Syndicated shows of the '70s that were bicycled

[Ian Wallis]

As we all know, during the '70s, many syndicated shows were "bicycled" - meaning the station received the tape, aired it, then sent it on to the next station.

For the once-weekly "checkerboard" shows, which usually only produced somewhere between 26 and 39 episodes per season, it meant taping the whole season in the summer before the scheduled premiere date, then having all the tapes ready for bicycling so it could start everywhere in September.

This meant that episodes were aired at different times in different cities - some cities actually starting with episodes taped toward the end of the run based on what was sent to them.

My question - does anybody know how many "routes" there may have been, and how many copies of each episode were circulating at any given time?  I guess a lot of it would depend on how many stations picked the show up.  Some of those shows may have only been on 50 or 60 stations.

I've seen by old some old TVGuides that I can detect a pattern between a couple of different markets for a couple of the weekly shows, but I don't have nearly enough out-of-town issues from that time frame to understand how the whole thing worked.

I guess for Monday-Friday shows the station would probably get the whole week at once, then send that whole week off once they finished airing the five shows.


/I remember one episode of "Treasure Hunt" where Geoff Edwards told a contestant "in some of our cities you've already have your baby"
//There was one snowy winter week when the episode of "Break the Bank" scheduled for WKBW never made it to the station because of the weather, and an on-air announcement was made
///If there were multiple copies of all these episodes, you'd figure some of the "missing" shows may still be out there somewhere

[carlisle96]

Some cities still showed To Tell the Truth with Garry Moore after Joe Garagiola had taken over

[Jimmy Owen]

In 1979, the station I worked for used to use TTTT tapes to tape local shows, so we must have been at the end of the line. I remember a similar situation wy Mike Douglas. Detroit had it first, the next week Grand Rapids would get it, the the third week Saninaw wouyget it.

[Adam Nedeff]

I would guess that every show, daily or syndication, had a unique "route" that they worked out once they knew exactly which stations had committed to the next season. I can't imagine that there would be any benefit or logic to trying to standardize the routes that the tapes took.

The most interesting thing I learned about the bicycling process in the past decade came from researching Match Game and learning how Match Game PM worked. They had a designated censor for each of the three networks at each taping. Afterwards, each censor would give their notes about what was acceptable and what wasn't. From those notes, they would sit in the editing bay and make an NBC version, an ABC version, and a CBS version, and the bicycling routes were set up so that each version went only to stations that were appropriately affiliated. So not only did they have at least three routes for that show, but there were three versions of each individual episode.

[Steve Gavazzi]

I would guess that every show, daily or syndication, had a unique "route" that they worked out once they knew exactly which stations had committed to the next season. I can't imagine that there would be any benefit or logic to trying to standardize the routes that the tapes took.

The most interesting thing I learned about the bicycling process in the past decade came from researching Match Game and learning how Match Game PM worked. They had a designated censor for each of the three networks at each taping. Afterwards, each censor would give their notes about what was acceptable and what wasn't. From those notes, they would sit in the editing bay and make an NBC version, an ABC version, and a CBS version, and the bicycling routes were set up so that each version went only to stations that were appropriately affiliated. So not only did they have at least three routes for that show, but there were three versions of each individual episode.

So do we know which versions GSN and Buzzr air?

Did the show air on any independent stations?  If so, which version did they get?

Would a master copy be uncensored?

(Yes, I'm fully aware of how pointless and nerdy these questions are.)

[Adam Nedeff]

So do we know which versions GSN and Buzzr air?

Per Robert Sherman, the easiest fix for 99% of the notes was to just add a bleep or a black rectangle. The one thing that the edits had in common was that they all had to run the same amount of time, so they started with an edit that was only edited for time. Then they would make a dub from THAT edit with the necessary changes for each network.

My GUESS is that the GSN/Buzzr versions are the "starting point" versions where the only edits are the time constraint edits.

[Ian Wallis]

Interesting.  I always thought that kind of thing would apply if it was a certain network's O&Os that bought the evening show, but didn't realize it could apply across all syndication.

[Mike Tennant]

Wouldn't it have been easier just to make a single version with all three networks' requested cuts? Or would that have removed too much content for a good viewing experience?

[Adam Nedeff]

Wouldn't it have been easier just to make a single version with all three networks' requested cuts? Or would that have removed too much content for a good viewing experience?

For certain, especially because some of them had REALLY weird standards--Robert Sherman told a story about one taping; one network S&P person flagged an episode because the word "virgin" was said and requested that "virgin" be bleeped, and the other two network S&P people even said out loud, "What's wrong with virgin?"

[WarioBarker]

For the once-weekly "checkerboard" shows, which usually only produced somewhere between 26 and 39 episodes per season, it meant taping the whole season in the summer before the scheduled premiere date, then having all the tapes ready for bicycling so it could start everywhere in September.

Not always. Name That Tune (at least during Seasons 2 and 3) and The Cheap Show definitely did, but a number of others - Let's Make A Deal, I've Got A Secret, The (New) Price Is Right, Celebrity Sweepstakes ('74 at least), Match Game PM, and Tattletales (and, I think, Joker Joker Joker) - all taped a number of episodes pre-September and continued taping during the season (for the season currently being distributed, not as a buffer for the next one).

(Yes, I'm fully aware of how pointless and nerdy these questions are.)

I don't think they're pointless or nerdy, especially since there's a few PM episodes out there from contemporary 70s/80s airings. It'd be neat to do a compare-and-contrast between those and GSN/Buzzr's copies, especially since I know GSN used the broadcast (and sometimes repeat-broadcast) edits rather than the studio masters when airing Tom Kennedy's Price Is Right.

[TimK2003]

^^  Did Dawson's Syndicated Feud go through the same multi-network version treatment as well?  It seems we have always talked in the past about nighttime Feud and NBC S&P-related connections?  Could it be that the
"NBC edit" is the only Feud reruns that have circulated through the decades?

[Ian Wallis]

For the once-weekly "checkerboard" shows, which usually only produced somewhere between 26 and 39 episodes per season, it meant taping the whole season in the summer before the scheduled premiere date, then having all the tapes ready for bicycling so it could start everywhere in September.

Not always. Name That Tune (at least during Seasons 2 and 3) and The Cheap Show definitely did, but a number of others - Let's Make A Deal, I've Got A Secret, The (New) Price Is Right, Celebrity Sweepstakes ('74 at least), Match Game PM, and Tattletales (and, I think, Joker Joker Joker) - all taped a number of episodes pre-September and continued taping during the season (for the season currently being distributed, not as a buffer for the next one).

Now that you mention it, you're probably right on those shows.  When I posted, I was thinking along the lines of Cullen's $25,000 Pyramid, the '76 Break the Bank, Celebrity Bowling and probably Treasure Hunt, among others.

On the topic of daily shows, I have some tapes of Newlywed Game from the last syndicated season in 1979-80.  The GSN graphics indicated the early shows that season were taped the previous spring.

[WarioBarker]

On the topic of daily shows, I have some tapes of Newlywed Game from the last syndicated season in 1979-80. The GSN graphics indicated the early shows that season were taped the previous spring.

Daily shows could also go both ways, though from what I can tell "get it all done before we debut" was the exception there (if the official Television City website's listings are accurate, The Game Game was completed by late August 1969 for a September debut). Goodson-Todman, Barry-Enright (at least for the most part; not sure which route Hollywood Connection went), and several others (including PDQ, It's Your Bet, All About Faces, Dealer's Choice, The Cross-Wits, and The $50,000 Pyramid) all went the "tape some before we debut, keep going during the season" route.

At least two of the twice-weekly games (LMAD and The Hollywood Squares) also went the latter route.

[TimK2003]

On the topic of daily shows, I have some tapes of Newlywed Game from the last syndicated season in 1979-80. The GSN graphics indicated the early shows that season were taped the previous spring.

Daily shows could also go both ways, though from what I can tell "get it all done before we debut" was the exception there (if the official Television City website's listings are accurate, The Game Game was completed by late August 1969 for a September debut). Goodson-Todman, Barry-Enright (at least for the most part; not sure which route Hollywood Connection went), and several others (including PDQ, It's Your Bet, All About Faces, Dealer's Choice, The Cross-Wits, and The $50,000 Pyramid) all went the "tape some before we debut, keep going during the season" route.

At least two of the twice-weekly games (LMAD and The Hollywood Squares) also went the latter route.

Celebrity Bowling likely taped a boatload of episodes in a short period of time, and likely during the late spring/early summer when sitcoms were done for the season.

On some of the CB episodes which had either Bill Macy or Conrad Bain on the lanes, Jed Allen mentioned that they were doing the show in the same Metromedia studio where they also shot the sitcom Maude.

[mmb5]

Celebrity Bowling likely taped a boatload of episodes in a short period of time, and likely during the late spring/early summer when sitcoms were done for the season.

On some of the CB episodes which had either Bill Macy or Conrad Bain on the lanes, Jed Allen mentioned that they were doing the show in the same Metromedia studio where they also shot the sitcom Maude.

An entire season of Celebrity Bowling was taped over a three-day weekend.  And it showed.