View source for Score (television)

{{for|the similarly named television station that formerly aired in Canada|The Score Television Network}}
{{short description|Former American TV sports channel}}
{{Television incorrect naming style|channel}}
{{Infobox programming block
| name            = Score/FNN Sports
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| alt             = 
| caption         = 
| formerly_known  = 
| premiered       = {{Start date|1985|4|1}} 
| closed          = {{End date|1991|5|19}}
| channel         = [[Financial News Network]]
| division        = 
| country         = United States
| key_people      = 
| headquarters    = 
| major_contracts = 
| parent          = 
| sister          = 
| format          = [[Sports television]]
| runtime         = Weekdays 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. (1985–1988) <br> Weekends 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. (1988–1991)
| website         = <!-- {{Official website|URL_goes_here}} -->
| language        = English
| footnotes       = 
}}

'''Score''' was the weekend sports service of the [[Financial News Network]] which aired sports-themed programming starting in 1985. It was renamed FNN Sports in 1989 after FNN decided to go with a 24-hour feed on weekdays a year earlier. Score was closed when [[CNBC]] bought out FNN in 1991.

Score used a sports ticker or crawl to update scores at the bottom of the screen. As it was partly owned by FNN, a stock ticker was often shown across the bottom of the screen. SCORE provided scores and highlight updates every half-hour.

==History==

Score launched in April 1985 and was a joint venture of [[Anheuser-Busch]] and the Financial News Network. A-B owned the satellite transponder on which FNN broadcast and leased its daytime usage to the network. Prior to the launch of Score, the evening hours were used for a pay service, known as [[Sports Time]], that broadcast primarily in midwestern states and had been established the year before, closing on March 31. A-B contributed to SCORE sets used on Sports Time programming and four on-air personalities that had hosted its studio programming: Bill Brown, Byron Day, John Loesing and [[Todd Donoho]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1985/BC-1985-09-02.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=September 2, 1985|title=What's the SCORE|page=8|accessdate=November 10, 2019}}</ref>

Score ceased broadcasting on weekdays in September 1988 to allow FNN to broadcast during prime time; it gained some weekend hours that had been occupied by home shopping service Telshop.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-09-12-OCR-Page-0078.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=September 12, 1988|page=78|accessdate=December 23, 2019|title=FNN beefs up coverage}}</ref> The block became known as ''FNN: Sports'' in 1989. When [[CNBC]] acquired FNN in 1991, FNN: Sports was dropped in favor of the weekend talk programming on CNBC.

==Programming==
Score had several shows that were televised versions of what [[sports talk]] radio is today.  Score featured some professional sporting events, live call-in shows, and sports news shows.  Live sporting events included [[professional wrestling]], [[Major Soccer League|MISL]] [[soccer]], [[college basketball]], the [[Canadian Football League|CFL]] and [[boxing]].  It also broadcast a couple [[NASCAR]] races in [[1988 in NASCAR|1988]] that were originally slated for [[Special Events Television Network|SETN]] before it folded.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59916406/|title=Kulwicki Takes Pocono Pole With Record Effort|accessdate=September 24, 2020|work=Charlotte Observer|date=June 18, 1988|pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59916406/ 5B] |first=Tom|last=Higgins}}</ref>

It also showed at least two games of the 1986 [[National Invitation Tournament]].

===Call-in shows, including Time Out for Trivia===
Its most popular show was ''Time Out for Trivia'', hosted by [[Todd Donoho]] and produced by Eric Corwin. ''Time Out For Trivia'' was the first national live interactive game show in which viewers phoned in and if they correctly answered a question, they'd win a prize. One of the most popular prizes on the show was the [[Dirt Devil]] [[vacuum cleaner]] which often included a funny sound effect like an "ooooh" or an "oooooh.... aaaaaah." Humor was almost always an ingredient, particularly in the multiple-choice questions, which often included an obvious nonsports figure as one of the possible answers.

''Time Out For Trivia'' became a cult hit on cable TV, receiving many glowing reviews in newspapers and magazines. Gary Nuhn, a columnist for the ''[[Dayton Daily News]]'', has called TOFT "cable TV at its best," and Wendell Barnhouse, radio/TV columnist for the ''[[Star-Telegram|Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]'', says it is "one of life's joys." ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' did a feature about ''TOFT'' in its famous swimsuit issue.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100312034847/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067034/index.htm] Donoho and Corwin did over 1,000 shows together, including a 1,000th show "special edition", a one-hour program which featured highlights from the first 999 shows. Donoho and Corwin worked together on ''TOFT'' and other shows at FNN/SCORE from 1985 through 1989 before joining the sports department at [[KABC-TV|KABC]].  Much of this show was incorporated into a show on KABC called ''Monday Night Live'', which aired after ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' from {{nfly|1990}} to {{nfly|1999}}, when Donoho's contract was not renewed by KABC.  The show was then renamed ''Sports Zone'' with host Rob Fukuzaki and it remained an ''MNF'' postgame show until the package left ABC after the 2005 season.  ''Sports Zone'' remains on KABC, following many events televised by the network.

Other call-in shows included ''The Fan Speaks Out'', ''The Final Score'', and ''The Sports Collector''.

===News programs===
News shows featured included ''Tennis Talk'', a baseball program called ''The Hot Stove League'', and a sports wagering program with [[Wayne Root]]. Other hosts included [[Bill Brown (sportscaster)|Bill Brown]], [[Byron Day]], John Loesing, Hugh Malay and Fred Wallin. Many of the shows were directed by Brad Toberman. Show producers included Jim Battey, Michael Pierce, Steven Herbert, Gary Kubik, Hugh Malay, Eric Corwin and Steven Friedman.

===Professional wrestling===
The professional wrestling programming exposed fans throughout the country to regional territory wrestling promotions. These territories included the [[Jim Crockett Promotions|Mid-Atlantic]] with [[Ric Flair]] and Chief [[Wahoo McDaniel]], [[Continental Wrestling Federation|Memphis]] with [[Jerry Lawler|Jerry 'the King' Lawler]], [[World Class Championship Wrestling|Texas]] with the Von Erichs and the Maivia family's [[Hawaii]] promotion with [[Rocky Johnson]], [[King Curtis]], [[Don Muraco]], [[Lawrence Heinemi|Lars Anderson]], [[Superfly Snuka]], [[Bruiser Brody]] and many [[Japan]]ese wrestlers.  It also prominently featured wrestling from the [[Continental Championship Wrestling|Continental Wrestling Federation]] including matches featuring [[Eddie Gilbert (wrestler)|Eddie Gilbert]], [[Tom Prichard]], and [[Tony Anthony (wrestler)|The Dirty White Boy]].

== Management ==
*President: Arnie Rosenthal

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{U.S. premium television services}}
{{NASCAR on television and radio}}

[[Category:Defunct television networks in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian Football League on television]]
[[Category:Former joint ventures]]
[[Category:NASCAR on television]]
[[Category:Tennis on television]]
[[Category:English-language television stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1985]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 1991]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in Canada]]