Probably would have gone the way of WB and UPN, maybe Rupert would have merged with one of those
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Where would Fox be without the NFL deal in 94?
- Thread starter nomadcowatbk
- Start date
Hard to tell. Fox back then had less to compete with. No "500 channel Universe".
They had a good strong point in programming TV shows that the others would have either rejected or watered down severely.
Being more edgy and thinking out of the box may still have kept them alive.
Fox Sports merely took something that already had a sandbox and it's sand, making it better by adding a pail and shovel to play a little more...
They had a good strong point in programming TV shows that the others would have either rejected or watered down severely.
Being more edgy and thinking out of the box may still have kept them alive.
Fox Sports merely took something that already had a sandbox and it's sand, making it better by adding a pail and shovel to play a little more...
Was Viacom even interested in putting a major sports package on UPN (XFL and WWE were not major sports)? Were Time-Warner/Tribune/Jamie Kellner ever interested in putting major sports on WB? CBS doesn't seem interested in putting any sports on CW. Rupert tried get MNF when Fox started but the NFL was considered about the lack of stations. Rupert was helped the mismanagement of the Larry Tisch-ran CBS when they would not put up the $ to keep the NFC
DToTheJ said:Let's not forget it was the New World deal that practically led to the deal with the NFL... hence the NFL's concern for "lack of stations" cited in the above post. Also...
nomadcowatbk said:
XFL was major enough for NBC to sign up.
The New World deal happened after the NFL deal
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
Probably still a "top 4" as they continued to produce prime-time shows that were much
stronger than the CW or UPN, for example.
Also I think the NFL would have eventually given them some piece of the package anyhow,
if only to help maintain their leverage over the other three.
stronger than the CW or UPN, for example.
Also I think the NFL would have eventually given them some piece of the package anyhow,
if only to help maintain their leverage over the other three.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
According to the aforementioned book Outfoxed, Fox actually tried to lure Monday Night Football away from ABC a few years earlier.
And they supposedly made the richest bid. They failed however because then-Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell was head of the Television Committee. And he was apparently too cheap to buy cable. And Fox' then-affiliate in Cleveland, WOIO-TV 19 did not come in clearly at his house.
"I refuse to have my team's games shown on that crummy little station with the (lousy) signal!"
he supposedly told the other owners. And they re-upped with ABC.
All because Modell was too cheap to buy cable.
And they supposedly made the richest bid. They failed however because then-Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell was head of the Television Committee. And he was apparently too cheap to buy cable. And Fox' then-affiliate in Cleveland, WOIO-TV 19 did not come in clearly at his house.
"I refuse to have my team's games shown on that crummy little station with the (lousy) signal!"
he supposedly told the other owners. And they re-upped with ABC.
All because Modell was too cheap to buy cable.
FreddyE1977 said:
Modell never assumed the Fox viewing position ;D Guess Rupert gave enough in 94 to make him happy. Did WOIO upgrade their when they got CBS?
nomadcowatbk said:
Not really, I think they used the same power/antenna from the time they signed on as an independent in 1985 until the analog shutdown in 2009: At least where I lived, their analog signal was one of the better ones in the market.
However, their current 9.5 kw VHF digital signal (along with WJW Fox 8's 11 kw VHF signal) is among the worst in the market (though they have a UHF fill-in translator in the Akron area).
If they hadn't made the deal in 94, they would have made it a few years later. There was just no way Murdoch was going to not be involved in the NFL.
tested said:
Sky TV were on their knees in the UK until Murdoch's millions brought Premier League Soccer. A common joke at the time was "what's the difference between Sky TV and the Loch Ness Monster? More people have seen the Loch Ness Monster!" All that changed when Sky brought the soccer rights....
But again, there was no way Murdoch would have not brought those TV sports rights, he knew how important they were, and there was pretty much no limit to what he would pay.........
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
nsa1 said:
in Cleveland the choices are:
1) flat
and
2) slightly more flat
Without NFL football, Fox still would've been a sports TV player. It would eventually share broadcast network rights with NBC in 1995 (beginning in the '96 season), and it was the broadcast network home of the NHL* in 1994. Assuming Fox Sports' other acquisitions stay the same: Major League Baseball, NHL hockey, NASCAR, and lets add network college football for select Saturdays (which could very well be on the way)? That's still a pretty good sports slate for the 4th broadcast network.
(*For all of the grief the NHL gets for signing with the former Outdoor Life Network--perhaps its biggest mistake was leaving Fox Sports to chase ESPN dollars. Disney gave an admitted too-generous contract to pull them away, then 'low-balled' the league at renegotiation time. I think Fox would have been much more patient with hockey than ESPN/ABC, who had blown major dough to secure the NBA and MLB games beyond Sunday Night Baseball.)
(*For all of the grief the NHL gets for signing with the former Outdoor Life Network--perhaps its biggest mistake was leaving Fox Sports to chase ESPN dollars. Disney gave an admitted too-generous contract to pull them away, then 'low-balled' the league at renegotiation time. I think Fox would have been much more patient with hockey than ESPN/ABC, who had blown major dough to secure the NBA and MLB games beyond Sunday Night Baseball.)
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