This is an interesting read. The story of how Fox came of age with the NFL. I didn't know how any of this went down.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/12/1 ... on-cbs-nbc

_________________

Great read. I vaguely remember this but seeing it all again brings it back.

_________________

CBS losing the NFC --> CBS outbidding NBC for the AFC --> NBC losing the AFC --> NBC overspending on Friends --> NBC resorting to cheap reality programming --> Donald Trump as national TV star

_________________

I really believe the quality of NFL programming has receded since Fox was awarded rights to the NFC. Same with baseball.

I find any NFL programming by Fox other than the game to be unwatchable.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Fox baseball is what really annoys me. They've had the rights for about 20 years now but still don't seem to have any real pride in it. They even stuck the NFL theme music on it, which fits baseball like a twelve-fingered glove. But I caught a little bit of the pregame show for Cowboys-Rams last week and find it hard to disagree. They got lucky in assembling four guys who got along well early on, but have pushed the dynamic to its limit, added way too many people, and generally push it down our throats that they're having fun and everything is fun and we're all having so much fun, fun, fun.

I don't remember whether both were up for bids at the same time, but I've thought that the AFC package would have been a better fit for Fox to get into the NFL. The old-line NFC would have stayed on the network it had been on forever, and the upstart conference would have moved to the upstart network. (Losing the Packers was such a hit to channel 6 in Milwaukee that they changed affiliations to follow the NFC to Fox, and CBS in Milwaukee has been all the way on channel 58 ever since.) And despite having the AFL/AFC as long as they did, and despite the property being big enough to knock NBC on its ass when it left, I don't think the network ever really put their heart into football like they did baseball and basketball: we all know what the NBA on NBC meant to the league, and NBC had baseball before it had television, but if you watch old NFL on NBC stuff on YouTube, it definitely felt like the lesser package.

_________________