 Something happened on the way to this year's Olympics: viewers veered off the network path. The television audience turned its dials to contests that never left American soil, such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.
A perfect storm of sorts caused this sudden lack of interest--the Internet, time zones and bad programming.
For starters, it's rather difficult to get pumped up for an event when the results are broadcast at eight in the morning. That's what happened every time I tuned into the news while taking my son to school. I could have popped in a CD or listened to silence, but I wanted to make sure the world wasn't being blown up first thing in the morning. We all remember Sept. 11, a wake-up call we'll never forget on the Pacific Coast.
Even if I did succumb to zero morning news for two weeks, that still left driving home at night and, of course, the Internet. Eliminating that would have require living in a cave for half a month.
With viewership at a premium, I'd have thought someone would have sent out a memo to the network producers of the games that read, "Make sure its interesting. Find ways to hold their attention."
In the past this meant Olympic programming with a variety of human interest stories about the athletes. Those stories brought the competitors into our living rooms and humanized achievements that are completely unattainable for 99 percent of us. Instead, transitions from events left us bombarded with boring commercials. Too bad, because the few stories I did see, such as the one about figure skater Irina Slutskaya, made me root for her all the more. So what if she was Russian? Overcoming adversity is a universal theme, and that's what makes the Olympics special.
Then there was the programming schedule. What the heck was figure skating doing on at 11 p.m. at night? The best skaters, who are always the last group on the ice, were broadcast around 11:30 p.m. Come on, folks, this is a work day. I guess the network figured since everyone on the West Coast must know who won, showing it in the 11 p.m. time slot was OK. And these guys are wondering why no one was watching?
Some of the events did capture my attention. The snowboard cross and freestyle ski jumping were some wild stuff. And woman's skiing showed the special strength of individuals such as Lindsey Kildow, who refused to give up after a nasty fall during a practice run. Eventually it was her body, not her will, that stopped her from competing.
But overall, something was missing in an event that happens only every four years. It was actually more interesting to read about the Olympics than watch it; at least in print, the athletes' stories were often told.
So I found myself on the night of the figure skating long program flipping back and forth between the Olympics and, believe it or not, Dancing with the Stars.
Being a big 49er fan, I still have a soft spot for Jerry Rice, even though he did play for the Raiders. This show was so off-the-wall I wanted to see the final three partners compete. I started watching the program intermittently weeks ago because I knew Jerry was in it. And before you can say, "You've got to be kidding," my son, who has no interest in ballroom dancing, found himself equally engrossed.
I can't explain why. Jerry is by no means a star on the dance floor, but there was something about the performances, the judges, the lack of stupidity that often accompanies reality-style shows that made it all work. Besides, Jerry was the underdog and we had to root for someone.
Moryt Milo is the editor of The Campbell Reporter. She can be contacted at 408.200.1051 or mmilo@community-newspapers.com.
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