Most Stations to Warn Fans, Then Give Results

The start of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City this weekend marks the kickoff of another game locally: the peekaboo match between TV stations who want to report the results and viewers who are trying to avoid them until they watch NBC’s tape-delayed coverage in prime time.

Some local stations, including KNBC, which is owned and operated by NBC, said they will report the results of daily competition during their regular newscasts but will warn viewers who don’t want the suspense spoiled to turn away from their sets.

“We’ll have an audio and visual cue to warn our audience,” said KNBC news director Kim Godwin. “We’ll make sure viewers will have a chance to turn down the volume or turn away from the TV.”

KCBS and KABC will also warn viewers before reporting results during their evening newscasts.

But executives at KTLA (which is owned by Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times) say they will not warn “News at 10” viewers before giving results. KCAL news director Nancy Bauer Gonzales said Thursday she had not yet determined a results strategy for her prime-time news.