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A couple of questions about Fox TV

I remember building a very elaborate tinfoil and coat hanger rig at the time in order to
receive WUPW out of Toledo.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
I remember building a very elaborate tinfoil and coat hanger rig at the time in order to
receive WUPW out of Toledo.
Click to expand...

All the fun I've missed out on as a child, being from the other side of the 'pond' :D :D

(I built vaguely similar things to pull in FM stations which were just outside comfortable reception range)
 
The previously referenced book "Outfoxed" is an excellent read if you can find it. (I still have my copy)

There are several milestones to look at. First: beating one of the Big 3 in a timeslot on one night. That actually happened fairly fast with the debute of "Warewolf." Second: winning a timeslot on one night. It was the second year before that happened, and it was Married...With Children that did it. It wasn't long after that that Fox started winning that timeslot fairly regularly. By the time the Simpsons came along at Christmas in 1989, Fox was faring pretty well on Sunday nights.

I am not sure when Fox actually beat one of the other networks for a full season in the ratings, but late 90s wouldn't be a bad bet. It's consistently done so since Idol started in 2002 and frequently wound up on top in the 18-49 ratings.
 
How did they publicise Fox when it launched? Billboards? Newspapers and radio?

Did the established networks try and ignore it?
 
How did they publicise Fox when it launched? Billboards? Newspapers and radio?

Did the established networks try and ignore it?
 
BMR said:
How did they publicise Fox when it launched? Billboards? Newspapers and radio?

Did the established networks try and ignore it?
Click to expand...

Yes to all, plus they had big ads in TV Guide, back when there was such a thing.

The "big three" networks pretty much ignored Fox (and they were easy to ignore for the first several years of their existence).
 
BMR said:
How did they publicise Fox when it launched? Billboards? Newspapers and radio?

Did the established networks try and ignore it?
Click to expand...

Their first big "get" was the Primetime Emmys in 1987, which gave them a guaranteed audience right off the bat, though the Emmys organization had to withstand scorn of the big three for rejecting their deal for an upstart and of course, lowered ratings expectations since the only comparison you could do with a Fox affiliate in primetime was an airing of Body Heat chopped to death the year before. Until 1992 when they got more youthful shows such as the Blockbuster and Billboard awards, that was Fox's only 'guaranteed get' for ratings for a special event until they signed with the NFL.

Also back then, there were independents which had much more branding clarity than the regular network affiliates, and they were only too happy to align with a network which had a clear purpose after going through years of Throb, It's a Living and She's the Sheriff. Certainly the compulsory Fox branding by all stations didn't hurt either.
 
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