For the purposes of this post, I am only considering telecasts on the major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox) and I am excluding major holidays.
MLB
From 1947-1970, all weekday World Series games were televised in the afternoon. NBC also aired two weekday afternoon games in 1971 sandwiched around the first prime time World Series telecast. The last weekday afternoon World Series telecast took place in 1972 when rain impacted the original weekday prime time schedule and NBC carried the rescheduled game 5 on a Friday afternoon.Since 1969, most postseasons have featured at least one League Championship Series game on network TV on a weekday afternoon. The exceptions are:
- 1975 (regional weeknight coverage in prime time)
- 1994 (no postseason)
- 1995 (regional weeknight coverage in prime time via the ill-fated Baseball Network)
- 2002 and 2005 (both years, Fox would have televised a weekday afternoon game had one series not ended early)
- 2007 (all Fox LCS telecasts were at night)
Major networks also provided weekday afternoon coverage of the tie-breaker series in 1951, 1959 and 1962 and tie-breaker games in 1978 and 1980.
From 1949-1966, every MLB All-Star game was televised on a weekday afternoon. The same was true of the 1969 game which was rescheduled on a Wednesday afternoon following a rainout the previous night.
College basketball
From 1991 to the present, CBS has presented afternoon coverage of the opening Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament.
On Friday Dec 31 in 2010, CBS televised an afternoon regular season game.
College football
Starting with 1973, the major networks have provided one or more afternoon telecasts annually on "Black Friday" - the day after Thanksgiving. Also, during the bowl season, networks have often televised weekday afternoon games on dates such as Dec 31 and Jan 2.
NFL
For many years, the NFL avoided playing any games on Christmas Day. When the holiday fell on a Sunday, this policy resulted in Monday afternoon Dec 26 telecasts of the NFL Championship game on NBC in both 1955 and 1960. In 1977, CBS televised a divisional playoff doubleheader on Monday Dec 26. CBS also aired a wild-card playoff game on Monday Dec 26 in both 1983 and 1988.
CBS televised an afternoon regular season game on Friday Dec 31 in 1993. Fox provided afternoon telecasts on Friday Dec 24 in both 1999 and 2004.
Golf
Going back to 1996, NBC has annually televised 2 hours in the late afternoon of the Thursday and Friday rounds of the US Open.
CBS provided Friday afternoon coverage of the Masters in 1956 and 1957.
Major networks added Monday afternoon coverage of 18-hole playoffs for:
- the Masters in 1962, 1966 and 1970
- the US Open in 1965, 1966, 1971, 1975, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2001, and 2008
- the PGA Championship in 1961 and 1967
- the Masters in 1961, 1973 and 1983
- the US Open in 1983 and 2009
- the British Open in 1988
- the PGA Championship in 1976, 1986, and 2005
For several years, CBS has televised Friday afternoon action during the second week of the US Open. Since 2008, CBS has also provided a late afternoon telecast of the men's finals on Monday. From 2008-2011, rain necessitated the Monday finish. Since 2012, the tournament has been scheduled to conclude on Monday.
Similarly, NBC has carried daytime weekday coverage for many years during the second week of the French Open tournament although much of that action has been on tape delay. NBC did the same for Wimbledon when it held the network TV rights.
NHL
NBC televised the 2012 Winter Classic on Monday afternoon Jan 2 as New Year's Day fell on a Sunday.
Auto racing
The 1997 Indianapolis 500 was postponed by rain on Sunday and suspended after 15 laps on Monday (Memorial Day). It was resumed on Tuesday May 27 and ABC provided a daytime telecast of the race.
Note: The 2012 Daytona 500 was postponed by rain on Sunday and Fox had planned to televised the rescheduled event on Monday Feb 27 at noon. However, additional rain caused the race to be pushed back to Monday night so the Fox telecast wound up in prime time.
Olympics
The major networks holding the rights have made a habit of devoting many daytime weekday hours to both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.
Summary
Several of these examples involve special circumstances such as rain postponements, tie-breakers, or events taking place on the day before/after a major holiday. The yearly staples which still wind up on "regular" daytime weekday TV are:
- NCAA Tournament opening Thursday and Friday afternoon sessions
- US Open golf Thursday and Friday rounds
- some action from the second week of tennis majors
- usually at least one game of the MLB LCS
Actually, in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, the race was completely rained out on Sunday, and the first 15 laps of that race were run on Monday (which was Memorial Day) before rain forced the race to be suspended, so the remaining 185 laps of the race were run on Tuesday afternoon (which was not a major holiday), although, ABC did provide live coverage on both days there was actual racing. A similar scenario occurred in 1973, although, that year, the race was stopped on its scheduled date (Monday, May 28, which was a Monday) before a full lap was completed due to a major crash that caused damage to fencing along the outside of the racetrack and then was postponed twice due to rain, resulting in the entire race being run on a Wednesday that was not a major holiday. ABC, at the time, was not allowed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to televise the race live in any case, so tape-delayed coverage was aired in primetime on Wednesday. The first year ABC provided live coverage of the Indianapolis 500 was 1986, which featured a race postponed on both its scheduled Sunday date and the Monday holiday, although the race was run on a Saturday and aired live on ABC.
ReplyDeleteAaron, Thanks for the clarification on 1997. I updated the post.
DeleteOn Monday, April 24, 2017, Fox aired a NASCAR race from Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, which was rained out on Sunday and run on a Monday that was not a major holiday. Not counting the 2012 Daytona 500 scenario you mentioned above, this is the first NASCAR-sanctioned auto race, and second auto race of any kind, to air on daytime non-holiday network TV.
ReplyDeleteCORRECTION: At least four instances of NASCAR races prior to 2017 being run on daytime network television not on a major holiday have occurred (there may have been more):
Delete- 2008 - A February race in Fontana, California was suspended after 71 laps had been completed on Sunday due to rain and water seeping out of the racetrack surface, with the conclusion of the race being aired on a Monday afternoon on Fox
- 2010 and 2014 - In both years, Fox aired NASCAR races from Fort Worth, Texas on a non-holiday Monday afternoon due to a complete rainout on Sunday...additionally, Fox aired a 2010 NASCAR race from Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on a Monday afternoon due to a complete rainout the day before.
In all four of the pre-2017 instances, Fox's 2007-2014 contract with NASCAR mandated that Fox air a certain number of races in their contract on over-the-air television. Postponed races from 2001-2006 that would have aired on Fox had they run to completion as regularly scheduled aired on cable channel FX, and, since 2015, FS1 can air a postponed race that would have aired on Fox had the event ran on its originally scheduled date to completion. If a NASCAR race that a non-Fox over-the-air network has the rights to was postponed and needed to be run on a weekday non-holiday afternoon (currently, NBC airs some NASCAR races over-the-air, although ABC aired NASCAR races until 2014 and CBS aired NASCAR races until 2000), either a cable network (currently, NBC-owned cable networks like NBCSN and CNBC, although TNT, the now-defunct TNN, and various ESPN cable networks have served in this role in the past) aired the race or conclusion of the race, or it wasn't televised at all.
The rescheduled game 5 in 1972 followed the soap opera "Return to Peyton Place." That was the only time a soap preceded a WS game.
ReplyDelete