That Time CBS Screwed Over Dallas Cowboys Fans in Wichita Falls
Learn something new everyday I always say and I learned back in the day some folks in Wichita Falls were pissed.
So I am going to be honest with you guys. I have been doing some research on a story about a group in Wichita Falls that had a banner flyover a Dallas Cowboys game. The banner said, "Hey Jerry, Wichita Falls wants your Cowboys". Apparently this did get Jerry's attention and was a big factor in helping get the Cowboys to Wichita Falls. I've been trying to find footage or even a photo of this plane in action.
I can't find anything, only quotes about the plane itself. If ANYBODY has anything on this plane, please send it my way. I love anything Dallas Cowboys related with our city. While doing research on that plane, I found a video essay on, "The drama between CBS and the Dallas Cowboys".
YouTube user Official JaquarGator9 breaks down how back in the day NFL start times were not set in stone like they're today. For instance, nowadays on a Sunday you know games will start at 12, 3:35 and 7:20 Texas time. Back in the day, due to blue laws, some NFL teams would start later than 12 because of these blue laws.
Blue laws basically were laws that prevented certain things from being sold or activities being done on the Sabbath. For instance, let's say you were hungry for some eggs. You could go buy some eggs. Let's just say you needed a new pan for those eggs? Guess what, it was illegal back in the day to buy a pan for those eggs on a Sunday in certain states.
Due to these laws, some states had their NFL games start a little later. As mentioned in the video above, this lead to conundrum for us here in Wichita Falls. CBS got the double header and although the Cowboys are definitely a Wichita Falls market. KAUZ was forced to miss the entire first half of the 1979 game against the Vikings.
What's insane to me, CBS was going to do this in Dallas to the hometown fans as well. KDWF in Dallas was the CBS station there, they appealed and got their first game changed. KAUZ here in Wichita Falls tried to do the same and someone said no.
The video says someone for KAUZ named Mark Andrews back in 1979 said "We do not have any choice on network football games. We're the Cowboys network and we get any other game that they choose for us."
It looks like the NFL now considers Wichita Falls officially a part of the Cowboys network. Remember when NFL Network had exclusive games and only local markets could get the rights to air them on television? I remember Wichita Falls getting blacked out in 2007 when the Cowboys were taking on the Packers. I drove to Decatur because every place in Wichita Falls had a line out the door.
If anybody knows any other weird Dallas Cowboys/Wichita Falls stories like this. Send them my way.