It's a situation that comes along every once in a while on a Sunday afternoon. WSBT is forced to choose whether to air a Chicago Bears or Indianapolis Colts game.

The station received many phone calls and e-mails from viewers at home after Sunday's games.

Randy Wilson of Plymouth asked a Good Question: “Why did you show the Bears game instead of the Colts game Sunday?”

WSBT's Kirk Mason explains why.

The Chicago Bears play in the National Football Conference or the NFC. The contract for those games is with the FOX network. The Indianapolis Colts play in the American Football Conference or the AFC. That contract is with CBS.

There's a chance twice a year during the regular season for the Bears to be on CBS, when they play an AFC team at home. That happened this past Sunday against Jacksonville. At the exact same time the Colts were playing Cincinnati, also a CBS game.

“The network made that decision — the network makes the original call always as to what football games we air," explained WSBT Programming Director Bob Johnson. "They generally get it right and we generally don't challenge it; but now and then we do.”

There is evidence, albeit unscientific, that there are more local Bears fans than Colts fans. When the Colts and Bears played in the Super Bowl two years ago, WSBT did a poll asking viewers which was their favorite team, and more chose the Bears.

“I think hands down this is a Bears community,” said Darin Pritchett of WSBT Radio.

Pritchett hosts the Weekday Sportsbeat program every night on WSBT Radio. He says the Colts are becoming more popular locally because the team is so good right now behind quarterback Peyton Manning. However, Pritchett says there's no question callers on his show are more interested in the Bears.

“Bears fans will talk about the team good or bad,” added Pritchett. “But it seems like when the Colts are going bad, the fans don't call. But even when the Colts were going good, going to the Super Bowl, we still had limited calls from Colts fans in this area.”

It's also clear there is interest in both teams. The 2007 Super Bowl between the Bears and Colts is the most watched program ever on WSBT television.

WSBT will challenge CBS's decision if there is a game of regional interest the network doesn't pick or if there is a local hero angle that makes a game interesting for local fans. For example, since former Notre Dame Quarterback Brady Quinn now plays for the Cleveland Browns, they may opt to carry that game.