Heidi

This was the television adaptation of "Heidi" that, through no fault of its own, became embroiled in a U.S. broadcasting brouhaha known to this day as the "Heidi Bowl." On Sunday, November 17, 1968, NBC was scheduled to begin airing this movie at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, following coverage of a National Football League game between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. The game ran long; however, with the Jets leading the Raiders, 32-29, NBC broke away to begin this movie on schedule. During the unseen remaining minute of play, Oakland managed to score two touchdowns, and ended up beating New York, 43-32. Outraged football fans inundated NBC switchboards. The network expressed regret, saying it had intended to stay with the game until it ended, and blaming a series of miscommunications for the gaffe. A result of this fiasco is that National Football League television contracts require games to be televised in their entirety in the markets of the two teams.

Featured in The Sports Pages (2001)