High Q
Encyclopedia
High Q is the name of various local television
quiz show
s broadcast throughout the United States
. While the formats vary, all featured two or three teams representing high school
s 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.
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.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
s broadcast throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While the formats vary, all featured two or three teams representing high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s 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-TVKDKA-TVKDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. - A long-running version by WAVE-TVWAVE (TV)WAVE aka "WAVE 3" is the NBC television station in Louisville, Kentucky. Owned by Raycom Media, the station broadcasts from its main studio in downtown Louisville...
in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Its format was licensed by and nearly identical to the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show GE College BowlCollege BowlCollege Bowl was a format of college-level quizbowl run and operated by College Bowl Company, Incorporated. It had a format similar to the current NAQT format. College Bowl first aired on US radio stations in 1953, and aired on US television from 1959 to 1970...
. This show is no longer produced; its sponsor, Ashland Oil, now sponsors KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
'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 VirginiaHuntington, West VirginiaHuntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
, 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 CampusOhio University Southern CampusOhio University Southern Campus is located at 1804 Liberty Avenue in Ironton, Ohio. While not as large as the main Ohio University campus located in Athens, Ohio, several degree programs are offered. The Southern Campus also features an extension located in Proctorville, Ohio, a Nature Center, and...
in Ironton, OhioIronton, OhioIronton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...
and is aired on both WQCW-TV on Saturday afternoons and O.U.'s Public-access televisionPublic-access televisionPublic-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
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-TVWHIO-TVWHIO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Dayton, Ohio, serving that state's Miami Valley area. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from its transmitter on Germantown Street in western Dayton....
in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. This version features a unique format, not drawn from any other show. http://www.whiotv.com/station/1919636/detail.html - A version from WSB-TVWSB-TVWSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Its format appears to be similar, though not identical (as WHIO and WSB are sister stations), to the WHIO version. http://www.wsbtv.com/programming/1868897/detail.html - A version from KCOS in El Paso, TexasEl Paso, TexasEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. http://www.kcostv.org/HQBRACKETS.html - A version from WIBW-TVWIBW-TVWIBW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital translator on UHF channel 44. Both operating frequencies are transmitted in Maple Hill. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios at Southwest Commerce Place...
in Topeka, KansasTopeka, KansasTopeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, cosponsored with Washburn UniversityWashburn UniversityWashburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
, broadcast from 1985-2005. Along with a format change, this version was renamed Quest and is now broadcast on KTWU-TV. http://www.washburn.edu/quest/ - A long-running version by KGW-TV in Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
was broadcast in the 1960s and 1970s.
Similar shows under different names
- The long-running It's AcademicIt's AcademicIt's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
, broadcast on three stations: in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland and Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
since 1961. - Academic Challenge, similar to It's Academic, shown on WEWS in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
from 1964 to 1999, then again from 2003 to the present. - Matchwits, from KTSC-TV, a public station in Pueblo, ColoradoPueblo, ColoradoPueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
. http://www.rmpbs.org/matchwits/info.html 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 ChallengeHigh-Five ChallengeHigh-Five Challenge, which airs in Oregon and Washington and is taped in Portland, Oregon is a high school quiz competition featuring teams from Oregon and Washington. It has been on the air since 1993 and was created and is hosted by Wayne Faligowski....
is produced by Oregon Public BroadcastingOregon Public BroadcastingOregon Public Broadcasting is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of Oregon as well as southern Washington. With its headquarters and television studios in Portland, OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF translators, and over...
. 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. http://www.high-five.com/ - As Schools Match WitsAs Schools Match WitsAs Schools Match Wits is a high school quiz show, hosted by Beth Ward, that airs on PBS member station WGBY in Springfield, Massachusetts, and produced in association with Westfield State College...
is produced by WGBY in Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. This show is claimed to be the nation's longest-running high school quiz show, dating back to 1962. http://wgby.org/localprograms/pages/asmw.html - Granite State ChallengeGranite State ChallengeGranite State Challenge is an American television quizbowl game show that airs on New Hampshire Public Television and began in 1983.-Description:...
, produced by New Hampshire Public TelevisionNew Hampshire Public TelevisionNew Hampshire Public Television is a television company and public broadcasting state network in New Hampshire, licensed to the University System of New Hampshire and is part of the Public Broadcasting Service...
. The season starting in 2006 is the show's 24th. (Tom BergeronTom BergeronTom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
of Dancing with the Stars and Hollywood SquaresHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
fame is a former host of the show.) http://www.nhptv.org/product/gsc/gsc.htm - Battle of the BrainsBattle of the BrainsBattle of the Brains is a quizbowl show in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas of Virginia. It currently airs on WTVR in the Richmond area, and WAVY in Hampton Roads. The current show began in Richmond in 1975, and it originally aired on a local PBS member station until it was canceled by the...
, on WTVR-TVWTVR-TVWTVR-TV, virtual channel 6, is a CBS television affiliate based in Richmond, Virginia owned by Local TV, the broadcasting arm of Oak Hill Capital Partners...
in Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
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-TVWLEX-TVWLEX-TV, channel 18, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Lexington, Kentucky and the East-Central Kentucky region. Its transmitter is located in Southern Lexington near Hamburg Pavilion on WTVQ-DT's tower. WLEX-TV's studio is on Russell Cave Road in northern Fayette County.-Digital...
in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. 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
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. 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
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
as "Night School High Q," where Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
(played by Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
) was the moderator.