ARTICLE - NBC Awkwardly & Abruptly Ends Olympic Coverage

How did NBC choose to end its 865 hours of Winter Olympic coverage? By barely acknowledging that said coverage was ending.

In a bizarre conclusion to its telecasts of the 2010 Vancouver Games, NBC awkwardly cut away to air the premiere of the much-hyped reality show, "The Marriage Ref." Viewers were abruptly informed that coverage of the Ceremony would continue at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Here's how it went down: At 10:29 p.m. ET, the network abruptly cut to commercial after singer Michael Buble finished a swinging, Sinatra-like rendition of "The Maple Leaf Forever". After a few ads, NBC cut back to a wide shot of the ongoing Ceremony (there were a number of inflatable animals on the floor at BC Place, making it look like an indoor version of the Macy's Day Parade) and viewers heard Bob Costas say:

"We're back in an hour with the Closing Ceremony party from Vancouver. Nickleback and Avril Lavigne are among the acts that will be performing. But right now we take you to the premiere of Jerry Seinfeld's new series, 'The Marriage Ref.' "

And then, suddenly, coverage of the Olympics was over and the intro to Jerry Seinfeld's show began.

All that NBC does in over-dramatizing the Games and that's how they choose to end coverage for a vast majority of viewers? (Because, let's face it, most people aren't tuning in for the 11:30 p.m. coverage.) No Costas sign-off? No end credits? No cheesy summation of the triumphs of the Olympic spirit? Where's our closure?

Well, now I know how disappointing modern-day television and the networks are. One can only hope that NBC will NOT get the 2014 Olympics after this distastful display. And to cut off a once-every four years event for a stupid reality show! Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.