Wednesday, May 02, 2012

News and Notes, Volume 12, Number 15

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1. USA vs. the World broadcast
2. Additional world champions added to adidas Grand Prix

USA vs. the World broadcast
While more than 49,000 fans packed Franklin Field for USA vs. the World at the Penn Relays, more than one million tuned in through their TVs. The broadcast for the first stop of the 2012 Outdoor Visa Championship Series was carried live on NBC and enjoyed the highest rating for this event since 2003.

The overnight Nielsen rating for USA vs. the World was a 1.0 with a 3 share. Ratings increased throughout the live, two-hour show with the broadcast finishing with a rating of 1.3 for the final 30 minutes.

The NBC broadcast of USA vs. the World at the Penn Relays will be re-aired five additional times on Universal Sports. The broadcasts will air on the following dates and times (Eastern Time):
May 9 at 3:00 a.m.
May 10 at 1:00 p.m.
May 15 at 2:00 p.m.
May 16 at 6:00 p.m.
May 27 at 12:00 p.m.


The next stop of the Visa Championship Series is June 2 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., which will be broadcast live on NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Additional world champions added to adidas Grand Prix
Organizers announced Wednesday the additions of Jason Richardson, Jesse Williams, Aries Merritt and Sanya Richards-Ross as competitors in the adidas Grand Prix, slated for June 9 in New York City.

Each American athlete won a gold medal at the 2011 World Outdoor Championships or recent World Indoor Championships and brings the total of current world champions competing in the adidas Grand Prix to seven.

Richardson (World Outdoor 110-meter hurdles champion), Williams (World Outdoor high jump champion), Merritt (World Indoor 60m hurdles champion) and Richards-Ross (World Indoor 400m champion) join previously announced stars Carmelita Jeter (World Outdoor 100m champion), Jamaica’s Yohan Blake (World Outdoor 100m champion) and Kenya’s David Rudisha (World Outdoor 800m champion) in the loaded adidas Grand Prix field.

The adidas Grand Prix is the third stop on the outdoor Visa Championship Series schedule. Competition will begin at 1 p.m. at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island and will be broadcast live on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET.
About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.

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