Olympics: NBC's Bid For TV Glory

Despite a 14-hour time gap, expect a stunner

Television has long been the tail that wags the Olympic mastiff. But the 1988 Summer Games may mark the first time it has wagged an entire national time system. Three years ago, while preparing to sell TV rights to the Games, South Korean Olympic officials realized that the rights would be worth more if the country's clocks were moved forward one hour -- thus enabling more daytime events to be seen in prime time in the U.S. Result: last year, for the first time since the 1960s, South Korea instituted daylight saving time.

The larger implications of such media diplomacy may...

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