Television Coverage
The presentation of the Heisman trophy was not broadcast on television until 1977. Before 1977, the presentation of the award wasn't televised as a stand-alone special, but rather as a quick in-game feature. The ceremony usually aired on ABC as a feature at halftime of the last major national telecast (generally a rivalry game) of the college football season. ABC essentially, just showed highlights since the award was handed out as part of an annual weeknight dinner at the Heisman Club. At the time, the event had usually been scheduled for the week following the Army–Navy Game.
On December 8, 1977, CBS (who paid US $200,000 for the rights) aired a one hour (at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time) special to celebrate the presentation of the Heisman trophy. Elliott Gould and O. J. Simpson were the co-hosts, with Connie Stevens and Leslie Uggams providing musical entertainment and Robert Klein providing some comic relief.
Since then, a number of companies have provided television coverage of the event:
- CBS (1977–1980)
- ABC (1981–1984) – owned-and-operated stations only
- Syndication (1981–1985)
- NBC (1985) – owned-and-operated stations only
- CBS (1986–1991)
- NBC (1992–1994)
- ESPN (1995–present)
Read more about this topic: Heisman Trophy
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