NEW YORK -- When NBC Sports presents the 1988 Summer Olympic Games from Seoul, Korea, its own programming will present just as much of a challenge as the other networks'.
The Summer Games, a major production task at any time, are being held in the fall for the first time, thus conflicting with NBC's coverage of NFL and college football and major league baseball. NBC will also cover the World Series in 1988.
'We will have a team production challenge to maintain our high quality of production of the NFL, college football and the World Series,' Executive Producer of NBC Sports Michael Weisman said Monday at a news conference. 'We would hope this is a total company effort.'
The Olympics will also go head-to-head with the fall lineup presented by opposing networks. When the Games took place in the summer they competed mainly against re-runs.
NBC a bidding war against ABC and CBS for the Games, and will pay a guaranteed base of $300 million, including a risk-sharing formula that could earn the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee up to $500 million.
'In our opinion, it is the first time since 1972 you can have a pure Olympics,' Arthur Watson, president of NBC Sports said. 'There were problems in 1976, 1980 and 1984.'
The network has tentatively scheduled approximately 180 hours, divided into three major time periods, including 80 hours in prime time. An agreement with the SLOOC to start major events early in the morning in Seoul, which is several time zones ahead of the United States, will allow NBC to provide 100 percent live coverage during prime-time segments. Watson said 80 percent of all coverage would be live.
'The schedule was the main reason in the delay in negotiations,' Watson said. 'We can broadcast sports that are attractive to people in America. The shift in schedule was substantial.'
Coverage will begin on NBC's Today Show, which will originate from Seoul throughout the Games, at 7 a.m. and continue until 10 a.m. EDT. A special late-night segment, featuring primarily live coverage, will air each night from 12:30 to 2:30 a.m. EDT. Olympic coverage will sandwich coverage of major league baseball and the NFL.
Weisman said the network has not decided whether to follow ABC's setup of one main host, Jim McKay, or go with a team of anchors.
'Any of the other members of the NBC family could play a key part,' Weisman said. 'People like Connie Chung or Tom Brokaw or Bill Cosby. If they want to play a role, we'd be glad to welcome them.
'There is no shortage of applications for the job. Punky Brewster is the only person who hasn't applied for the job.'
ABC's highly regarded 'Up Close and Personal' athlete profiles are one thing NBC hopes to be able to equal.
'That is an element of the Olympics ABC did very well and we will do something similar,' Weisman said. 'The charm of the Olympics is to bring the athletes closer to the viewers.'
Watson said NBC's sales department is still formulating what the network will charge for the basic unit (30 seconds) commercial spots. He said prime time would extend from 7:30 p.m. to midnight as it does for football games and boxing matches.
'A very substantial number of finals will occur during prime time,' Watson said. 'The audience will be there. As long as the event is already in progress, they will pay prime-time prices.'
ABC paid $309 million for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada and is reportedly charging $300,000 per unit.
