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NFL on CBS
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====Soundtracks, new graphics, and record Super Bowl ratings==== By [[1975 NFL season|1975]], CBS used several themes (technically, CBS had different opening songs and graphics per crew) to open their broadcasts, ranging from [[David Shire]]'s "Manhattan Skyline" from the ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' [[Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] to "[[Fly, Robin, Fly]]" by the [[Silver Convention]]. Around this time, Electric Light Orchestra's "Fire on High" was also used as a lead-in to the broadcast. CBS' 1976 telecast of [[Super Bowl X]] between the [[1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] and Dallas Cowboys was viewed by an estimated 80 million people, the largest television audience in history at the time. CBS' telecast featured play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall (calling his first Super Bowl in that role) and color commentator [[Tom Brookshier]]. On October 12, 1976, Commissioner Pete Rozelle negotiated contracts with the three television networks to televise all NFL regular-season and postseason games, as well as selected preseason games, for four years beginning with the [[1978 NFL season|1978 season]]. ABC was awarded yearly rights to 16 [[Monday Night Football|Monday night games]], four prime time games, the [[AFC-NFC Pro Bowl]], and the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game|Hall of Fame Games]]. CBS received the rights to all NFC regular season and postseason games (except those in the ABC package) and to Super Bowls [[Super Bowl XIV|XIV]] and [[Super Bowl XVI|XVI]]. NBC received the rights to all AFC regular season and postseason games (except those in the ABC package) and to Super Bowls [[Super Bowl XIII|XIII]] and [[Super Bowl XV|XV]]. Industry sources considered it the largest single television package ever negotiated. At the height of the [[disco]] fad, from [[1977 NFL season|1977]] to [[1979 NFL season|1979]], CBS used [[Meco]]'s "[[Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band]]," a disco arrangement of [[John Williams]]'s theme from ''[[Star Wars]]'', as a musical theme. Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins were assigned to call the [[1977β78 NFL playoffs#NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings 6|1977 NFC Championship Game]] between the [[1977 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] and [[1977 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]. Late in that game, Hawkins quipped as [[Roger Staubach]] was shown running off the field "You know, Vin, that Roger Staubach runs like a sissy." Scully responded by remarking "You know, Hawk, they tell me you didn't always wear your helmet when you played!" CBS Sports fired Hawkins the day after the game. On January 15, 1978, the [[1977 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] defeated the [[1977 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] in [[Super Bowl XII]] in front of the largest audience ever to watch a sporting event. CBS scored a 47.2/67 national household rating/share, the highest-rated Super Bowl to date. This game was the first Super Bowl to be played in [[prime time]], was broadcast in the United States by [[CBS]] with [[Play-by-play|play-by-play announcer]] [[Pat Summerall]] and [[color commentator]] [[Tom Brookshier]]. The game kicked off at 5:17 p.m. [[Central Standard Time]]. Hosting the coverage was ''[[The NFL Today]]'' hosts [[Brent Musburger]]; [[Irv Cross]]; [[Phyllis George]] (in the last game of her first stint on ''The NFL Today'' before leaving to host the short-lived ''People'' the following season). Also contributing were [[Hank Stram]] (who had recently been fired by the [[New Orleans Saints]]); [[Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]; [[Sonny Jurgensen]] (working on [[CBS Radio]] coverage); [[Gary Bender]]; [[Paul Hornung]]; [[Nick Buoniconti]] and [[Jack Whitaker]]. Buoniconti and Hornung served as sideline reporters; with Hornung doing postgame interviews in the Broncos' locker room; while Bender covered the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy|trophy presentation]] in the Cowboy locker room. An interesting aspect was the use of what was called an Electronic Palette graphics system<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-sports/media-guides/super-bowl-50/download?id=356 |title= Press release |date=May 11, 1977 |website= www.cbspressexpress.com|format=PDF|access-date=May 4, 2019}}</ref> (created by CBS and [[Ampex]]) for a painting-like aspect to several visual graphics; such as the game intro, starting lineups and bumpers going into or coming out of a commercial break. CBS would also unveil what was known as the "Action Track"; showing the trail of a football that had been kicked during replays.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1978/1978-01-16-BC.pdf |title=Broadcasting |date=January 16, 1978 |website=www.americanradiohistory.com |access-date=May 4, 2019}}</ref> Also, when the planned lead-in (the [[Phoenix Open]] golf tournament) was halted due to poor weather, [[CBS Sports]] president [[Robert Wussler]] (in New York) and producer Barry Frank (at the [[Mercedes-Benz Superdome|Superdome]]) ended up filling the time period with an impromptu look at how the game would be produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1978/1978-01-23-BC.pdf |title=Broadcasting |date=January 23, 1978 |website=www.americanradiohistory.com |access-date=May 4, 2019}}</ref> [[1978 NFL season|1978]] was Don Criqui's last season with CBS before departing for NBC; he was "traded" to NBC in exchange for network's longtime lead announcer [[Curt Gowdy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/aa-time-machine-1979-cbs-nbc-announcer-trade.html|title=Once upon a time, NBC traded Curt Gowdy for Don Criqui|date=October 8, 2014}}</ref> Criqui was, at the time prior to the trade, on the #5 team with Sonny Jurgensen and/or [[Nick Buoniconti]]. Criqui returned to CBS in [[1998 NFL season|1998]] after CBS regained NFL coverage by taking over the [[American Football Conference]] package. While calling the [[1978 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]]-[[1978 New York Giants season|Giants]] game at [[Giants Stadium]] with Jurgensen on November 19, 1978, Criqui was on hand for a [[fumble]] recovery by Philadelphia [[cornerback]] [[Herman Edwards]] that would become known as the "[[Miracle at the Meadowlands]]". With Giants victory all but assured, Criqui had begun to read the end credits for the game's control truck and on-field personnel shortly before the game's final play: {{blockquote|It's Giants football now, third and two. We thank our producer Bob Rowe, our director Jim Silman, and our CBS crew, spotter and statistician [[John Mara]] and Tom McHugh here at Giants Stadium. As the clock winds down on the Philadelphia Eagles, a game they thought would project them into a possible wildcard position, it would bring them 7β5 had they won, but a late interception by the Giants will preserve a Giant victory, an upset win as the Giants lead 17β12, we're inside 30 seconds, the Eagles have no timeouts. [At this point, the snap and fumble take place.] Wait a minute... here's a free fla- I don't believe it! The Eagles pick it up and Herman Edwards runs it in for a touchdown! An incredible development!}} Also in 1978, CBS experimented with three-man booths during the first half of the season. Pat Summerall and [[John Madden]] were paired together for the first time on the telecast of the [[1979 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota]]β[[1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay]] game on November 25, [[1979 NFL season|1979]]. Madden substituted for Tom Brookshier, who was unavailable to work the telecast. Madden would also join Summerall and Brookshier for the [[1979 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta]]β[[1979 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland]] game in Week 7. In Week 15, Summerall worked the [[1979 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas]]β[[1979 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia]] game on Saturday with Brookshier, then the [[1979 Chicago Bears season|Chicago]]β[[1979 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay]] game the next day with Sonny Jurgensen.
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