Fans Speak: Put Scores On TV Screen

A public relations firm has quantified what has been suspected for a while: Fans really want a constant score box on the screen during games.

According to a national survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by Eisner & Associates last weekend, 54 percent of the total sample said they noticed and liked a box that shows the score and game situation on screen during games, and a whopping 76 percent of those who identified themselves as sports fans said they liked the box.

Fox was the first network to use a constant score, unveiling it with its NFL coverage in 1994. ESPN quickly added its version of the box, and ABC, albeit reluctantly, premiered its score box this year during college football.

At present, only CBS and NBC among the major sports carriers fail to use a score box, though there are rumors that CBS might add it this winter during college basketball coverage.

NBC, meanwhile, remains adamant that it will not place a box on screen during games. David Neal, the network’s coordinating baseball producer, said before the World Series that NBC tries to avoid having “clutter” on screen and thus resists a box.

An interesting sidelight of the survey was that 31 percent of those surveyed indicated that the presence of the box causes them to switch channels more often, thus viewing fewer commercials.

ESPN takes over Sunday night games

ESPN takes its midseason handoff this week from TNT, taking over the Sunday night football package beginning with Detroit at Green Bay.

Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann, returning for their 10th season together in the broadcast booth, will be joined this year by Ron Jaworski on the sideline as the spotlight reporter.

“Pre Play,” a computer-generated 3-D graphic that allows Theismann to illustrate what teams are doing, will make its debut on ESPN.

ESPN coordinating producer Fred Gaudelli said he will use the feature about three times a game. This week ESPN will examine Green Bay’s unique pass-blocking scheme and the importance of Detroit’s backside blocking to Barry Sanders.

Fight surprises announcers

The Jim Kelly-Jim Harbaugh fight that left the Colts quarterback sidelined with a chipped bone in his throwing hand, left fellow announcers shocked.

John Madden and Howie Long said they had never experienced anything similar during their careers as announcers or as players and coaches. Both Fox announcers said there was no excuse for Harbaugh’s outburst.

“Players obviously will dispute your assessment of their play, but that is not the way to do it,” Long said.

But the former Raiders lineman also said Kelly’s comments questioning Harbaugh’s toughness were out of line.

“I don’t think it is ever a good idea to question a player’s injuries,” he said.

Around the dial

NFL ratings are down halfway through this season. TNT finished its nine-game package with a 7.3 cable rating, the same as last year. That translates to the same number of households reached as a 5.4 rating on a broadcast network. The ratings for the three networks are all down this year. Fox’s Sunday telecasts are down 3 percent, NBC is down 6 percent and ABC is down 13 percent… . TNT tips off its basketball season tonight with a doubleheader featuring the Bulls and Celtics at 5 p.m. and Jazz at Lakers at 7:30 p.m.