Independents carrying prime-time network programs pre-empted by stations

[spencerkarter85]

Back then and less common nowadays. Some stations wouldn't clear a network program from ABC, or CBS, and or NBC, and later others. Here's some I know.

In Kansas City, MO: The late 1960s and early 1970s, KC was notorious for pre-empting great network programs when now-defunct KCIT 50 was on from 1969-71. KCIT picked up some prime-time programs from NBC including The Name of The Game during it's second season because then-NBC affiliate WDAF 4 carried country music programs instead. They also picked up the first season of The Brady Bunch before it was cleared by ABC station KMBC 9 a year later. Plus, KCIT 50 carried network movies from ABC, CBS, and NBC which were pre-empted by the affiliates themselves.

In Atlanta, GA then-CBS (sadly FOX O&O) WAGA 5 refused to air Medical Center so they want to broadcast old movies instead. So indie WJRJ/WTCG 17 (now WPCH) carried it instead.

In recent years, KSL-TV 5 an NBC affiliate owned by Mormons refused to air the now-defunct The Playboy Club because of decency issues eventhough Utah is a ultra-conservative state. KMYU 12 aired in instead. Sadly, that show lasted only three episodes and it was controversial.

Do you know some other indies that carried prime-time network programming that wasn't cleared by affiliates themselves?

 

[bpatrick]

And the infamous "the NBC network moves to Channel 17" billboards
in Atlanta, all because Ted Turner picked up the NBC "Wednesday
Mystery Movie" when WSB elected to carry its own package of movies;
Turner also picked up "Jeopardy!" and "Who, What Or Where" in the daytime.

As I've said before, when Turner was forced to take down the billboards
he tried to get ABC to change affiliations from WXIA to WTCG, but obviously
ABC decided it was better to be on 11 than on 17 and stayed put until snagging
WSB (Ch. 2) in 1980.

 

[RyanHoward]

In my area, WPHL/17 carried the first season of CHiPs on Thursday nights at 8, when then-NBC
affil (now CBS O&O) KYW-TV/3 carried science specials. They also carried the ill-fated "Grandpa
Goes to Washington" on Sunday nights at 6 pm, while KYW was airing public affairs shows on
Tuesday nights. In fact, a lot of NBC prime-time shows that KYW pre-empted wound up on
WPHL.

 

[nsa1]

For at least a year or two in the early/mid 70's, when the Cleveland Indians games were carried by then-CBS affiliate WJW/8, the CBS prime-time shows preempted by the game would be carried by then-independent WUAB/43.

Do you know some other indies that carried prime-time network programming that wasn't cleared by affiliates themselves?

 

[nomadcowatbk]

This past season, when KMBC was showing Monday Night Chiefs games on ESPN, sister CW affiliate KCWE aired the ABC shows, while the CW shows were delayed until the weekend

 

[onairb]

Again, San Francisco's KTZO/KOFY channel 20 was busy here. I don't recall them picking up CBS prime time shows when KPIX would occasionally pre-empt something in the '80s-the Monday sitcoms('Newhart' and 'Kate and Allie'), Thursday crime dramas('Magnum PI' and 'Simon and Simon', as well as 'Knot's Landing') and Friday 'Dukes' and soaps('Dallas', 'Falcon Crest') were pretty much untouchable, and the rest of the lineup was rather forgettable!
However, in the early 90s, channel 20 benefitted from some bad blood between NBC and KRON 4. The station's program director at the time really pushed news and local documentaries and specials, sometimes pre-empting even the more popular NBC shows(never 'The Cosby Show', but occasionally 'Family Ties' or 'A Different World'). I recall a couple of times when KRON decided that some 'special' just had to air on Saturday at 9...pre-empting 'The Golden Girls' and 'Empty Nest'. Another time, it was 'Fresh Prince' and 'Blossom'.
On those occasions, channel 20 picked up the sitcoms(they were also clearing 'Classic Concentration' and, for a while, the Saturday-morning 'TNBC' sitcoms by that time), with commercials tweaking channel 4 just slighty...'KOFY TV 20...the place to be for NBC...when NBC...isn't ON NBC!'

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Again, San Francisco's KTZO/KOFY channel 20 was busy here. I don't recall them picking up CBS prime time shows when KPIX would occasionally pre-empt something in the '80s-the Monday sitcoms('Newhart' and 'Kate and Allie'), Thursday crime dramas('Magnum PI' and 'Simon and Simon', as well as 'Knot's Landing') and Friday 'Dukes' and soaps('Dallas', 'Falcon Crest') were pretty much untouchable, and the rest of the lineup was rather forgettable!
However, in the early 90s, channel 20 benefitted from some bad blood between NBC and KRON 4. The station's program director at the time really pushed news and local documentaries and specials, sometimes pre-empting even the more popular NBC shows(never 'The Cosby Show', but occasionally 'Family Ties' or 'A Different World'). I recall a couple of times when KRON decided that some 'special' just had to air on Saturday at 9...pre-empting 'The Golden Girls' and 'Empty Nest'. Another time, it was 'Fresh Prince' and 'Blossom'.
On those occasions, channel 20 picked up the sitcoms(they were also clearing 'Classic Concentration' and, for a while, the Saturday-morning 'TNBC' sitcoms by that time), with commercials tweaking channel 4 just slighty...'KOFY TV 20...the place to be for NBC...when NBC...isn't ON NBC!'

Same station also pre-empted a lot of NBC sports for old movies, never the NFL though

 

[cowboybud]

In Dallas, KTXA initially picked up NYPD Blue when WFAA refused to air it....WFAA gave in when the show became a hit.

 

[onairb]

Again, San Francisco's KTZO/KOFY channel 20 was busy here. I don't recall them picking up CBS prime time shows when KPIX would occasionally pre-empt something in the '80s-the Monday sitcoms('Newhart' and 'Kate and Allie'), Thursday crime dramas('Magnum PI' and 'Simon and Simon', as well as 'Knot's Landing') and Friday 'Dukes' and soaps('Dallas', 'Falcon Crest') were pretty much untouchable, and the rest of the lineup was rather forgettable!
However, in the early 90s, channel 20 benefitted from some bad blood between NBC and KRON 4. The station's program director at the time really pushed news and local documentaries and specials, sometimes pre-empting even the more popular NBC shows(never 'The Cosby Show', but occasionally 'Family Ties' or 'A Different World'). I recall a couple of times when KRON decided that some 'special' just had to air on Saturday at 9...pre-empting 'The Golden Girls' and 'Empty Nest'. Another time, it was 'Fresh Prince' and 'Blossom'.
On those occasions, channel 20 picked up the sitcoms(they were also clearing 'Classic Concentration' and, for a while, the Saturday-morning 'TNBC' sitcoms by that time), with commercials tweaking channel 4 just slighty...'KOFY TV 20...the place to be for NBC...when NBC...isn't ON NBC!'

Same station also pre-empted a lot of NBC sports for old movies, never the NFL though

True; the biggest deal was in about 1989, when NBC still showed college basketball, and they had a rather important game on a Saturday(I forget the teams, but it definitely wasn't a Pac-10 game)..but NBC 'suddenly decided' to start a series of movies, which they advertised as 'Couch Potato Classics'...using some tacky claymation ad of some woman sitting on a couch, and turning into a 'Mrs. Potato Head'! I still remember the first movie they showed was Mahogany. The station's GM explained the move as 'striving for long-term consistency with weekend programming.'
Longtime KRON sportscaster Gary Radnich also had a local sports-radio show, and loved referring to all this alternate programming as 'reruns of Cheyenne', thrown on there for the local ad money.
This 'long term consistency' lasted about a month. Eventually, KRON played nice, for a while. NBC soon lost the rights to college basketball, anyway, and KRON realized local news could achieve the same ends as crappy movies...so they pre-empted Saved by the Bell and the other 'clones' that NBC programmed in the '90s.

 

[milwaukee_dave]

Here in Milwaukee, WDJT-TV (Channel 58) used to carry quite a bit of passed-over network programming in the early 1990s when it was an obscure independent station. (WDJT joined CBS late in 1994 amid the grandiose New World Communications affiliation swap.) In terms of prime-time programming, I do recall WDJT regularly carrying the NBC sitcom "Blossom" in 1992. The series was airing at 7:30 p.m. Central on Monday nights at the time, but WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee's NBC affiliate, opted to carry local programming in that time period -- usually a sports show hosted by the Green Bay Packers head coach. WDJT wouldn't air "Blossom" in NBC's normal time slot, however; instead, they plunked it into their schedule at 5 p.m. Saturdays.