Contracts
CBS first covered Major League Baseball in the early days of radio, sharing World Series coverage with NBC beginning in 1927 and All-Star Game coverage beginning in 1933. Mutual joined them in 1935; the three networks continued to share coverage of baseball's "jewel" events through 1938, with Mutual gaining exclusive rights to the World Series in 1939 and the All-Star Game in 1942. NBC, in turn, would have exclusivity from 1957 through 1975.
From 1976–1979, CBS Radio paid $75,000 per year for rights to the World Series, All-Star Game, and League Championship Series. In 1985 the network added regular-season Saturday Game of the Week broadcasts.
By 1990, CBS-Television would get into the Major League Baseball broadcasting business (having last done so in 1965). This particular partnership would last through the 1993 season. Meanwhile, CBS Radio would pay Major League Baseball $50 million for 1990-1993 radio rights to the Game of the Week and Sunday Night Baseball as well as the All-Star Game, League Championship Series, and World Series.
Following the 1993 season, CBS Radio signed a six year contract worth $50.5 million. Following the 1994 strike and the dissolving of "The Baseball Network" (a planned six year long television joint venture involving ABC, NBC and Major League Baseball), the television contracts had to be realigned. Ultimately, Major League Baseball on CBS Radio would last through the 1997 season before being succeeded by Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio.
Read more about this topic: Major League Baseball On CBS Radio, History
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