HAS FOX FUMBLED
HAS FOX FUMBLED?
The Fox Broadcasting Company[ is an American commercial broadcasting television network that is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group division of 21st Century Fox.
Beginning of the network
In October 1985, 20th Century Fox announced its intentions to form a fourth television network which would compete with the three major U.S. television networks (ABC, CBS andNBC). The plans were to use the combination of the Fox studios and the former Metromedia stations to both produce and distribute programming. Organizational plans for the network were held off until the Metromedia acquisitions cleared regulatory hurdles. Then, in December 1985, Rupert Murdoch agreed to pay $325 million to acquire the rest of the studio from his original partner, Marvin Davis. The purchase of the Metromedia stations was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in March 1986; the call letters of the New York City and Dallas outlets were subsequently changed to WNYW and KDAF respectively These first six stations, then broadcasting to 22 percent of the nation's households, became known as the Fox Television Stations group.
Fox on NFC
Though Fox was growing rapidly as a network, and had established itself as a presence, it was still not considered a major competitor to the "big three" broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). Fox management, believed that sports, and specifically professional football, would be the engine that would make Fox a major network the quickest.
In early 1994,fox broadcasting company agreed to pay $1.58 billion for the television rights to the next four seasons of the national football conference (NFC), home to power house teams such as the dallas cowboys and the washington redskins. In addition fox hired sports commentator john madden, in a four year $32 million deal.
People belived fox had made a drastic error in buying NFC rights for an amount that CBS considered to be 25% more than it was worth.They said fox would lose hundreds of millions
The Fox Broadcasting Company[ is an American commercial broadcasting television network that is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group division of 21st Century Fox.
Beginning of the network
In October 1985, 20th Century Fox announced its intentions to form a fourth television network which would compete with the three major U.S. television networks (ABC, CBS andNBC). The plans were to use the combination of the Fox studios and the former Metromedia stations to both produce and distribute programming. Organizational plans for the network were held off until the Metromedia acquisitions cleared regulatory hurdles. Then, in December 1985, Rupert Murdoch agreed to pay $325 million to acquire the rest of the studio from his original partner, Marvin Davis. The purchase of the Metromedia stations was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in March 1986; the call letters of the New York City and Dallas outlets were subsequently changed to WNYW and KDAF respectively These first six stations, then broadcasting to 22 percent of the nation's households, became known as the Fox Television Stations group.
Fox on NFC
Though Fox was growing rapidly as a network, and had established itself as a presence, it was still not considered a major competitor to the "big three" broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). Fox management, believed that sports, and specifically professional football, would be the engine that would make Fox a major network the quickest.
In early 1994,fox broadcasting company agreed to pay $1.58 billion for the television rights to the next four seasons of the national football conference (NFC), home to power house teams such as the dallas cowboys and the washington redskins. In addition fox hired sports commentator john madden, in a four year $32 million deal.
People belived fox had made a drastic error in buying NFC rights for an amount that CBS considered to be 25% more than it was worth.They said fox would lose hundreds of millions