High Q
High Q is the name of various local television quiz shows broadcast throughout the United States. While the formats vary, all featured two or three teams representing high schools from the station's coverage area, which would compete against each other by answering questions over subjects taught in school. Similar shows have been produced by many local stations under other names.
Known versions
- Hometown High-Q, broadcast by KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- A long-running version by WAVE-TV in Louisville, Kentucky. Its format was licensed by and nearly identical to the NBC show GE College Bowl. This show is no longer produced; its sponsor, Ashland Oil, now sponsors Kentucky's Governors Cup academic competition. A similar game called High School Bowl has since replaced High Q.
- A long-running version by WOWK in Huntington, West Virginia, as of late 2009 revamped as "The All New High Q". The original is no longer aired on WOWK; , the "All New" show, with a slightly varied format and same host (Ernie G. Anderson) is now being produced at the Ohio University Southern Campus in Ironton, Ohio and is aired on both WQCW-TV on Saturday afternoons and O.U.'s Public-access television cable TV channel.
- High-Q was Produced for a number of years by WCVB-TV 5 in Boston Massachusetts. Sports Anchor Mike Lynch was the host of this version. In its last season, the championship was won by Wahconah Regional High School in western Massachusetts, far from the station's advertising base.
- A version produced by WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. This version features a unique format, not drawn from any other show. [1]
- A version from WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Its format appears to be similar, though not identical (as WHIO and WSB are sister stations), to the WHIO version. [2]
- A version from KCOS in El Paso, Texas. [3]
- A version from WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas, cosponsored with Washburn University, broadcast from 1985-2005. Along with a format change, this version was renamed Quest and is now broadcast on KTWU-TV. [4]
- A long-running version by KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon was broadcast in the 1960s and 1970s.
Similar shows under different names
- The long-running It's Academic, broadcast on three stations: in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland and Charlottesville, Virginia since 1961.
- Academic Challenge, similar to It's Academic, shown on WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio from 1964 to 1999, then again from 2003 to the present.
- Matchwits, from KTSC-TV, a public station in Pueblo, Colorado. [5] The show originally ran from 1977 through 1979, then returned in 1987 and has been broadcast ever since. The show pits teams of three from high schools around Colorado against each other in a single elimination tournament. Due to budget issues, the show was cancelled after the 2005-2006 season, but returned for the 2007-2008 season and continues to air.
- High-Five Challenge is produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. It differs from other such shows in that the teams feature four players plus a "wild card" single player that can "steal" questions from the opposing team. [6]
- As Schools Match Wits is produced by WGBY in Springfield, Massachusetts. This show is claimed to be the nation's longest-running high school quiz show, dating back to 1962. [7]
- Granite State Challenge, produced by New Hampshire Public Television. The season starting in 2006 is the show's 24th. (Tom Bergeron of Dancing with the Stars and Hollywood Squares fame is a former host of the show.) [8]
- Battle of the Brains, on WTVR-TV in Richmond, Virginia area, and WAVY in Hampton Roads, Virginia, with season-ending champions from each series playing each other in the "Champion's Challenge."
- In The Know produced by WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky. This show was sponsored by Ashland Oil.
In the early days of television, nearly every major market had at least one quiz show of this type, particularly with the success of GE College Bowl. Such shows also had an extra benefit to stations: they were often used to help meet public-service programming requirements mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. As these controls were relaxed, most of these local shows met their demise, though public stations and statewide networks either maintained their existing shows or provided replacements for commercially-produced ones.
High Q was spoofed in an episode of the television show SCTV as "Night School High Q," where Alex Trebek (played by Eugene Levy) was the moderator.
See also