RETRO: MID-SOUTH, OCT. 4TH, 1976

[skipeastport]

WMC-TV (Channel 5, NBC) (Memphis)
MORNING
06:25 TV Chapel
06:30 Dusty's Tree House
07:00 The Today Show
09:00 Sanford and Son
09:30 Dinah!
11:00 50 Grand Slam
11:30 The Gong Show
AFTERNOON
12:00 Action News 5
12:30 Days of Our Lives
01:30 The Doctors
02:00 Another World
03:00 Somerset
03:30 Bewitched
04:00 The Brady Bunch
04:30 Adam-12
05:00 Action News 5
EVENING
06:00 NBC Nightly News
06:30 The Cross Wits
07:00 Little House on the Prairie ("Bunny" Nellie feigns paralysis in a fall from Laura's horse)
08:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies ("Never Give an Inch")
10:00 Action News 5
10:30 The Tonight Show
12:00 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
12:30 Not For Women Only


WREG-TV (Channel 3, CBS) (Memphis)
MORNING
06:00 Morning News
07:00 Good Morning From Memphis
08:00 Captain Kangaroo
09:00 The Price is Right
10:00 Gambit
10:30 Love of Life
11:00 The Young and the Restless
11:30 Search for Tomorrow
AFTERNOON
12:00 Newswatch 3
12:30 As the World Turns
01:30 Guiding Light
02:00 All in the Family
02:30 Match Game '76
03:00 Afternoon Movie ("Lassie's Great Adventure")
05:00 The Beverly Hillbillies
05:30 CBS News with Walter Cronkite
EVENING
06:00 Newswatch 3
06:30 Hollywood Squares
07:00 Rhoda ("No Big Deal")
07:30 Phyllis ("Speech 1A")
08:00 Maude ("Bert Moves In")
08:30 All's Fair ("A Perfect Evening")
09:00 Executive Suite ("Re: The Porno Play")
10:00 Newswatch 3
10:30 Columbo ("Double Shock")
01:00 Late Movie ("The Clock")


WHBQ-TV (Channel 13, ABC) (Memphis)
MORNING
6:00a Good Morning America
07:00 Animals, Animals
07:30 Gilligan's Island
08:00 Eyewitness News
08:05 Straight Talk
09:00 Dialing for Dollars (movie "Chubasco")
11:00 Hot Seat
11:30 All My Children
AFTERNOON
12:00 Eyewitness News
12:30 Family Feud
01:00 $20,000 Pyramid
01:30 One Life to Live
02:15 General Hospital
03:00 Edge of Night
03:30 Gomer Pyle, USMC
04:00 Bonanza
05:00 ABC News with Harry Reasoner
05:30 Andy Griffith Show
EVENING
06:00 Eyewitness News
07:00 Captain and Tennille
08:00 Monday Night Football ("Steelers vs. Vikings")
10:45 Eyewitness News
11:15 Frank Broyles Show
12:15 Late News


WAPT-TV (Channel 16, ABC) (Jackson, MS)
07:00a Good Morning America
09:00 Morning Movie
10:30 Happy Days
11:00 Hot Seat
11:30 All My Children
12:00p Ryan's Hope
12:30 Family Feud
01:00 $20,000 Pyramid
01:30 One Life to Live
02:15 General Hospital
03:00 Edge of Night
03:30 The Flintstones
04:00 Leave it to Beaver
04:30 Gilligan's Island
05:00 Bewitched
05:30 ABC News
06:00p Local News
06:30 In Search of
07:00 Space 1999
08:00 Monday Night Football
10:45 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
11:15 News
11:30 Night Gallery


WTWV-TV (Channel 9, NBC/ABC) (Tupelo, MS)
06:35a Morning Meditation
07:00 Today Show
09:00 Sanford and Son
09:30 Celebrity Sweepstakes
10:00 Wheel of Fortune
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 Fun Factory
11:30 Gong Show
12:00p Somerset
12:30 Days of Our Lives
01:30 The Doctors
02:00 Another World
03:00 Edge of Night
03:30 Little Rascals
04:00 Gilligan's Island
04:30 Brady Bunch
05:00 Bewitched
05:30 NBC Nightly News
06:00 Local News
06:30 To Tell the Truth
07:00 Little House on the Prairie
08:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies
10:00 News
10:30 Tonight Show
12:00a Tomorrow
01:00 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
01:30 News



WPSD-TV (Channel 6, NBC) (Paducah, KY)
07:00a Today Show
09:00 Sanford and Son
09:30 Romper Room
10:00 Wheel of Fortune
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 Fun Factory
11:30 Gong Show
12:00p Newsbeat
12:30 Days of Our Lives
01:30 The Doctors
02:00 Another World
03:00 Somerset
03:30 Gilligan's Island
04:00 Brady Bunch
04:30 Ironside
05:30 NBC Nightly News
06:00 Newsbeat
06:30 Pop Goes Country
07:00 Little House on the Prairie
08:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies
10:00 Newsbeat
10:30 Tonight Show
12:00a Tomorrow


WLBT-TV (Channel 3, NBC) (Jackson, MS)
06:10a Prayer
06:15 Our World
06:45 News
07:00 Today Show
09:00 Judy
10:00 Playmates
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 Fun Factory
11:30 Gong Show
12:00p News
12:30 Days of Our Lives
01:30 The Doctors
02:00 Another World
03:00 Somerset
03:30 Dark Shadows
04:00 Sanford and Son
04:30 Marcus Welby, MD
05:00 Adam-12
05:30 NBC Nightly News
06:00 Local News
06:30 Wild Kingdom
07:00 Little House on the Prairie
08:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies
10:00 News
10:30 Tonight Show
12:00a Tomorrow


KFVS-TV (Channel 12, CBS) (Cape Girardeau, MO)
6:00a Sunrise Semester
06:30 Breakfast Show
07:00 News
08:00 Captain Kangaroo
09:00 The Price is Right
10:00 Gambit
10:30 Love of Life
11:00 The Young and the Restless
11:30 Search for Tomorrow
12:00p News
12:30 As the World Turns
01:30 Guiding Light
02:00 All in the Family
02:30 Match Game '76
03:00 Tattletales
03:30 Mickey Mouse Club
04:00 Beverly Hillbillies
04:30 Andy Griffith Show
05:00 To Tell the Truth
05:30 CBS News with Walter Cronkrite
06:00 News
06:30 Muppets
07:00 Rhoda
07:30 Phyllis
08:00 Maude
08:30 All's Fair
09:00 Executive Suite
10:00 Channel 12 Report
10:30 Late Movie
12:30a News


WTVF-TV (Channel 5, CBS) (Nashville, TN)
07:00 Mornings on 5
08:00 Captain Kangaroo
09:00 The Price is Right
10:00 Gambit
10:30 Love of Life
11:00 The Young and the Restless
11:30 Search for Tomorrow
12:00p Singing Convention
12:30 As the World Turns
01:30 Guiding Light
02:00 All in the Family
02:30 Match Game '76
03:00 Afternoon Movie
05:00 Gilligan's Island
05:30 CBS News with Walter Cronkite
6:00p Eyewitness News
06:30 To Tell the Truth
07:00 Rhoda
07:30 Phyllis
08:00 Maude
08:30 Country Awards
10:00 Eyewitness News
11:00 Champions


WBBJ-TV (Channel 7, ABC) (Jackson, TN)
6:30a Art Smith
07:00 Good Morning America
09:00 PTL Club
11:00 Let's Make a Deal
11:30 All My Children
12:00p News
12:30 Family Feud
01:00 $20,000 Pyramid
01:30 One Life to Live
02:15 General Hospital
03:00 Edge of Night
03:30 Ryan's Hope
04:00 Concentration
04:30 Green Acres
05:00 Lassie
05:30 ABC News
06:00p Local News
06:30 Pop Goes Country
07:00 Captain and Tennille
08:00 Monday Night Football
10:45 News
11:15 Highlights

 

[rwells2265]

I'm guessing this came out of the Memphis Commercial Appeal "Mid-South" TV tab? They had a section in the back which featured an expanded area of listings for the likes of Paducah/Cape Girardeau, Jackson, etc.

Couple of observations -- WMC 5 picking up Dinah! was only the beginning of their notorious dismantling of NBC daytime.

Second, I'd forgotten how WLBT 3 in Jackson did their own share of preemptions in the '70s. The 9:00 program was the local institution Coffee With Judy, hosted by Judy Moon (formerly a "weather girl"), plus the "Romper Room"-styled Our Playmates. The latter was an award-winning show - created very soon after the station passed into "interim" hands in 1971.

I was living in Tupelo in 1976, so the afternoon schedules really took me back. Brady Bunch, back to back, on 5 and 9 respectively. Those were the days..... : : :

--Russell

 

[skipeastport]

Thanks for the info about Judy and Playmates, Russell W. I lived in Northeast, MS then and could pick up all the Memphis stations, Tupelo, and Florence, AL. But we couldn't get the central MS stations. I've always been fascinated by local programming. When I was a kid, I always wanted people to bring me back TV Guides from their travels. I was a very odd kid, but I got a kick out of knowing what other people got to see, and wondering what their locally produced shows were like.

 

[Mike Stroud]

I noticed some fairly strange things here.

Only two of the Jackson, Mississippi stations were listed, and one of those was a U, WAPT. The odd man out here was CBS affil WJTV, on channel 12. Wonder what the CA's thinking was on that?

Take these things into consideration: 1) The CA's circulation reach at the time was probably the northern third of the state of Mississippi, down to about Greenville, Greenwood, and maybe as far as Columbus. Surely it didn't go down as far as, say, Vicksburg?

This becomes important because 2) UHF signals were notoriously weak in those days, and I don't know the technical facts, but WAPT's reach couldn't have been more than in a 60-mile radius around Jackson--far short of the southern end of CA's southern boundary in the Mississippi Delta.

Meanwhile, 3) WJTV probably had a similar reach to WLBT, some 75-90 standard miles as one would expect from a V in a geographically large, predominantly rural market like Jackson. Its signal, by contrast, was probably visible in the southern part of the Delta. So the CA's listing WAPT really made no sense.

Also conspicuously missing are the Arkansas stations, namely the three Little Rock V affils, Jonesboro ABC affil KAIT, and the state ETV system. Perhaps this listing was culled from a separate edition aimed at the areas east and south of Memphis, I don't know. But that would be the only explanation I could imagine.

Further, only one Nashville station is listed for those parts of western Tennessee near the Tennessee River within the fringe areas of the 100-mile signals of the Vs in that market--WTVF. Strangely enough, in those days, WTVF was short-spaced to Memphis' WMC-TV, the NBC affil. Wonder how cable systems (what few existed then, probably) and viewers fared with two close signals warring for that channel space? But more to the point, why didn't the CA list ABC affil WNGE (now WKRN) or NBC affil WSM (now WSMV)? Those two stations probably came in much clearer to viewers east of Jackson, Tennessee, without the interference that would have dogged WTVF back in the day (all memories now with DTV and ubiquitous cable, of course).

Point being, the CA was pretty arbitrary in its selections for the daily TV page. It may not have been so with the Sunday insert, perhaps approaching the breadth of the old Louisville Courier-Journal, with its listing of every TV signal that came into the state of Kentucky. But I don't think I would have found the CA reliable if I were living in those times. About the only thing that our new technologies have made simpler, IMO, is the elimination of out-of-market OTA signals from cable systems (most of them, anyway).

 

[rwells2265]

I noticed some fairly strange things here.

Only two of the Jackson, Mississippi stations were listed, and one of those was a U, WAPT. The odd man out here was CBS affil WJTV, on channel 12. Wonder what the CA's thinking was on that?

Take these things into consideration: 1) The CA's circulation reach at the time was probably the northern third of the state of Mississippi, down to about Greenville, Greenwood, and maybe as far as Columbus. Surely it didn't go down as far as, say, Vicksburg?

This becomes important because 2) UHF signals were notoriously weak in those days, and I don't know the technical facts, but WAPT's reach couldn't have been more than in a 60-mile radius around Jackson--far short of the southern end of CA's southern boundary in the Mississippi Delta.

Meanwhile, 3) WJTV probably had a similar reach to WLBT, some 75-90 standard miles as one would expect from a V in a geographically large, predominantly rural market like Jackson. Its signal, by contrast, was probably visible in the southern part of the Delta. So the CA's listing WAPT really made no sense.

Even more so, notably missing from this lineup is the one VHF station in the Greenwood/Greenville area - WABG Channel 6 (ABC). I can't speak for its reach - and I can only guess (without looking at old BC Yearbooks) that in 1976 they were still on a shorter tower. Still, that would be an ABC I'd include before going with WAPT.

[side remark: There was an ad I saw in a late '60s Clarion-Ledger for WABG 6, touting "the full ABC schedule" ... so I'm led to wonder how close a watchable signal extended toward Jackson]

As for the Appeal's circulation area, I can guess that it's highly doubtful it reached much beyond US 82 across the state. Below that, and you're in prime Clarion-Ledger territory.

At the same time, I do believe WAPT was on the cable system in Starkville (and for a time, even WBRC/Birmingham was, too).

But that still doesn't explain the omission of WJTV 12. Prior to WXVT 15 powering up out of Greenville and bring a local CBS to the area, I'd think WJTV had just as much influence as WREG ... corresponding with the overlap of NBC on WLBT and WMC.

Or, here's a more proper short answer: ?????????????????????????????????????????

Also conspicuously missing are the Arkansas stations, namely the three Little Rock V affils, Jonesboro ABC affil KAIT, and the state ETV system. Perhaps this listing was culled from a separate edition aimed at the areas east and south of Memphis, I don't know. But that would be the only explanation I could imagine.

That's an even bigger head-scratcher. Jonesboro's cable historically carried the Little Rock stations along with Memphis and local KAIT (and KTEJ 19 - AETN's repeater when it signed on in 1976). Fact is, most of the Little Rock stations had virtually statewide coverage cable-wise at one time or another.

--Russell

 

[briancraig]

KATV was even carried on the cable in West Memphis at one time.

I know the tv listings in the Commercial Appeal were zoned but that wouldn't explain this channel line up.

WNGE was probably not viewed in too many counties where the CA circulated but WSM was on the cable in Jackson along with WTVF.

Despite being on channel 5, WTVF was on the cable in more of West TN than any of the other Nashville stations. There where some places in Northwest TN where ABC was apparently WBBJ, NBC was WPSD and CBS was WTVF instead of WREG or KFVS which makes no sense to me.

 

[Mike Stroud]

To Brian and Russell:

Russell, good job building upon my concerns! I didn't even notice the absence of WABG, which makes all of this even more strange as hell. On channel 6, I suspect it might have been seen as far north as Oxford and Tunica, perhaps, in counties that had plenty of CA subscribers and paper boxes.

I don't know nearly as much about Arkansas, but I suspect you would be right in that at least one, if not all, of the Little Rock Vs would be viewed in places like Forrest City, Marianna, and Helena, in the Delta region. Maybe the CA didn't get good circulation in Arkansas outside the extreme eastern counties along present-day Interstate 40, as it might have in Mississippi. We must remember that Little Rock had a spirited competition between two dailies, the Democrat and the Gazette (which have since merged), that were surely available everywhere in the state, thereby leaving many retailers with no room to have CA boxes in addition to the Little Rock dailies and the local papers.

As for you, Brian, you have brought up a point that is way-crazy, even by the standards of that time. People would actually prefer watching CBS on Nashville's channel 5, knowing full well that the signal might get interrupted by Memphis' WMC, rather than a perhaps fuzzier, but more certain picture from WREG or even KFVS? On cable, of course, it would not have been an issue due to different head ends (I would love to find out info about where they would have been located), but cable was only available in the county-seat towns (if there); out in the country, you apparently had to take your chances. Has anybody on this forum ever spent time in ages past in that no-man's land (sorry, ladies, for being sexist) of rural western Tennessee and encountered the WTVF/WMC short-spacing issue and the war those signals obviously fought for reception on your set?

I think your smiley answer, Russell, is the only one that can be provided regarding these issues. But here's something to remember: the CA listed its sister TV station, WMC, first everyday in the listings before WREG, WHBQ, and WKNO, despite having only the second channel number sequentially (3, 5, 10, 13). The parent organization back then, of course, was Scripps-Howard, then one of the biggest publishers and broadcasters around. That may explain, for instance, the decision not to list Nashville's WSM as a rival NBC station for western Tennessee (or KARK for eastern Arkansas)--although to be fair, it did list WPSD for northwestern Tennessee, WTWV for northeastern Mississippi, and WLBT for the Mississippi Delta. It also suggests that the paper "played favorites" with those stations it did list, favoring some and excluding others on the basis of its perceptions of how each station would affect the ratings of WMC. Sounds cynical, I know, but even then TV was a cut-throat biz. (But then, how do you explain the absence of the ETV systems in Arkansas and Mississippi? PBS had, as it does today, only a miniscule audience.)

 

[BigDave]

The Vikings beat the Steelers on Monday Night Football 17-6. The Steelers started 1976 out 1-4 and finished 10-4.

 

[TimK65]

I know this is a very old thread, but I thought some of you might be interested in some additional details.

I grew up in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, which is about 45 miles north of Vicksburg. When I was very small, WAPT was not yet on the air, so we didn't really watch any UHF channels (WMAA, if memory serves, was channel 29, but...we rarely watched public television). Also, we didn't have cable; Rolling Fork didn't get cable until after I started college, I believe. We had a tall antenna on the back of our house that we had to go outside and physically turn in one direction or another.

When WAPT started broadcasting, we found it difficult to tune in on our TV (which of course had the type of UHF dial that was similar to a radio dial -- difficult to tune precisely), so we continued to watch ABC programming on WABG (Greenwood-Greenville), which required going outside and turning the antenna to point north, toward Greenville, rather than southeast, toward Jackson. I used to do this on Saturday mornings when I wanted to watch Super Friends on ABC.

Like another poster in the thread, I have distinct memories of Coffee with Judy. I had completely forgotten about Our Playmates, but when I saw this thread, the memory came rushing back...I can still hear the announcer saying the name of the show as it started (was that Woody Assaf?).

I'm also interested to see the clearance for the ABC soap Ryan's Hope, which was a terrific show. Of the all-ABC stations listed, WHBQ (Memphis) doesn't seem to have carried it at all; WAPT (Jackson, MS) carried it at the "regular" time of noon, and WBBJ (Jackson, TN) carried it at the "daytime graveyard" time (if I may invent a term) of 3:30 p.m.

 

[mississippi fan]

I am curious about the WLBT listing. It has Dark Shadows listed at 3:30 p.m. but it aired from June 27, 1966 – April 2, 1971. Was DS already in syndication that quickly?

 

[only1moore]

I am curious about the WLBT listing. It has Dark Shadows listed at 3:30 p.m. but it aired from June 27, 1966 – April 2, 1971. Was DS already in syndication that quickly?

Yes. It was in reruns.

BTW I was living in Tipton County, Tennessee at the time and the CA did have regional TV listings, but If you were wondering if they were selective in what stations to print, not all the time. They would have the Arkansas, Alabama, and even the Nashville stations listed but it would be a hit-and-miss.

 

[ftballfan]

KATV was even carried on the cable in West Memphis at one time.

I know the tv listings in the Commercial Appeal were zoned but that wouldn't explain this channel line up.

WNGE was probably not viewed in too many counties where the CA circulated but WSM was on the cable in Jackson along with WTVF.

Despite being on channel 5, WTVF was on the cable in more of West TN than any of the other Nashville stations. There where some places in Northwest TN where ABC was apparently WBBJ, NBC was WPSD and CBS was WTVF instead of WREG or KFVS which makes no sense to me.

According to http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tvlist...rence=false&lineupId=AR03522:X&aid=tvschedule, KATV is still carried to this day in West Memphis

 

[Ccook55]

WMC shows they had NBC's 50 Grand Slam, which along with Stumpers (which WMC didn't clear) debuted on this date. But the other NBC stations in the list don't show these two listed, still showing Celebrity Sweepstakes and The Fun Factory both of which ended October 1st. I was thinking that these were day delays but the time slots show they are in pattern.

 

[ftballfan]

Point being, the CA was pretty arbitrary in its selections for the daily TV page. It may not have been so with the Sunday insert, perhaps approaching the breadth of the old Louisville Courier-Journal, with its listing of every TV signal that came into the state of Kentucky. But I don't think I would have found the CA reliable if I were living in those times. About the only thing that our new technologies have made simpler, IMO, is the elimination of out-of-market OTA signals from cable systems (most of them, anyway).

One of the Detroit papers used to have a Sunday insert that included all the Michigan stations, plus the Toledo stations and four stations from Ontario (CBET, CHBX, CJIC, and CKCO-3)