CBS gets boost from Jets, VickCourtesy
USA Today
(September 21, 2009) One of the keys to the NFL's lavish TV appeal is that most of its games are played in two Sunday time slots. Meaning that, beyond NFL cities that have to see their home teams' games, much of the country can be assigned whatever games come with plenty of pre-kickoff hype.
The system works well when there's a steady stream of edgy storylines — like Brett Favre and Michael Vick in the preseason — that generate national hubbub. Sunday, NFL broadcasters — especially CBS — seemed to get another such gift: the New York Jets. The team isn't just a potential TV star because it's in America's biggest TV market and upset the New England Patriots Sunday. What really helps is that its coach Rex Ryan had colorfully goaded the Pats, including recently picking up former Pats backup QB Kevin O'Connell and making him the Jets captain. Said Fox's Jimmy Johnson: "I love the swagger." (And don't underestimate how swagger can drive ratings. In college action, Tennessee's not-very-exciting loss to Florida drew an overnight rating 60% higher than the team's loss to the Gators last year. CBS should send a thank-you note to new Vols coach Lane Kiffin for almost single-handedly making the game seem important.) Then there's made-for-TV Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Consider Sanchez's response, in a CBS feature Sunday, when asked why he posed shirtless for GQ magazine: "It was just something you almost had to do." Sean McManus, who oversees CBS' sports and news divisions, said Sunday that the network's Week 3 Tennessee-Jets game is tentatively scheduled to go to about 35% of U.S. TV households. CBS, in that 1 pm ET game slot, also has the return of Vick as Kansas City plays at Philadelphia. But even with Vick, McManus suggests CBS will tweak its coverage to send the Jets to another 10% of U.S. households. And if Sanchez develops into "a marquee quarterback," says McManus, "that helps your TV package enormously." And the network seems ready to help out. Said CBS' Boomer Esiason Sunday, even before Sanchez played his second NFL game in the win over New England: "I think the Jets are on their way to having a quarterback that will finally fill the shoes of Joe Namath." _______________________
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