be a story fol
lowed throughout the Games, as
both countries have assembled per
haps their strongest teams ever.
Lenny and Jenny lead the Americans
- Lenny Krayzelburg and Jenny
Thompson, Krayzelburg is the
world’s best backstroker and is
favored to win in the 100- and 200-
meter backstrokes. Thompson has
won five relay gold medals in three
previous Olympics but never an
individual gold, She hold?. the
American record in the IQO-jncter
freestyle. '
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Entertainment extra *9/8/00 thru 9/14/00*
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