Network Game Shows Uncleared by Affiliates

[johnnya2k6]

I can't think of any daytime pre-emptions here in Alaska, but I know the short-lived 1989 version of "Now You See It" was shown in Anchorage (KTVA) but not in Fairbanks (then-CBS affiliate KTVF).

But while KATN and KTVF were secondary NBC stations until 1996, here were some of the daytime shows they carried:

KATN:
Wheel of Fortune (KTVF picked up the nighttime version in 1988)
Scrabble (both 1984-90 and 1993 versions)
Let's Make a Deal (1990)
To Tell The Truth (1990)
Scattergories
WordPlay
Classic Concentration
Win, Lose, or Draw (nighttime version wasn't shown here)
Time Machine (I think)
Days of our Lives
John and Leeza

KTVF:
Santa Barbara
Doctor Dean

KATN also ran Super Password and Sale of the Century; both were moved to KTVF in 1987. And none of them picked up Generations or Caesar's Challenge, though KTUU in Anchorage did clear all of NBC's daytime lineup (they had to; they were the only full-time NBC affiliate in Alaska).

 

[azumanga]

But while KATN and KTVF were secondary NBC stations until 1996, here were some of the daytime shows they carried:

KATN:
Win, Lose, or Draw (nighttime version wasn't shown here)

Funny that Fairbanks viewers saw the daytime Vicki Lawrence version, and not the nighttime Bert Convy / Robb Weller version.

It was the opposite in Tampa Bay -- WTSP carried the Bert Convy show while WTMV (WMOR) took it after Robb Weller became host, but WXFL / WFLA never cleared the daytime version and (to my knowledge), no other station picked it up.

 

[johnnya2k6]

But while KATN and KTVF were secondary NBC stations until 1996, here were some of the daytime shows they carried:

KATN:
Win, Lose, or Draw (nighttime version wasn't shown here)

Funny that Fairbanks viewers saw the daytime Vicki Lawrence version, and not the nighttime Bert Convy / Robb Weller version.

That was because until KFXF hit the air in 1992, KATN and KTVF were the only two network stations we had.

But when I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in summer 1989 and had cable installed in our home so we could access the New Orleans stations plus WKRG from Mobile, I would finally catch some of the popular syndicated shows Fairbanks wouldn't see for years (namely Oprah Winfrey, Jeopardy, American Gladiators, Siskel & Ebert, and WWF wrestling). In other words, we had a three-year head start.

 

[Wright County Guy]

Win, Lose, or Draw (nighttime version wasn't shown here)

Funny that Fairbanks viewers saw the daytime Vicki Lawrence version, and not the nighttime Bert Convy / Robb Weller version.

Also true in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

 

[cwf1701]

IN Detroit, WDIV(WWJ(1)) would not clear any 12:00 or 12:30 NBC game shows and used it for news. WDIV also did not clear the Hollywood Squares/Match Game Hour. WXYZ did not clear the last two weeks of "You Don't Say" and replaced it with the last 2 weeks of CBS "Edge Of Night" after WJBK dropped the show ahead of CBS dropping "Edge of Night". The twist is that at the time, WXYZ was a ABC O&O station, and "Edge Of Night" was moving to ABC.

 

[RyanHoward]

I seem to recall WRAL, when it was still an ABC affiliate,
pre-empting "Feud" at noon; WFTV may have been another
(someone from Orlando correct me on this). There were
plenty that ran "Feud" on a day-behind: WSB ran it at 9 AM
and sister station WSOC at 10; WJLA was another (and I
think Baltimore's WJZ pre-empted it altogether, although it's
one of the few I recall running "Edge Of Night" at 4).

WTSP in Tampa Bay also bumped "Feud" outright after its move to 12 Noon for news, meaning those wanting to watch it must watch channel 40. Same for "Edge of Night", which WTSP always bump for syndicated programming.

In my area, WPVI in Philly kept the Feud at 11:30 am when it moved to 12 noon nationally,
so that they could have their news at noon. If you wanted to see "Family Feud at noon, you'd
have to go to WABC in New York. Also at that time, then-NBC affil KYW pre-empted a boatload
of NBC game shows for a local show called "AM/PM," which was hosted by a then-less famous
Maury Povich.

 

[johnnya2k6]

And when Edge of Night moved to ABC, KIMO in Anchorage (now KYUR) didn't touch it even if they cleared the rest of ABC daytime.

Oh, and KIMO was also the only station in Alaska with "Donahue" until future sister station KATN carried it for Fairbanks viewers in around 1985 (he was still the #1 talker...at least for another year of course).

 

[johnnya2k6]

CORRECTION: KTVF started carrying some NBC shows in 1985-86; another was Santa Barbara (moved from KATN).

 

[harrisburgpatv]

In my area, WPVI in Philly kept the Feud at 11:30 am when it moved to 12 noon nationally,
so that they could have their news at noon. If you wanted to see "Family Feud at noon, you'd
have to go to WABC in New York. Also at that time, then-NBC affil KYW pre-empted a boatload
of NBC game shows for a local show called "AM/PM," which was hosted by a then-less famous
Maury Povich.

They kept the Feud at 11:30 until "Loving" premiered; when it did, WPVI opted to go with that instead. The Feud actually went back to noon, airing on (then) WTAF-29, until the fall, when the daytime version left Philly forever. Not even Feud going back to the 11:30am timeslot in October '84 netted WPVI getting it back - they opted to air Ryan's Hope at 11:30 instead (which by then became the noon show when "Loving" moved to 12:30).

 

[johnnya2k6]

Forgot one other NBC daytime show KATN cleared in the mid-'80s: Blockbusters (1987 version with Bill Rafferty).

 

[johnnya2k6]

WTAE dumped most of the ABC soaps in the 70's, though "General Hospital" aired delayed by several days at 9:30, even during the Luke and Laura era.

Speaking of which, General Hospital during the Luke and Laura era wasn't shown in Fairbanks in the early '80s...or so we thought? There was pretty much high demand for GH to be aired here after fans read or heard about it from their friends in the Lower 48, and I think KTTU (now KATN) decided to carry it.

After all, TV Guide always says "Stations and networks reserve the right to make last-minute changes" in their listings

 

[azumanga]

General Hospital during the Luke and Laura era wasn't shown in Fairbanks in the early '80s...or so we thought? There was pretty much high demand for GH to be aired here after fans read or heard about it from their friends in the Lower 48, and I think KTTU (now KATN) decided to carry it.

After all, TV Guide always says "Stations and networks reserve the right to make last-minute changes" in their listings

Except in Alaska, where there was no TVG edition (except for a brief time in the late-1990s).

Sorry -- couldn't resist.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

WTAE dumped most of the ABC soaps in the 70's, though "General Hospital" aired delayed by several days at 9:30, even during the Luke and Laura era.

Speaking of which, General Hospital during the Luke and Laura era wasn't shown in Fairbanks in the early '80s...or so we thought? There was pretty much high demand for GH to be aired here after fans read or heard about it from their friends in the Lower 48, and I think KTTU (now KATN) decided to carry it.

After all, TV Guide always says "Stations and networks reserve the right to make last-minute changes" in their listings

I've also been surprised during the early '80s that in the Quincy, IL/Hannibal, MO market, which had no ABC affiliate to speak of (other than a barely Grade B signal from KTVO-3 Kirksville/Ottumwa that served as the de facto ABC for Quincy), that during the Luke and Laura era that WGEM-10 (NBC), which carried at least two ABC daytime shows (daytime Dawson "Family Feud" and "All My Children"--the latter continued to air on WGEM until the late '90s), that "General Hospital" didn't briefly replace AMC on WGEM--unless there wasn't much of a demand for Luke and Laura among OTA viewers in the Tri-States.

 

[bpatrick]

Back in the late '70s WVEC (ABC) in Norfolk pre-empted both
"Family Feud" and "$20,000 Pyramid" from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
in favor of a local "Midday" show. A few years earlier WAVY (NBC)
pre-empted "Jeopardy!" and "Who, What Or Where" briefly to carry
something called "Mike And Lynn Roundabout Tidewater," and I don't
recall WTKR (CBS) airing CBS's 10-11 AM games in the '80s.

In Greenville, SC, WFBC (WYFF) ran hot and cold with the "3Ws,"
finally dropping it in favor of local news at 12:30, so that "Jeopardy!"
could air in pattern at noon. WESH Daytona Beach/Orlando did the
same thing; in fact, when I lived in Florida in the '70s the midday newscasts
in Orlando were staggered: WFTV (ABC) at noon, delaying "Password" to 11
AM on a week-behind; WESH (NBC) at 12:30; WDBO (WKMG) (CBS) at 1, so that
"Y&R" and "Search For Tomorrow" could air in pattern from 12-1.

And how many of you had the original, '60s version of "Match Game" on delay in
your market? The show aired in pattern at 4/3; I remember that WITN Greenville/
New Bern/Washington, NC, was the only NBC affiliate in North Carolina to air it
in pattern all the way; WSJS (WXII) Winston-Salem carried it a week-behind at 1 PM starting
around 1966 or '67; WCCB Charlotte carried it at 4 but when the FCC made the three
Charlotte affiliates choose one network each, and WSOC became the NBC affiliate,
"Match Game" was no longer carried in the Queen City. CBS/NBC affiliates WECT
Wilmington and WTVD Raleigh/Durham opted for "Secret Storm" at 4 during those
years. The original "Match Game" also aired on delay at 1 in Richmond, Orlando,
and Greenville, SC; and at 9 AM in Knoxville.

(Note: "You Don't Say!" was "Match Game"'s lead-in and WSOC didn't carry it either until
its last few months; Greenville, SC started getting "Match Game" in pattern about this time--
spring 1969--although WFBC dropped "You Don't Say!" in the process.
I also recall back in '63 that WRAL, which aired some NBC shows despite its primary ABC
affiliation, had "You Don't Say!" but dropped it after CBS and WTVD moved "Edge Of Night"
to 3:30; I don't know if "Edge" was murdering "You Don't Say!" or ABC was pressuring WRAL
to run "Who Do You Trust?" at 3:30, but that's what happened, even though "Trust," then
hosted by Woody Woodbury, was on its last legs by the summer of '63.)

 

[cd637299]

The 1960s "Match Game" was an interesting one* here in south FL.

WPTV 5 carried it in pattern for most of the late 60s, but WCKT 7 had it on 1-week delay for a lot of the run. What was really bizarre, though, was later on, WPTV carried it on a 1-DAY delay (despite week-long celeb stints, which meant Tuesday would bring new celebs)! At that time (1968-69 or so), both 5 & 7 had it at 1pm (when 4pm EST was in pattern).

[*BTW I would love to see the color 1969 one that the Museum in NYC has....I've seen most of the other available ones with the "Swingin' Safari" theme......1969 had a different theme song, which I am sure that few remember! Also I loved their "scroll" scoreboard....as I kid, I wondered how high it could go. You have to see it to understand my drift.]

cd

 

[Kurt Toy]

In Pittsburgh, KDKA either dropped the 4:00 shows or delayed them until 9 or 9:30 the next morning. They also pre-empted "As the World Turns" until 1990!

WPXI never carried "Super Password" or whatever aired at noon - Channel 22 picked up some of these shows. They aired syndicated shows at 10 as well.

WTAE dumped most of the ABC soaps in the 70's, though "General Hospital" aired delayed by several days at 9:30, even during the Luke and Laura era.

Seems like GH is the only ABC soap that WTAE has run from the outset.

 

[bpatrick]

I remember back around 1971 or '72 WVUE New Orleans pre-empted
all ABC soaps ("AMC," "GH," "OLTL") and "The Dating Game." "AMC"
was pre-empted for noon news; the others, for a movie airing 1:30-3
PM (CT).

 

[johnnya2k6]

Living in Phoenix from 1983-85, I seem to remember All-Star Blitz not carried on then-ABC affiliate KTVK; then-independent KPHO picked it up (during the credits, they would play their news theme over the continuity voiceover).

 

[johnnya2k6]

In Boston, Match Game '90 was on then-indie WHLL instead of WCVB as this promo explains: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O8TSDDwrXU

 

[MCarney]

The networks ,especially NBC should have penalized the hell out of their affiliates for refusing to air game shows in the late 1970's until the early 1990's.

Nice thought, but in most markets back in the 70s and 80s where would they go? For example, in Boston NBC was not happy with WBZ preempting shows (especially the 12p hour for news and local programming like "People are Talking".) But what were the options? WNAC was owned by RKO General and they preempted a great deal of ABC programming between 1961-1972, mainly for local talk shows and movies. (They were better when they switched to CBS in March 1972). Channel 5 was not an option - WHDH was in hearings over their license, and when they lost and WCVB came on they forged a close association with ABC that lasts to this day. That would leave the UHF stations (which often carried the non-cleared programming). Back in the day before cable it was unthinkable for a network to be on a UHF station when a VHF station was available. VHF was easier to get in over-the-air, and the idea of an "NBC 38" or "NBC 56" sounded like a step down. Plus WSBK channel 38 had a full schedule of Boston Red Sox baseball and Boston Bruins hockey it did not want to give up for prime-time programming.