High Q - Similar Shows Under Different Names

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. 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.
• 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.
• 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.)
• 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.