| 34th | Top United States over-the-air television networks |
The Mizlou Television Network was an early syndicator of television sports in the United States. It was founded in 1961 by brothers Claude and Vic Piano. Its first telecast was of the 1968 Peach Bowl football game.
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The network was not a full-time network like NBC, ABC or CBS. Rather, it produced sports and entertainment programming and offered it to an "ad hoc" set of affiliates set up on an event by event basis. It was seen on affiliates of all three networks, and on independent television stations as well.
In an era long before satellite distribution of television signals, Mizlou had, outside of the major networks, the only system capable of distribution of signals to television stations on a nationwide basis in that era, via a nationwide system of land lines and microwave facilities.
Mizlou covered more college bowl games than any other network in its era, well notably, the Miracle Bowl in 1980. They also covered college basketball, NASL soccer, Arena Football League games, boxing, and LPGA golf. In the 1980s, Mizlou gave NASCAR its first regular national television coverage and was a telecasting pioneer of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association as well. Mizlou also used its system to facilitate distribution of live events like Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon.
The business fell on hard times with the birth of all-sports networks like ESPN and with the development of easy satellite distribution of syndicated sports, which rendered its exclusive land based system of distribution obsolete. (ESPN actually syndicated some Mizlou programs, including the 1984 Holiday Bowl in which BYU beat Michigan to clinch the national championship.)
In the early 1990s, Mizlou dropped out of the syndication business and sold their programming library to Margate Entertainment LLC and launched an all-sports news network (Mizlou Sports News Network), which was the precursor to ESPN News Network. Margate Entertainment now owns SNN and is transmitting sports news worldwide on a 24/7 basis.
Announcers who appeared on Mizlou include Eddie Doucette, Howard David, Duane Dow, Jim Carvallis, Steve Grad, Vince Baglii, Don Tollefson, and Don Earle.
Mizlou was also known for many technical innovations under the direction of Roger Schwing. Most enduring was the Iso-Lite Replay, which enabled a fan to see a specific portion of what was then the innovative ability to show an instant replay of the action.
In 2008, Margate Entertainment joined forces with Mizlou Television Network to create MizLou TV Sports IPTV network. On this, the 40th Anniversary of Mizlou, the network has returned as a streaming 24 hour sports network, with Margate providing the Mizlou Classic Library and Mizlou producing new TV sports.
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