Sports events on TV must start on time?

[Bill]

One I thought of this weekend with all the furor over the Super Bowl.

I seem to remember, in the late 1960s-early 1970s, a new law, or voluntary standard, that sports events on TV had to start within a certain number of minutes of the starting time of the broadcast. It seems to me that there was some controversy about pregame shows taking too long, and this was an effort to change it.

I wonder if anyone else remembers anything about this.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks.

Bill

[Dr. Dave]

Not sure about that. What I seem to remember is that they changed the usual start time of games to 5 or 8 minutes after a half-hour from a round time. So 1:05 or 7:38 for example instead of 1:00 or 7:30. I figured it was to allow time for broadcast to start at the top or bottom of the hour. I'm on the border of just making things up now, but I wonder if the leagues made a rule or standard that games had to start at or within a short time after the stated start time, so they changed teh start time to give time for the introductions, etc and for the TV to start at a round time and talk a bit or show the introductions.

As for long pregame, NFL broadcasters have an hour I think, but they call it a different show- 12-1 NFL pregame, 1-4 NFL live, etc. And for the Super Bowl the pregame goes on all day, no?

[Bill]

Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by Dr. Dave

As for long pregame, NFL broadcasters have an hour I think, but they call it a different show- 12-1 NFL pregame, 1-4 NFL live, etc. And for the Super Bowl the pregame goes on all day, no?

Right; where it's labeled as a pregame.

Originally Posted by Dr. Dave

Not sure about that. What I seem to remember is that they changed the usual start time of games to 5 or 8 minutes after a half-hour from a round time. So 1:05 or 7:38 for example instead of 1:00 or 7:30. I figured it was to allow time for broadcast to start at the top or bottom of the hour. I'm on the border of just making things up now, but I wonder if the leagues made a rule or standard that games had to start at or within a short time after the stated start time, so they changed teh start time to give time for the introductions, etc and for the TV to start at a round time and talk a bit or show the introductions.

Good point; it might be a "league rule" (pro or college football).

What I seem to remember, before the "change," was that the game would be listed in the local newspaper as having a start time of 1:00 P.M. The sportscasters would come on at 1:00 P.M. and yak about it for a while (maybe with interviews, etc.) and the opening kickoff might be at 1:30.

Today, as you say, they'll come on at 1:00 and have the kickoff at 1:05.

Thanks.

Bill

[she-geek]

Speaking as someone who's borne a life-long grudge against professional sports because they don't END on time (and thus seriously cut into my Disney viewing due either to pre-empting or being pushed back to past my bedtime), I personally think the clock should begin at the appointed time and NOT STOP. But, that's just me.

[overyonder]

Are you referring to the Heidi Game?

The Heidi Game had repercussions on the way that professional football is televised on network television; ever since then, games have been shown to their conclusion before evening programming begins. The experience also led television networks to take steps to ensure that network personnel would be able to communicate with each other under similar circumstances in the future: special telephones (dubbed "Heidi phones") were installed that connected through a separate telephone exchange. In 1997, the Heidi Game was voted the most memorable regular season game in U.S. professional football history.

OY

[A Turtle Named Mack]

A lot of baseball games do not start at their appointed time because of rain delays. If it is known the delay will be long they will put on some other filler, but I have seen a few times where the game was going to start "any minute now" and the broadcasters had to just vamp for far longer than they had material for. No, I did not watch those, but I would see as I flipped through the channels "And we are still waiting for a break in the clouds, here at ..."