RETRO: ALABAMA-GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1965

[gregg75]

TV GUIDE Alabama-Georgia Edition Central Time

Montgomery, AL Selma, AL
12 WSFA (NBC) 8 WSLA (ABC)
20 WCOV (CBS)
26 WAIQ (AETV) Dozier, AL
32 WKAB (ABC) 2 WDIQ (AETV)

Columbus, GA Dothan, AL
3 WRBL (CBS,NBC) 4 WTVY (CBS,ABC)
9 WTVM (ABC)
Panama City, FL
7 WJHG (NBC,ABC)

**no listings for 28 WJSP (GETV) Columbus/Warm Springs although it had been on the
air for over a year at this time. My guess is that it carried mostly in-school programming.
However, Alabama ETV's in-school programming was listed.

***Seems like WALB 10 NBC Albany should have been in this edition also, as many in
that area received signals from Columbus.

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MONTGOMERY
WSFA 12-NBC
6:30 Auburn Concert Hall
7:00 Today (color)
9:00 Fractured Phrases (color) game
9:30 Concentration
10:00 Morning Star (color) serial
10:30 Paradise Bay (color)
11:00 Jeopardy (color)
11:30 Post Office (color)
11:55 NBC News
noon News,Sports,Weather
12:30 Let's Make A Deal (color)
12:55 NBC News
1:00 Moment Of Truth -serial
1:30 Doctors -serial
2:00 Another World -serial
2:30 You Don't Say (color) game
3:00 Match Game (color)
3:25 NBC News
3:30 Leave It To Beaver
4:00 Woody Woodpecker
4:30 Cheyene
5:30 NBC News -Huntley-Brinkley
6:00 News,Sports,Weather
6:30 Hall Of Fame (special-color) drama
8:00 Bob Hope
Guest: James Garner, Carol Lawrence, Phyllis Diller
9:00 I Spy (color)
10:00 News,Weather,Sports
10:30 Johnny Carson (color)
Guest: George Maharis
12:00 News

WCOV 20-CBS Montgomery (FOX 20 today)
7:05 CBS News -Mike Wallace
7:30 Morning Show - Bob Harmon
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ethyl buy Texas oil well stock
9:30 McCoys
Grampa's best girl is dating another man
10:00 Andy Griffith
Fun loving girls speed through Mayberry
10:30 Dick Van Dyke
11:00 Love Of Life -serial
11:25 CBS News
11:30 Search For Tomorrow -serial
11:45 Guiding Light -serial
noon Farm And Home Hour (30 min.)
12:30 As The World Turns
1:00 Password
Guest: Sheila MacRae and Jack Jones
1:30 House Party -Linkletter
2:00 To Tell The Truth
2:25 CBS News -Douglas Edwards
2:30 Edge Of Night -serial
3:00 Secret Storm -serial
3:30 Movie
"Appointment For Love" (1941) Charles Boyer, Margaret Sulivan
5:15 Sports,Weather,News
5:30 CBS News -Kronkite
6:00 Let's Go To The Races (color) FIRST COLOR SHOW OF THE DAY
6:30 Lost In Space
Texas astronaut lost in space for 15 years makes surprise visit
7:30 Beverly Hillbillies (color)
Drysdale searches for a city to hold a Possum Festival
8:00 Green Acres (color)
A tractor bought from Haney breaks down while removing a tree stump
8:30 Dick Van Dyke
Rob becomes the teacher's pet in Laura's art class
9:00 Barbara Streisand (special)
First telecast last April, Barbara won an Emmy for this show
10:00 Movie (color)
"Hercules Unchained" (1959)
11:30 News

WAIQ 26-AETV Montgomery/WDIQ 2-AETV Dozier
8:30 Parlons Francais III
8:45 Science -5th grade
9:15 Biology -High School
9:45 Language Arts
10:15 U.S. Geography
10:45 Spanish I
11:15 American Heritage
11:45 Parlons Francais II
12:00 Nature Study
12:15 Chemistry -High School
12:45 Let's Learn More
1:15 Physics -High School
1:45 Spanish II -Elementary
2:15 Spanish I -High School
2:45 U.S. Economy
3:00 Big Picture -Army
3:30 About Pets
4:00 Film Feature
"Mad As It Was"
4:30 Teacher's Physics
5:00 What's New -children
5:30 I Hear Music
6:00 Film Feature
San Diego Zoo
6:30 State And Nation
7:00 Educational Report
The state of public TV in Alabama
7:30 American Pageant
Economic flaws of late-1920's which caused the depression
8:00 Mosaic -discussion
9:00 Circus -documentary
9:30 Mental Health -discussion

WKAB 32-ABC Montgomery (WNCF ABC today)
9:35 Funny Company -cartoons
10:00 Young Set -discussion
11:00 Donna Reed
Jeff's brithday date breakes the date at the last minute
11:30 Father Knows Best
noon Ben Casey -drama (60 min.)
12:45 Quest For Adventure (I guess Ben Casey was commercial free ???) or misprint
1:00 Nurses -serial
1:30 A Time For Us -serial
1:55 ABC News
2:00 General Hospital
2:30 Young Marrieds
3:00 Never Too Young -serial
3:30 Where The Action Is
Billy Joe Royal "Down In The Boondocks"
4:00 Movie -adventure
"Treasure Island" (1934) Jackie Cooper
5:45 Funny Company -cartoons
6:00 ABC News -Peter Jennings
6:15 News.Weather
6:30 Ozzie And Hariett
7:00 Patty Duke
7:30 Gidget (color) FIRST COLOR SHOW OF THE DAY
Gidget buys a broken down hearse to drive to the beach
8:00 Big Valley (color)
A strike and murder at the Barkley mine
9:00 Amos Burke -drama
10:00 News,Weather,Sports
10:15 Nightlife -variety
mid. News

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COLUMBUS
WRBL 3-CBS,NBC (mistake in the guide, most NBC shows were on TV 9 Columbus)
6:00 News
6:05 CBS News -Mike Wallace
6:30 News,Westher,Sports
7:00 Rozell Show -local variety (show ran 1954-1988)
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ethyl buy Texas oil well stock
9:30 McCoys
Grampa's best girl is dating another man
10:00 Andy Griffith
Fun loving girls speed through Mayberry
10:30 Dick Van Dyke
11:00 Love Of Life -serial
11:25 CBS News
11:30 Search For Tomorrow -serial
11:45 Guiding Light -serial
noon News,Sports,Weather
12:15 Charles Jones -local variety
12:30 As The World Turns -serial
1:00 Password
Guest: Sheila MacRae and Jack Jones
1:30 House Party -Linkletter
2:00 To Tell The Truth
2:25 CBS News -Douglas Edwards
2:30 Edge Of Night -serial
3:00 Secret Storm -serial
3:30 Zane Grey Theater -western
4:00 Lloyd Thaxton -variety
5:00 Sea HuntMovie
5:30 CBS News -Kronkite
6:00 News,Sports,Weather
6:25 Personal Opinion
6:30 Lost In Space
Texas astronaut lost in space for 15 years makes surprise visit
7:30 Beverly Hillbillies (color) FIRST COLOR SHOW OF THE DAY
Drysdale searches for a city to hold a Possum Festival
8:00 Green Acres (color)
A tractor bought from Haney breaks down while removing a tree stump
8:30 Dick Van Dyke
Rob becomes the teacher's pet in Laura's art class
9:00 Barbara Streisand (special)
First telecast last April, Barbara won an Emmy for this show
10:00 News
10:15 Personal Opinion
10:20 Weather,Sports
10:30 Movie -western
"When The Daltons Rode" (1940) Randolph Scott

WTVM 9-ABC Columbus (showing some NBC shows, but only listed as ABC in the guide)
6:00 Today
8:00 Patsy's Playhouse -children
9:00 Fractured Phrases (color) -game
9:25 NBC News -Edwin Newman
9:30 Concentration
10:00 Morning Star (color)
10:30 A Time For Us -serial (back to ABC shows)
11:00 Donna Reed
Jeff's brithday date breakes the date at the last minute
11:30 News,Weather
11:45 Bulletin Board -discussion
noon Ben Casey -drama (60 min.)
1:00 TV Bingo
1:30 Doctors (NBC)
2:00 General Hospital
2:30 Young Marrieds
3:00 Never Too Young -serial
3:30 Where The Action Is
Billy Joe Royal "Down In The Boondocks"
4:00 Bat Masterson -western
4:30 Ripcord (color) -adventure
5:00 Car 54, Where Are You?
5:30 ABC News -Peter Jennings
6:00 Get Smart (color) (NBC delay from Sat. at 7:30)
6:30 Ozzie And Hariett
7:00 Patty Duke
7:30 Gidget (color)
Gidget buys a broken down hearse to drive to the beach
8:00 Big Valley (color)
A strike and murder at the Barkley mine
9:00 Amos Burke -drama (60 min.)
9:30 Dateline Jaycee -Columbus (appears to be a misprint)
10:00 News,Weather,Sports
10:30 Johnny Carson (color) back to NBC

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SELMA
WSLA 8-ABC (WAKA CBS today)
This station has an interesting history. Selma was a different market than Montgomery and WSLA had
such a week signal it barely reached Montgomery. UHF CBS WCOV 20 fought WSLA's attempts for 30 years to increase power, afraid a VHF would take CBS away from them (after Montgomery got it's own ABC station). http://www.waka.com/about-cbs-8/62-cbs-8-history.html WSLA burnt to the ground in 1968 and was dark until 1973 when it returned as a CBS station and with the largest coverage area in Alabama. WCOV was Montgomery's first station and is with the FOX network today. They argued to the FCC that giving more power to WSLA would hinder UHF growth. Once WSLA got more power WCOV lost it's CBS affiliation just as it had always feared.
(signs on at 1:30)
1:30 A Time For Us -serial
1:55 ABC News
2:00 General Hospital
2:30 Young Marrieds
3:00 Never Too Young -serial
3:30 Where The Action Is
Billy Joe Royal "Down In The Boondocks"
4:00 Woman's World
4:30 Ladies' Day
5:00 Little RascalsMovie -adventure
5:30 ABC News -Peter Jennings
6:00 Let's Go To The Races
6:30 Ozzie And Hariett
7:00 Patty Duke
7:30 Gidget (color) FIRST COLOR SHOW OF THE DAY
Gidget buys a broken down hearse to drive to the beach
8:00 Big Valley (color)
A strike and murder at the Barkley mine
9:00 Parrish Pigskin Parade
10:00 Amos Burke, Secret Agent
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DOTHAN
WTVY 4-CBS,ABC
6:45 Morning Show -Richards
7:05 CBS News -Mike Wallace
7:30 Morning Show - Bob Harmon
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ethyl buy Texas oil well stock
9:30 McCoys
Grampa's best girl is dating another man
10:00 Andy Griffith
Fun loving girls speed through Mayberry
10:30 Dick Van Dyke
11:00 Love Of Life -serial
11:25 CBS News
11:30 Search For Tomorrow -serial
11:45 Guiding Light -serial
noon Farm News,Weather,Markets
12:25 Local News
12:30 As The World Turns
1:00 Password
Guest: Sheila MacRae and Jack Jones
1:30 House Party -Linkletter
2:00 To Tell The Truth
2:25 CBS News -Douglas Edwards
2:30 Edge Of Night -serial
3:00 Secret Storm -serial
3:30 General Hospital (ABC)
4:00 Cheyenne
5:00 Shindig -music
5:30 CBS News -Kronkite
6:00 News,Sports,Weather
6:30 McHale's Navy
7:00 Porter Wagoner (color) FIRST COLOR SHOW OF THE DAY
7:30 Beverly Hillbillies (color)
Drysdale searches for a city to hold a Possum Festival
8:00 Green Acres (color)
A tractor bought from Haney breaks down while removing a tree stump
8:30 Dick Van Dyke
Rob becomes the teacher's pet in Laura's art class
9:00 Barbara Streisand (special)
First telecast last April, Barbara won an Emmy for this show
10:00 Big Valley (color) (ABC)
11:00 News

PANAMA CITY
WJHG 7-NBC,ABC (NBC today, 7.1 CW, 7.2 My Network TV)
6:30 Daybusters
7:30 Local News
7:35 Today (color) joined in progress(one hour, 25 min.)
9:00 Fractured Phrases (color) game
9:30 Concentration
10:00 Morning Star (color) serial
10:30 Paradise Bay (color)
11:00 Jeopardy (color)
11:30 Post Office (color)
11:55 NBC News
noon Televisit
12:30 Let's Make A Deal (color)
12:55 NBC News
1:00 Moment Of Truth -serial
1:30 Doctors -serial
2:00 Another World -serial
2:30 You Don't Say (color) game
3:00 Match Game (color)
3:25 NBC News
3:30 Where The Action Is (ABC)
Charlie Rich
4:00 Cartoons
4:45 Funny Company -cartoons
5:00 Huckleberry Hound
5:30 News,Weather,Sports
6:00 NBC News -Huntley-Brinkley
6:30 Hall Of Fame (special-color) drama
8:00 Bob Hope
Guest: James Garner, Carol Lawrence, Phyllis Diller
9:00 Man Called Shaenandoah (ABC delay from Sun. 6PM)
10:00 Amos Burke, Secret Agent (ABC) this must have been a very popular show
11:00 News,Weather,Sports

 

[bpatrick]

This edition became the Southern Alabama Edition
(it was by the time I moved to Alabama in 1969);
Columbus was also in Georgia/Florida and South Georgia.
Albany was in Georgia-Florida/South Georgia since it really
had little or no coverage in Alabama.

Columbus stations were white number, black background
in South Georgia; just the opposite in Southern
Alabama and Georgia/Florida.

 

[gregg75]

This edition was in Central Time (as if it was made for Alabama) but there were adds
for the Columbus stations in it. I'd think they made an Eastern Time edition also, as
these times would not work for Columbus.

So if a station in Columbus placed an add, I guess they could be in all 3 editions if
they wanted to.

The story about WSLA in Selma is one of the most interesting broadcasting tid-bits
I've ever read.

How did Montgomery get stuck with so many UHF stations? Seems like there should
have been some VHF numbers available.

NBC was clearaly the leader in color programming at this time, far ahead of CBS/ABC.

 

[Charles1]

How did Montgomery get stuck with so many UHF stations? Seems like there should
have been some VHF numbers available.

Montgomery got squeezed by being 90 miles S of Birmingham (6, 10 and 13), 85 miles W of Columbus (3 and 9), 110 miles E of Meridian (11), 100 miles NW of Dothan (4) and 165 miles NE of Mobile/Pensacola (3, 5 and 10). Also, APT had VHF stations on Channel 2 (Dozier-Andalusia, about 60 miles S) and Channel 7 (Mt. Cheaha/Anniston, about 125 miles to the NE as the crow flies). In the name of competitive fairness, Montgomery probably should have been made an all UHF market, or Channel 8 should have been assigned to Montgomery, although the size of the Montgomery DMA would have precluded south Alabama from being adequately served. WSFA-12 has dominated the market from day one.

I never quite understood why Channels 6 and 13 from Birmingham were never included in the South Alabama edition of TV Guide...and why WSFA was never included in the North Alabama edition. Channel 6 and 13 have signals that reached into Autauga and Elmore counties and were included on cable systems in and around Montgomery well into the 80's. Likewise, Channel 12's signal covered most of the southern end of the Birmingham metro area.

And why was WIIQ-41 (APT) in Demopolis never included in any edition of TVG except for the Southern Mississippi edition?

 

[bpatrick]

This edition was in Central Time (as if it was made for Alabama) but there were adds
for the Columbus stations in it. I'd think they made an Eastern Time edition also, as
these times would not work for Columbus.

So if a station in Columbus placed an add, I guess they could be in all 3 editions if
they wanted to.

The story about WSLA in Selma is one of the most interesting broadcasting tid-bits
I've ever read.

How did Montgomery get stuck with so many UHF stations? Seems like there should
have been some VHF numbers available.

NBC was clearaly the leader in color programming at this time, far ahead of CBS/ABC.

Ads for Columbus stations were indeed listed Central time in the Southern Alabama
Edition, Eastern time for the others.

Don't forget, too, that by this time all but two of NBC's primetime shows were in color;
the exceptions were "I Dream Of Jeannie" and "Convoy." CBS was at about 50% color
in primetime; ABC, 40%, which cost them dearly after the impressive ratings showing
of the previous season, one which caused CBS to make 11 schedule changes and helped
cost Jim Aubrey his job.

 

[bpatrick]

WJSP was never listed in the Southern Alabama Edition;
only Alabama Public Television stations WDIQ/2 Dozier,
WAIQ/26 Montgomery, and WGIQ/43 Texasville were listed.

WJSP was listed under GPT in the South Georgia Edition,
and as 28 in the old Georgia-Florida Edition.

Although WSFA was never listed in a broadcast edition of
TV Guide with Birmingham (unless it was in the '50s), it was
listed in the Bright House Cable Edition along with WAKA (CBS),
WCOV (Fox), and WNCF (ABC). Likewise, WBRC (Fox), WVTM (NBC),
WCFT (ABC), and WIAT (CBS) were in that edition, as were the
Columbus, Dothan, and Panama City affiliates and WCTV Tallahassee.

If I'm correct, the affiliations for the big four networks were:

CBS 3, 4, 6 (Tallahassee), 8, 42
Fox 6 (Birmingham), 20, 28, 54
NBC 7, 12, 13 (Birmingham), 38
ABC 9, 13 (Panama City), 18, 32, 33

 

[Charles1]

I never saw a BrightHouse edition of TV Guide. The Charter edition included Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville, although the channel conversion grids also included Charter systems in NE Mississippi. I never understood why this edition didn't have program listings for the Columbus, GA stations, since Charter is the cable company that serves Opelika-Auburn. And it didn't include the listings for the Chattanooga stations, which serve Scottsboro and Stevenson (also Charter markets).

As it was, the network groupings looked like this:

Fox: 6-20-54
CBS: 8-19-42
NBC: 12-13-48
ABC: 31-32-33-40
UPN: 15-67-68
WB: 21

Had the issue included all the network affiliates listed in the conversion grid, it would have been something like this:

CBS: 3 (Columbus, GA)-4 (Columbus, MS)-4 (Dothan)-8-12 (Chattanooga)-19-42
NBC: 3 (Chattanooga)-9 (Tupelo)-12 (Montgomery)-13-38-48
Fox: 6-20-27 (West Point, MS)-34 (Ozark-Dothan)-54 (Huntsville)-54 (Columbus, GA)-61 (Chattanooga)
ABC: 7 (Jackson, TN)-9 (Columbus, GA)-9 (Chattanooga)-18 (Dothan)-31-32-33-40
UPN: 15-66 (Opelika-Columbus)-67-68
WB: 21

...and it would be the most confusing set of channel bullets this side of the Montana or South Georgia editions!

 

[azumanga]

What about places such as Lanett, Alabama, which was part of the Atlanta market? Are any areas of Alabama in "Atlanta" covered by Charter?

 

[Charles1]

I don't know how it used to be, but according to TVGuide.com, Lanett is now part of the Columbus DMA. Even APT or WSFA aren't a part of their channel lineup.

I lived in Auburn in the late 80's. While Lee County is part of the Columbus DMA, we got WSFA, WCOV and WCIQ on the cable...and didn't get GPT. I believe that it had only been a couple of years earlier that WXIA had been removed from the cable lineup, but that was the only Atlanta station besides WTBS that had been on the cable there.

Similarly, cable systems in Birmingham had both WTBS and WANX-46 in their channel lineup in the late 70's and early 80's. Channel 17 was included in TV Guide, but Channel 46 wasn't.