ABC Comes Up Smelling Like a Rose With Telecast

The ABC folks were feeling pretty good in the television complex at the Rose Bowl following Texas’ dramatic victory over USC.

It was not only a great game; it was also a crisp, clean telecast with few mistakes.

Keith Jackson was on his game, and Dan Fouts showed why he is one of the best football commentators in the business. But the key to the success of the telecast was that ABC didn’t venture far from simply televising what was taking place on the field.

There were a few celebrity shots from the crowd, but only a few. There were only relevant graphics. The game dictated the production, not the other way around.

Wednesday’s telecast was in contrast to what another ABC crew had done at Monday’s Fiesta Bowl. There, Laura Quinn, the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and girlfriend of Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, got almost as much air time as the players on the field.

However, before the start of the Fiesta Bowl, there was no audio of her sideline interview, and as things turned out, that was almost a blessing.

After the Rose Bowl game, producer Mark Loomis explained his philosophy.

“Keith keeps pounding it into my head -- stick to the game,” Loomis said. “And with a game like we just had, that’s what you have to do.”

In a commentary in Wednesday’s Times, sports editor Bill Dwyre criticized ABC’s coverage of the other bowl games. Among Dwyre’s complaints was that ABC wasn’t concentrating on the action on the field.

Asked if he had read Dwyre’s commentary and if it had influenced his approach to the Rose Bowl coverage, Loomis laughed.

“Yes, I read it,” he said. “Keith is the one who influenced me the most, but you can give [Dwyre] an assist.”

Jackson was pleased to hear of his influence, and pleased with the telecast, although he admitted it wasn’t perfect.

He again said he wasn’t ready to discuss his future plans. His ABC contract expires in May, and Jackson, 77, has indicated he might call it a career -- this time for good.

Asked if a game as good as Wednesday’s might influence his decision, Jackson said, “No.”

Predictably, a Ratings Hit

Huge buildup, great game, solid telecast. The Rose Bowl game figured to get impressive ratings -- and it did.

The Los Angeles Nielsen rating was a 35.4 with a 52 share. Few sports events in recent years have gotten a higher rating in L.A.

Game 7 of the 2002 World Series between the Angels got a 42.1, and Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings the same year got a 36.9.

The highest-rated sporting event in L.A. in recent years was the 2003 Super Bowl, Tampa Bay versus Oakland, which had a 43.3.

Last year’s Orange Bowl game between USC and Oklahoma drew a 20.6 with a 32 share.

The national rating for Wednesday’s Rose Bowl game was a 21.7, a 59% increase over the 13.7 for last year’s Orange Bowl and the highest college football rating since a 25.1 for the 1987 Fiesta Bowl in which Penn State beat Miami.

In Austin, Texas, Wednesday’s game got a 47.5/70. The share was up to an 80 by the end of the game.

The second highest-rated bowl game in L.A. was the Fiesta, with a 12.5 rating. The Orange Bowl got an 11.4 and the Sugar an 8.5.