Last week’s NFL press release must have confirmed KCTV’s worst nightmare…
Because Sunday afternoon, November 17 was turning into the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS biggest matchup of the season. The mighty DENVER BRONCOS would be playing the undefeated Chiefs IN the Mile High City.
Not only would practically every non-Chiefs ticket holder’s home be tuned to the game but those additional nearly 80,000 fans who normally would have headed to Arrowhead—were the game played here—would be glued to their television sets as well.
Making for a huge Sunday afternoon audience for Channel 5, translating into sky high commercial rates for local ad spot inserts and game adjacencies.
Local SUPER BOWL like spot rates would not out of the question. It would have been beyond great for KCTV’s sales department.
Then came the NFL shocker!
There’s apparently enough interest in the game nationally for the NFL to make a last minute switch of the CHIEFS-BRONCOS confrontation to Sunday evening prime time.
Bye, bye CBS for the killer contest — Hello NBC.
CBS will instead be serving up the San Diego Chargers at the Miami Dolphins in the 3:05 p.m. slot.
What will that mean for Channel 5?
Undoubtedly drastically lower ratings and renegotiated lower spot rates and/or make-goods for advertisers who had already committed for the big game to reach the projected ratings reach.
By contrast the picture is far rosier for KSHB-TV, Channel 41.
Where do I begin?
First and foremost November 17 could produce the station’s biggest Sunday evening audience of the year.
Second it’ll probably bring the highest prime time spot rates of the year.
Third, it’ll be the perfect lead-in to KSHB-41’s Action News directly following the game.
And fourth—with the game falling into the all important sweeps weeks rating period—a healthy Sunday night bump on November 17th could lift Channel 41 (and its spot rates) way beyond game day.
No doubt about it, it’s a day that will live in local TV advertising infamy.
Ya may was well watch “Heidi”, we are gonna get smoked.
may not be as bad as that, chuck. i think the donkeys win, but i also think we’ll throw manning off his game… just not enough to squeeze out another win. broncos 37, chiefs 23.
I am waiting for the Donkeys to come to CamaroHead. I betcha Andy has plays that the Donks will never see in Denver at all that he will hide, but here, outside in the weather, deeper into winter, the Chiefs will grind out a brutal and physical victory that would send Peyton home back west, thinking of a cush job behind a desk at ESPN.
If the sports gods deem cheese across the middle for Big Papi when the guy is hitting 8 fu*kin hundred, then the Chiefs might be on this years Happy List.
I say the donkeys win at camarohead and the chefs win at sooo high stadium.
The NFL gods work in mysterious ways, nothing that a few virgin sacrifices at the altar of Hunt won’t help.
Win, lose, or suck, I predict Denver will score 29 points, or less.
Um yeah, it’s called the NFL “flex” game. This happens fairly often. Not news, it’s just that the Chiefs are finally decent enough that someone outside of Goat Roperville might want to watch.
Wasn’t the NFL’s decision although I’m sure they threw their weight behind the decision. This was on CBS agreeing to give up what would have been just a regional telecast to the national tv audience on NBC. Too bad for KCTV 5, but good for the Chiefs and their fans to get that kind of prime-time coverage which wasn’t on the schedule for them this year.
If 41 is smart they’ll have a killer ‘sweeps week’-like story within their adjacent late newscast and pre-promote the hell out of it. That way they’ll hold a good number of viewers from the game right into the metered 10:30 p.m.-or-so ‘Action News’.
“Then came the NFL shocker!”
There was absolutely nothing shocking about this. Of course the NFL is going to flex the best game of the weekend.
You mean best game of the season.
It’s all about pre promotion.
Why would I switch to one station over the other?
Both stations should spend the next two weeks promoting their benefits.
Meanwhile, those who can’t watch will listen to KCFX ON THE RADIO.
Huge opportunity for The Fox to promote turn down your TV and listen to your Hometown team with Holthus and Dawson.
Huge win and opportunity for KCFX.
Thems were the days before an HDTV signal radio dude, now you get digital 5.1 surround sound over the air. The sound is better on TV than radio now.
Radio dude…
Put down the crack pipe.
It’s not a huge opportunity for KCFX. It’s the same or worse because it’s a Sunday evening game. Fewer people out running around. More people at home. More people watching TV.
Before Mitch became a caricature, I really enjoyed his work. Now, I’ll just let the TV guys call it.
Touchdown! Kan-Sas lottery! Ugh.
TIME TO PUT THE HAMMER through my skull.’
Ugh.
You guys are traitors to the CHIEFS KINGDOM!!!!!
Me and everybody I know, when referring to the Chiefs, use the “Chiefs kingdom” moniker. It fits so well. Whenever I used to speak of Larry Johnson I also called him the centaur.