MONDAY KICKOFFS RETURN TO 6 P.M.

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

An underwhelming response from the Midwest and West to the 40-minute earlier kickoff has forced ABC to push the start of ``Monday Night Football'' back to 6 p.m. PDT, the network and league announced Thursday.

Overall, ``MNF'' had an all-time low 13.9 rating in 1998, down from a 15.0 the year before.

A jump of only 2 percent with Eastern viewers who complained that the 9 p.m. EDT kickoff put the ending past midnight, combined with a drop of 14 percent for the Midwest and West, were the deciding factors, said Dennis Lewin, ABC's senior vice president of broadcasting.

ABC's first Monday night telecast is scheduled for Sept. 13, when the Miami Dolphins visit the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

Kickoff for Sunday night games broadcast on ESPN remain at 5:20 p.m. PDT.