Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

Ray Buck: Four OTs make for a long day for TV folks

By RAY BUCK

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

After that four-overtime Stars-Sharks Game 6, who closed up shop for FSN Southwest on Monday morning?

And how deep into the wee hours was it?

Hint: The network's 53-foot production trailer rolled off the AAC lot just before sunrise.

And what about those unscheduled TV spots? How many of those ran ... and who paid for them?

Answer: 15 minutes of additional commercials were necessary. It was Christmas in May for existing sponsors, since the network doesn't pull extra revenue from that many OTs.

"We actually plan for something like that - although not necessarily four overtimes," said FSN Southwest spokesman Ramon Alvarez. "But it's like we do with [unlimited] pitching breaks in baseball."

So, commercial sponsors got a bonus ... well, as long as someone was still watching.

Apparently, in this case, plenty were.

The 5 1/2-hour Stars-Sharks Game 6 telecast posted a 4.4 Nielsen household rating (best for a Stars game in five years) and an 11 share, as 107,000 D/FW area homes on average tuned in to watch.

The TV audience grew in size during the OTs. The four overtimes, by themselves, averaged a 4.7 rating/15 share/112,000 homes.

Peak viewing (146,000 homes) occurred between 10:30-10:45 p.m., or roughly at the start of the first overtime.

And when Brenden Morrow scored the series-clinching goal at 1:21 a.m., 95,000 homes were still aboard with the broadcast (although no official count of actual watchers vs. snoozers with their TV sets on.)

FSN Southwest producer Jason Walsh and associate producer John Sponsler assembled a "melt reel" of game highlights - and didn't leave for home until close to 4 a.m.

Those who broke down equipment, packed up the truck and drove it away, added a couple of hours onto that.

"It was a bit of a long day," said understated Stars program director Mark Vittorio, who arrived at 10:30 a.m. for Stars' practice skate and ended up working a 16-hour day.

(With the exception of a fajitas lunch at a Knox-Henderson Mexican grill and cantina, the bulk of a 20-member FSN Southwest production crew were at the AAC from mid-morning to 2:30 a.m.)

"By the third OT, you're usually ready for the game to end," said Vittorio, a 38-year-old former Blackhawks fan who grew up in Chicago. "But that night, we're all saying, 'Let's go to sunrise to get this series wrapped up - right here.' It was that awesome."

Vittorio's wife, singer Celena Rae, sang the national anthem and worked between regulation periods Sunday night.

"My wife is six months pregnant and could barely watch," Vittorio said. "She sat in the production truck with her hands over her head."

To add to the craziness of the night, the Sharks' broadcast team shared space inside the FSN Southwest truck.

"We had our own ceremonial handshake after the game," said Vittorio.

Why not? Four OTs certainly can get you in the mood.