Retro: Atlanta/Chattanooga/Macon Monday, October 16, 1972

[bpatrick]

From TV Guide, Georgia Edition.

NOTE: If there was a rainout over the weekend,
a World Series game would be played at 1 PM
on NBC (preceded by a pregame show at 12:30).

WSB Ch. 2 Atlanta (NBC)

6:20 Town And Country
6:25 Farm News
6:30 Christopher Close-Up
7 AM Today
9 AM Today In Georgia
9:30 Monday News Conference (Atlanta mayor
Sam Massell is guest)
10 AM Dinah's Place
10:30 Concentration (Bob Clayton)
11 AM Sale Of The Century (Joe Garagiola)
11:30 Hollywood Squares (Peter Marshall)
12 N News (David Sisson/Gloria Lane)
12:30 Merv Griffin
2 PM Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
3:30 Return To Peyton Place
4 PM Somerset
4:30 Truth Or Consequences (Bob Barker)
5 PM Perry Mason
6 PM News (John Philp/David Sisson)
7 PM NBC News (John Chancellor)
7:30 Let's Make A Deal (Monty Hall)
8 PM Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In (Jack Benny,
Hugh O'Brian, James Farentino and wife
Michele Lee, Charles Nelson Reilly, and
Peter Marshall have cameos.)
9 PM Movie: "The Challenge"
11 PM News (Dick Horner/John Philp)
11:30 Tonight Show (Joey Bishop subs for Johnny)
1 AM News

WRCB Ch. 3 Chattanooga (NBC)

7 AM Today
9 AM Mayberry R.F.D.
9:30 I Dream Of Jeannie
10 AM Dinah's Place
10:30 Concentration
11 AM Sale Of The Century
11:30 Hollywood Squares
12 N Jeopardy! (Art Fleming)
12:30 Who, What Or Where (Art James)
12:55 NBC News (Floyd Kalber)
1 PM Merry-Go-Round
1:30 Three On A Match (Bill Cullen)
2 PM Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
3:30 Return To Peyton Place
4 PM Somerset
4:30 Movie: "Two Weeks In Another Town"
6 PM News (Morris/Wick--I never lived in Chattanooga,
so I don't know their first names)
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Truth Or Consequences
7:30 Let's Make A Deal
8 PM Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In
9 PM NBC Movie: "Cool Million" (pilot for one of the
NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie series)
11 PM News (Wick/Wilson)
11:30 Tonight Show

WAGA Ch. 5 Atlanta (CBS)

6 AM Sunrise Semester: "Law And Morality"
6:30 Camera Three (delay from Sunday 11 AM)
7 AM CBS News (John Hart) (Ralph Nader is interviewed)
8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Phil Donahue
10 AM Joker's Wild (Jack Barry)
10:30 Price Is Right (Bob Barker)
11 AM Gambit (Wink Martindale)
11:30 Love Of Life
12 N News (Jim Axel/Judy Woodruff)
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
1 PM It's Your Bet (Lyle Waggoner)
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
3:30 Secret Storm
4 PM Virginian
5:30 I Dream Of Jeannie
6 PM News (Chuck Moore/Judy Woodruff)
6:30 CBS News (Walter Cronkite)
7 PM News (Jim Axel/Ray Moore)
7:30 Circus! (Bert Parks)
8 PM Gunsmoke
9 PM Here's Lucy
9:30 Doris Day
10 PM Country Music Association Awards (Glen
Campbell is host)
11 PM News (Chuck Moore) (time approximate)
11:30 CBS Movie: "The Crimson Pirate"

WGTV Ch. 8 Athens/Atlanta (PBS)

9:30 In-school programs
4 PM Sesame Street
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6 PM Sesame Street
7 PM Insight
7:30 University System Report
8 PM First Edition: Tell It All (Kenny Rogers'
rock group)
9 PM Boboquivari
9:30 Ardenics
10 PM Western Civilization: Majesty And Madness
10:30 Rosey Grier
sign off 11 PM

WTVC Ch. 9 Chattanooga (ABC)

7 AM Country Music
7:30 New Zoo Revue
8 AM Funtime
9 AM News (Hogue/Mazza)
9:30 Virginian
11 AM Not For Women Only
11:30 Bewitched
12 N Password (Allen Ludden)
12:30 Split Second (Tom Kennedy, who would
replace Ludden as host of Password Plus)
1 PM All My Children
1:30 Let's Make A Deal
2 PM Newlywed Game (Bob Eubanks)
2:30 Dating Game (Jim Lange)
3 PM General Hospital
3:30 One Life To Live
4 PM Love, American Style
4:30 Green Acres
5 PM Ponderosa (Bonanza reruns)
6 PM News (Willette/McAfee)
6:30 ABC News (Howard K. Smith/Harry Reasoner)
7 PM Tarzan
8 PM The Rookies
9 PM NFL Football: Green Bay-Detroit
12 M News (Willette/McAfee) (time approximate)

WQXI (WXIA) Ch. 11 Atlanta (ABC)

6:30 Educational Film
7 AM Cartoon Club
8:30 My Favorite Martian
9 AM Hazel
9:30 Dick Van Dyke
10 AM Courtship Of Eddie's Father
10:30 Love, American Style
11 AM Password
11:30 Bewitched
12 N News (Mark Scott/Bob Neal)
12:20 Lucille Rivers (sewing)
12:30 Split Second
1 PM All My Children
1:30 Let's Make A Deal
2 PM Newlywed Game
2:30 Dating Game
3 PM General Hospital
3:30 Movie: "A Majority Of One" (Part 1)
5 PM Ponderosa
6 PM News (Virgil Dominic/Ron Becker)
6:30 ABC News
7 PM What's My Line? (Larry Blyden took over
as host in fall 1972 but Ch. 11 is showing
one with Wally Bruner.)
7:30 To Tell The Truth (Garry Moore)
8 PM The Rookies
9 PM NFL Football: Green Bay-Detroit
12 M News (Virgil Dominic/Ron Becker) (time
approximate)
12:35 Movie: "The Garment Jungle"
2:15 News

WDEF Ch. 12 Chattanooga (CBS)

6:25 Sunrise Semester
6:55 Farm Report
7 AM CBS News
7:30 Morning Show
8:30 Romper Room
9 AM Captain Kangaroo
10 AM Joker's Wild
10:30 Price Is Right
11 AM Gambit
11:30 Love Of Life
12 N News (Don Allen)
12:20 Paul Harvey
12:25 CBS News (Douglas Edwards)
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
1 PM Beat The Clock (Gene Wood)
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
3:30 Secret Storm
4 PM Family Affair
4:30 Merv Griffin
6 PM News (Mort Lloyd)
6:30 CBS News
7 PM Dragnet
7:30 To Tell The Truth
8 PM Gunsmoke
9 PM Here's Lucy
9:30 Doris Day
10 PM Country Music Association Awards
11 PM News (Dick James) (time approximate)
11:30 CBS Movie: "The Crimson Pirate"

WMAZ Ch. 13 Macon (CBS/ABC)

6:50 News
7 AM CBS News
8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Let's Talk It Over
9:30 General Hospital
10 AM Joker's Wild
10:30 Price Is Right
11 AM Gambit
11:30 Love Of Life
12 N Where The Heart Is
12:25 CBS News
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
1 PM Almanac
1:15 Date With Del
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
3:30 Secret Storm
4 PM Family Affair
4:30 Ponderosa
5:30 To Tell The Truth
6 PM News, Sports, Weather
6:30 CBS News
7 PM Truth Or Consequences
7:30 Let's Make A Deal
8 PM Gunsmoke
9 PM Here's Lucy
9:30 Doris Day
10 PM Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC, delay
from Tue 10 PM)
11 PM News, Sports, Weather
11:30 CBS Movie: "The Crimson Pirate"

WDCO Ch. 15 (WMUM Ch. 29) Cochran/
WCLP (WNGH) Ch. 18 Chatsworth (PBS)

8:30 What's New
9 AM Electric Company
9:30 In-school programs
4 PM Sesame Street
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6 PM Sesame Street
7 PM Consultation
7:30 University System Report
8 PM First Edition: Tell It All
9 PM Boboquivari
9:30 Book Beat
10 PM Western Civilization: Majesty And
Madness
sign off 10:30 PM

WTCG (WPCH) Ch. 17 Atlanta (Ind.)

7 AM Little Rascals
8 AM Banana Splits
8:30 Magic Funnies
9 AM New Zoo Revue
9:30 Romper Room
10 AM Cartoon Carnival
10:30 Crafts With Katy (Katy Dacus)
11 AM Galloping Gourmet
11:30 Mike Douglas
1 PM Movie: "Dante's Inferno"
3 PM Banana Splits
3:30 Flintstones
4 PM Leave It To Beaver
4:30 Petticoat Junction
5 PM Andy Griffith
5:30 Get Smart
6 PM It Takes A Thief
7 PM Rifleman
7:30 Andy Griffith
8 PM Movie: "I Dream Of Jeanie" (biography
of Stephen Foster, nothing to do with
Barbara Eden)
10 PM The Adventurer (Gene Barry)
10:30 Mancini Generation
11 PM Avengers
12 M Movie: "An Act Of Murder"

WETV (WPBA) Ch. 30 Atlanta (PBS)

10 AM Sesame Street
11 AM In-school programs
2:30 Electric Company
3 PM In-school programs
4 PM Sesame Street
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6 PM Why!
6:15 Charlie's Pad (cartooning)
6:30 Off The Record (backup musicians)
7 PM Championship Bridge (Charles Goren)
7:30 Monday News Conference (replay of
Ch. 2's program)
8 PM International Performance
9 PM It's Your City (Atlanta Board of Aldermen
meeting)
10:30 Book Beat
sign off 11 PM

WCWB (WMGT) Ch. 41 Macon (NBC)

7 AM Today
9 AM Romper Room
9:30 Not For Women Only
10 AM Dinah's Place
10:30 Concentration
11 AM Sale Of The Century
11:30 Hollywood Squares
12 N Jeopardy!
12:30 Who, What Or Where
12:55 NBC News
1 PM News (McEldowney)
1:05 Women's World
1:30 Three On A Match
2 PM Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
3:30 Return To Peyton Place
4 PM Somerset
4:30 Movie: "Against All Odds"
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Real McCoys
7:30 Felony Squad
8 PM Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In
9 PM NBC Movie: "Cool Million"
11 PM Western Star Theater (selected
"Death Valley Days" reruns)
11:30 Tonight Show

WTCI Ch. 45 Chattanooga (PBS)

8:30 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
9 AM In-school programs
10 AM Sesame Street
11 AM Electric Company
11:30 In-school programs
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6 PM Sesame Street
7 PM Designing Women (sewing)
7:30 TBA
8 PM First Edition: Tell It All
9 PM Boboquivari
9:30 Book Beat
10 PM Anthropology 2010
sign off after this

WHAE (WGCL) Ch. 46 Atlanta (Ind.)

3:30 This Is The Life
4 PM Insight
4:30 Fury
5 PM Top Cat
5:30 Dennis The Menace
6 PM Jim And Tammy
7 PM Of Lands And Seas
8 PM Reaching Out
8:30 Charisma
9 PM 700 Club
sign off after this

WRIP (WDSI) Ch. 61 Chattanooga (Ind.)

3:30 Cartoons/Three Stooges
6 PM Movie: "Alexander The Great"
7:30 High School Football (replay of a game
from Friday night--teams not given)
8:30 Movie: "Time Limit"
10 PM Movie: "The Iron Sheriff"
11:30 Movie: "The Yellow Tomahawk"

 

[retrothoughts]

I lived in Chattanooga during Oct 1972, so I might have some recollection of who did the news back then.

Roy Morris and Don Wick anchored the 6:00 news on Channel 3, while Tom Willette and Bill McAfee [who went on to become a Tennessee state legislator] worked on Channel 9.

Also, Channel 11 in Atlanta was showing the Wally Bruner-hosted What's My Line? syndicated episodes instead of the ones w. Larry Blyden because that station, along with a few others, was a year behind, due to the "bicycling" of the tapes [because they didn't have day-and-date satellite distribution back then].

I'm not sure about the high school football show Ch. 61 in Chattanooga presented. I'm thinking that it could have either been a highlight reel, a studio-based discussion show with coaches, or a combination thereof.

The half-hour country music shows that Ch. 9 in Chattanooga aired weekday mornings at 7 am--less than 3 years before ABC began programming that hour--were a "checkerboard" of weekly, yet regionally-syndicated, shows that were several years old, going back to about the late 1960's.

The CMA Awards a 1-hr. show at 10 pm back then? I guess they weren't yet ready for 8 pm, much less the full 3-hr. treatment they'd get a decade or so later, but if I recall, Kraft, whose commercials featured their famed spokesman Ed Herlihy giving viewers some of Kraft's "good food ideas", was the CMA Awards' sole sponsor.

 

[azumanga]

... if I recall, Kraft, whose commercials featured their famed spokesman Ed Herlihy giving viewers some of Kraft's "good food ideas", was the CMA Awards' sole sponsor.

Just as memorable for any Kraft-sponsored special was three pages of recipes in that week's TV Guide, which Ed would proudly mention in Kraft's commercials.

 

[harrisburgpatv]

I find it hard to believe (unless there were other Atlanta channels not listed in this post) that Jeopardy! didn't air in the Atlanta market. I'd have thought WSB would have found room for it SOMEWHERE..

 

[Mike Stroud]

I find it hard to believe (unless there were other Atlanta channels not listed in this post) that Jeopardy! didn't air in the Atlanta market. I'd have thought WSB would have found room for it SOMEWHERE..

As I recall from previous posts, WTCG carried the Art Fleming Jeopardy! for several years around the turn of the decade, along with a few other shows off the NBC feed that WSB pre-empted. WSB had for years pre-empted the Noon-2 p.m. time slots, running 90-minute (or longer) movies after the Noon news, back in the 1960s.

Make no mistake, Jeopardy! was daytime's second-highest-rated game in the early 1970s (behind Hollywood Squares), but its popularity apparently wasn't even throughout the country. I would suspect it was most popular in the largest markets, especially along the East Coast (that fact alone drove its ratings high). By contrast, Southern and Midwestern markets probably only saw it draw average ratings, because of the lower educational achievements of many of its residents. The show was distinguished then, much as now, by its difficulty to play along with at home, particularly "answers" about subjects removed from everyday common experience. This trait, while earning it the affection of the college and professional crowd who watched it on bar and restaurant sets on their lunch breaks, did not endear it to housewives looking for an escape from the drudgery of their chores.

Atlanta is a strange case, however, since it had then, much as now, an unusually high number of professionals and educated types. WTCG certainly saw what WSB had been missing in its reading of the situation, and decided to step in. But Ted Turner had greater ambitions for his station, of course, than to serve as an alternate station for pre-empted network shows, and he opted to emphasize syndie offerings in daytime by 1972 and would never return (except on occasion, and that in primetime) to network feeds again.

One has to remember that, compared to other daytime games running at the time, Jeopardy! was among TV's lowest-paying games ($10-50 in the first round, $20-100 in Double Jeopardy!), its set was very 1960-ish compared to the likes of The Joker's Wild and Password, and Art Fleming wasn't exactly considered a matinee idol. So its appeal was not so obvious to some (mainly younger) station managers, and these things motivated NBC daytime head Lin Bolen to begin wearing the game down in 1973.

WSB would bring Jeopardy! back briefly in 1974, when the show spent six months at 10:30 a.m. But upon its move to the "graveyard" slot of 1:30, it ended for good. I have no idea if WSB carried the 1978-79 revival (maybe bpatrick can post some late 1978 listings in the future).

 

[bpatrick]

WSB carried the 1978 version of "Jeopardy!" when it aired
at 10:30 AM. When it tanked, and NBC moved it to its old
noon slot, it was off WSB's schedule again. WSB has never
carried the Trebek "Jeopardy!"; it has moved around among
WAGA, WXIA, and WATL. When I was at UGA, we could get
"Jeopardy!" at noon on WFBC (now WYFF) Greenville, SC
(they pre-empted "Who, What Or Where," however), but I
don't recall a large viewership. However, WSPA carried "Young
And The Restless" when WAGA didn't, and did quite well in
Athens with it.

I also suspect Ch. 61's high-school football show was an
edited replay; I'm not sure it was a coaches' show.

As for "What's My Line?" Ch. 11 dropped it in January 1974 and
replaced it with the Jack Narz version of "Concentration. WAGA
picked up the last year of "WML" at 1 PM. It was always a bit
strange in the days of bicycling; you could watch a game show
with two different hosts; in Birmingham, we were getting Bruner's
shows, but when we moved to Tampa in the summer of '73 we
got Blyden's.

 

[azumanga]

As I recall from previous posts, WTCG carried the Art Fleming Jeopardy! for several years around the turn of the decade, along with a few other shows off the NBC feed that WSB pre-empted. WSB had for years pre-empted the Noon-2 p.m. time slots, running 90-minute (or longer) movies after the Noon news, back in the 1960s.

Atlanta is a strange case, however, since it had then, much as now, an unusually high number of professionals and educated types. WTCG certainly saw what WSB had been missing in its reading of the situation, and decided to step in. But Ted Turner had greater ambitions for his station, of course, than to serve as an alternate station for pre-empted network shows, and he opted to emphasize syndie offerings in daytime by 1972 and would never return (except on occasion, and that in primetime) to network feeds again.

Of course, when WTCG carried other networks' programming passed on by the other stations, they would often toot their horn. In the book "Citizen Turner", it mentioned that Ted Turner would announce on his billboards that WTCG had "joined the NBC Television Network", after picking up five NBC shows that WSB passed over, including "Jeopardy". The folks at WSB and NBC weren't pleased with those billboards, however.

As for "What's My Line?"... It was always a bit
strange in the days of bicycling; you could watch a game show
with two different hosts; in Birmingham, we were getting Bruner's
shows, but when we moved to Tampa in the summer of '73 we
got Blyden's.

In an old Michigan State "TV Guide", I noticed the same thing with "It's Your Bet" on Lansing's WILX -- a TVG ad from WILX in late 1972 (after the opening of WKAR on its own channel) proudly said that Lyle Waggoner was host of the show, though the TVG descriptions for that week all featured episodes hosted by Hal March -- who died in 1970.

 

[bpatrick]

Those billboards announcing that Channel 17 had
moved to NBC had to come down; either WSB or
NBC or both threatened a lawsuit. Later, though,
Turner tried to get the ABC affiliation away from
WXIA, but ABC wasn't interested in moving to a
UHF. ABC ended up finding a willing station in
WSB.

 

[harrisburgpatv]

Those billboards announcing that Channel 17 had
moved to NBC had to come down; either WSB or
NBC or both threatened a lawsuit. Later, though,
Turner tried to get the ABC affiliation away from
WXIA, but ABC wasn't interested in moving to a
UHF. ABC ended up finding a willing station in
WSB.

That Ted Turner, what a slick one he was....One of my favorite stunts he did was nicknaming Andy Messersmith "Channel" and giving him the jersey # of 17....Hey, free advertising!

 

[azumanga]

That Ted Turner, what a slick one he was....One of my favorite stunts he did was nicknaming Andy Messersmith "Channel" and giving him the jersey # of 17....Hey, free advertising!

I read that one time, Turner tried replacing Messersmith's last name on the back of his uniform with either "Superstation" or "Channel" (don't know which) -- Major League Baseball told Ted to knock it off.

 

[harrisburgpatv]

Yep, he replaced "Messersmith" with "Channel" and slapped the #17 on his jersey, so it read "Channel 17" on the back. Yeah, like you said, MLB nixed that one fairly quickly.

 

[bpatrick]

Re the CMA awards show: it was first carried on ABC
in the 1960s as an annual event on Jimmy Dean's
1963-66 show, so it got only one hour even then.
Maybe somebody else knows when it began to get
evening-long coverage; certainly it reflected the growing
popularity of country music in the '70s and beyond.

And not only were those Kraft features in TV Guide
taste-tempting, but Ed Herlihy could make you salivate
with hunger. Only two other people have been able to
do that to me: Justin Wilson with his Cajun-cooking shows
on PBS, and Andy Griffith when he did commercials for
Ritz Crackers ("good cracker...goooood cracker").

Off-topic but on, too: When we lived in Dallas, my dad
attended some sort of food brokers' convention in Fort
Worth, and Ed McMahon was there. Big Ed was chewing
the Kraft people out for not including his picture in their
display, launching into a tirade about how much he'd done
for Kraft. Well, it's true that he emceed many episodes of
"Kraft Music Hall" (along with Eddy Arnold and Alan King)
in the 1967-71 period, but for some of us with long memories,
Ed Herlihy will always be associated with Kraft; Ed McMahon,
with Budweiser.

 

[RALfan]

What were the prime-time access programs for this season on WSB and WAGA?

 

[bpatrick]

WSB Mon Let's Make A Deal
Tue Wild Kingdom
Wed Adam-12 (week delay since Ch. 2
showed movies 8-10 PM)
Thu Truth Or Consequences
Fri Parent Game
Sat Hee Haw (7-8)
Sun Lawrence Welk (6:30-7:30)
Young Dr. Kildare (10:30)

WAGA Mon Circus!
Tue Wait Till Your Father Gets Home
Wed Hollywood Squares
Thu Family Classics Theater (not to be confused
with the animated "Festival Of Family Classics,"
which I remember airing on WGHP Friday nights
that year)
Fri Price Is Right
Sat UFO (7-8)
Sun News (7 PM); TV5 Reports (10:30 PM)

WXIA Mon-Fri To Tell The Truth
Sat Amazing World Of Kreskin (7 PM)
This Is Your Life (7:30 PM)

Sun Ebony Beat Journal (7 PM)
I've Got A Secret (7:30 PM)

I should make a correction concerning the 1971 listings; I believe
WAGA's Sunday 10:30 show was "Monty Nash," a short-lived cop
show with Harry Guardino. "Police Surgeon" was then known as
"Dr. Simon Locke" and aired Saturday afternoons on Ch. 11. However,
Ch. 5 did some major rearranging of its schedule in the course of the
1972-73 season: "Police Surgeon" was picked up for Sun 10:30, "TV5
Reports" moved to Monday 7:30, "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" to
Saturday 7:30, "The Price Is Right" to Thursday 7:30, "Circus!" to Friday
7:30, "Hollywood Squares" to Tuesday 7:30, and "Superstars Of Rock"
was added Wednesday at 7:30. Got all that? No? Here it is:

Mon TV5 Reports
Tue Hollywood Squares
Wed Superstars Of Rock
Thu Price Is Right
Fri Circus!
Sat Bobby Goldsboro (7 PM)
Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (7:30 PM)
Sun News (7 PM)
Police Surgeon (10:30 PM)