Prior to the debut of the PBA on ABC television in 1962, most tournaments were organized where, once the cut was established after qualifying rounds, a set number of match-play games were bowled, and bonus pins were given to the winner of each match.

The first Saturday afternoon telecast was the 1962 Empire State Open held at Redwood Lanes in Albany, New York, and was won by Fred Lening, 254–243, over J. Willard Sims.

The series generally aired in the winter and spring as other networks later covered the summer and fall portions of the PBA Tour.

Although the series maintained high ratings throughout most of its years, ABC (which was transitioning to new management after being purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 1996) opted against renewing its contract with the PBA, primarily due to the overall decline of bowling's popularity in the late 1980s and 1990s.

"[5] The final PBT broadcast aired on June 21, 1997 at the St. Clair Classic in Fairview Heights, Ill. that was won by Walter Ray Williams Jr.

It essentially marked the end of an era of bowling on network television due to declining ratings, although CBS aired a few events during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

A member of the Weber family threw the first (Dick) and last (Pete) balls on the series, demonstrating how both the father and son each dominated their own eras of the sport.

It was reported in newspapers that Chris Schenkel did not intend to retire after the series ended, even though he was in his seventies by 1997, as he wanted to earn more money to pay for his grandchildren to go to college.

Bo also called the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Women's Open events on ESPN alongside Marshall Holman, who developed somewhat of a friendship with Burton over the years as a frequent competitor on PBT telecasts.

In 2008, Bo served alongside Bill Macatee and Lynn Swann for the Bowling's Clash of Champions, a contest that pitted men against women.

The PBA, through its renewed contract with ESPN, returned to ABC for the first time in over thirteen years, as it televised the 2011 Tournament of Champions from Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas.

He was not in the booth for the PBA's first-ever televised 300 game, rolled by Jack Biondolillo at the 1967 Tournament of Champions, due to a broadcast union strike.

The curse was finally broken in 1987; with both Schenkel and Burton in the broadcast booth, Pete McCordic rolled a 300 game against Wayne Webb.