At Least Upscale Folks Watched

Television ratings from the 1998 Winter Games show that those who watched athletes go for the gold had more gold.

“This was the most upscale Olympics ever,” said David Poltrack, CBS executive vice president of research and planning. “It was actually higher than Lillehammer or Albertville.”

Overall, the ratings were the lowest in decades, with an average of only 16.3 percent of U.S, households tuning in for prime-time coverage. The numbers rose to 21.6 percent among viewers who had four or more years of college and to 23.6 percent for households with an income of $75,000 a year or higher.

CBS promised advertisers an average 19.5 rating and delivered 3.2 points less than that.

But Poltrack remains sold on the value of the Olympics, particularly the 2002 Salt Lake Games, which NBC won before CBS bid.

“All of the handicaps of Nagano - the weather, the time (difference) and everything - will not be present in Salt Lake City,” Poltrack said.