Football Goes Black to Hype NBC's 'Green Week'

     NBC is taking a “green” gamble to boost sagging ratings as sweeps month begins, by weaving environmental plotlines throughout its programming lineup including many primetime shows throughout “Green Week.”

     NBC is taking a “green” gamble to boost sagging ratings as sweeps month begins, by weaving environmental plotlines throughout its programming lineup including many primetime shows throughout “Green Week.”

     Eco-programming will kickoff, literally, as “Football Night in America” goes dark for the final minute on November 4. Yes, because turning off those studio lights for one minute will somehow remedy the stadium lights that will burn brightly over the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles game for the next three hours.

     [1]“We’re thinking of having Cris Collinsworth wear a miner’s helmet with a light,” show producer Michael Weisman told USA Today November 1.

     According to the Web site for “Green Week,” viewers will presumably get to watch Hayden Panattiere offer the pathetic cheer, [2]“R-E-C-Y-C-L-E, It’s our planet, let’s plant a tree” on “Heroes” November 5. Bringing a whole new meaning to the show’s previous catchphrase, “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.”

     The purpose of “Green Week” is “entertaining, informing and empowering Americans to lead greener lives,” according to the site.

     Tuesday, November 6 will include eco-karaoke as “The Singing Bee” goes green, and “The Biggest Loser’s” will [3]“discover how to exercise without the aid of electricity,” according to a TV Guide blog.

    Even the green giant himself, Al Gore will be making a guest appearance on “30 Rock” November 8. According to the New York Post, [4]“the cast was seen wearing ‘Gore ‘08’ t-shirts” during the episode taping.

     That will be a big night with green issues playing prominently in “The Office,” “Scrubs” and “ER.” According to the TV Guide blog, the Janitor on “Scrubs” turns into an eco-Nazi after watching “An Inconvenient Truth,” and as rolling brownouts plague Chicago, maybe the cast of “ER” will demand some of those curly compact fluorescent lightbulbs. (“Get me some CFLs, STAT!”)

     Morning show viewers can also expect an inundation of green stories. “Today” will be “going to the ends of the earth to report on the changing climate” beginning November 5, but hypocritically the crew will be [5] belching carbon all the way to the Arctic, Ecuador and Antarctica.

     NBC reporters and anchors have often made alarmist remarks about global warming. In January 2007, “Today” co-host Meredith Vieira said she was [6]“running in the park on Saturday [a particularly warm January day], in shorts, thinking this is great, but are we all gonna die?”

     The same network also tied global warming to the [7]California wildfires on October 23, interviewing global warming alarmist Michael Oppenheimer.

     “Green Week” will not be NBC and parent company Universal’s first foray into environmental activism. The networks also aired 75 hours of Gore’s failed Live Earth concerts back in July 2007.

     NBC ratings are currently behind ABC, CBS and Fox according to [8]Zap2It.com.