Now, we take a moment to examine the chaotic situation in Augusta, Georgia television that obtained between Christmas Eve 1968, when a UHF station, WATU, started up in the midst of two established VHF competitors. Take a look and compare for yourselves to see how it compares to nearly-identical situations during that era in Birmingham, Alabama, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina:
WJBF, channel 6:
06:00AM Scope (local)
06:30AM Early Bird (probably local)
06:55AM Paul Harvey (syndicated)
07:00AM Today Show (NBC)
09:00AM Let's Make a Deal (ABC)
09:30AM Newlywed Game (ABC)
10:00AM It Takes Two (NBC)
10:25AM NBC News
10:30AM Concentration (NBC)
11:00AM Personality (NBC)
11:30AM Hollywood Squares (NBC)
12:00PM Paul Harvey
12:05PM WJBF News
12:30PM Eye Guess (NBC)
12:55PM NBC News
01:00PM Dream House (ABC)
01:30PM You're Putting Me On (NBC)
02:00PM Days of Our Lives (NBC)
02:30PM Doctors (NBC)
03:00PM Another World (NBC)
03:30PM General Hospital (ABC)
04:00PM Dark Shadows (ABC)
04:30PM Bewitched (ABC)
05:00PM Trooper Terry (local)
05:30PM Gilligan's Island (syndicated)
05:55PM Paul Harvey
06:00PM WJBF News
06:30PM ABC Evening News
07:00PM Monroes (syndicated)
08:00PM That Girl (ABC)
08:30PM Bewitched (ABC)
09:00PM Tom Jones (ABC)
10:00PM It Takes a Thief (ABC)
11:00PM WJBF News
11:30PM Joey Bishop (ABC)
WRDW, channel 12:
06:30PM World of Education (probably syndicated)
07:00PM CBS Morning News
08:00PM Captain Kangaroo (CBS)
09:00PM Mike Douglas (syndicated)
10:00AM Lucy Show (CBS)
10:30AM Beverly Hillbillies (CBS)
11:00AM Andy Griffith (CBS)
11:30AM Dick Van Dyke (CBS)
12:00PM Love of Life (CBS)
12:25PM CBS News
12:30PM Search for Tomorrow (CBS)
01:00PM Tel-All (local)
01:30PM As the World Turns (CBS)
02:00PM Love is a Many Splendored Thing (CBS)
02:30PM Guiding Light (CBS)
03:00PM Secret Storm (CBS)
03:30PM Edge of Night (CBS)
04:00PM Linkletter Show (CBS)
04:30PM Dobie Gillis (syndicated)
05:00PM Perry Mason (syndicated)
06:00PM WRDW News
06:30PM CBS Evening News
07:00PM Daniel Boone (NBC)
08:00PM Prisoner (CBS)
09:00PM Movie--"Dead Ringer" (CBS)
11:00PM WRDW News
11:30PM Tonight Show (CBS)
WATU, channel 26:
11:30AM World at Large (probably syndicated)
12:00PM Jeopardy (NBC)
12:30PM Ed Allen (syndicated)
01:00PM TV Partyline (unsure if local or syndicated)
01:30PM Movie--"Duffy's Tavern" (syndicated)
03:30PM You Don't Say (NBC)
04:00PM Match Game (NBC)
04:25PM NBC News
04:30PM Movie--"Feudin', Fussin', and a Fightin'" (syndicated)
06:00PM Flintstones (syndicated)
06:30PM Cartoon Time (local)
06:55PM WATU Weather
07:00PM Huntley-Brinkley Report (NBC)
07:30PM Munsters (syndicated)
08:00PM Wagon Train (syndicated)
09:30PM Dragnet (NBC)
10:00PM Suspense Theatre (syndicated)
11:00PM WATU Weather
11:05PM Movie--"Abandon Ship" (syndicated)
The principal reason WATU went out of business for four years between 1970 and 1974 was WJBF, although WRDW did a little damage. When a station is crowded out of all but three daytime shows and a half-hour in primetime (with neither of the other two taking most of it anyway), it should not be surprising that the FCC got concerned about protecting U start-ups. Had the Feds not intervened in the WRDU case in Raleigh-Durham in '71, WATU would probably have never returned, IMO.
WJBF, channel 6:
06:00AM Scope (local)
06:30AM Early Bird (probably local)
06:55AM Paul Harvey (syndicated)
07:00AM Today Show (NBC)
09:00AM Let's Make a Deal (ABC)
09:30AM Newlywed Game (ABC)
10:00AM It Takes Two (NBC)
10:25AM NBC News
10:30AM Concentration (NBC)
11:00AM Personality (NBC)
11:30AM Hollywood Squares (NBC)
12:00PM Paul Harvey
12:05PM WJBF News
12:30PM Eye Guess (NBC)
12:55PM NBC News
01:00PM Dream House (ABC)
01:30PM You're Putting Me On (NBC)
02:00PM Days of Our Lives (NBC)
02:30PM Doctors (NBC)
03:00PM Another World (NBC)
03:30PM General Hospital (ABC)
04:00PM Dark Shadows (ABC)
04:30PM Bewitched (ABC)
05:00PM Trooper Terry (local)
05:30PM Gilligan's Island (syndicated)
05:55PM Paul Harvey
06:00PM WJBF News
06:30PM ABC Evening News
07:00PM Monroes (syndicated)
08:00PM That Girl (ABC)
08:30PM Bewitched (ABC)
09:00PM Tom Jones (ABC)
10:00PM It Takes a Thief (ABC)
11:00PM WJBF News
11:30PM Joey Bishop (ABC)
WRDW, channel 12:
06:30PM World of Education (probably syndicated)
07:00PM CBS Morning News
08:00PM Captain Kangaroo (CBS)
09:00PM Mike Douglas (syndicated)
10:00AM Lucy Show (CBS)
10:30AM Beverly Hillbillies (CBS)
11:00AM Andy Griffith (CBS)
11:30AM Dick Van Dyke (CBS)
12:00PM Love of Life (CBS)
12:25PM CBS News
12:30PM Search for Tomorrow (CBS)
01:00PM Tel-All (local)
01:30PM As the World Turns (CBS)
02:00PM Love is a Many Splendored Thing (CBS)
02:30PM Guiding Light (CBS)
03:00PM Secret Storm (CBS)
03:30PM Edge of Night (CBS)
04:00PM Linkletter Show (CBS)
04:30PM Dobie Gillis (syndicated)
05:00PM Perry Mason (syndicated)
06:00PM WRDW News
06:30PM CBS Evening News
07:00PM Daniel Boone (NBC)
08:00PM Prisoner (CBS)
09:00PM Movie--"Dead Ringer" (CBS)
11:00PM WRDW News
11:30PM Tonight Show (CBS)
WATU, channel 26:
11:30AM World at Large (probably syndicated)
12:00PM Jeopardy (NBC)
12:30PM Ed Allen (syndicated)
01:00PM TV Partyline (unsure if local or syndicated)
01:30PM Movie--"Duffy's Tavern" (syndicated)
03:30PM You Don't Say (NBC)
04:00PM Match Game (NBC)
04:25PM NBC News
04:30PM Movie--"Feudin', Fussin', and a Fightin'" (syndicated)
06:00PM Flintstones (syndicated)
06:30PM Cartoon Time (local)
06:55PM WATU Weather
07:00PM Huntley-Brinkley Report (NBC)
07:30PM Munsters (syndicated)
08:00PM Wagon Train (syndicated)
09:30PM Dragnet (NBC)
10:00PM Suspense Theatre (syndicated)
11:00PM WATU Weather
11:05PM Movie--"Abandon Ship" (syndicated)
The principal reason WATU went out of business for four years between 1970 and 1974 was WJBF, although WRDW did a little damage. When a station is crowded out of all but three daytime shows and a half-hour in primetime (with neither of the other two taking most of it anyway), it should not be surprising that the FCC got concerned about protecting U start-ups. Had the Feds not intervened in the WRDU case in Raleigh-Durham in '71, WATU would probably have never returned, IMO.