That's an old story by now, of course. The real story is that the story continues to unfold.

True, much has changed in 50 years. But much has changed in only the last five, during which professional Football further has widened the gap between itself and the rest of television.

Consider this: In autumn of 2003, the most-viewed NFL telecast was the 15th-most-viewed show overall, a Dolphins-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day that drew 24.2 million.

In the fall of 2008, 13 of the 15 most-viewed TV slots featured the NFL, topped by 25.7 million for the Fox doubleheader game starring the Cowboys and Steelers Dec. 7.

The only exceptions were the "60 Minutes" episode featuring Barack Obama - which benefited from a strong Chargers-Steelers lead-in - and the "CSI" season premiere.

For veterans of a different era, one exemplified by NBC choosing "Heidi" over a Jets-Raiders finish 40 years ago last month, the numbers are remarkable. Pleasantly so, if you happen to work for the NFL.

"We're thrilled by it," said Howard Katz, the league's senior VP of broadcasting and a former president of ABC Sports, "but I don't think that we take any of it for granted. We have to be careful. We're mindful of potential pitfalls. Nothing lasts forever."

That clearly is true of the era of scripted, prime-time, broadcast entertainment television, whose hold has been weakened by the rise of cable TV, video games, the Internet, DVR use and other factors.

In the fall of 2003, 11 shows exceeded 26 million viewers - two of them Game 7s of baseball's LCS. This year, none did. (That soon will change; last season, four NFL playoff games topped 40 million.)

And it's not just entertainment. Other sports have seen their ratings consistently erode, too. Yet the NFL defies gravity, a mostly DVR-proof attraction, aided by gambling and fantasy play.

Presidential elections and the Olympics are not annual events. That mostly leaves the NFL postseason, Academy Awards and "American Idol" as the closest things to national communal experiences.

All three are coming this winter. But even in its regular-season form, the NFL rules the fall, not only in prime time but increasingly and especially in the ratings gold of the 4:15 p.m. slot.

Outside broadcast TV, "Monday Night Football" dominates the list of most-viewed cable shows, and the NFL Network, fueled by two live games, had its best ratings ever last week.

"I think television is based on big events, and clearly the NFL every week is a big event," CBS president Leslie Moonves said. "In this day and age, live sporting events are still a great place to spend your time and spend your money."

(Despite its popularity, the NFL insists it too is impacted by the sour economy and will shed 10 percent of its staff in the coming months.)

New York, a baseball town where the Yankees and Mets draw big audiences, never will match the likes of Pittsburgh, where a stunning 44.6 percent of homes on average have watched the Steelers in '08.

But even here, the Jets and Giants rank second and third behind the Falcons in percentage rise in local ratings this season compared to last. (The Jets are up 28.4 percent, the Giants 19.7).

Thirteen times in 16 weeks, an NFL game was the most-viewed show of any kind in the New York area, compared to only twice five years ago.

Katz offered this understatement: "The viewers seem to be speaking."

Strange but true:

Few will see historic Lions

The good news is the NFL is relaxing its arcane TV rules Sunday, which will free the New York market to get four afternoon games, two each at 1 and 4:15 p.m.

The bad news: Because the NFL and its network partners lack a sense of humor when it comes to the serious business of scheduling, the day's most historic game won't be on here, or almost anywhere.

While 66 percent of the nation will get the Giants-Vikings game at 1 o'clock, a mere 6 percent will see the 0-15 Lions visit the Packers.

The game will be called by Chris Rose, best known for hosting "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and being a college friend of Ken Davidoff.

The analyst is John Lynch, who still was a player the last time these teams met, in September, and who has been with Fox for a month.

A list of the major markets that will see the game in its entirety: Detroit, Milwaukee.

Just wondering: SNY is in full shakeup mode

SNY has not announced what it will do with Chris Carlin after he leaves WFAN next week to work full-time at the network, but he is expected to host Mets pre- and postgame shows, succeeding Matt Yallof.

That would mean an all-new team, as Lee Mazzilli is out, perhaps to be replaced by Bob Ojeda.

Why the changes? It appears the network is looking for more pizzazz from the studio shows. That sounds like potential trouble, but we shall see.

Yallof (a distant cousin of mine) is a solid pro who sets up his analysts well.

Long-time SNYers Chris Cotter and Ken Choi are not expected back for 2009, but Jonas Schwartz will see his role expand and NY1's Michelle Yu will join the staff.

Former Knick (and Pittsburgh Panther) Charles Smith and former Providence coach Tim Welsh will be studio analysts for the network's Big East basketball coverage.

Best's bets: NHL hopes for winter wonderland at Wrigley

Much can change in the fickle Chicago weather forecast in nearly a week, but as of yesterday, there was this ominous news for Thursday: sunshine and 28 degrees.

While that might be ideal weather for most outdoor hockey games, the NHL and NBC would opt for at least a few of those picturesque flakes that fell on suburban Buffalo last Jan. 1.

They helped make the inaugural Winter Classic a ratings and publicity bonanza, its 3.7 million viewers the most for an NHL regular-season game in 12 years.

Even if there is no snow, NBC can leverage two storied franchises in the Red Wings and Blackhawks and an equally storied venue: Wrigley Field, which secured the event after a failed effort to stage it at Yankee Stadium.

NBC analyst Ed Olczyk said during a conference call that he is "so envious and jealous of the guys that get that opportunity to play in that game in arguably the greatest sports venue there has ever been."

Of course, as a native Chicagoan, he's biased.

The game will be on opposite Michigan State and Georgia in the Capital One Bowl, perhaps taking a chunk out of the important Detroit market.

"Last time I checked, Detroit is called Hockeytown," producer Sam Flood said. "You can't see the Red Wings play outdoors every day."