Columbus TV rating tidbit

Flyer Fan · May 9, 2003

From today's Dispatch:

Columbus usually is among the upper half of NHL markets in TV ratings for national hockey broadcasts, so [Doug MacLean] wasn’t surprised when someone from the NHL office asked him what happened on Saturday, April 26.

The local ratings for the NHL playoff game that day on ABC (Channel 6) were a minuscule .11. The Crew broadcast on ESPN2 that afternoon [home with MetroStars] got a .45 rating, and the OSU spring football game on Channel 10 got an 11.61.

It would have been interesting to hear the Blue Jackets president and general manager explain that one to someone in the NHL office in New York.
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Lanky134 · May 9, 2003

Do you think that the Crew game would've beaten the Blue Jackets game if the OSU game wasn't on?

dawgpound2 · May 9, 2003

Getting a .45 on ESPN2 for a HOME game is pretty darn good.

billf · May 9, 2003

This is simple. OSU bled most of the hockey audience, the Blue Jackets were the worst team in the league and had their season end weeks before, and the MLS game featured the local team.

Big deal.

NHL ratings in Philly dip when the Flyers are out too. I'd be surprised if they weren't in the fraction of a point range now that the Flyers are on the golf couse in Philly either.

Besides, that MLS rating is still poor when the local team is in the game.

monster · May 9, 2003

Originally posted by billf
This is simple. OSU bled most of the hockey audience, the Blue Jackets were the worst team in the league and had their season end weeks before, and the MLS game featured the local team.

Big deal.

NHL ratings in Philly dip when the Flyers are out too. I'd be surprised if they weren't in the fraction of a point range now that the Flyers are on the golf couse in Philly either.

Besides, that MLS rating is still poor when the local team is in the game.
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I wouldn't call two to three times the national rating poor. It's all relative.

Lanky134 · May 9, 2003

Originally posted by monster
I wouldn't call two to three times the national rating poor. It's all relative.
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True, but since it was a home game, you could also look at the fact that the attendance for that game was only 12,165 (which is a bit more understandable given that it was at the same time as the OSU game - sidenote: why did the Crew allow a home game to conflict with this?). So why couldn't that .45 get to the stadium?