Television Broadcasts

The Disney-ABC Television Group has secured the rights to broadcast two inaugural events that will be attended by President-elect Barack Obama and his family. On Jan. 19, the night before Obama is sworn in, the Disney Channel will air "Kids Inaugural: We Are the Future," a concert in Washington honoring military families. Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, are expected to attend. On the night of the inauguration, ABC will turn over two hours of prime time to broadcast the first-ever "Neighborhood Inaugural Ball," Obama's first stop of the night.

Bowing to a legal challenge posed by Democrats, Republicans on Monday abandoned plans to use a $1.3-million Amway donation to pay for televising the GOP convention on Pat Robertson's Family Channel, opting instead to use taxpayer funds for that purpose.

The Republican convention this year has been so rigorously stage-managed that some television network executives are predicting it may be the last time they commit to hours of "live" coverage in advance.

Glorious, superb, thrilling, jaw-dropping, breathtaking . . . thoroughly enjoyable. --Michael Medved of the New York Post, quoted in an ad for the movie "Alaska." * Act 2, Scene 1. Now you know what they mean when they call it the Windy City. Democrats assembled in Chicago's United Center are getting their shot at America through television because the Republicans already got theirs in San Diego. So. . . . At 7:20 p.m.

More than anything else, this Republican national convention reminds me of the pro wrestling matches I liked to watch as a kid. In particular, it takes me back to how cheated I felt after somebody finally let me in on the Big Secret. The blood streaming from Haystack Calhoun's lip? It came from a capsule. The vicious knee-drop Pepper Gomez laid on Mad Mountain Mike? A harmless, choreographed fraud. Pat Patterson actually was a nice guy. This wasn't sport.

Republican National Chairman Haley Barbour criticized Cable News Network and Fox Network on Tuesday for giving key Democratic spokespersons passes to the Republican convention, calling it a historic transgression of convention etiquette. At a morning news conference, Barbour called the intrusion "provocative" and said he expected GOP spokespersons to get similar treatment at the Democratic convention later this month.

Politicians are adept at kicking the media. But television should kick itself for granting the GOP a panoramic strip of free air time this week to celebrate Bob Dole during the Republican National Convention in San Diego. Just as it should for doing the same thing for Democrats when they seek to Bubbafy and propagandize America at their own coming presidential rally in Chicago. Let both parties have their fun and play their games--in private.

Debbie Steelman flashed her media pass at a small group of reporters hovering around her. "See, right there. It says reporter," she said with a grin, pointing to the GOP convention badge that recognized her as an agent for the Republicans' television operation, GOPTV. "It feels so weird. I feel like," she paused, "like I'm going to do vengeance."

Now that the gravel has settled and the sweat subsided, let's talk Olympics. There were 2 1/2 weeks of backgrounders and synopses along with time-warped, disjointed and oddly juxtaposed elements (crisscrossing volleyball, equestrian show jumping and rhythmic gymnastics on the final Sunday, for example), all of which somehow coalesced into an often thrilling supplement. But supplement to what?

The Olympics are over, but the self-congratulating among the NBC folks who brought them to you will continue. NBC is ecstatic. It guaranteed sponsors an average prime-time rating of 17, and did better than a 22. It didn't expect to make much of a profit, but instead will make a healthy one. Estimates range from $70 million to more than $100 million. Dick Ebersol, the proudest peacock of them all, will get the most pats on the back from colleagues and General Electric stockholders.