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HBO Drops inside the NFL

This weekend’s broadcast was the last on the cable movie network. From AP-

“Inside the NFL” is ending its 31-year run on HBO.
Wednesday’s season finale will be the studio show’s last on the network, HBO announced earlier in the day.

“It has been a terrific franchise,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said in a release. “But the television landscape has changed quite a bit over the last 30 years and we have to recognize the realities of the business. I’m not sure we had more than one competitor when the show launched in 1977.”

The decision does not mean the end for the program itself. It’s owned by NFL Films, which is looking to continue the show in conjunction with another network in the fall.

I watched the show beginning in 1977 and was a regular viewer till the early 1990′s. Originally NFL films produced shows called This week in the NFL and Game of the Week. These were syndicated shows, hosted by Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier. When ITN first aired, the broadcasts were mostly edits of those shows. I remember the being hosted by Chuck Bednarik when originally on the air, but I swore he did the shows with Len Dawson. Wikipedia says otherwise.

Note- Is there anyone besides me who can still hum much of Game of the Week’s music?

After leaving the Navy in 1989 and returning to Florida, I pretty much stopped watching the show. With ESPN and other 24 sports networks, seeing last weekend’s football highlights no longer required an hour being set aside every week. Inside the NFL’s demise on HBO doesn’t surprise me.

Hat tip- Professor Bainbridge who mourns the show’s passing and says it must be saved.

 
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