1969 in American television explained

This is a list of American television-related events in 1969.

Events

DateEventRef.
January 4 The Huntley–Brinkley Report, NBC's nightly newscast, expands to include a weekend edition that would air on Saturdays, with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley alternating weeks anchoring the news solo. Later, mediocre ratings prompt NBC to replace the duo with other newsmen, with the broadcast's Saturday editions renamed the NBC Saturday News.
January 13 Dick York collapses on the set of Bewitched and is rushed to the hospital. He resigns from the show for health reasons. The character Darrin Stephens is played by Dick Sargent from then until the show's 1972 ending.
February 5 ABC runs the one and only airing of the notorious flop Turn-On, which was canceled after only one episode.
February 19Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. shoots its final scene and completes its run at approximately 4:31 p.m. at the CBS Studio Center. The final scene wrapped up with Jim Nabors saying the line “How interesting - and did she?”.
June 3 The science fiction television series Star Trek airs its final new episode after being canceled by NBC. Its subsequent sale into rerun syndication soon after leads to a rise in popularity that transforms Star Trek into one of the century's most successful entertainment franchises, which would later spawn sequel series for the next few decades.[1]
July 20 All three commercial television networks broadcast a live transmission from the Moon, which was viewed by 720 million people around the world, with the landing of Apollo 11; at 10:56 p.m. EDT Neil Armstrong (followed soon afterwards by Buzz Aldrin) steps onto the surface; viewers see a scan from broadcasts received at Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station followed by Parkes Observatory in Australia.[2]
September 8 Starting September 8, all daytime programming on both ABC and CBS is presented in color.
September 26 ABC affiliate WLTV in Bowling Green, Kentucky was knocked off the air due to the sabotaging explosion of their transmitter by a local bootlegger who did not appreciate the television exposure of his bootlegging ring. The station returned to the air with limited power on October 6. It would not return to full power until the station's new transmitter facility was activated in 1971. [3] [4]
October 18 The Jackson 5 make their national television debut on The Hollywood Palace.
November 13Vice President Spiro Agnew, in a televised speech from Des Moines, Iowa, stirs up a national controversy by attacking the network news commentaries.
December 7 The now-iconic Christmas television special, Frosty the Snowman, premieres on CBS, based on the song of the same name. The special has aired annually on the same network ever since. [5]

Television programs

Debuts

Date Debut Network
February 7This Is Tom Jones
April 10 Peanuts CBS
April 27[6] The Dudley Do-Right Show ABC
June 7The Johnny Cash ShowABC
June 15 Hee Haw CBS
September 6H.R. PufnstufNBC
September 8Where the Heart Is CBS
September 13The Archie Comedy Hour
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
September 17The Courtship of Eddie's Father ABC
Room 222
September 23Marcus Welby, M.D.
September 24 Medical Center CBS
September 26 The Brady BunchABC
September 29 Bright PromiseNBC
Love, American StyleABC
November 10Sesame Street[7]

Television films and specials

First airedTitleNetworkReference
February 9A Midsummer Night's DreamCBS
April 11Fellini, a Director's NotebookNBC
April 13Dick Van Dyke and the Other WomanCBS
September 27It Was a Short Summer, Charlie BrownCBS
November 12Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat AlbertNBC
December 7Frosty the SnowmanCBS
December 12 The Archies' Sugar Sugar Jingle Jangle Christmas ShowCBS

Changes of network affiliation

ShowMoved fromMoved to
Get Smart CBS
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir ABC

Ending this year

Date Show Network DebutStatusNotes
January 4 Wacky Races (returned in 2017) CBS September 14, 1968CanceledReturned in 2017 on Boomerang’s video-on-demand service
April 13 The Mothers-in-Law NBC September 10, 1967
May 2 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. CBS September 25, 1964Ended
June 2 Peyton Place ABC September 15, 1964
June 3 NBCSeptember 8, 1966
June 8The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour CBS February 5, 1967Canceled
June 8Peanuts 1969 CanceledReturned in 1973
September 26 Match Game NBC December 31, 1962Ended Returned in 1973 on CBS

Networks and services

Network launches

NetworkType Launch dateNotes Source
Regional over-the-air state networkJuly 14
Religious television network October 1Operated on a limited number of station in California
Regional over-the-air state network October 5
October 15 New York City-area-based cable channel.
Regional religious cable television network Unknown datePossibly the earliest-known religious-formatted cable channel

Television stations

Sign-ons

DateCity of license/MarketStationChannel AffiliationNotes/Ref.
January 13 22 Part of the Kentucky Educational Television network as a satellite of WKLE/Lexington, Kentucky.
January 14Garden City, New York
21
January 25 KMST46CBS
February 8KGTO-TV36NBC
February 2324NET Later became part of the West Virginia Public Broadcasting television network
March 3Bloomington, Indiana30 NET
April 1413NET
June 8St. Louis, Missouri30Independent now an ABC affiliate
July 14WVPB-TV33NET Part of the West Virginia Public Broadcasting television network
July 3019CBS
August 18 Jacksonville, Illinois
14ABC
August 20 Kingsport, Tennessee
WKPT-TV19ABC
August 29 3 Independent
September 8 Covington, Kentucky
52
October 50Independent
October 1KXIX19ABCSigned on as a satellite of KIII/Corpus Christi
October 5 WMPB67NET
October 73NBC
October 16San Bernardino/Los Angeles, California30 IndependentOriginally licensed in Glendale, California
October 20 57 Independent[8]
October 2511CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
October 26WHMA-TV40CBS (primary)
NBC (secondary)
October 29 50Independent
November 19 36 ABC

Network affiliation changes

DateCity of license/MarketStationChannel Old affiliationNew affiliation Notes/Ref.
January Jamestown-Buffalo, New York26
January 18NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
ABC (exclusive) Would re-join NBC in 1987
11 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
NBC (exclusive)
13CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
CBS (exclusive)
28 Independent ABC
May 12 46NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
ABC (exclusive) NBC would return to the station (as KDLT) in 1983
August 18Hannibal, Missouri
7CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
CBS (exclusive) The secondary ABC affiliation ended with the sign-on of WJJY-TV in nearby Jacksonville, Illinois.
August 20Bristol, Virginia
5 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
NBC (exclusive) The secondary ABC affiliation ended with the sign-on of WKPT-TV/Kingsport.
Johnson City, Tennessee
WJHL-TV11 CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
CBS (exclusive)
October 9 CBS (primary)
ABC and NBC (secondary)
CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
Secondary NBC affiliation was dropped with the sign-on of WJMN-TV; WLUC would trade network affiliations with WJMN to become an exclusive NBC affiliate in 1992
October 25 8NBC (primary)
ABC and CBS (secondary)
NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
Unknown date 5 ABC (primary)
CBS (secondary)
ABC (primary)
NBC (secondary)
3NBC CBS
28Independent ABC
3 ABC (primary)
CBS (exclusive)
ABC (exclusive) Changed occurred on the occasion of the consolidation of the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo markets.
Santa Maria, California12 NBC (primary)
CBS (secondary)
CBS (exclusive)
6NBC (primary)
CBS (secondary)
NBC (exclusive)

Station closures

DateCity of license/MarketStationChannel AffiliationSign-on dateNotes
May 14Independent (primary)
NBC (secondary)
December 4, 1953 (as WWOR-TV)
August 3122Independent 1968
16IndependentFebruary 1968
September 1316 December 14, 1968
Unknown date26Independent 1966 Returned to the air in 1988 as WTJA
Marion, IndianaWTAF-TV31November 3, 1962

Births

See main article: article.

Deaths

See main article: article.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 2009. TIME 1969: Woodstock, the Moon and Manson: The Turbulent End of the ‘60s. New York. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. 107.
  2. Web site: 30th anniversary of Apollo 11: 1969-1999. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Apollo 11 30th Anniversary. 2019-07-20.
  3. Rash, A. V. (September 26, 1969). “WLTV Tower is Blasted By Dynamite.” The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky, p. 1, 18. Archived from the original April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
  4. Ryan, Ed (September 27, 1969). “Bowling Green Station’s TV Tower is Dynamited.” The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. B1. Archived from the original April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
  5. Book: Woolery. George W.. Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. 1989. Scarecrow Press. 0-8108-2198-2. August 24, 2022. 164–165.
  6. Book: Woolery, George W.. Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. 1983. Scarecrow Press. 0-8108-1557-5 . 86–88.
  7. Book: 2009. TIME 1969: Woodstock, the Moon and Manson: The Turbulent End of the ‘60s. New York. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. 105.
  8. Book: Nash, Francis M.. 1995. Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State. 9781879688933.