On Sunday Nights, Channel 4’s Roggin Sweeps Competition

Who is the most popular sports anchor in Los Angeles?

Judging from the ratings of the Sunday night half-hour sports wrap-up shows on the three network-owned stations during the November rating sweeps period, it’s Channel 4’s Fred Roggin by a landslide.

Roggin’s Sunday night shows during November averaged a 7.1 Nielsen rating. Keith Olbermann’s shows on Channel 2 averaged a 3.5, the same as Jim Hill’s shows on Channel 7. Hill had a slightly higher share of the audience than Olbermann, 15% to 13%. Roggin’s average share was 25%.

Channel 2 spokeswoman Andi Sporkin pointed out that Olbermann did better than Roggin, on a percentage basis, in holding his audience. Sporkin said Roggin’s average rating from 11:15 to 11:30 p.m. was 7.7, then dropped to 6.6 for the final 15 minutes. Olbermann went from 3.7 to 3.4. Hill’s shows, which run from 11:30 to midnight, dropped from 4.0 to 3.1 in the final 15 minutes.

Add Olbermann: He did one of his typically tasteless bits last Sunday. He showed Rodney Peete being interviewed by Channel 2’s Tony Hernandez the previous Tuesday, when the USC quarterback had laryngitis.

In the original piece, Hernandez asks Peete how he thinks USC will do against Notre Dame. Peete, writing on a note pad, says, basically, that the Trojans have the momentum. But in Sunday night’s re-edited piece, the answer on the notebook says, “We will lose to Notre Dame, 27-10.”

Olbermann explained that Peete didn’t actually write that, and that he was just trying to amuse his audience.

You get the impression that Olbermann does his newscasts for a few weird buddies who actually think he’s funny. Most of his viewers probably just shake their heads.

You’d think someone at Channel 2 would realize this and edit Olbermann’s copy. Some of his material is actually quite good, but much of it should be scrapped.

Last Add Olbermann: You’re just never quite sure where he’s coming from. He’s very sensitive to criticism, yet on an hourlong year-end special last Saturday night, one that overall was well-written, he did a strange thing.

“I know some of you out there are offended by my style,” he said. “So I want to apologize to all of you personally.” He then started reading names out of a phone book, saying, “I’m sorry.”

He did this before each commercial break. At the end of the show, he said: “That takes care of the state of Alabama. And now for . . . “

Really funny, huh?

Bowl jam: Six college bowl games on Monday, Jan. 2, are about three too many. And to make matters worse, the Rose Bowl on ABC, with USC playing Michigan, is going against the Fiesta Bowl, with unbeaten teams Notre Dame and West Virginia, at 2 p.m., PST.

Three weeks ago, the Fiesta Bowl committee considered moving its game to Tuesday night, Jan. 3, if Notre Dame and West Virginia remained unbeaten, but that idea was soon dropped.

“None of the parties involved, the two schools and NBC, wanted to switch the game,” said Bruce Skinner, executive director of the Fiesta Bowl committee. “Switching at such a late date would have been a major hassle. Tour groups had already chartered flights and booked hotels.

“If we had been able to do it right away, we might have done it. When we switched the 1986 game (between Miami and Penn State), we did it in mid-November. But this time, we had to wait 2 additional weeks (to see if both Notre Dame and West Virginia finished unbeaten).”

So now viewers must choose between USC-Michigan and Notre Dame-West Virginia or else do a lot of channel-switching.

Raw deals for viewers are nothing new. The National Football League provides one just about every week.

Last Sunday, Los Angeles finally got a network doubleheader, with Philadelphia-Phoenix on CBS before the Rams’ game at Denver.

But those watching the early game missed most of the fourth quarter because NFL policies required that Los Angeles get all of the Ram game.

With NFL games now lasting so long, there was no chance of CBS getting in all of the Eagle-Cardinal game.

What can be done? One answer might be to allow 3 1/2 or 4 hours for each game. There is no such thing as a 3-hour NFL telecast anymore.

No question, the NFL’s TV polices need a major overhaul.

This weekend, Los Angeles once again will be deprived of a network doubleheader because the Raiders play Denver at home Sunday.

The thinking is that more people will go to a game if there is one less game on television. Incredible logic.

Add NFL: One thing that makes games so long is the slowness of the instant-replay officials. Monday night’s game didn’t end until 9:41.

Instant replay, when the officials go to it, is anything but instant. If the officials can’t work any faster, they might as well get rid of it.

Despite the absurdity of NFL TV policies, pro football remains No. 1 in popularity. The Raider-Seattle game on ABC Monday night went up against a Laker-Philadelphia telecast on Channel 9. The Raiders outdrew the Lakers, 5 to 1, getting an L.A. rating of 21.5 to the Lakers’ 4.5.

TV-Radio Notes

The Rams’ Monday night game against the Chicago Bears has been sold out for weeks, so it will be shown locally on Channel 7. . . . ABC’s Al Michaels said several times last Monday night that NFL rules prohibit replaying controversial plays on stadium screens, as the Seahawks were doing. But Val Pinchbeck, the NFL’s director of broadcasting, said that isn’t the case. “The only thing our people are asked to do is be prudent,” he told USA Today. “It’s entirely up to the clubs what goes up on the screens, although the clubs are urged not to do something that would incite the crowd.” . . . Fred Roggin is in Miami this weekend to do the play-by-play for a regional NBC telecast of the Dolphins’ game against Indianapolis. It’s Roggin’s second NBC assignment this season. His commentator is Larry Csonka.

Video Dept.: Guaranteed to be a hot item is the Dodgers’ 1988 highlight video, “Through the Eyes of a Winner,” which became available in stores today and can also be ordered by calling (800) 762-1770. The price is $19.98. Vin Scully narrates the 60-minute video. A Spanish-language edition is narrated by Jaime Jarrin.

ABC had its problems during last Saturday’s USC-Notre Dame telecast. Keith Jackson thought Irish quarterback Tony Rice had stepped on the back line when actually he had just stepped on a design in the end zone. Also, microphones near the USC band made it hard to hear the announcers, and they also picked up some profanity from the USC cheering section. . . . Despite the flaws, the telecast drew a 14.5 national Nielsen rating, the highest college football rating since the 1982 USC-Notre Dame game on CBS drew a 15.1.

ESPN will televise its 10,000th “SportsCenter” tonight at 8:30. For complete sports news, this is the show that sets the standard. . . . CBS will televise the presentation of the Heisman Trophy Saturday during a half-hour show at 2:30 p.m., PST. Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders, the favorite, will be in Japan, but will appear on the show via satellite. . . . Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden will be Rich Marotta’s guest on “It’s Your Call” on Prime Ticket Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. . . . Wedding bells: NBC’s Jimmy Cefalo was married last weekend. It might be recalled that in 1984, Cefalo called off a marriage on his wedding day. This time he went through with it.