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Author Topic: Smaller Markets Back In The Day...  (Read 1324 times)

TimK2003

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Smaller Markets Back In The Day...
« on: August 31, 2007, 06:38:22 PM »
Here in Western Colorado, the first and only commercial TV station was a CBS affiliate in 1954.  It wasn't until 1979 when we got a second station -- an ABC affiliate, and not until the 90's when we got NBC to round out the Big 3 networks.

In other smaller markets, where 3 networks weren't on 3 separate channels in the earlier days, what more-notable game shows did your local affiliate take from "the other network(s)" that didn't have a home in your market.

By looking at some of our archived TV Newsletters from the 60s (I will have to look through them, as there are some great extended articles about some of the big game shows of the time), and some of the Arbitron and Nielsen books from as far back as 1979, it's interesting to see how these single or double-network markets used the homeless network's programming.

For example, our CBS affil aired NBC's Hollywood Squares as far back as 1968 at in the morning block!

Looking at the Feb 83 ARBs, Here was the schedule for the same CBS station, as far as game shows went:

9am The Price Is Right (CBS)
2pm Tattletales (CBS)
230 $25K Pyramid (CBS)
3pm Child's Play (CBS)
330  Wheel of Fortune (NBC) Mon-Thu Only
330  Hit Man (NBC) Fridays only

The Hit Man/Wheel Combo was the most interesting scheduling!  And no, the other Wheel & Hit Man eps did not air in other parts of the broadcast week either.


Any other good stories or listings from the smaller, onesy-twosey network towns???

parliboy

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Smaller Markets Back In The Day...
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2007, 12:07:00 PM »
I had the opposite problem, sorta.  In Lake Charles, we only had one station for a long time -- KPLC, an NBC affiliate.  But we were in between two larger markets, each about an hour's drive away.  As a result, we got two of every network, including another NBC station.  This meant that whenever one station pre-empted for local broadcasting, we could switch to the other.

With the beginning of football season, I am once again reminded of the disadvantages of now living in Houston; were I still in my hometown, I could choose different games from different markets.  Not so much anymore.
"You're never ready, just less unprepared."

Ian Wallis

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Smaller Markets Back In The Day...
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2007, 05:17:31 PM »
Quote
Any other good stories or listings from the smaller, onesy-twosey network towns???

Judging from old TVGuides, Ch. 7 in Watertown NY was a great station for game shows.  They were affiliated with all 3 networks but primarily aired CBS programs during the day.  In the late afternoons they would air other shows tape-delayed, in addition to syndicated shows.

One such example comes from July 1975, when their afternoon schedule looked like this:

3 PM - General Hospital
3:30 - Match Game
4 PM - Musical Chairs
4:30 - Price is Right
5 PM - Wheel of Fortune
5:30 - Truth or Consequences

They also picked up a couple of the "checkerboard" games for the 7:30 slot.
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