NBC, affiliates think local with Olympics preview

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – NBC and its affiliates will
produce a nightly half-hour program daily during February’s
Winter Olympics that will focus on local athletes and preview
the night’s telecast.

“Olympic Zone” is based on the “O-Zone,” a joint online
initiative of NBC and its affiliates, as well as a half-hour
show that KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., and other stations did
during the Summer Olympics in Athens in July 2004.

NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said Friday that the new
show will air nightly on NBC affiliates. “Olympic Zone” will be
different in each market that it airs, with about half of the
content provided by NBC Sports and the other half produced by
the stations that participate.

As of Friday, “Olympic Zone” had cleared in about 70% of
NBC’s markets.

“The process is very much ongoing,” Zenkel said.

Bob Costas, the NBC Olympics principal host, would
contribute a brief preview of the day’s action. The local
“Olympic Zone” would air between 7-8 p.m. in each market that
participates.

“There’s no better lead-in to the Olympics than the
Olympics,” Zenkel said, adding that many stations have local
angles with athletes from the region competing.

“There’s nothing bigger than a big home game for a home
market. And during the Olympics we have 230 home markets for 17
days of big games,” Zenkel said.

KCRA news director Dan Weiser said last year’s pre-Athens
show in Sacramento featured interviews and profiles of local
athletes and other pieces, as well as being hosted locally.

“Some might describe it as a warm-up band to the main
event,” he said. “Viewers loved it. We got a very good
response.”

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter