Episode 499--The 30th Anniversary of The Big Switch

It Was a Thing on TV: An Anthology on Forgotten Television

30 years ago FOX shook up the TV landscape when they grabbed the NFL's NFC television package from CBS. In the process, several CBS stations in NFC markets not wanting to lose out on football jumped ship to FOX and set up a domino effect around the country changing many TV viewers' habits. Some of these changes are still being felt in various markets years later.

Below is a list of links used in this episode, or are relevant to this topic:

KCNC/KUSA/KMGH packages (including the Big Switch on KCNC): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSzqDUOqv75_35MMJd0I4WXyn0TjKg3uK&si=yFrpwVnQ7C6hJpdH

KUSA story on The Big Switch featuring Denver Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCbThe00R3k

Virgil Dominic explains WJW's switch to FOX: https://youtu.be/LNnezBc9Kfk

FOX coming to WJW.: https://youtu.be/-mZr3EkhBVs

WOIO switches to CBS: https://youtu.be/1hmNZALP6sY

WCIX/WFOR swaps with WTVJ, full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvbbUTw-Ipy-iKzqb9z24uN4Ftxe_DbK&si=9Co39ZbA5OIk61tZ

CBS comes to WGPR, Fox comes to WJBK, including credits for “The New Dance Show”: https://youtu.be/73n7LdMpIzY

Fox comes to WGHP, ABC comes to WNRW, UPN comes to WUPN: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrGrNOGRw2-8T5xcCw1SardvoPhdlkcWn&si=UpZ6VoA3ddrbvwLl

WTVW Affiliation Switch from ABC to FOX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O48lNDnjqSE

WNDU segment on WSJV and WBND switching between FOX to ABC (ft. Tom Rinaldi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baxpw1cNeWY

NBC comes to WCAU: https://youtu.be/5SBdyozNvJM

WCAU “25 Years After the Big Switch Some Viewers Still Confuse NBC10 With CBS”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPhJJfp1wM