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First TV Station To Broadcast 24 Hours A Day
- Thread starter Markxxx
- Start date
By market:
In Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville WYFF was definitely the first by around 1987 or 88 (possibly earlier than that, with airing CNN Headline News and NBC Overnight News in late-night/early-morning). I'm unsure of the exact year. No other stations were 24/7 after that until WSPA in the Summer of 1995, when they were burning off Golden Girls reruns late Friday nights and airing syndicated first-run shows late Saturday nights. Also, WLOS signed off every night until ABC World News Now premiered in early 1992. WHNS began 24/6 operations for good by Fall 1988 (still signing off every Sunday night around Midnight-1 a.m. well into almost the late 90's); they were the last to go complete 24/7 in Spring 2006.
Charlotte, NC - probably WSOC in the 80's because of Headline News, but unsure on what year. WBTV did by the Fall of 1990 with All News Channel, then I think WCNC and maybe also WCCB a year later.
Atlanta - would be either WXIA or WSB, sometime in the 80's.
Columbia, SC - WLTX? I saw a listing where they aired 80's sitcoms in the wee hours like Gimme A Break, Growing Pains, and Amen, preempting some of Up to the Minute/CBS News Nightwatch. This was in the early-mid 1990's.
Charleston, SC - WCIV? I have read they went 24/7 by 1991.
Florence/Myrtle Beach, SC - WBTW, which had all-night movies at least on Saturdays and Home Shopping Spree/CBS News around 1990-91. I'm guessing that's correct.
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point (the Triad) - I've read WFMY was 24/7 in the 80's sometime after CBS News Nightwatch started in 1982. I think WXII followed by the early 90's.
In Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville WYFF was definitely the first by around 1987 or 88 (possibly earlier than that, with airing CNN Headline News and NBC Overnight News in late-night/early-morning). I'm unsure of the exact year. No other stations were 24/7 after that until WSPA in the Summer of 1995, when they were burning off Golden Girls reruns late Friday nights and airing syndicated first-run shows late Saturday nights. Also, WLOS signed off every night until ABC World News Now premiered in early 1992. WHNS began 24/6 operations for good by Fall 1988 (still signing off every Sunday night around Midnight-1 a.m. well into almost the late 90's); they were the last to go complete 24/7 in Spring 2006.
Charlotte, NC - probably WSOC in the 80's because of Headline News, but unsure on what year. WBTV did by the Fall of 1990 with All News Channel, then I think WCNC and maybe also WCCB a year later.
Atlanta - would be either WXIA or WSB, sometime in the 80's.
Columbia, SC - WLTX? I saw a listing where they aired 80's sitcoms in the wee hours like Gimme A Break, Growing Pains, and Amen, preempting some of Up to the Minute/CBS News Nightwatch. This was in the early-mid 1990's.
Charleston, SC - WCIV? I have read they went 24/7 by 1991.
Florence/Myrtle Beach, SC - WBTW, which had all-night movies at least on Saturdays and Home Shopping Spree/CBS News around 1990-91. I'm guessing that's correct.
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point (the Triad) - I've read WFMY was 24/7 in the 80's sometime after CBS News Nightwatch started in 1982. I think WXII followed by the early 90's.
Extra note on WCCB
Also worth noting is that WCCB aired Home Shopping Spree every night except Sundays in Fall 1990.
Also worth noting is that WCCB aired Home Shopping Spree every night except Sundays in Fall 1990.
I'm a collector of old TV Guides. I can't say I know who was first. But by the mid-1960s, WCBS-TV 2 NYC was broadcasting around the clock except on Sunday nights, when it would only run one movie after the 11pm news. And both KNXT 2 and KTTV 11 were also broadcasting around the clock by the mid-1960s. KNXT ran one movie on Sunday nights, then signed off. KTTV for some reason took both Sunday and Monday nights off.
And it really wasn't 24/7 programming, it was "all-night" programming. Let's remember that in those days, transmitters needed maintenance. Even AM stations that usually broadcast 24 hours a day would do transmitter maintenance for a few hours a week. 770 WABC NYC was off the air, or doing tests, from 1 to 4 a.m. early Monday. Most stations had similar schedules.
I used to think, why couldn't the program directors of WCBS, KNXT and KTTV figure out how to make their overnight movies end just before the morning prayer began? If the last movie ended at 5:20 a.m., why not run an old Topper or Highway Patrol to fill the gap? But now I realize, the test pattern was used for a quick tune up between 5:30 or 6 a.m. until the official sign on at 7 a.m. I think KNXT and KTTV staggered their test patterns. KNXT was in the 6 a.m. hour, KTTV was in the 7 a.m. hour, so one of the two was on the air while the other was in test pattern.
Above, other posters have offered other stations around the country. WDTV 2 in Pittsburgh may have tried it for a while but it didn't last. I have a Pittsburgh TV Guide from the 1950s and WDTV wraps up after the 11:30 movie or runs a second movie Friday and Saturday, but then signs off. Wikipedia says beginning in 1949, WDTV ran old movies everyday from 1 to 7 a.m. as the "Swing Shift Theater." But even then, I'm sure it did maintenance some early mornings. WDTV became KDKA-TV in 1955 when it was bought by Westinghouse and KDKA-TV wasn't on all night.
Others mention Detroit, Boston, etc. But I've never seen a 1960s TV Guide with any all night programming, except for a few cities where a station ran all night Fridays and Saturdays. I guess some stations in large markets outside NY and LA began doing in in the 1970s. The Cable Superstations (WWOR-TV, WPIX, WGN-TV, WTBS, KTLA, etc.) ran 24/7 as part of the arrangement with their cable carriers. And when some stations began running CNN Headline News all night, nearly every decent sized market had a round-the-clock station in the 1980s.
And it really wasn't 24/7 programming, it was "all-night" programming. Let's remember that in those days, transmitters needed maintenance. Even AM stations that usually broadcast 24 hours a day would do transmitter maintenance for a few hours a week. 770 WABC NYC was off the air, or doing tests, from 1 to 4 a.m. early Monday. Most stations had similar schedules.
I used to think, why couldn't the program directors of WCBS, KNXT and KTTV figure out how to make their overnight movies end just before the morning prayer began? If the last movie ended at 5:20 a.m., why not run an old Topper or Highway Patrol to fill the gap? But now I realize, the test pattern was used for a quick tune up between 5:30 or 6 a.m. until the official sign on at 7 a.m. I think KNXT and KTTV staggered their test patterns. KNXT was in the 6 a.m. hour, KTTV was in the 7 a.m. hour, so one of the two was on the air while the other was in test pattern.
Above, other posters have offered other stations around the country. WDTV 2 in Pittsburgh may have tried it for a while but it didn't last. I have a Pittsburgh TV Guide from the 1950s and WDTV wraps up after the 11:30 movie or runs a second movie Friday and Saturday, but then signs off. Wikipedia says beginning in 1949, WDTV ran old movies everyday from 1 to 7 a.m. as the "Swing Shift Theater." But even then, I'm sure it did maintenance some early mornings. WDTV became KDKA-TV in 1955 when it was bought by Westinghouse and KDKA-TV wasn't on all night.
Others mention Detroit, Boston, etc. But I've never seen a 1960s TV Guide with any all night programming, except for a few cities where a station ran all night Fridays and Saturdays. I guess some stations in large markets outside NY and LA began doing in in the 1970s. The Cable Superstations (WWOR-TV, WPIX, WGN-TV, WTBS, KTLA, etc.) ran 24/7 as part of the arrangement with their cable carriers. And when some stations began running CNN Headline News all night, nearly every decent sized market had a round-the-clock station in the 1980s.
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That may not be 100%. The Newest WPVI sign off I've seen was 1991. Any differences between the 1991 tape and 1996-97's tapes? Plus, when did WPVI change their Sign off from their 1970's variant to the newer Cap Cites ABC sign off? Also, anyone got a Sign-On clip of WPVI in the early 1990s or a post-1991 Sign-off or Sign-on? We should consult to a Philly TV guide listings from 1996-1997 to confirm a WPVI sign off from that period.
From what I've heard, WDAF-TV, Ch. 4 in Kansas City, MO, was the first to go 24/7 in the Kansas City area around the 1980's.
24 hours a day? Heh. We didn't get that in Yakima until very very late. How about 1996?! KNDO (NBC) and KCYU-LP (Fox) both went 24 hours around that period. 23 started clearing Later for the first time ever (Bob Costas didn't get the light of day here) and the same with Nightside. When Friday Night Videos went from 12:30 to 1:30AM in the late '80s, it too vanished for good from Yakima. KCYU had been signing off for a few hours every night, then started clearing infomercials and later Shop at Home all night long.
But it wasn't to be said yet for KIMA, KYVE or KAPP. KIMA started 24/6 operations around '99. They cleared several syndicated sitcoms and UTTM on weeknights, but still signed off early Sunday morning. From that point forward up to 2011, they were swapping between 24/6 and signing off every night. I have a tape of KIMA recorded 2/2/03 where they were signing off at 12:30AM on Monday morning.
For a long time KYVE was going off every night at 11:00pm, or a few minutes after if they had Jack Horkheimer that night. Later went up to midnight, and eventually TCI Yakima and the Ellensburg cable provider got an all-night feed onto cable 8. (In Ellensburg, this was KCTS. Not sure about Yakima - whether it was KCTS or PBS-X.) Around 2002 or so, over-the-air went 24/7.
KAPP was the long holdout, they signed off every night up til 2012. On weekends they didn't sign on until 7:00AM.
Also a fun fact: there was a period around the fall of 1991 where on Sunday nights, everyone except the LPTV Fox were off before 12:30, and everyone except KIMA and aforementioned Fox were off before midnight. In 1991!
But it wasn't to be said yet for KIMA, KYVE or KAPP. KIMA started 24/6 operations around '99. They cleared several syndicated sitcoms and UTTM on weeknights, but still signed off early Sunday morning. From that point forward up to 2011, they were swapping between 24/6 and signing off every night. I have a tape of KIMA recorded 2/2/03 where they were signing off at 12:30AM on Monday morning.
For a long time KYVE was going off every night at 11:00pm, or a few minutes after if they had Jack Horkheimer that night. Later went up to midnight, and eventually TCI Yakima and the Ellensburg cable provider got an all-night feed onto cable 8. (In Ellensburg, this was KCTS. Not sure about Yakima - whether it was KCTS or PBS-X.) Around 2002 or so, over-the-air went 24/7.
KAPP was the long holdout, they signed off every night up til 2012. On weekends they didn't sign on until 7:00AM.
Also a fun fact: there was a period around the fall of 1991 where on Sunday nights, everyone except the LPTV Fox were off before 12:30, and everyone except KIMA and aforementioned Fox were off before midnight. In 1991!
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WRAL was still signing off into the Mid 90's (but went 24/7before 1998), so 1996ish? Last Dated video is 1993, if anyone has video of a WRAL sign off that aired in 1994 or later, Let Me know
WTVD : Was still signing off until the later part of the 1990s.
WPTF (WRDC): Was doing so into the Mid 90s (probably even later)
UNC-TV: Around 2000-2002. There's a signoff from UNC-TV that dates to 1998-1999.
WRAL was still signing off into the Mid 90's (but went 24/7before 1998), so 1996ish? Last Dated video is 1993, if anyone has video of a WRAL sign off that aired in 1994 or later, Let Me know
WTVD : Was still signing off until the later part of the 1990s.
WPTF (WRDC): Was doing so into the Mid 90s (probably even later)
UNC-TV: Around 2000-2002. There's a signoff from UNC-TV that dates to 1998-1999.
WLOS did sign off every night, but it got pushed back on Fridays for In Concert '91(later named ABC In Concert in January 1992) or American Gladiators on early Saturdays/early Sundays. I've always wondered why WLOS signed off on weeknights rather than use a all night news feed.(like Headline News or even something else.)
Well none of our stations cleared All News Channel/ANC News/Conus Overnight, so that was a possibility. WYFF I think was still using Headline News in the early 90's.
WSPA's sign offs were sometimes pushed back, like during the 83 NCAA Tournament when there was a triple overtime game. Can't say for sure about WYFF or WLOS, but there must have been some delayed sign offs there too.
Do you know if WSPA was using the Split-Screen SSB at this time (1983-1988 or after 1991 until 1995)? I have only seen the 1989 sign-off on YouTube and one in the early 90's on TV.
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