WGBH Debuts “High School Quiz Show”
It’s always nice to see new local game shows. There’s a long history of the high school academic quiz programs airing around the country. Boston’s WGBH is starting a new one called High School Quiz Show. It debuts March 22nd on that channel, so be sure to check it out if you get a chance. Twenty schools have been selected to take part in this competition. “To make it fair – and fun – we wanted a complete representation of schools in Massachusetts,” said High School Quiz Show producer Hillary Wells. “The participating schools range from large to small in size, from urban to suburban, from charter schools to public. The initial match-ups between the schools will be chosen randomly, with team names pulled from a hat.”
The final four surviving teams will play against four other teams from the WGBY show As Schools Match Wits to find an eventual champion. The show says questions will line up with the Massachusetts high school curriculum. Contestants will be quizzed on history, literature, and science. To keep it interesting they will also throw in current events, sports, entertainment, and of course general knowledge. The host is Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, who is a business consultant and stand up comedian with two degrees from MIT, so in other words she’s frighteningly smart and sharp. “I am thrilled to host WGBH’s High School Quiz Show,” said Dhaya. “As a former smart kid, I have a lot of nerd-pride. I love that this show celebrates brainy students. There’s already a lot of emphasis on the competitive nature of sports; now smart kids will have their moment. And the approach to High School Quiz Show’s competition is fun, entertaining and supportive.”
Here’s a list of the teams. If you live in the area, know anyone playing? The teams are Amesbury High School; Boston Collegiate Charter School, Dorchester; Brighton High School; The Bromfield School, Harvard; Dighton–Rehoboth Regional High School; Everett High School; Framingham High School; Hingham High School; Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School; Lynn English High School; Methuen High School; Minuteman Career & Technical High School, Lexington; Nipmuc Regional High School, Upton; Oakmont Regional High School, Ashburnham; Randolph High School; Revere High School; Quincy High School; Shepherd Hill Regional High School, Dudley; Sturgis Charter Public School, Hyannis; and University Park Campus School, Worcester.
So again, if you’re in the Boston area be sure to check it out on March 22nd. You can find out more by visiting their Twitter page, or be a fan on Facebook.
Still have some local quiz shows in your area? I believe the Pittsburgh area still has Hometown High Q.
Love to know if they chose the schools in a two-part competition, with a test being part one, and a untelevised play-in as part two.
We don’t have one here, but I do remember there was one here in the early 80s called Quiz Bowl that came on Saturdays on the CBS station here, KSLA, and IIRC, it was hosted by Carl Pendley, who was (at the time) the evening news anchor. Ahhh, memories. Thanks for the post, Alex.
We have It's Academic with Mac MacGarry over here. It's been on the air since 1961, and MacGarry has hosted since the very beginning.
http://www.itsacademicquizshow.com/
Would this show be simulcast nationwide? If it is, that would be awesome. I'd watch it.
And yes, Durham has a high school quiz. It's called Brain Game.
[youtube mBxMQfmAZ8Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBxMQfmAZ8Y youtube]
Find out more here: http://www.wral.com/entertainment/games/page/2502…
Would this show be simulcast nationwide? If it is, that would be awesome. I'd watch it.
And yes, Durham has a high school quiz. It's called Brain Game.
[youtube mBxMQfmAZ8Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBxMQfmAZ8Y youtube]
Find out more here: http://www.wral.com/entertainment/games/page/2502…
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (about 50 miles north of Philadelphia) has had one since the late 70's called "Scholastic Scrimmiage" on PBS WLVT-39
This is their website: http://www.wlvt.org/EDUCATION/scholscrim.htm
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (about 50 miles north of Philadelphia) has had one since the late 70's called "Scholastic Scrimmiage" on PBS WLVT-39
This is their website: http://www.wlvt.org/EDUCATION/scholscrim.htm
Alex name-checked As Schools Match Wits in the article; that one's been going since the '60s in one form or another, originally on WWLP (Springfield's NBC affiliate) but now on WGBY (WGBH's main satellite in western MA).
Connecticut used to have High School Bowl on WTNH; I don't know if that show still exists, or where it would be if it did (one of the CPTV stations, perhaps?).
Here in Central Ohio, we've had In the Know for years, although it's been all but replaced by a statewide series on the ONN regional cable network – The [some sponsor I can't remember offhand] Brain Game.
"Brain Game" is an updated version of "It's Academic."
Scranton used to have a Scholastic Scrimmage on their PBS station, but I'm out of the area now, so I don't know if they still do. There were major budget cuts to public television in Pennsylvania, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was cut. I heard that the State College, Pa. station dropped their "SS".
News 12 in the NYC area has a high-school competition on its regional stations (NJ and Long Island at least) called "The Challenge." The champions from each regional station compete in one consolidated tournament, I believe. It's produced by Cablevision's Rainbow Media in Manhattan. News 12 is only available on Cablevision systems and a few scattered local cable systems where Cablevision doesn't reach.
Scranton used to have a Scholastic Scrimmage on their PBS station, but I'm out of the area now, so I don't know if they still do. There were major budget cuts to public television in Pennsylvania, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was cut. I heard that the State College, Pa. station dropped their "SS".
News 12 in the NYC area has a high-school competition on its regional stations (NJ and Long Island at least) called "The Challenge." The champions from each regional station compete in one consolidated tournament, I believe. It's produced by Cablevision's Rainbow Media in Manhattan. News 12 is only available on Cablevision systems and a few scattered local cable systems where Cablevision doesn't reach.
We have It's Academic with Mac MacGarry over here. It's been on the air since 1961, and MacGarry has hosted since the very beginning.
http://www.itsacademicquizshow.com/
We have It's Academic with Mac MacGarry over here. It's been on the air since 1961, and MacGarry has hosted since the very beginning.
http://www.itsacademicquizshow.com/
Here in New Hampshire we've got Granite State Challenge on NHPTV. I was actually a contestant on the show wayyyy back in 1997 when I was a sophomore.
Here in New Hampshire we've got Granite State Challenge on NHPTV. I was actually a contestant on the show wayyyy back in 1997 when I was a sophomore.
Alex name-checked As Schools Match Wits in the article; that one's been going since the '60s in one form or another, originally on WWLP (Springfield's NBC affiliate) but now on WGBY (WGBH's main satellite in western MA).
Connecticut used to have High School Bowl on WTNH; I don't know if that show still exists, or where it would be if it did (one of the CPTV stations, perhaps?).
Here in Central Ohio, we've had In the Know for years, although it's been all but replaced by a statewide series on the ONN regional cable network – The [some sponsor I can't remember offhand] Brain Game.
Alex name-checked As Schools Match Wits in the article; that one's been going since the '60s in one form or another, originally on WWLP (Springfield's NBC affiliate) but now on WGBY (WGBH's main satellite in western MA).
Connecticut used to have High School Bowl on WTNH; I don't know if that show still exists, or where it would be if it did (one of the CPTV stations, perhaps?).
Here in Central Ohio, we've had In the Know for years, although it's been all but replaced by a statewide series on the ONN regional cable network – The [some sponsor I can't remember offhand] Brain Game.
There was also a version of "It's Academic" that ran concurrently with the D.C. version in New York through the mid-to-late '60s on WNBC. Art James was the original host. He was succeeded by local New York TV sportscaster Lee Leonard.
There was also a version of "It's Academic" that ran concurrently with the D.C. version in New York through the mid-to-late '60s on WNBC. Art James was the original host. He was succeeded by local New York TV sportscaster Lee Leonard.
"Brain Game" is an updated version of "It's Academic."
"Brain Game" is an updated version of "It's Academic."
I grew up in Fairfleld County, so I had TV access to both New York and New Haven. Although I only saw it a few times, I do remember High School Bowl. For the uninitiated, unlike other high school quiz shows, its format was structured the same way as the old G.E. College Bowl (true; others had similarities, but this show – as I remember it- distinguished itself by the moderator stating that it was based on "College Bowl").
I can't say whether or not it's still on the air; I wouldn't be surprised either way. If so, it probably is on CPTV….makes sense, nowadays.
I grew up in Fairfleld County, so I had TV access to both New York and New Haven. Although I only saw it a few times, I do remember High School Bowl. For the uninitiated, unlike other high school quiz shows, its format was structured the same way as the old G.E. College Bowl (true; others had similarities, but this show – as I remember it- distinguished itself by the moderator stating that it was based on "College Bowl").
I can't say whether or not it's still on the air; I wouldn't be surprised either way. If so, it probably is on CPTV….makes sense, nowadays.
WGBH, home to producing past and present PBS shows (Masterpiece Theatre; NOVA; The French Chef; This Old House,; ZOOM; and animated versions of the children's books Curious George, Arthur, and Martha Speaks), gets to do a local High School Quiz Bowl.
Did WGBH produce in the 1990's the PBS "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" game show for kids. I know it produces the kid aimed reality show "Design Squad" and the kid aimed reality/game show spoof "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman".
WGRZ/2 in Buffalo briefly resurrected It's Academic in the spring of 2008; it had been a long-time staple of WIVB/4 for much of the 70's up to 1985 (I was on for Lancaster (NY) in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, winning both initial games, and making the semifinal round in 82-83). The great Bills announcer Van Miller was host on WIVB's version, while light reporter Kevin O'Neill did the one year on WGRZ…
WGRZ/2 in Buffalo briefly resurrected It's Academic in the spring of 2008; it had been a long-time staple of WIVB/4 for much of the 70's up to 1985 (I was on for Lancaster (NY) in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, winning both initial games, and making the semifinal round in 82-83). The great Bills announcer Van Miller was host on WIVB's version, while light reporter Kevin O'Neill did the one year on WGRZ…
And being so close to Canada, we were able to get (somewhat fuzzy) airings of the classic Canadian quiz, Reach For The Top, from CBC in Toronto, hosted at the time by Jan Tennant, and on the regional/national level by one Alex Trebek, IIRC…
Here in Chicago, We have "Know Your Heritage". Watched it once or twice.
Oh, and am I the only one who thinks that WGBH Boston should Remake "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"?
Just Curious.
In Indiana, we have "The Brain Game." I don't know if it's the same one everyone has been talking about above, but it's moved around the schedule in the past few years, but is still kicking and pretty fun to watch.
In Indiana, we have "The Brain Game." I don't know if it's the same one everyone has been talking about above, but it's moved around the schedule in the past few years, but is still kicking and pretty fun to watch.