Highlights from NBC&#39;s Olympic coverage, and a look ahead
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HIGHLIGHT: Emotional moments. We saw Sydney hero Rulon Gardner, crying as he removed his sneakers and left them on the mat -- a traditional signal of retirement -- after winning a bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.
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NEW YORK  - NBC Universal pushed past  the 200 million mark in viewership with the 17-day Summer  Olympics, which ended in Athens on Sunday.
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WE talk about Olympic moments: the torch, the record-setting performances. But some of the great moments are unrecorded ones, the inspiration shared between the athletes themselves.
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&quot; I admit it, most of my notes for this game considered of &quot;IY Shannon&quot; and &quot;Mr. and Mrs. Dan Boxx.&quot; Oh, and looking up the United States all-time record for Olympic finals played in cities called &quot;Athens...&quot;. by Dan Loney. There&#39;s only one story this week
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U.S. swimming sensation Michael Phelps may have come up short of seven gold medals, but NBC Universal exceeded its own Olympic expectations. Nearly a week before the 2004 games ended, the company's broadcast and cable outlets had already outdrawn the total audience tuning in four years ago.
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When NBC first called Bob Neumeier, he was asked if he'd be willing to work on Olympics wrestling and rowing coverage in Athens. &quot;I was flattered and grateful for the opportunity,&quot; he said. He was willing to learn the nuances of those sports at the Olympic level and start mastering the pronunciation of hundreds of new names.
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The Olympic credo may be faster, stronger, higher, but NBC's Olympic motto is a lot simpler: &quot;Maximize ratings for advertisers, audience, and affiliates.&quot; &quot;The No. 1 rule is to get the largest number of viewers tuned in for the longest time,&quot; Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports &amp; Olympics, said yesterday via phone from Athens.
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This weekend&#39;s Live Earth  extravaganza aims to bring awareness of global warming as well  as music to the world, and NBC Universal wants to make sure its  wall-to-wall television coverage doesn&#39;t strike a sour note.
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NBC came away with an  overwhelming victory in Tuesday&#39;s primetime thanks to another  winning performance by &quot;America&#39;s Got Talent.&quot;
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ABC and NBC will each be rolling out a multi-night competition show this week.
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Description: NPR&#39;s Steve Inskeep talks with USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan about the latest news in track and field at the Athens Olympics.
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Sunday&#39;s Wimbledon men&#39;s  final delivered the best ratings for NBC since 2004.
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TV viewers who became accustomed to the around-the-clock coverage of the Olympics should like this starting Friday: All Ryder Cup, all the time.
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Empty arenas and stadiums in Athens offer a bizarre television backdrop for the Summer Olympics - one that cannot be avoided by NBC.
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A few hundred yards from Olympic Stadium is a cream-colored monolith that is the 2004 Games&#39; International Broadcast Center. Inside is NBC&#39;s Games headquarters and Dick Ebersol.
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The spectacle in Athens lured 56 million viewers to watch at least some portion of NBC's Friday primetime telecast of the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
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LOS ANGELES  Fast National ratings for Monday, Aug. 16, 2004 Michael Phelps&#39; bid to equal Mark Spitz&#39;s record of seven swimming gold medals ended Monday, but NBC continued its strong ratings drive with the Summer Olympics. NBC averaged a 16.4 ...