Ask Matt

Question: In your recent answer to a reader's question about how Fox evolved into a "quality" network, you neglected to mention one of its hallmark moments: obtaining the rights to the NFL. With that one acquisition, "legitimacy" became a reality, and the change from "small-time" to "big-time" began with the shift of local affiliate channels to bigger stations with better signals in order to accommodate viewers' demands for NFL games each Sunday. Also, and maybe more importantly, the Sunday games provided a lead-in launching pad for scripted programming, as American Idol would years later, as well as an avenue to promote shows that aired later in the week. Since then, other sports and series have come and gone, but the NFL (and The Simpsons, I suppose) remain. The network's pregame programming and game coverage changed how others networks and sports did things, including NBC, which similarly jumped at the chance to regain NFL rights after seeing its fortunes, not coincidentally, begin to dip after giving up NFL rights — and all their promotional advantages — years earlier. Everything you said about Fox was true, I had to point out this omission. Without the NFL, Fox might have taken much longer to reach a level where it could compete with ABC, NBC and CBS.— Todd S.