It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. (WRC-TV) and Central Virginia (WVIR) and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland (WJZ-TV). The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest continuously-running television quiz show ever. The program was created by Sophie Altman, who continued as executive producer until she died on May 24, 2008. Mac McGarry hosted the Washington shows from the beginning until June 25, 2011. Hillary Howard, a news anchor for the radio station WTOP-FM took over as host subsequent to McGarry's official retirement in November 2011. The Baltimore show is currently hosted by David Zahren. The show features three local high school teams of three players each. Over the years, chief sponsor Giant Food has given more than $2,000,000 in scholarship funds to participating schools.
The single elimination tournament features 81 schools in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, 81 schools in the Baltimore metropolitan region (including western Maryland and the Eastern Shore), and 9 schools in the Central Virginia region. The winners in each region go on to battle each other in the Super Bowl. The record-high score of 935 is held by Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, achieved in 2000.
Under the name "Academic Challenge", the quiz has also been produced on WEWS in Cleveland since the 1960s. Pittsburgh area schools compete on KDKA-TV, where the series is called Hometown High-Q. KDKA morning anchor Rick Dayton became host in 2011, succeeding original host Ken Rice.
It's Academic is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in TV history. This title was first entered in the 50th anniversary edition of the Guinness Book.
Read more about It's Academic: Format, Conclusion, Guest Questions, Spin-offs, Notable Contestants, Champions
Famous quotes containing the word academic:
“Short of a wholesale reform of college athletics—a complete breakdown of the whole system that is now focused on money and power—the women’s programs are just as doomed as the men’s are to move further and further away from the academic mission of their colleges.... We have to decide if that’s the kind of success for women’s sports that we want.”
—Christine H. B. Grant, U.S. university athletic director. As quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A42 (May 12, 1993)