Miller’s Debut a Ratings Bust
Apparently, the game counts for something. Dennis Miller’s debut in the “Monday Night Football” booth for Monday’s Hall of Fame exhibition game at Canton, Ohio, drew only a 7.3 rating with a 13 share--28% lower than the 10.1-18 for the 1999 Hall of Fame game, played Monday, Aug. 9.
Factors for the drop:
* Last year’s game started at 5 p.m. Monday’s started at 4 because of ABC’s coverage of the Republican National Convention.
* Last year’s game featured the new Cleveland Browns playing their first game against the popular Dallas Cowboys.
* The Browns won a close game, 20-17, whereas this year New England beat a hapless San Francisco 49er team, 20-0.
In Los Angeles, Monday’s game got a 6.2 with a 13, down from an 8.2-16 in 1999.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
