Many game shows have aired on the Twin Cities network affiliates for years but there have been cases where some shows do not air in the market because the local affiliate decided to show local or syndicated programming in order to bring in advertising revenue. Here are ten examples of game shows that Twin Cities TV viewers never saw.
1. Three on a Match. Since NBC lost Let's Make a Deal to ABC in December, 1968, the loss turned out to be a godsend for ABC's floundering daytime lineup and a giant lead in to The Newlywed Game. However it was a different story at NBC where they lost millions of dollars in advertising revenue with five shows that were creamed in the ratings, including the game shows You're Putting Me On, words and Music and Joe Garagiola's Memory Game. In August, 1971, NBC debuted a new Bob Stewart game Three on a Match with Bill Cullen as host. It would go on to have a three year run. But local viewers didn't see the show because KSTP, the NBC affiliate aired news and a local talk show titled "Dial 5." The station also did not carry Jeopardy! when it replaced Three on a Match in 1974. The show would eventually air on WTCN-TV, then an independent station until it was cancelled in January, 1975.
2. The Diamond Head Game. In January, 1975, game show history was made when The Diamond Head Game debuted as the first game show to be produced in Hawaii. The show was hosted by Bob Eubanks and was best known for its bonus round where contestants went into a Money Volcano and had 15 seconds to grab bills and slips of paper that were blown around by a wind machine. None of the Twin Cities stations picked up the show which ended after 26 weeks.
3. Press Your Luck. One of several game shows blacked out by WCCO-TV due to their commitment to airing the talk shows Hour Magazine and Sally Jessy Raphael. Over the show's three year run, the station denied viewers and opportunity to see the show of Big Bucks! and No Whammies! The station also never aired the episodes where Michael Larson won over $100,000 which led to an investigation of cheating by CBS and a reprogramming of the game board. Those episodes would aired recently on the digital subchannel BUZZR.
4. Card Sharks (Both the Jim Perry and Bob Eubanks versions) When Card Sharks made its debut on April, 1978, KSTP did not air the show because it carried the local show Twin Cities Today. But when WTCN became an NBC affiliate in March 1979, they did carry Card Sharks until it was moved to 11 AM in June 1980 and then it stopped airing because the station carried reruns of The Bob Newhart Show. In 1986, when Card Sharks was revived on CBS, WCCO did not carry the show which also turned out to be a hit.
5. The $25,000 Pyramid. In 1982, Bob Stewart brought back the Pyramid as The $25,000 Pyramid that was picked up by its original network, CBS. It was another show WCCO deprived viewers of seeing which was the first incarnation of the hit word game to be produced in Hollywood. It had a long and successful run like its predecessor and even when it returned to replace the failed game show Blackout, the show was also blacked out.
6. Celebrity Charades. In January, 1979, the show which had its roots in Pantomime Quiz and Stump the Stars returned in syndication. But what station did it air on in the Twin Cities? None. It didn't matter. The show would end its run that September.
7. Tic Tac Dough (The CBS revival) Following the success of the syndicated Joker's Wild, Jack Barry and Dan Enright brought back Tic Tac Dough as a CBS daytime entry in July 1978. But WCCO did not carry the short-lived revival because it was airing another Barry-Enright game Hollywood Connection that was playing out its run. The syndicated version would become a big hit, paired with The Joker's Wild in many markets and become the big hit for host Wink Martindale.
8. Break the Bank (Jack Barry version). In april, 1976, ABC debuted the first game show from Barry and Enright since they revived their partnership after the quiz show scandals Break the Bank. The nine celebrity game, hosted by Tom Kennedy turned out to be a hit and would have had a longer run if the network didn't cancel the show to expand their hit soap operas One Life to Live and General Hospital. In September, a nighttime syndicated version debuted but it was never seen in the Twin Cities possibly due to few open prime time access slots open. Local viewers never got to see Barry wearing dark glasses due to the bright studio lights.
9. Chain Reaction (Original version). The original version of Chain Reaction debuted in January 1980 but like several game shows that aired at 11 AM in the Twin Cities on WTCN-TV, it was not aired due to Bob Newhart Show reruns. The station denied viewers a chance to see a game that home viewers could play along with as well as an outstanding host in Bill Cullen (though Geoff Edwards filled in while Cullen subbed for Allen Ludden on Password Plus).
10. Super Password. Another show blacked out on Channel 11 (now KARE) since the station aired syndicated game shows such as The All-New Let's Make a Deal and The $1,000, 000 Chance of a Lifetime as well as other syndicated fare. Game show fans didn't get to see the fourth and last daytime incarnation of the classic word game that was hosted by Bert Convy.
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