They preempted that for this?

[bpatrick]

Re: When was the last time a station willingly pre-empted an NFL game?

I've previously mentioned a couple: in 1991 WXII Winston-Salem
pre-empted NBC's coverage of an AFC playoff game because of a
prior commitment to ACC basketball; CBS affiliate WFMY stepped in
and carried the football game.

In 1972 WSB routinely pre-empted the second game of NBC's AFC
doubleheaders (regardless of whether or not the Falcons were on
WAGA on any given Sunday) in order to accommodate Lawrence Welk.
Ted Turner (in his "the NBC network moves to Channel 17" days) stepped
in and aired the second game. That practice ended after that season;
WSB started airing Welk on Saturdays during football season and Sundays
the rest of the year, until it switched to ABC and a conflict with "Wide World
Of Sports" forced the station to drop Welk.

 

[DToTheJ]

Re: When was the last time a station willingly pre-empted an NFL game?

One would say WSB set a new precedent for "Welk" on Saturdays.

 

[cwf1701]

Re: When was the last time a station willingly pre-empted an NFL game?

Another great example was WDIV in 1987. as they had rights to the Detroit Tigers at the time, and a critical game (game 162) was also scheduled 3:00PM Sunday, and the AL East was still not decided between the Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.

 

[BRNout]

Re: When was the last time a station willingly pre-empted an NFL game?

KSL, when they were a CBS affiliate, used to do this on one Sunday a year: LDS General Conference (the October version). Because they'd cover conference wall-to-wall all day, NFL games would be bumped. Usually to what is now KUCW-30 (was it KOOG back then?) which did not have statewide cable coverage at the time. If you lived in an area that didn't get that channel on cable or via translator it was too bad for you.

Once Salt Lake had their big network switch, KSL ended up with NBC and KUTV became the CBS affiliate (an O&O at the time) and those pre-emptions stopped. Of course, now it was Saturday Night Live that went over the channel 30 every week.

This was one reason why, when I lived out there, I had a big ugly dish in my backyard and used a friend's address in Colorado as my 'billing address' so that I could get the Denver 5/6. And PT24. That pre-empted the pre-emptions as far as my TV was concerned!

 

[spencerkarter85]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

I know that Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC's ABC affiliate passed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" during the first five years. I've also found out that WJZ-TV in Baltimore, MD pre-empted "Dark Shadows" during its ABC run when it was affiliated with that network. I don't know that WJZ later cleared "Dark Shadows".


In Columbia, SC. WIS-TV pre-empted "Search for Tomorrow" during its NBC run (1982-86), same story for WDIV-TV in Detroit (the same station and its sister station KPRC refused to air "Poker After Dark"). Back in 1998, Greensboro, NC's CBS station WFMY-TV pre-empted the CBS Friday Night line-up for a Tommy Lee Jones movie.

In my home market (Greenville, SC), WLOS 13 was notorious for pre-empting ABC shows a lot. They didn't cleared the ABC run of "The Edge of Night", "The Mike and Maty Show" (pre-empted by Jerry Springer), "All American Girl" (the short lived Margaret Cho sitcom on ABC, pre-empted by reruns of "Murphy Brown"), "Fudge", "Here Come the Brides" (with Bobby Sherman and pre-Starsky and Hutch David Soul), "The Flying Nun", "Delta" (ABC short lived sitcom with Delta Burke). Plus, they pre-empted some of the popular ABC shows for reruns of "Murphy Brown" (including the animated ABC series later moved to FOX "The Critic" and ABC's "Dinosaurs"). In the mid 1980s, they dropped "Ryan's Hope" from the schedule. It was the only ABC affiliate (I think) to pass on "The View" from its 1997 debut until it was cleared in 2000. Other shows that WLOS stayed away until they cleared it include "The Brady Bunch" (similar story for KMBC-TV in Kansas City, MO), "One Life to Live", "ABC Evening News" (now "World News with Diane Sawyer"), and "The Drew Carey Show". Sadly, its owned by Sinclair, that they refused to air "Nightline: The Fallen" in orders by Sinclair (seen instead on WHNS 21 "Fox Carolina"), fortunately Sinclair's decision was voted Jeers by TV GUIDE on the Cheers and Jeers section in 2004. They do ocassionaly pre-empt programming for MDA telethon on Labor Day. Also they delay the first program on ABC Kids line-up to Sunday Mornings and show infomercials. To tell you the truth, infomercials do belong on Sunday Mornings, not Saturdays. Back in the days of analog TV, we watched the pre-empted ABC programs from WLOS on Augusta, GA's ABC station WJBF-TV or Columbia, SC's WOLO-TV.

WLOS wasn't the only station that pre-empted network programming. CBS affiliate WSPA-TV didn't air "Press Your Luck" during its first year, but it was cleared in 1984 after the infamous Michael Larson win, they later dropped it in 1986. They dropped "Card Sharks" (CBS version) in 1988 for syndicated "Wipeout", and didn't cleared "Now You See It", and pre-empted the CBS run of "Wheel of Fortune" (it was cleared two months later in September 1989). They didn't air "Hawaii Five-0" in the late 1960s/early 1970s seen on WAIM-TV 40 (then CBS/ABC, now MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYA 40). Plus they pre-empted "The Late Show with David Letterman" for one week in the Summer of 1998 for syndicated programing (including "Mama's Family" reruns) and infomercials. NBC affiliate WFBC-TV 4 (now WYFF) also pre-empted NBC programs. I've found out they pre-empted SNL for two years before clearing it in 1977. They didn't clear the short-lived Debbie Reynolds Show, so they air movies instead. They didn't air "Who What or Where" game show. Plus they didn't clear some of the NBC daytime line-up and Saturday Morning line up (including "Super Password"). Most of them ended up on independent WAXA 40 (now WMYA). Ironically, WYFF is owned by Hearst Television and is one of the NBC affiliates that don't clear the 4th hour of NBC's Today Show (hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hodi Kotb). Same story for sister stations KCRA-TV in Sacramento, CA. KSBW-TV in Monterey, CA, and I hate to say this WBAL-TV in Baltimore, MD. BTW, I've finally had a chance to see the 4th hour via WCBD-TV in Charleston, SC while on vacation last year.

On sporting events. WASV 62 (now WYCW) broadcasted sporting events pre-empted by WSPA (CBS) and WYFF (NBC). Same story when WBSC (now WMYA) broadcasted pre-empted ABC sporting events.

BTW, I'm glad WLOS aired "Dark Shadows" during its ABC run. Plus Dick Cavett too.

 

[azumanga]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

In Columbia, SC. WIS-TV pre-empted "Search for Tomorrow" during its NBC run (1982-86), same story for WDIV-TV in Detroit (the same station and its sister station KPRC refused to air "Poker After Dark").

Back when Search was on CBS, during the 1970s, WTVT in Tampa Bay would carry that and pre-empt "the Young and the Restless", to make room for its hour-long noon newscast; when Y&R expanded to an hour, WTVT began showing that and bumped Search.

When Search moved to NBC, WXFL (WFLA) never picked it up, opting for reruns of "All in the Family" instead.

 

[FightingIrish]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Okay, this might be the best example yet...

WEWS in Cleveland used to pre-empt ABC shows like crazy! Remember "Mork and Mindy"? In the late 70s, it was one of the hottest shows on TV. Yet Ch. 5 would not air it! In it's place on Thursday nights was a World War II docu-series. Made no sense at all!

As we all know, there was another ABC affiliate in the market (WAKR 23 out of Akron, which did carry the show in its normal timeslot), and I do know that both stations were constantly squabbling over turf rights to ABC shows. What happened usually was that WEWS got the preferential treatment (i.e. exclusive market rights to better shows). That basically went on until the mid-90s when WAKR was sold to Paxton and dropped ABC and Scripps signed a new deal with ABC for their affiliated stations, agreeing to clear the entire network schedule.

Still, never understood why WEWS wouldn't clear a top 10 show and opted instead for WWII documentaries.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Still, never understood why WEWS wouldn't clear a top 10 show and opted instead for WWII documentaries.

$

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Still, never understood why WEWS wouldn't clear a top 10 show and opted instead for WWII documentaries.

You know what, I TOTALLY forgot about it. I watched that show, and looking back, I'm pretty sure it was on 23 and not 5.

 

[FightingIrish]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Still, never understood why WEWS wouldn't clear a top 10 show and opted instead for WWII documentaries.

You know what, I TOTALLY forgot about it. I watched that show, and looking back, I'm pretty sure it was on 23 and not 5.

The WWII docs were definitely on WEWS. Mork and Mindy was on WAKR. I remember watching it in the Cleveland suburbs with tons of static. I normally didn't watch 23 because of the reception, and 5 was the much stronger and local station.

Still, never understood why WEWS wouldn't clear a top 10 show and opted instead for WWII documentaries.

$

If they were really making all that money on the WWII docs (except for the extra local inventory, I doubt much), they could have easily pre-empted another ABC show that got lousy ratings, rather than a big hit show with lots of promotion and buzz. I'm sure they had plenty to choose from.

 

[Tim L]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

WEWS historically was pre-emption happy. For years they would program a local movie Fridays from 7:30-9:30..Afternoons were taken up from 12-2:30 by News, Captain Penny and the One O Clock Club from 1957-64..

WAKR from the late 1950's until about 1963 would often schedule double feature movies and Akron Univ. Sports in prime time rather than ABC shows..

KYW Cleveland also did quite a bit of preempting especially around holidays from Barnaby and Mike Douglas Special editions and Locally produced news and music specials..

 

[wbhist]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

KYW Cleveland also did quite a bit of preempting especially around holidays from Barnaby and Mike Douglas Special editions and Locally produced news and music specials..

A pattern which continued post-1965 with what became KYW Philadelphia (up to 1995).

 

[KyDXIn]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Today, WSB preempts primetime programming about twice a month for local specials, most of which are Barbra Walters type specials hosted by WSB's chief news anchor Monica Kaufman.

Wow! That's a name out of my past. Monica might have been the first black female reporter at WHAS Radio and Television in Louisville in the early 1970s. She can be heard on coverage of the April 3, 1974 tornado archived at lkyradio.com. Are any of her WSB specials accessible online?

 

[searadiofreak]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

KYW Cleveland also did quite a bit of preempting especially around holidays from Barnaby and Mike Douglas Special editions and Locally produced news and music specials..

A pattern which continued post-1965 with what became KYW Philadelphia (up to 1995).

Yes, KYW in Philly probably lost their NBC affiliation, in part, due to the pre-empting. Once a proud NBC affiliate, with Jessica Savitch as part of their 70's news anchor team, they fell apart after both Mort Crim and Jessica exited. Today they are CBS 3 and have finally regained their ratings in some key dayparts and demos.

 

[wbhist]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

KYW in Philly probably lost their NBC affiliation, in part, due to the pre-empting. Once a proud NBC affiliate, with Jessica Savitch as part of their 70's news anchor team, they fell apart after both Mort Crim and Jessica exited. Today they are CBS 3 and have finally regained their ratings in some key dayparts and demos.

Part of the affiliate switch had also to do with Westinghouse's 1995 acquisition of CBS. (And all ex-Group W stations are now CBS O&O's.)

 

[Ultimajock]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Yes, KYW in Philly probably lost their NBC affiliation, in part, due to the pre-empting. Once a proud NBC affiliate, with Jessica Savitch as part of their 70's news anchor team, they fell apart after both Mort Crim and Jessica exited. Today they are CBS 3 and have finally regained their ratings in some key dayparts and demos.

...you're putting us on, right? KYW-TV/3 Philadelphia quit its NBC affiliation when owner Westinghouse merged with CBS, and NBC demanded Westinghouse sell them the former CBS O&O WCAU-TV/10, partly in exchange for the networks' Miami stations trading channels (CBS, which owned the weak-signalled WCIX-TV/6, wanted back onto Channel 4, which NBC's WTVJ -- for decades a CBS affiliate before The Peacock bought it -- inhabited at the time). The changes in Philadelphia and Miami took place on September 10, 1995. It had absolutely nothing to do with pre-empting network programs decades before...

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

The WWII docs were definitely on WEWS. Mork and Mindy was on WAKR. I remember watching it in the Cleveland suburbs with tons of static. I normally didn't watch 23 because of the reception, and 5 was the much stronger and local station.

Yeah, by "that show" I meant Mork and Mindy. I don't even remember WWII documentaries being on WEWS.

 

[searadiofreak]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

Yes, KYW in Philly probably lost their NBC affiliation, in part, due to the pre-empting. Once a proud NBC affiliate, with Jessica Savitch as part of their 70's news anchor team, they fell apart after both Mort Crim and Jessica exited. Today they are CBS 3 and have finally regained their ratings in some key dayparts and demos.

...you're putting us on, right? KYW-TV/3 Philadelphia quit its NBC affiliation when owner Westinghouse merged with CBS, and NBC demanded Westinghouse sell them the former CBS O&O WCAU-TV/10, partly in exchange for the networks' Miami stations trading channels (CBS, which owned the weak-signalled WCIX-TV/6, wanted back onto Channel 4, which NBC's WTVJ -- for decades a CBS affiliate before The Peacock bought it -- inhabited at the time). The changes in Philadelphia and Miami took place on September 10, 1995. It had absolutely nothing to do with pre-empting network programs decades before...

Poor wording on my part. However, I did say "in part", as in some of these things are cumulative over the years. My response, worded wrongly, was going on the history of KYW as an NBC affiliate, and was simply implying that KYW and NBC had a rocky relationship going back to earlier times. Yes, I'm sure other events were in place here, but KYW and NBC were not friendly for many years. I stand corrected on the exact history.

 

[Ultimajock]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

The WWII docs were definitely on WEWS. Mork and Mindy was on WAKR. I remember watching it in the Cleveland suburbs with tons of static. I normally didn't watch 23 because of the reception, and 5 was the much stronger and local station.

Yeah, by "that show" I meant Mork and Mindy. I don't even remember WWII documentaries being on WEWS.

...perhaps Thames' The World at War? That was particularly successful in U.S. syndication at the time...

 

[Ultimajock]

Re: Most Inexplicable Network Program Pre-Emption

I was going on the history of KYW as an NBC affiliate, and was simply implying that KYW and NBC had a rocky relationship going back to earlier times. Yes, I'm sure other events were in place here, but KYW and NBC were not friendly for many years.

...indeed, Westinghouse's frustrated relationship with NBC dated back to at least the 1930s, when KYW Radio, then in Chicago, was a key affiliate there of NBC's two chains, the Red Network and the Blue Network. Westinghouse wasn't able to get a 50kW signal there for KYW, so it decided to move the whole station to Philadelphia, where they were able to get KYW a 50kW signal. This forced NBC to buy its own Chicago stations, acquiring CBS affiliate WMAQ from the Chicago Daily News for the Red Network (in turn forcing CBS to buy WBBM from the Atlass Brothers) and WENR for the Blue Network from Great Lakes Broadcasting. A further complication was that WENR shared time on its frequency, then 870 kHz, with Prairie Farmer's WLS, which also affiliated with Blue but refused to cancel many of its own productions; this made it necessary for Blue to affiliate with a third Chicago station, the Chicago Federation of Labor's WCFL, to get the network's full schedule of programming into the Chicago market. And NBC executives hated to have to deal with the general managers of WLS (Burridge Butler) and WCFL (Ed Nockels), both notoriously tough customers. All as a result of Westinghouse moving KYW out of Chicago to Philadelphia. The tension in the Westinghouse-NBC relationship was particularly ironic when realising that (a) NBC had acquired its Blue Network flagship, WJZ New York, from Westinghouse, and four of Blue's original six affiliates -- WBZ and WBZA Boston, KDKA Pittsburgh and KYW -- were still owned by Westinghouse when the network took to the air in 1926, and (b) prior to completing the merger with CBS, more of Westinghouse's TV stations -- KYW-TV in both Cleveland and Philadelphia, WBZ-TV/4 Boston and WPCQ/36 Charlotte -- were NBC affiliates than with CBS (KPIX/5 San Francisco and KDKA-TV/2 Pittsburgh) or ABC (only WJZ-TV/13 Baltimore)...