The center didn't hold.(NBC's poor coverage of 2000 Olympics)(Brief Article)

Have the Olympics ended yet? I think so. Judging from much of what's been written, you, the American public, and you, the broadcasting and cable executive, think NBC made a mess of it. Certainly, they couldn't have made much money, and undoubtedly, the network was foolish to estimate that its Nielsen prime time audience rating would hover around a 165.

There is nothing quite like the Olympics, whether on time delay or not, and in the summer of "reality" television this was competition that included dignity, history and skill. For all the potshots about these Olympics, you know what? They were still exciting.

And yet, there was kind of a hush about these …