Alan Pergament: Bills preseason opener a TV hit; Mark Russell celebrated; unlikely time slot for wine show

Buffalo Bills receiver Marcell Ateman runs after a catch against the Indianapolis Colts during the third quarter of an NFL preseason game at Highmark stadium on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023.

The Buffalo Bills illustrated their power as a TV draw Saturday afternoon when their 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts became by far the highest-rated program of the summer.

Even without the star power of quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs on the field, the game carried by WIVB-TV (Channel 4) had a 23.6 Nielsen rating that represented 149,279 households.

It hit a game-high 25.0 rating at game’s end.

A rating point equals 6,375 households in Western New York.

The rating is especially strong when you consider not one network television prime-time program hits close to a double-digit rating.

In addition, Bills games run for more than three hours, while most prime-time programs run 30 minutes to an hour.

For further comparisons, the Bills 27-24 preseason opening victory a year ago over Indianapolis had a 19.0 rating. It was the only one of the six games over two years to hit below a 21.2 rating.

Saturday’s rating was significantly higher than the 21.0 rating the three Bills 2022 preseason games averaged. That was down from a 23.5 rating in 2021 for three games in what is the highest preseason average on record.

There is one big asterisk: A rating point in 2021 was worth only 5,285 households, which meant more homes were watching in 2022 despite the lower rating.

The four preseason games in 2019 carried by WKBW-TV in the last year of its contract averaged a 17.7 rating. There were no preseason games in 2020 because of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

The preseason games on WKBW in 2018, when Bills fans were still assessing whether Allen was the answer as franchise quarterback, averaged a 22.4 rating.

Bills regular season games regularly get ratings in the 40s when the team is doing as well as it has in recent seasons.

WIVB’s pregame program, “Buffalo Kickoff Live,” averaged a 7.9 rating, which likely is higher than all prime-time programs during the week.

The National Comedy Center will celebrate Mark Russell.

Who doesn’t wish political satirist Mark Russell was still performing during this crazy political year?

Buffalo-born Russell will be celebrated with a reception and dedication at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in an event open to the public.

Russell, who was a founding advisory board member of the National Comedy Center and a longtime Chautauqua Institution resident, died in March at age 90.

Thursday’s event will feature comedian Lewis Black, a Russell fan who is an advisory board chair of the Comedy Center, the nation’s official museum and cultural institution dedicated to comedy.

Materials, artifacts and musical parodies from Russell’s career will be displayed as a permanent component of its “Lyrical Laughter” exhibit. “Mark Russell’s America," a 2012 retrospective on Russell’s more than 100 PBS specials produced by WNED, will be presented in the Comedy Center’s theater.

“Mark Russell transformed the landscape of political humor in America and, in doing so, influenced a generation of comedic artists. His musical satires, beloved for decades by those inside and outside of Washington, made him comedy's greatest lyricist. His comedy legacy is unique and incomparable,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson in a release.

In the same release, Black said: “Mark Russell was an extraordinarily talented satirist with a unique comic voice. He had a rapier wit, which are words I rarely use to describe a comedian. I first saw him at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. With a mischievous grin, his signature bowtie and a happy-go-lucky piano style, Mark would skewer politicians and their politics through song. It made the savagery of his humor seem lighthearted as he took apart his targets through a thousand paper cuts.

“And as I got to know him and his work, my admiration grew. I was lucky to have spent time with him in recent years. As he grew older, his comedy never lost a beat. He lit up any room he was in, with a heart full of love and a lightning sense of humor. Those of us who knew him are deeply saddened by his loss, which can't be filled. Hopefully people will now realize how important he was in the pantheon of Comedy.”

Advance reservations can be made at ComedyCenter.org/MarkRussell. A $33 contribution in Mark Russell’s memory to support the nonprofit National Comedy Center is suggested and includes museum admission. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served at the reception, hosted by Lewis Black and Ali Russell, Mark’s wife.

You may not think Kevin LoVullo’s “Spiel the Wine” on WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) featuring world-renown winemakers, sommeliers, celebrities and local wine enthusiasts would be a perfect fit for Sunday morning television.

But starting Sept. 17, the 12th season will air at 11:30 a.m. Sunday because the first 10 weekly shows can’t air on Saturdays due to NBC Sports events.

It will return to 7 p.m. Saturdays Nov. 25.

Buffalo native and fashion icon Beverly Johnson and her daughter Anansa Sims are featured in the five-part Oprah Winfrey Network documentary series, “Time of Essence,” which premieres at 9 p.m. Friday.

According to a release, the series “is a celebration of the trailblazing magazine that reaches a global community of over 20 million Black women and has revealed some of the most captivating and influential covers of the past half-century.”

The release states the series “will tell the story of how Essence has informed and reflected Black culture in America for over 50 years. Each episode explores a different decade – from the ’70s to today – and features firsthand commentary on that era’s biggest moments from the icons, trailblazers, staffers and leaders who lived and defined them. This candid commentary is coupled with never-before-seen footage and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics, fashion and beauty.”

Winfrey, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union-Wade and Vanessa Williams are among other participants in the series.

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