NHL on RKO General

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NHL on RKO General relates to a small, syndicated network of stations owned by RKO General [1] [2] [3] [4] which broadcast National Hockey League games.

Contents

Background

In the United States, the clinching game of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals on the evening of Thursday, May 5 aired on RKO General's stations, such as WOR-TV in New York City and WHCT in Hartford, Connecticut. Bob Wolff, who at the time did play-by-play for New York Rangers games seen on WOR, called the game that night with Emile Francis.

Although the TV listings page of the May 5, 1966 edition of the Boston Globe indicated that RKO-owned WNAC-TV in Boston would not carry the game, [5] the then-ABC-affiliated station did clear the broadcast at the last minute.

The following season, CBS won U.S. network television rights to weekend-afternoon regular-season games as well as weekend playoff games. Due to other programming commitments, [6] the 1966-67 regular-season games were subleased to RKO General, which aired a series of Sunday afternoon broadcasts [7] [8] at 4 p.m. Eastern Time during the last eight weeks [9] of the regular season, starting on February 12, 1967. [10]

Some regular-season games were blacked out in the cities where they were played. For example, the March 26, 1967 game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens in Boston was not televised on any station in the Boston area. [11]

Announcing crews and combinations

History of NHL coverage on RKO stations

RKO also owned WHBQ-TV in Memphis during this period. WHBQ-TV is notable for having pre-empted ABC's coverage of the "Miracle on Ice" gold medal championship game during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

References

  1. Page, Don (December 11, 1965). "TV Boxing: It's Down but Not Out". Los Angeles Times. p. B2.
  2. Page, Don (April 23, 1966). "Old Kel Back With the Needle and All". Los Angeles Times. p. B2.
  3. McGowen, Deane (April 25, 1966). "NIGERIAN TAKES BRIEF WORKOUTS; Stirs Speculation on His Weight for Middleweight Title Defense at Garden". New York Times . p. 44. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  4. "RKO Official Says Boxing Headed for TV Revival". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. June 14, 1966. p. 27.
  5. Boston Globe, May 5, 1966
  6. Broadcasting magazine, September 26, 1966
  7. "SCHEDULE OF HOCKEY ON TV IS ANNOUNCED". Chicago Tribune. December 13, 1966. p. C4.
  8. Lipsyte, Robert (September 23, 1966). "C.B.S. Purchases TV Hockey Rights For $3.5-Million (Published 1966)" . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  9. "NHL television opener Feb. 12, Hawks vs. Wings". Christian Science Monitor. December 23, 1966. p. 7.
  10. "PRO HOCKEY GAME IS DUE ON TV TODAY". New York Times . February 12, 1967. p. 184. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  11. Boston Globe, March 26, 1967, p. 37
  12. Cusick, Fred (2006). Fred Cusick: voice of the Bruins. Sports Publishing L.L.C. p. 163. ISBN   9781582619811.
  13. Durso, Joseph (February 12, 1967). "Local Pro Soccer Teams May Share Stadium With Yanks in Spring; 2 New Leagues Are Leasing Biggest Parks in U.S." Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  14. New York Times, November 27, 1965