Major League Baseball on television in the 1960s

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Main articles:
Major League Baseball on cable television, List of World Series broadcasters, List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game broadcasters, List of National League Championship Series broadcasters, and List of American League Championship Series broadcasters

In

Central Time Zone. The late games (no doubleheaders) were usually San Francisco Giants[5] or Los Angeles Dodgers' home games. However, the Milwaukee Braves[6]
used to start many of their Saturday home games late in the afternoon. So if the Giants and Dodgers were both the road at the same time, ABC still would be able to show a late game.

Year-by-year breakdown

1960

In 1957,

play-by-play
in 1962.

From 1958 to 1960,[11] NBC aired a special regional feed of its games in the southeast, where the network had a different sponsor (such as National Bohemian beer) than for the rest of the country. This feed featured its own announcing team, with Chuck Thompson calling the games with Bill Veeck (1958) and Al Rosen (1959–60). NBC never had a true backup game until 1966, when the network got exclusivity for the Game of the Week. In the process, NBC brought in Curt Gowdy and Pee Wee Reese for the primary game, and Jim Simpson and Tony Kubek for the alternate game (which was always shown in the markets of teams playing in the primary game).

Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds
. In these cases, Bob Finnegan would handle the play-by-play duties with various analysts depending on the city. CBS did not have Game of the Week rights from any other ballparks in those years.

Star-Spangled Banner" started. Coleman later said, "Believe me, when the Anthem starts, I stop, whether I'm taping, talking, or eating a banana."[13]

1961

One other note about ABC baseball coverage during this period. Despite temporarily losing the Game of the Week package in 1961, ABC still televised several games in prime time (with Jack Buck returning to call the action). This occurred as Roger Maris[14][15] was poised to tie and subsequently break Babe Ruth's regular season home run record of 60. As with all Major League Baseball games in those days, the action was totally blacked out[16] of major league markets. As a matter of fact, as documented in the HBO film 61*, the Maris family was welcomed into ABC's Kansas City, Missouri affiliate KMBC-TV so they could watch the in-house feed of the game, which was blacked out of Kansas City.

1962

In 1962, CBS dropped the Sunday baseball Game of the Week[17] once the NFL season started, dropping the option clause for affiliates to carry baseball or football in place since 1957.

1963

In 1963 and 1964, viewers in San Francisco were unable to see certain baseball telecasts aired by CBS on KPIX-TV locally, although the games aired on stations in markets adjacent to the Bay Area. In 1963, KPIX pre-empted the July 13 game between the San Francisco Giants–Philadelphia Phillies (at 10:15 a.m.),[18] and the Los Angeles Dodgers-Phillies game on July 14 (at 9:30 a.m.); in 1964, the station pre-empted the Kansas City Athletics–New York Yankees game on May 16 (at 10:45) and the Milwaukee Braves–St. Louis Cardinals game on May 17. All four games did air on NBC affiliate KSBW in Salinas, KXTV in Sacramento and ABC affiliate KHSL-TV in Chico (the games also aired on KOLO-TV in Reno, Nevada, however it joined the two July 1963 games in progress, at 10:25 and 9:55 a.m. on the respective dates).

1964

By

Take Me Out to the Ballgame
".

On July 17,

Pay TV baseball game.[citation needed] Subscription television offered the cablecast to subscribers for money.[citation needed] (The Dodgers beat the Cubs by the score of 3–2, with Don Drysdale
collecting 10 strikeouts.)

1965

In

ratings,[25][26]
especially in New York.

According to ABC announcer

black network broadcaster for Major League Baseball[29]). According to ABC Sports producer Chuck Howard
, "(Robinson) had a high, stabbing voice, great presence, and sharp mind. All he lacked was time."

1966

The New York Yankees, which, the year before, had played 21 Games of the Week for CBS, joined NBC's package in 1966. The new package under NBC called for 28 games, as compared to the 123 combined among three networks during the 1960s. On October 19, 1966, NBC signed a three-year contract with Major League Baseball. As previously mentioned, the year before, Major League Baseball sold an exclusive league-wide television package for the rights to the Saturday-Sunday Game of the Week to ABC. NBC covered only the All-Star Game and World Series in 1965. In addition, a previous deal limited CBS to covering only twelve weekends when its new subsidiary, the New York Yankees, played at home. As previously mentioned, before 1965, NBC aired a slate of Saturday afternoon games beginning in 1957.

Under the new deal, NBC paid roughly US$6 million per year for the 25 Games of the Week,[30] $6.1 million for the 1967 World Series and All-Star Game, and $6.5 million for the 1968 World Series and 1968 All-Star Game. This brought the total value of the contract (which included three Monday night telecasts such as a Labor Day 1966 contest between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers) up to $30.6 million.

On April 16, 1966, in New York City, about 50 baseball, network, and advertising officials discussed NBC's first year with the Game of the Week. New York could not get a primary match-up between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees with Curt Gowdy and Pee Wee Reese calling the action because of local blackout rules. Instead, that market received a backup game (or "'B' game") featuring Tony Kubek and Jim Simpson calling a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. That rule would be eliminated after the 1983 season.

In replacing CBS, NBC traded a

Sears
spokesman, was pictured putting stuff in a Ford truck.

Before 1966, local announcers exclusively called the World Series. Typically, the Gillette Company, the Commissioner of Baseball and NBC television would choose the announcers, who would represent each of the teams that were in the World Series for the respective year. For the 1966 World Series, Curt Gowdy[32] called half of each game before ceding the microphone to Vin Scully in Los Angeles, and Chuck Thompson in Baltimore. Scully was not satisfied with the arrangement[33] as he said "What about the road? My fans won't be able to hear me." In Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, Scully called the first 4+1⁄2 innings. When Gowdy inherited the announcing reins, Scully was so upset that he refused to say another word.

As previously mentioned, before

NBC Radio
broadcasts. In broadcasts of Series-clinching (or potentially Series-clinching) games on both media, NBC would send the announcer for whichever team was ahead in the game to that team's clubhouse in the ninth inning in order to help cover the trophy presentation and conduct postgame interviews.

1967

In 1967, main Game of the Week broadcasts were

KSBW-TV in Salinas
and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California.

1968

The June 8, 1968 Game of the Week broadcast was cancelled due to coverage of the

funeral/burial of Robert F. Kennedy. Cleveland at Detroit and Atlanta at Chicago Cubs
were the games scheduled to air on that date. Both games were canceled as well, due to Kennedy assassination.

Tony Kubek initially had trouble adjusting to the world of broadcasting. Although he had a lot to say, he was gangling, he tended to stutter, and he talked too fast. Curt Gowdy soon suggested to Kubek that he should work in the off-season to improve his delivery. Kubek bought a tape recorder and took to reading poetry aloud for 20 minutes a day. In 1968, Kubek wowed as a World Series field reporter. Pee Wee Reese, who was soon fired by NBC (and replaced by Kubek as the top analyst) said of Kubek "He wormed his way around, but I wasn't bitter. I just think if you don't have anything to say, you should shut your mouth."

1969

In the early years of the League Championship Series,

Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner on WOR-TV
.

Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1969 World Series are believed to be the oldest surviving color television broadcasts of World Series games (even though World Series telecasts have aired in color since 1955). However, they were "truck feeds" in that they do not contain the original commercials, but show a static image of the Shea Stadium field between innings. Games 1 and 2 were saved only as black-and-white kinescopes provided by the CBC. CBC also preserved all seven games of the 1965 and 1968 World Series (plus the 1968 All-Star Game) in black-and-white kinescope.

References

  1. ISBN 9781613216798
    .
  2. ^ "ABC Signs Erskine as TV Color Man". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 12, 1960. p. C7.
  3. ^ "Can't Hide No-Hitter From Fans—Erskine". The Miami News. Associated Press. June 5, 1960. p. 2C.
  4. ^ "No Major Changes Loom in TV Sports During 1961". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. January 1, 1961.
  5. ^ "ABC Adds Saturday Fights, Fifth Game". Prescott Evening Courier. Associated Press. March 17, 1960. p. 13.
  6. ^ "TV Scout Preview". St. Petersburg Times. April 16, 1960. p. 10B.
  7. ^ "Searchable Network TV Broadcasts - NBC Sports (1950s)". rec.sport.baseball.
  8. ISBN 978-0803248250
    .
  9. Worcester Telegram & Gazette
    . August 26, 1989.
  10. ISBN 9781616080815
    .
  11. ^ "NBC's Game of the Week - 1960". Kinescope Steals Home. February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  12. YouTube
  13. ^ Bob Addie (August 12, 1960). "Bob Addie's Column...". The Washington Post. p. D1.
  14. ^ Adams, Val (September 19, 1961). "NETWORKS PLAN WIDE U.N. REPORT". New York Times. p. 71.
  15. ^ "ABC-TV to Film Tilt 154". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. September 19, 1961.
  16. ^ "ABC Lands a 3-Sport TV Contract". The Milwaukee Sentinel. March 27, 1960. p. 2T.
  17. ^ Brulia, Tim. "A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 1" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers.
  18. ^ "No TV baseball in San Francisco in 1963 and 1964??". RadioDiscussions.com. December 10, 2014.
  19. ^ "Baseball Gets Slightly More for TV Rights". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 25, 1964. p. B2.
  20. ^ "Television Package is Baseball's Aim". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. December 11, 1964. p. 7.
  21. ^ "ABC Signs $12.2 Million Baseball Pact". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. December 15, 1964. p. 14.
  22. ^ New York Times (April 8, 1965). "ABC Plans on 'Instant Replays'". The Miami News. p. 6B.
  23. ^ "Tele-Log". Deseret News. April 14, 1965. p. 2B.
  24. Beaver County Times
    . United Press International. p. 7.
  25. ^ Adams, Val (August 19, 1965). "ABC Doubtful About Televising Baseball in '66". New York Times. p. 61.
  26. ^ Reichler, Joe (August 22, 1965). "TV Baseball Has Problems". The Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. p. 4D.
  27. ^ Page, Don (April 17, 1965). "SPORTSLOOK; Up to Our Chins in NBA Dribbles". Los Angeles Times. p. B2.
  28. ^ Cady, Steve (February 24, 1965). "CBS RIVALS BACK SALE OF YANKEES". New York Times. p. 46.
  29. ^ Adams, Val (March 18, 1965). "Jackie Robinson Is Back in Baseball As a Commentator". New York Times. p. 67.
  30. ^ "Searchable Network TV Broadcasts - NBC Sports (1960s)". rec.sport.baseball.
  31. News Corp. Digital Media. Archived from the original
    on December 11, 2008.
  32. ^ Dougherty, Pete (October 24, 2013). "Slim pickings to rank all the World Series analysts". timesunion.com.
  33. ^ Halberstam, David J. (October 24, 2016). "THE YEAR VIN SCULLY WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT HIS REDUCED ROLE ON NETWORK TELEVISION COVERAGE OF THE WORLD SERIES". Awful Announcing.
  34. Broadcasting
    : 42. February 20, 1967.
  35. ^ Haggar, Jeff (October 5, 2015). "TV coverage for the early years of the LCS (1969-1975)". Classic TV Sports.

External links

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