The following is a list of the television networks and announcers that broadcast the National Football League Championship Game from the 1940s until the 1969 NFL season (after which the NFL merged with the American Football League). The National Football League first held a championship game in 1933, it took until 1948 before a championship game would be televised. The successor to the NFL Championship Game is the NFC Championship Game.
Television
| Season | Teams | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Chicago Cardinals at Philadelphia | ABC | Harry Wismer | ||
| 1949 | Philadelphia at Los Angeles | No Network Telecast (game was played in Los Angeles, and at the time, there was no way to send live TV programs from the West Coast to the East Coast and vice versa) | |||
| 1950 | Los Angeles at Cleveland | ABC | Harry Wismer | Red Grange and Joe Hasel | |
| 1951 | Cleveland at Los Angeles | DuMont (first NFL Championship Game to be televised live from coast-to-coast) | Harry Wismer | Earl Gillespie | |
| 1952 | Detroit at Cleveland | DuMont | Harry Wismer | ||
| 1953 | Cleveland at Detroit | DuMont | Harry Wismer | Red Grange | |
| 1954 | Detroit at Cleveland | DuMont | Byrum Saam (first half) and Chuck Thompson (second half) | ||
| 1955 | Cleveland at Los Angeles | NBC[1] | Bob Kelley (first half) and Ken Coleman (second half) | Bob Graham | |
| 1956 | Chicago Bears at New York | NBC | Chris Schenkel (first half) and Jack Brickhouse (second half) | Red Grange | |
| 1957 | Cleveland at Detroit | NBC | Van Patrick (first half) and Ken Coleman (second half) | Red Grange | |
| 1958 | Baltimore at New York | NBC | Chris Schenkel (first half) and Chuck Thompson (second half) | ||
| 1959 | New York at Baltimore | NBC | Chuck Thompson (first half) and Chris Schenkel (second half) | ||
| 1960 | Green Bay at Philadelphia | NBC | Lindsey Nelson (first half) and Ray Scott (second half) | ||
| 1961 | New York Giants at Green Bay | NBC | Lindsey Nelson (first half) and Chris Schenkel (second half) | ||
| 1962 | Green Bay at New York Giants | NBC | Chris Schenkel (first half) and Ray Scott (second half) | ||
| 1963 | New York Giants at Chicago | NBC | Jack Brickhouse (first half) and Chris Schenkel (second half) | George Connor | |
| 1964 | Baltimore at Cleveland | CBS | Ken Coleman (first half) and Chuck Thompson (second half) | Frank Gifford | |
| 1965 | Cleveland at Green Bay | CBS (first NFL Championship Game to be televised in color[2]) | Ray Scott (first half) and Ken Coleman (second half) | Pat Summerall | |
| 1966 | Green Bay at Dallas | CBS | Jack Buck (first half) and Ray Scott (second half) | Frank Gifford | Pat Summerall |
| 1967 | Dallas at Green Bay | CBS | Ray Scott (first half) and Jack Buck (second half) | Frank Gifford | Tom Brookshier |
| 1968 | Baltimore at Cleveland | CBS | Jack Buck | Pat Summerall | Tom Brookshier |
| 1969 | Cleveland at Minnesota | CBS | Ray Scott | Paul Christman | Bruce Roberts |
Radio
1960s
| Season | Teams | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
| 1964 | Baltimore at Cleveland | CBS | Jack Drees | Jim Morse |
| 1965 | Cleveland at Green Bay | CBS | Jack Drees | Jim Morse |
| 1966 | Green Bay at Dallas | CBS | Jack Drees | Jim Morse |
| 1967 | Dallas at Green Bay | CBS | Jack Drees | Jim Morse |
Local radio
1960s
| Season | Teams | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
| 1964 | Baltimore at Cleveland | WCBM-AM (Baltimore) | Frank Messer | John Steadman |
| WERE-AM (Cleveland) | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | ||
| 1965 | Cleveland at Green Bay | WERE-AM (Cleveland) | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner |
| WTMJ-AM (Green Bay) | Ted Moore | Blaine Walsh | ||
| 1966 | Green Bay at Dallas | WTMJ-AM (Green Bay) | Ted Moore | Blaine Walsh |
| KLIF-AM (Dallas) | Bill Mercer | Blackie Sherrod | ||
| 1967 | Dallas at Green Bay | KLIF-AM (Dallas) | Bill Mercer | Blackie Sherrod |
| WTMJ-AM (Green Bay) | Ted Moore | Chuck Johnson |
References
- ^ "NBC purchases rights to 1955 NFL Championship Game". NBC Sports History Page.
- ^ "CBS TV audio from 1965 NFL Championship game". Classic TV Sports. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.