The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day, all-breed benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City annually. The first Westminster show was held in 1877. The first Westminster show was first held on May 8, 1877, making it the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the United States behind only the Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875. (Both events were held even during the World War years.) The show originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily Setters and Pointers, initiated by a group of hunters who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan. They decided to create a kennel club called the Westminster Kennel Club specifically for the purpose of holding a dog show. The prizes for these first shows included such items as pearl handled pistols, of use to the hunters and terriermen who worked these dogs in the field.
The USA Network broadcast the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show from 1984 through 2016, with coverage under the auspices of NBC Sports in later years. Sister network CNBC had also aired portions of the event. On July 28, 2015, it was announced that Fox Sports had acquired rights to the event under a 10-year deal beginning in 2017. Coverage will be split between Fox Sports 1 and Nat Geo Wild. David Frei has co-hosted the event since 1990. His partners have been Al Trautwig (1990-1991, 1993), Bud Collins (1992), Joe Garagiola (1994-2002), Mark McEwen (2003-2004), Lester Holt (2005, 2007-2008), Debbye Turner (2006), Mary Carillo (2009, 2011-Present), and Tamron Hall (2010).
