Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 18, 1992 TAG: 9202180165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHARON COHEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ALBERTVILLE, FRANCE LENGTH: Medium
FIGURE SKATERS IN SPOTLIGHT
TV IS IN a triple axel over figure skating. It is the most popular sport among women, according to one survey, and a ratings winner, defeating events such as NCAA basketball and the NBA. It's also a big money winner for television.\ It's glamorous and gutsy, a star-maker and a heartbreaker, a sport of delicate competitors and powerhouse TV ratings.
Figure skating is the No. 1 TV attraction in the Winter Olympics and this week CBS will likely reap its biggest gold of the Games when three U.S. medal contenders in the women's competition take to the ice and the airwaves.
Figure skating has become the most popular sport among American women, according to one study, and that means big TV audiences, big advertising dollars and very big smiles on the faces of network executives.
The '88 Winter Olympics saw the figure skating showdown between Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas garner Super Bowl-level ratings. No surprise, considering the this sport has all the makings of good TV: dazzling performers, a duel with high stakes and drama.
"There's a tremendous amount of tension," said Rick Gentile, CBS vice president of Olympic programming. "You live or die on the razor's edge of a blade. You've got a 16, 17, 20 year old, if she doesn't land a jump perfectly, she goes down and loses a medal. It's that tremendous pressure, the sheer grace, the music, the costumes, everything that's visually appealing, and the added element of competition."
Figure skating, too, is a personality sport, and folks in their living rooms become the cheering section, said Kristin Matta, communications director of the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
"They almost feel like they know those people out there," she said. "You see their faces, their expressions, knowing someone's alone four minutes on the ice. . . . It's really easy to take sides."
This year, American audiences watching the Winter Olympics will see a trio of U.S. skaters who swept the 1991 World Championships: Kristi Yamaguchi, who won the gold; Tonya Harding, who took the silver and was last year's U.S. champion; and Nancy Kerrigan, who captured the bronze. The strongest challenge is expected from Japan's Midori Ito.
Millions will likely tune in for the short program Wednesday night and the long program Friday night, though the matchup lacks the ballyhooed Calgary finals when more than 23 million homes watched the dueling Carmens, Thomas and Witt. Even in less-publicized showdowns, figure skating is a Nielsen winner, defeating events such as NCAA basketball, the NBA and PGA golf in 1991, according to a study of more than 2,000 interviews conducted by the Sports Marketing Group of Dallas.
"Figure skating is as popular to women as football is to men," said Nye Lavalle, company chairman. "It's a combination of a cultural activity and a sport together. . . . It touches the senses in a way other sports don't."
Women's figure skating, according to Lavalle's study, was eighth most-popular among Americans - far behind No. 1 football, but strong enough for all three major U.S. networks to broadcast national and world figure skating competitions, some in prime-time. Men's figure skating ranked 11th in the study.
Though the appeal of the sport isn't disputed, CBS was concerned about the six-hour time delay in televising the competition. But after conducting research at Calgary, it became convinced folks would watch even if the results were known.
Figure skating also brings in millions of dollars in endorsements for the athletes.