Gymnasts juice NBC's Sunday Games coverage
   In the first night of women’s gymnastics, NBC’s coverage of the Olympics led comfortably the whole evening Sunday, peaking during the 10 p.m. half hour with a 12.2 rating among viewers 18-49. According to Nielsen overnights NBC finished ahead of the combined competition for the evening in the demo, averaging a 9.7 rating and 27 share. ABC was second at 2.4/7, CBS third at 2.1/6, Fox fourth at 1.5/4, and the WB fifth at 0.7/2.
   Not surprisingly, NBC also led for the night among households with a 15.4 average rating and 26 share. That was well above its first two nights of coverage for the Games. CBS was second at 5.6/10, ABC third at 4.2/7, Fox fourth at 2.2/4, and the WB fifth at 1.3/2. Gymnastics coverage peaked with an 18.5 household rating during the 10 p.m. half-hour.
   NBC led during every hour last night, starting with a 6.0 average rating during the 7 p.m. hour. CBS finished second that hour as it wrapped up coverage of an exciting PGA Championship, averaging 2.4 rating. ABC was third with “America’s Funniest Home Videos” averaging a 2.2. NBC extended its lead during the 8 p.m. hour with Olympic coverage averaging a 9.2 rating among 18-49s. ABC was second with another hour of “Home Videos” averaging a 2.7 rating, while CBS was third with a 1.9 average for “60 Minutes.”
   Olympic coverage on NBC had its strongest hour at 9 p.m., averaging an 11.9 rating for the hour. ABC was second with a 2.7 average rating for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and CBS third with a 2.1 average for “Cold Case.” NBC wrapped up the night with another strong hour of Olympic coverage, this time averaging an 11.8 rating during the 10 p.m. hour. A repeat “CSI” on CBS was second with a 2.1 average, while ABC finished third with a 2.0 average for “The Days.”

NBC earns Olympic-sized win Saturday
Although Nielsen has delayed the release of its complete weekend overnights because of NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, projections for Saturday’s numbers are available and NBC looks to be down slightly from the 2000 Games in Sydney. During the primetime portion of Saturday evening, NBC averaged a 12.0 household rating, almost 200 percent better than its closest competition. CBS averaged a 4.4 rating, good enough for second, with Fox third at 4.0 and ABC fourth at 3.1. For NBC’s entire night of Olympic coverage, which ran from 8:30 to 11:45, NBC averaged an 11.7 rating and 23 share. That is down slightly from the first Saturday night of competition in Sydney, when NBC averaged 13.1 rating and 25 share in 2000. The peak of Saturday night’s coverage came at 10, when NBC posted a 12.8 rating and 23 share.

Belo earmarks $26M for hosed advertisers
Belo Corp. is reaching deep into its pockets as part of its deep apology to advertisers. The media company announced today that it is setting aside $26 million as a pre-tax charge in order to compensate advertisers who were stiffed by inflated circulation figures at its Dallas Morning News. According to Belo, the third-quarter charge will cover $23 million in cash payments to advertisers and an additional $3 million for the cost of an internal investigation. The newspaper will also provide advertising credits, which could total another $4 million in newsprint expenses, during fourth quarter 2004 and first-quarter 2005. The company expects the rebates will have a “modest effect” on ad revenue growth at the paper. The Morning News announced Aug. 5 it had overstated circulation data by 1.5 percent for its daily paper and as much as 5 percent for its Sunday edition for a six-month period ended September 2003.

Study: Olympic sponsors seen as leaders
Sponsor the Olympics and they will come – well, at least some of them will. That’s according to a new survey from Dynamic Logic, which found that consumers view companies and brands that sponsor the Olympics in a positive light. According to the survey, 46 percent of consumers see Olympic sponsors as “industry leaders.” Meanwhile, 49 percent of respondents recognized that they would not be able to view the Games for free without the support of advertisers, and 51 percent recall companies or brands advertising themselves as official sponsors of the 2004 Olympics. Additionally, more than half – 59 percent – say they generally notice the Olympic rings in ads or on packaging. The survey also found that more North Americans than Europeans seem to be aware of Olympic advertising, with 25 percent of Americans versus only 12 percent of Europeans saying they pay closer attention to ads that mention the Olympics. The study, conducted last month, surveyed a random selection of internet users in the Dynamic Logic database.

Miramax, future uncertain, axes 65 jobs
Miramax Films’ Weinstein brothers may be going their separate ways. As Walt Disney-owned Miramax laid off 65 people, or 13 percent of its workforce, Friday, co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein presented a restructuring scenario in which only one would remain with the company. The proposal, unsurprising in light of the Weinsteins’ frequent clashes with Disney since selling Miramax in 1993, would keep Bob Weinstein at Disney to run his youth-oriented Dimension Films label. Harvey Weinstein would leave to jump-start his own independently financed distribution company. However, Harvey Weinstein would maintain a relationship with Disney, using the corporate giant to distribute his films. Details remain hazy and the deal is yet to be inked, but the idea is taking shape as Miramax struggles to stay afloat financially.

Bush & Kerry set for three presidential debates
Get ready for some political head-butting – the Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three debates between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry. The first debate, to be held Sept. 30 at the University of Miami, will focus on domestic policy and will be moderated by Jim Lehrer, anchor of PBS’s “NewsHour.” The second debate has been scheduled for Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis. Moderated by Charlie Gibson, co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the debate will allow undecided voters to question the candidates. The third debate will take place at Arizona State University Oct. 13. Focusing on foreign policy, it will be moderated by Bob Schieffer, host of CBS’s “Face the Nation.” In other programming news, ABC said Friday that in addition to pushing off the premieres of “Desperate Houswives” and “Boston Legal,” it will delay the premiere of teen drama “Life As We Know It” from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7. Fox declared Nov. 9 the launch date of reality series “The Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best,” starring Virgin Airlines/Megastore/Records founder Richard Branson. And NBC announced the birth of its latest reality series, “The Biggest Loser,” rumored to include host Caroline Rhea. “Loser” will challenge contestants to lose weight and alter their lifestyles.

Court approves Penthouse post-Chap. 11 plan
After a year of bankruptcy protection, Penthouse magazine is on the verge of financial re-emergence. PET Capital Partners LLC, which holds 89 percent of Penthouse publisher General Media’s senior notes, says a U.S. Bankruptcy court in New York has approved a plan that could relieve the company of its Chapter 11 protection by the end of August. The plan calls for holders of the notes to exchange them for the new shares of the reorganized company, which would represent all of the new common equity, in addition to $27 million in new 13-percent term loan notes. Several plans have been considered since General Media filed for bankruptcy a year ago, when the heat of competition from new rivals and internet pornography finally caught up with the publisher.

Miller's commemorative rock cans lack blacks
Miller Brewing thought it had an innovative new campaign celebrating the 50th anniversary of rock ‘n’ roll. But what it is getting is charges that the campaign is discriminatory. Miller plans to feature eight beer cans with historic cover shots from Rolling Stone magazine celebrating the musical genre, but the campaign lacks any minorities, even though black artists are often credited with pioneering rock. The artists represented are Elvis Presley, Blondie, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Willie Nelson, as well as the guitars of Eric Clapton and Joe Walsh. Miller predictably has insisted that race played no factor in which artists were chosen, and that several artists turned down an opportunity to take part in the promotion because alcohol is involved. Six of the 10 original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, including Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles and Little Richard, are black.