KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego morning anchor Steven Luke is heading to Paris to cover the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. He was scheduled to catch a flight from San Diego on Sunday, July 21, and arrive in Paris, France, on Monday, July 22.
Between July 26 and Aug. 11, from the opening to closing ceremonies, Luke is scheduled to report live on NBC 7’s morning news program, airing from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., along with the early evening and 11 p.m. newscasts. He also is planning to post daily updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He is part of a team of NBCUniversal journalists from NBC owned-and-operated stations.
“The bulk of my time will be devoted to San Diego coverage,” Luke told Times of San Diego. “San Diego has more than 50 local athletes who grew up here or live here now competing in the games. We’ll be telling their stories in Paris along with local coverage of the big moments. I’m just excited to cover the games for San Diego. Our coverage in Paris will be the most in-depth ever.”
This will be Luke’s eighth Olympic appearance for NBC 7. He has been reporting on local Olympics connections and storylines since 2003, including trips to Torino (2006), London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Toyko (2021), as well Winter Olympics in Sochi in Russia (2014), Pyeongchang in South Korea (2018) and Beijing (2022). He’s been on the air with the station since August 2002.
“Covering the Olympics is still one of the most favorite things about my job,” said Luke. “I have a ton of memorable moments, including watching Shaun White, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles win gold medals. My all-time favorite moment was be there to watch Usain Bolt win the 100-meters in London.”
Prior to traveling to France, Luke has produced and reported a weekly feature on San Diego’s Olympic hopefuls called “The Road To Paris.” The features, seen on newscasts every Thursday on NBC 7 news at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., started airing at the beginning of April.
Luke said the Olympics in Paris will be dramatically different than the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, which were delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus led Japanese officials to ban spectators in the stands for the first time in the history of the Summer Games.
“I loved the Tokyo Olympics, but I felt bad it was not what it could have been due to the absence of spectators and foreign travelers,” said Luke. “I spent the first half of the games under a limited quarantine but was able to travel freely throughout the city after two weeks of negative tests.
“My favorite moment in Tokyo was my daily trip to Starbucks during the initial two-week quarantine period where we were given a 15-minute window to leave our hotel. The only way I could get to and from the Starbucks within the agreed upon time frame was to run both ways.
“Paris will be a back-to-normal Olympics without any COVID protocols. However, Paris did not build an Olympic Park. Instead, the events will be held at venues that are part of the existing infrastructure. Viewers will see many famous landmarks in the backdrop of the competition. It will be an Olympics in the middle of a bustling city.”
Luke has worked in TV news for the past 25 years.
“Covering the Olympics has no question been a consistent high point in my TV news career,” Luke said. “Having been with NBC most of my career and getting the chance to do this over-and-over again is not something I take for granted. It does feel like a marathon at times because of the long hours and logistics, but it’s very satisfying.
“People often ask during the games `are you having too much fun?’ I usually say `yes, just not the kind of fun you think I’m having.’”
Tourism Marketing District Allocates $51 Million for Promotion
The San Diego Tourism Marketing District, a nonprofit corporation funded by a 2% surcharge on hotel room stays in San Diego, has announced $50.9 million in grants for tourism marketing programs in fiscal year 2025, which began July 1.
Grants are intended to drive overnight visitors to the city and increase hotel occupancy. The grants are the second largest in the district’s 16-year history, after a record $52.5 million made available in 2023 and the $48 million for grants in 2020.
“As we kick off FY25, we’re excited to build upon the record investment made in FY24 as we continue building and nurturing a roster of engaging events that attract more out-of-town visitors who fill more hotel rooms,” said Richard Bartell, board chair. “It’s good to be back on solid ground as we look ahead to another strong year for America’s Finest City.”
In a statement, the district said grant recipients are selected based on opportunities that occur during traditionally slower travel periods in order to sustain steady year-round tourism. The district said it also looks for programs and events that drive tourism across the city and gives back to the local community.
The single biggest recipient of this year’s money is the San Diego Tourism Authority, the city’s major destination marketing organization. The authority will receive $47.6 million to support strategic marketing programs throughout the year.
The second largest recipient at $1.8 million is Sports San Diego, the nonprofit organization that markets San Diego to athletic tournaments and competitions, which have become a big driver of local travel. Sports San Diego organizes the San Diego Holiday Bowl, a college football game played in December, California State Games, July 12-21, and Rady Children’s Invitational, a basketball tournament to be held Nov. 28-29.
A number of other organizations will share roughly $739,000 tfor several established, tourism-generating events and programs that yield strong returns. These recipients include San Diego Bayfair ($200,000), San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival ($74,500), La Jolla Concours d’Elegance ($74,500), U.S. Police & Fire Championships ($71,000), San Diego Crew Classic ($156,500) and San Diego Open ($163,200).
The Tourism Marketing Distirct is self-funded with assessments on room nights from city hotels with 70 rooms or more. Collectively, the marketing grants are projected to drive more than 5.8 million room nights to generate more than $1.5 billion in room night revenue.
DirecTV Bolsters Brand as San Diego FC Jersey Partner
DirecTV, the digital entertainment TV service, has signed a multi-year agreement to become the official jersey sponsor of the San Diego Football Club, a new Major League Soccer franchise.
An announcement said the DirecTV logo will appear across the front of club’s primary and secondary jerseys for all games during the expansion club’s inaugural season that will begin in February.
The club said DirecTV’s “Chrome Club” sponsorship includes content features, co-branded retail promotions, interior and exterior stadium branding and TV-visible signage inside Snapdragon Stadium, which serves as home field.
In addition, the deal makes DirecTV the official video entertainment provider for various other venues, including the club’s Performance Center in El Cajon ans global headquarters in Little Italy.
A statement said DirecTV also intends to offer its customers exclusive product features and invitations to special events, along with soccer-themed contests and sweepstakes through DirecTV Perks starting with an opportunity to meet international Mexican star Chucky Lozano, who recently signed a four-year contract to play for the club.
Community outreach will include support for the nonprofit Ronald McDonald Housing Charities, as well as efforts benefiting active military and veterans, the statement said.
“DirecTV is honored to be such an integral part of the fabric of the San Diego Football Club family,” said Vince Torres, chief marketing officer of DirecTV, based in El Segundo, Calif. “This extensive sponsorship will allow us to join with the club at its infancy in meaningful ways and marry SDFC’s passion for soccer with our desire to reach the millions of fervent soccer fans in San Diego and nationally.”
The soccer club said, “The partnership brings together two California brands that share a commitment to excellence and innovation and are dedicated to fostering a strong sense of community and delivering exceptional experiences to sports fans.”
“San Diego FC is honored to collaborate with DirecTV, a company with deep California roots,” said Tom Penn, CEO of the club. “This historic sponsorship, which includes our first official jersey sponsor, highlights our commitment to bringing impassioned experiences to our fans and demonstrates our dedication to integrating with the San Diego community through a brand in our backyard that shares similar values and a similar vision. We are confident DirecTV’s impact will enhance the fan experience both in the stadium and throughout San Diego.”
San Diego FC will become MLS’s 30th club. It is owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in a professional soccer team. The ownership group also includes San Diego Padres star Manny Machado.
The partnership with the club is DirecTV’s latest sports sponsorship designed to bolster its brand image and public awareness.
DirecTV currently has multi-year sports sponsorship agreements with the University of Notre Dame Athletics Department and its 26 varsity athletic teams, along with the Big Ten Conference. It is sponsoring the DirecTV Soccer Champions Tour, which kicks-off on July 27.
In addition, DirecTV was the patch sponsor for the USA Baseball team that played in the 2023 World Series Baseball Classic, and the title sponsor of the 44th annual Holiday Bowl, San Diego’s college football bowl game that was played last Dec. 27 at Petco Park.
How to Watch the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games
NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, July 26 to Aug. 11, will offer more ways for viewers to watch their favorite events, competitions and athletes via broadcast and cable networks, streaming service Peacock, Spanish language and theater experiences.
The opening ceremony, airing on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo beginning at 9 a.m. (Pacific time) on Friday, July 26, will be held outside the confines of a traditional stadium. Organizers will turn one of the world’s most famous waterways, the River Seine, into the world’s biggest theatrical stage with a flotilla of nearly 100 boats carrying the athletes past hundreds of thousands of spectators.
NBC commentators for the opening ceremony will include primetime host Mike Tirico, talk-show host Kelly Clarkson and Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor will report from the Team USA boat. “Today” hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will be on a bridge along the route.
The opening ceremonies also can be experienced at more than 150 IMAX locations nationwide. It will be the first time ever the global event will be presented live in IMAX, providing fans with a unique and immersive theater experience to enjoy one of the most spectacular opening ceremonies in Olympic history.
Meanwhile, daytime programming will air during the two weeks on NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, Telemundo and Universo.
NBC will provide at least nine hours of daytime Olympic coverage every day, plus a three-hour primetime show.
With Paris six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the U.S., the daytime coverage will feature that day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon.
The three-hour nighttime show called “Primetime in Paris” will air each night on the NBC network with Tirico and the Eiffel Tower serving as the backdrop. Most nights, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg will join Tirico and report on visits with Olympic athletes and friends and families and exploring the unique sights and sounds that Paris has to offer.
Peacock will offer live streaming coverage of all sports and events. In a Summer Games first, Peacock will stream an estimated 5,000 hours of live coverage, including all 329 medal events, along with full-event replays, video clips and all NBC programming. Commentators on Peacock will include comedians Kevin Hart, Kenan Thompson and Alex Cooper.
USA Network will be the primary home for U.S. team sports, including swimming, track and field, soccer, basketball and 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, rugby, cycling, volleyball and water polo.
CNBC will feature boxing, cycling, rugby and skateboarding.
E! will feature coverage of track and field, gymnastics, canoeing, diving, equestrian, artistic swimming, breaking, fencing and water polo.
The Golf Channel will show the live golf competitions throughout the Paris Olympics from Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Spanish-language Telemundo and Universo will present more than 315 hours of live competitions and daily recap specials. On most days, the network will offer at least six hours of daytime coverage of the Summer Games and up to 12 hours of programming on soccer days. In addition, Telemundo will present a two-hour recap show highlighting the best Olympic stories of the day.
Organizers put a premium on the city’s existing sites and attractions. The athletes will compete against the backdrop of the city where the modern Olympic Games were conceived 130 years ago.
The Aquatic Centre, where artistic swimming, water polo and diving events are scheduled, is the only facility purpose-built for the 2024 Games, while others are existing sites, repurposed facilities or temporary venues.
In a first, a beach volleyball stadium is beneath the Eiffel Tower, archery will be held at the famed Esplanade des Invalides, and equestrian and modern pentathlon events will be contested on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
Surfing won’t be quite as accessible. The surfing competition will take place nearly 10,000 miles from Paris in Tahiti, a part of French Polynesia.
NBC and its affiliates have worked out an arrangement that will give affiliates 90-second cut-ins during daytime network coverage of the Games. Affiliates will be able to use the cut-ins to promote their local news in front of Olympic-sized audiences.
On some weekdays, the cut-ins will appear during an afternoon break at about 5 p.m., which is around the time viewers would normally tune in to early-evening local news programming.
Sponsors include worldwide brands. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola Co., Deloitte, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Toyota and Visa are worldwide Olympic partners with exclusive global marketing rights to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to Ad Age, an advertising industry trade publication, the Games represents a huge revenue source for NBCUniversal. Ad Age said the price for a 30-second spot in Olympics primetime coverage is in the $750,000 to $850,000 range.
The United States is strongly favored to win the most overall medals. According to Nielsen’s Gracenote Sports, which supplies statistical analysis for sports leagues around the world, the U.S. States is projected to win 123 medals overall, including 37 gold, 34 silver, and 52 bronze. China is forecast to win 87 overall, including 36 gold, 29 silver, and 22 bronze. The forecast is based on major competitions involving Olympic sports leading up to the Games. The United States and China finished one-two in overall medals in 2021 in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Olympic organizers have been eager to expand its audience and its future prospects with younger consumers. Break dancing, also called breaking, will be contested for the first time in France. Skateboarding was added in Tokyo in 2021.
American breakdancer Victor Montalvo, who is considered among the gold medal favorites, has brand deals with San Diego-based Jack in the Box, Athletic Brewing and Shiseido.
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032, which includes Paris (2024), Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028) and Brisbane (2032). The host city for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games has not yet been chosen.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
