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The NewsHour's segment on July 26, 1996, analyzing televised coverage of the Olympics sparked much viewer response. Here are some of your thoughts:
Joan Caulfield, Auckland, New Zealand:I have just returned to NZ after living in Canada for 6 years, where I watched NBC (and of course PBS) on a regular basis. I have noticed that the coverage given international events is naturally slanted towards American athletes. Normally this does not matter but during the Olympics people want to know how everyone is doing. My husband is still in Canada and he is disgusted with both NBC and the coverage in Canada.
I am presently watching coverage of the Olympics on NZ television. Coverage is live all day with recorded highlights in the evening. What is stopping NBC from doing just that. I have watched coverage of everything from gymnastics to equestrian to volley ball to beach volleyball to weighlifting, judo, boxing, hockey, soccer, tennis and every other sport that is in the Olympics. NZ does not have athletes in most of these disciplines and even when they are knocked out, we still get coverage. It gives one a great sense of sharing in the achievements of individual athletes from countries such as Ecuador (who won their first gold medal in the 10km walk) Greece, Ukraine and South Africa.
Congratulations to everyone who is competing in the Olympics and thank you to those who are attending and making it a success.
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M. Lucy, Cambridge, MA:
I'm glad the Olympics are being televised, but NBC's coverage is disappointing in many ways.
For instance, in the amount of time they spend broadcasting those melodramatic background pieces and replaying clips of athletes injuring themselves, they could be covering twice as many gymnasts, or even another whole event!
...I (also feel)... that the coverage is much too narrowly focused on American athletes, and that skipping the medal ceremony for the Russians and Romanians who medaled in the gymnastics all-around, was an egregious example of this. It showed a lack of respect for the achievements of these athletes, and also for the American public's capacity to be interested in people of other nations.
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Robert Synan, Lakewood, WA:
I am fortunate enough to be able to get the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's coverage, which is alot more even handed. (It covers all events, though commentary naturally is on Canadian athletes). I watched track (men and women's) on CBC while NBC was busy selling Coke or something else. Alot of goodwill could have been gained by sponsors had they used an "icon" of their product, rather than the two to three minute break.
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Kevin Walker , Walled Lake, MI:
I sort of agree with the editor from the San Francisco Examiner. The whole thing is too geared towards the United States. I wanted to watch the Cubans play baseball, but I don't think they've been covered. The girl who sprained her ankle, but won anyhow: the whole thing was overblown; how sickening. I mean, okay so she sprained her ankle, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Networks made it sound like she should be awarded the medal of honor or something.
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Karen Freeman, St. Louis, MO:
I don't know about the "true" Olympic spirit but I do find NBC's coverage disappointing in its hyperfocus on American athletes and it's relentlessly annoying "commentation."
It is very hard to know who NBC's intended audience is--I assume it's the advertisers and that NBC doesn't care about any other groups' opinion.
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S. Cunnings, Casco, MI:
NBC coverage of the olympics is appropriate as-is; I want to see what US athletes are doing. The network is also covering other results sufficiently well to keep me abreast of the overall Olympic picture.
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Peter Newton, St. Louis, MO:
I personally think that it is a sham! I cannot believe that NBC, who paid all the money that it did is covering so little of it. What is so important about Daytime TV that they can't run them during the day as well?
I'd love to see rowing, or Equestrian, or Field Hockey, or softball, but who knows of these sports, if NBC doesn't feed them? NO one. But that is the power of monopoly.
I remember the 1984 games in LA. ABC covered everything, from dawn to dusk. I saw it all, of course I was home from school which allowed for this to occur. It made me dream of maybe competing sometimes, even if it was far fetched, but who could do that know?
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Curtis Ward, Marshalltown, Iowa:
NBC is not covering the Olympics. It is covering the U.S. participation in the Olympics. I can understand the need to attract a largely U.S. viewing audience, but the international flavor of this event has been largely left unreported. For example, the U.S. did not fare well in the wrestling competitions. There was coverage of the disappointment of the U.S. wrestlers, but not much else. We should acknowledge the performance of non-U.S. athletes, rather than focus on the U.S. darlings in a few events. Was it really necessary to show the women's floor exercise twenty-five times and only show one wrestling match and no events in several other venues? Thanks for listening.
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Gene Dunaway, Tiburon, CA:
Thanks for asking.
I think the coverage has been good overall. I like the games time delayed with the boring parts left out. I was not fooled into thinking they were live.
I think they've done a good job on giving historical background on people from other cultures, although I do think the meladrama is too thick, as if every event is life and death, couched in "military" language.
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David Tuthill, Redondo Beach, CA:
Yes, I to would like to have a public station cover every event in real time without any editorials or heavy commenting. On the other hand, I think NBC's coverage is fine and enjoyable. But I do not think that giving one network a monopoly over such an international event is serving the best interest of the public.
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Dr. Julia Fleming, Omaha, Neb:
As an ethicist, I was extremely disappointed that your roundtable discussion of the Olympic coverage ignored some of the more significant ethical issues, e.g., the repeated reports that unnamed persons suspected Irish swimming star M. Smith of enhancing her performance by chemical means. The repetition of this gossip in the absence of any evidence represents a significant injustice, as Bob Costas himself eventually admitted on Sunday evening.
One may also question the network's decision to devote so much attention to the private (male) coaches of individual athletes on the U.S. women's gymnastics team while virtually ignoring the official (female) coaches. Finally, the commentators' admiration of sportsmanlike conduct is belied by the questions addressed to the winners and losers, i.e., questions which invite gloating, the disparagement of one's opponents, etc.
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