Sports on PBS

Quote from bw8998 on 06/16/09 at 15:42:24:
Here is strange one. For some reason I remember a hockey game (maybe between the Devils and Canucks) on Channel 13 in New York which is a PBS Station. It does not seem that it could be right, but for some reason I remember it. Anyone else have this recollection or is my mind just playing tricks on me?

Thanks.

it was Devils at Minnesota, two games one in Dec 87 the other in Jan 88, shown on channel 13 on delay at 1130pm; I have no idea why they were shown on channel 13 rather than on sportschannel

It's not unheard of for PBS stations in that part of the country to cover sports, though a pro sports telecast is a bit unusual; UConn women's basketball has aired on public TV in that state for years, and I believe PBS outlets in Maine, Vermont, Minnesota, Alaska, and other 'cold weather' states have made room for college and high school hoops and hockey.
Perhaps the New Jersey station's Devils coverage was some vestige of when PBS routinely included tennis, soccer, and other sports not as widely covered by commercial TV.

The Rangers and Islanders never were on 13; the only other hockey I recall on 13 were a few games of the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup finals (using the CBC feed, and inserting a plea for donations during commercials); I believe the channel 13 Devils games were sportschannel productions; I imagine the games were commercial free; sportchannel did have conflicts on these two nights with the Islanders or the Nets, but certainly could have shown the Devils on delay

I did not see either of these telecasts and probably learned of them via the tv listings in a New York newspaper; maybe someone else actually watched them and can give a more complete answer

I saw one of them- don't recall any ads- believe usual sponsors were "providers", "donors" or whatever PBS called them for telecast- but I could be wrong

Other PBS sports examples I recall (was thread for that here or at DBS Forums, BTW?)- New Hampshire Public TV carries UNH hockey and the old New Jersey Public Television (future NJN) used to carry college basketball during the old pre-Big East/ other conference ECAC days in the late 1970's- when Seton Hall played at Walsh Gym and the St. Peter's games were how I first knew of the recently deceased Bob Dukiet

I recall there were some NASL games on PBS in 1975.

Many PBS stations carried pro sports in the 1970s.

In Chicago, WTTW carried the games of the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup Final that weren't on NBC. The feed was syndicated by Hughes. WGN had picked it up in 1970 and 1972 (and originated Hawks road games in 1971 and 1973 unless CBS, then NBC, carried them), but passed in 1974 and 1975. In 1976, the NHL put together a syndication package that was carried on WFLD.

WTTW also carried at least one Sting soccer game (against New York and Pele, at Giants Stadium) in the early days of that franchise, as well as the PBS series of tennis that Collins and Dell, all the way back to daylong coverage of the U.S. grass court championship at some tony club in New England in 1971 or so. WTTW or another local PBS station also carried Soccer Made In Germany for several years.

KUHT (owned and operated by the University of Houston) has carried UH basketball games in the past. They inserted pledge breaks where the commercials would be.

When you say the feed was syndicated by Hughes, does that mean they had their own announcers or does it mean they lined up the stations and arranged to send them the CBC feed of the 1974 and 1975 finals? In NY the PBS station carried game 5 of 1974 at Boston and several of the 75 games that NBC did not have, but I am nearly certain it was the CBC feed, not that of the Flyers, Bruins, Sabres or a separate Hughes crew

PBS also did two or three WHA all-star games in the mid-1970's. I actually think it was their own production.

PBS also carried the first Canada Cup in 1976. They carried the CTV feed of those games. They did not do all of the games. They did a couple of USA games (one opponent was the USSR, can't remember off-hand the other) that were played at the Spectrum and had their own on-air crew and personnel for those games. For the Canada-Czecheslovakia Final, I do remember when CTV went to a commerical break, PBS simply stuck up a slide with a sketched hockey player with "CANADA CUP 1976" or something to that effect, with a jazzy track until the commerical break ended.

the other game was Sep 9, 1976 at the Spectrum vs Czechoslovakia; I had no idea it was on tv (since I went to the game); since PBS did not have its own sportscasters, if I had to guess, I would say they borrowed a regular NHL crew for those games and a regular WHA crew for the All Star Games; I won't even bother to guess at the WHA crews, but for the games at the Spectrum it might have been Don Earle and Gene Hart, or if not them, perhaps Fred Cusick and John Peirson; but if you don't remember, probably no one does!

Yes I remember S