While CBS won’t pre-empt its afternoon soap operas Wednesday to televise the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan showdown at the Winter Olympics, its sister radio network-including WBBM-AM in Chicago-is going live.
WBBM-AM, through CBS Radio Sports, will air the technical program for Harding about 12:47 p.m., Chicago time, and follow with Kerrigan’s routine about 3:06 p.m.
Silver medalist Paul Wylie, a longtime friend of Kerrigan’s who is in Norway as a TV analyst for short-track speedskating, will join Mark Champion, CBS Radio’s venue anchor for figure skating, on the broadcasts.
While play-by-play for figure skating may sound unusual, a network official said both men would be supplied with each skater’s planned program and would be able to comment from that.
As for CBS-TV being scooped on its tape-delayed coverage Wednesday night, “I have no idea how they feel about it,” said a CBS Radio Sports official Tuesday. The radio network also plans live coverage of Friday’s free skate and medal ceremony.
TV analyst Scott Hamilton, for one, wasn’t worried. When asked if viewers would tune in if they already knew the results, he replied, “People will still want to see it.”