[The 1982 CIF California Championship Division 1 final's influence on the history of television broadcasting was underestimated. It was a night that witnessed a miracle of live television. It served as an excellent template for the NBA's future broadcast strategy and featured two iconic figures.]
————————Excerpt from the 2001 published work "The ultimate assist: the relationship and broadcast strategies of the NBA and television network" by John A. Fortunato.
During the 15-minute halftime break for the two teams, the control room at CBS headquarters in New York began broadcasting advertisements to television: Burger King's beef patty burgers and Kellogg's boxed cornflakes.
Neil Pearson, the new head of sports at CBS since last November, asked in the control room, "Halftime break is on, did the Nielsen Company transmit the viewership ratings?"
