Candlepin Bowling - Television Broadcasts

Television Broadcasts

From 1958 until 1996, a weekly professional bowling match was produced by Boston television station WHDH-TV/WCVB-TV Channel 5, airing every Saturday morning, called Candlepin Bowling. The winner of this match would return the following Saturday to face a new opponent determined by the outcome of qualifying matches, or "roll-offs," held during the week. The program was hosted by sports announcers Jim Britt and Don Gillis. Cash prizes were awarded to both the winner and loser of the televised match, with bonuses for rolling three consecutive marks (strikes or spares in any combination, or a larger bonus for three strikes in a row), and for rolling a cumulative score of 400 or higher in the three games, or "strings," of which each match consisted. The highest series achieved in the history of the show was a 500-triple by Paul Berger, in 1992. The bowler was given an additional cash prize for reaching 500. For most of the year, this competition was restricted to men only, with a few weeks devoted to matches for women only; other televised matches were also held, involving mixed doubles teams of one man and one woman bowler.

There is also a show that originates from the 1-7-10 Sportscenter in Augusta, Maine. It is on Adelphia channel 9 and is shown every Sunday night at 7 pm. This show has been on air since 1997.

The ATV network in Atlantic Canada also broadcast a weekly candlepin bowling show in the 1980s and early 1990s, matching bowlers from New Brunswick against those from Nova Scotia. Its sponsors included Number 7, Mark 10, and Belvedere cigarettes.