Retro: Chicago Wed, Sept 4, 1985

[Bluenoser]

from Chicago Tribune

WBBM 2-CBS
5:00 Bill Cosby
5:30 Morning Stretch
6:00 Daybreak
6:30 News
7:00 CBS Morning News
9:00 Donahue
10:00 $25,000 Pyramid
10:30 Press Your Luck
11:00 Body Language
11:30 Young & the Restless
12:30 As the World Turns
1:30 Capitol
2:00 Guiding Light
3:00 Price is Right
4:00 Quincy, ME
5:00 News
5:30 CBS Evening News
6:00 News
7:00 I Had Three Wives
8:00 Movie "License to Kill"
10:00 News
10:30 US Open Tennis Highlights
11:00 Movie "Avalanche"
1:00 CBS News Nightwatch

WMAQ 5-NBC
6:00 Today in Chicago
6:30 News
7:00 Today
9:00 Silver Spoons
9:30 Sale of the Century
10:00 Wheel of Fortune
10:30 Scrabble
11:00 Super Password
11:30 Search for Tomorrow
noon Days of Our Lives
1:00 Another World
2:00 Santa Barbara
3:00 Love Connection
3:30 Let's Make a Deal
4:00 People's Court
4:30 News
5:30 NBC Nightly News
6:00 News
6:30 Entertainment Tonight
7:00 Movie "Hell Town"
9:00 St. Elsewhere (a crossover with Cheers where Auschlander, Westphall and Craig go to Cheers and get sassed by Carla)
10:00 News
10:30 Tonight Show (guests Jane Fonda, Roger Bobo, and George Carl)
11:30 Late Night with David Letterman
12:30 News
1:00 Anything for Money
1:30 Warner
2:00 Name That Tune
2:30 Today in Chicago

WLS 7-ABC
5:30 20 Minute Workout
6:00 News
7:00 Good Morning America
9:00 AM Chicago
10:00 Angie
10:30 All-Star Blitz
11:00 Ryan's Hope
11:30 Loving
noon All My Children
1:00 One Life to Live
2:00 General Hospital
3:00 Family Feud
3:30 Jeopardy!
4:00 News
5:30 ABC World News Tonight
6:00 News
6:30 Wheel of Fortune
7:00 Inside the Third Reich (pt 1)
10:00 News
10:30 ABC News Nightline
11:00 Eye on Hollywood
11:30 Sale of the Century
mid. Movie "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
2:00 News
2:30 Newlywed Game
3:00 Dating Game
3:30 Treasure Hunt
4:00 Gong Show
4:30 AM Chicago

WGN 9-Ind
5:00 Abbott & Costello
5:30 Faith 20
6:00 Muppet Show
6:30 Bugs Bunny
7:00 Bozo
9:00 Waltons
10:00 Big Valley
11:00 Family
noon News
12:30 INN News
1:00 Lead-Off Man
1:15 Baseball: the Cubs host Houston
usual afternoon liine-up...I Dream of Jeannie at 1, Andy Griffith at 1:30, Carol Burnett at 2, Scooby-Doo at 2:30, Superfriends at 3, Heathcliff at 3:30, and Leave It to Beaver at 4
4:30 Laverne & Shirley
5:00 Good Times
5:30 Archie Bunker's Place
6:00 Private Benjamin
6:30 Soap
7:00 Marco Polo (pt 3)
9:00 News
9:30 INN News
10:00 Twilight Zone
10:30 Cannon
11:30 Movie "A Fever in the Blood"
2:00 INN News
2:30 Movie "Great Catherine"
4:30 Movietone News

WTTW 11-PBS
6:00 Farm Day
6:30 Mechanical Universe
7:00 CNN News
7:30 Sesame Street
8:30 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
9:00 Sesame Street
10:00 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
10:30 Electric Company
11:00 Voyage of the Mimi
11:30 Sesame Street
12:30 Burns & Allen
1:00 Case of Dashiell Hammett
2:00 Frontline
3:00 Wild, Wild World of Animals
3:30 Reading Rainbow
4:00 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
4:30 Sesame Street
5:30 Electric Company
6:00 MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour
7:00 Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau "500 Million Years Beneath the Sea"
8:00 A Walk Through the 20th Century (the series debuts with Bill Moyers returning to his hometown of Marshall, TX)
9:30 Work of Peace (negociations by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay that lead to American independence with the Treaty of Paris)
10:00 Nightly Business Report
10:30 Chicago Tonight
11:00 Nature "Kopje: A Rock for All Seasons"
mid. CNN News
1:00 Austin City Limits (guests Lefty Frizzell & Shelley West, and Con Huntley)

WYCC 20-PBS
6:00 Faces of Culture
6:30 New Literacy
7:00 Money Puzzle
7:30 Making the Most of the Micro
8:00 Write Course
8:30 Woodwright's Shop
9:00 English as a Second Language
9:30 Zarabanda
---
5:30 GED-TV
6:00 Project: Universe
6:30 Modern Maturity
7:00 In Our Own Image "The Image Explored"
7:30 Biology
8:00 Marketing "Great Expectations"
8:30 Congress: We the People "A Variety of Voices"
9:00 Business File "Business Opportunities: Large and Small"
9:30 Health Care Organization

WCIU 26-Ind
6:00 Noticias
6:30 El Club 700
7:00 Jimmy Swaggart
7:30 Richard Roberts
8:30 Jimmy Swaggart
9:00 Opening Stock Market
9:30 Business Newsmakers
10:30 Ask an Expert on Stocks
11:00 News
11:30 Ask an Expert
1:00 News
1:15 Most Active Stocks
1:30 Ask an Expert
3:30 700 Club
4:30 Chicago Today
4:40 Today's Racing
5:00 Modelos SA
6:00 Noticias
6:30 Herencia de Amor
7:30 Angelica Maria
8:30 Entre Amigos
9:00 Laura Guzman-Culpable
10:00 Noticias
10:30 Hola...Pelusa

WFLD 32-Ind
6:00 Newstalk
6:30 Great Space Coaster
7:00 Tom & Jerry
7:30 Flintstones
8:00 Woody Woodpecker
8:30 Popeye
9:00 Lost in Space
10:00 Divorce Court
10:30 I Love Lucy
11:00 Emergency!
noon Little Rascals
12:30 Munsters
1:00 I Love Lucy
1:30 Get Smart
2:00 Fat Albert
2:30 Inspector Gadget
3:00 Woody Woodpecker
3:30 Tom & Jerry
4:00 Flintstones
4:30 Batman
5:00 Brady Bunch
5:30 Mork & Mindy
6:00 Happy Days Again
6:30 Sanford & Son
7:00 PM Magazine (Marilyn Monroe memorabilia collector Barry Warren/behind the scenes of an industrial-theater show/Tony Bennett shows off his art work)
7:30 Blind Alleys (Cloris Leachman and Pat Morita play a married couple whose troubled marriage is tested by bigotry and prejudice; not certain what was pre-empted, 32 showed Sox games at 7:30 the rest of the week)
8:30 Fame
9:30 Honeymooners
10:00 M*A*S*H
10:30 Kojak
11:30 Baretta
12:30 Comedy Classics
1:00 Stroh's America Bowling

WCFC 38-Religious
5:00 Crossroad Creation
5:30 Shape Up
6:00 Breakfast Club
7:00 Gospel Bill
7:30 Circle Square
8:00 Something Beautiful
9:00 Shape Up
9:30 Windy City Alive
10:30 Human Dimension
11:00 Kroeze Brothers
11:30 Jimmy Swaggart
noon Marvin Gorman
12:30 Day of Discovery
1:00 Camp Meeting USA
2:00 Lester Sumrall
2:30 Adventures in Learning
3:00 100 Huntley Street
4:00 Toddler's Friends
4:30 Super Book
5:00 Jim Bakker
6:00 Dave Breese Reports
6:30 New Song
7:00 Windy City Alive
8:00 Jack Hayford
8:30 Voice of Faith
9:30 700 Club
11:00 Jim Bakker
mid. Jimmy Swaggart
12:30 700 Club
2:00 Laverne Tripp
2:30 Windy City Alive
3:30 Human Dimension
4:00 100 Huntley Street

WSNS 44-SIN
7:30 Mia Huespedes
8:30 Colorina
10:30 Hoy Mismo
noon Mundo Latino
1:00 El Chavo
1:30 Te Amo
2:00 Los Anos Felices
3:00 Llevame Contigo
4:00 Princepessa
5:00 La Fiera
5:30 Noticiero SIN
6:00 Topacio
7:00 Bianca Vidal
8:00 Muy Especial
9:00 Leonela
10:00 Noticias
10:30 24 Horas
11:30 Noche a Noche

WBBS/WPWR 60-Ind
5:30 Tic Tac Dough
6:00 Joker's Wild
6:30 Gidget
7:00 Frankenstein Jr.
7:30 Space Ghost
8:00 Herculoids
8:30 Birdman & the Galaxy Trio
9:00 Richard Roberts
10:00 Mundo Hispano
11:00 Virginian
12:30 Beachcombers
1:00 Bewitched
1:30 F Troop
2:00 Mister Ed
2:30 Wacky Races
3:00 Fantastic Four
3:30 Tranzor Z
4:00 RoboTech
4:30 Music Video 60
5:00 Gidget
5:30 Bewitched
6:00 Branded
6:30 Guns of Will Sonnett
7:00 El Retrato de un Canalla
8:00 El Show de Johnny Canales
9:00 Estefania
10:00 Amame
11:00 Cine: TBA
12:30 La Ultima Tanda "Carmen Boom"
2:30 Movie "Penny Serenade"

WGBO 66-Ind (may be WFBN; Wikipedia says the station became WGBO in fall '85, but doesn't indicate when)
9:00 BizNet News Today
10:00 Rookies
11:00 Lucy Show
11:30 Make Room for Daddy
noon Gunsmoke
1:00 My Three Sons
1:30 My Favorite Martian
2:00 Petticoat Junction
2:30 Green Acres
3:00 Movie "The Holly and the Ivy"
5:00 Avengers
6:00 Hawaii Five-O
7:00 Rookies
8:00 Gunsmoke
9:00 Perry Mason
10:00 Gomer Pyle, USMC
10:30 Movie "The Man Who Could Cheat Death"
12:30 Bizarre (Which version? Only station I've heard of that ran the uncensored version was KTXL Sacramento)

 

[Bluenoser]

Bonus listings for the superstations:

WOR
5:00 Jimmy Swaggart
5:30 700 Club
6:30 Straight Talk
7:30 Romper Room
8:30 Flying Nun
9:00 Gidget
9:30 Partridge Family
10:00 Bewitched
10:30 I Dream of Jeannie
11:00 News
noon Joker's Wild
12:30 Tic Tac Dough
1:00 Dating Game
1:30 Newlywed Game
2:00 Hawaii Five-O
3:00 SWAT
4:00 Vega$
5:00 Police Woman
6:00 Bosom Buddies
6:30 Sale of the Century
7:00 News
7:30 Tic Tac Dough
8:00 Marco Polo (pt 2)
10:00 Bizarre
10:30 Billy Graham Crusade (pre-empts Hawaii Five-O)
11:30 Best of Saturday Night
mid. Joe Franklin
1:00 Movie "Speedway"
4:00 CNN News

WTBS
5:00 CNN News
5:30 Funtime
6:00 Alvin
6:35 Flintstones
7:05 I Dream of Jeannie
7:35 Bewitched
8:05 Hazel
8:35 I Love Lucy
9:05 Movie: TBA
11:05 Perry Mason
12:05 Movie "The List of Adrian Messenger"
2:05 Bugs Bunny & Friends
3:05 Flintstones
3:35 Brady Bunch
4:05 Leave It to Beaver
4:35 Beverly Hillbillies
5:05 Andy Griffith
5:35 Carol Burnett
6:05 Mary Tyler Moore
6:35 Baseball: Atlanta-Pittsburgh (usually Sanford & son at 6:35, movie at 7:05)
9:20 Billy Graham Crusade
10:20 Movie "Robin and the Seven Hoods"
1:00 Movie "House of Wax"
2:55 World at Large
3:00 Hogan's Heroes
3:30 TBA
4:00 Get Smart
4:30 Bob Newhart

 

[dave73]

from Chicago Tribune

WBBS/WPWR 60-Ind
5:30 Tic Tac Dough
6:00 Joker's Wild
6:30 Gidget
7:00 Frankenstein Jr.
7:30 Space Ghost
8:00 Herculoids
8:30 Birdman & the Galaxy Trio
9:00 Richard Roberts
10:00 Mundo Hispano
11:00 Virginian
12:30 Beachcombers
1:00 Bewitched
1:30 F Troop
2:00 Mister Ed
2:30 Wacky Races
3:00 Fantastic Four
3:30 Tranzor Z
4:00 RoboTech
4:30 Music Video 60
5:00 Gidget
5:30 Bewitched
6:00 Branded
6:30 Guns of Will Sonnett
7:00 El Retrato de un Canalla
8:00 El Show de Johnny Canales
9:00 Estefania
10:00 Amame
11:00 Cine: TBA
12:30 La Ultima Tanda "Carmen Boom"
2:30 Movie "Penny Serenade"

For those who didn't live in Chicagoland at this time, or wasn't born before 1986, WPWR-TV & WBBS had a time-share agreement with both stations broadcasting not only on 60, but also from the same antenna on the Sears Tower. WPWR-TV (licensed to Aurora, IL by the FCC records) was on from 2:30am - 7pm daily, while WBBS (licensed to West Chicago) aired Spanish language programming from 7pm - 2:30am. WBBS had intentions of going full-time, until WSNS dropped ONTV (a pay-tv service at the time using 44 to broadcast the service) went Spanish language with Spanish International Network (now known as Univision). WBBS ceased to exist by 1986, with Metrowest (now Newsweb Corp.) buying out their license, making WPWR-TV fulltime on 60. At that time, Chicago could not support 2 full-time Spanish language stations.

 

[ssetta]

3:00 Price is Right

This was on in the afternoon in Chicago as late as 1985? BTW, that show actually premiered exactly 40 years ago today.

 

[azumanga]

WBBS had intentions of going full-time, until WSNS dropped ONTV (a pay-tv service at the time using 44 to broadcast the service) went Spanish language with Spanish International Network (now known as Univision). WBBS ceased to exist by 1986, with Metrowest (now Newsweb Corp.) buying out their license, making WPWR-TV fulltime on 60. At that time, Chicago could not support 2 full-time Spanish language stations.

This is in contrast to today, where Chicago now has eight Spanish-language stations over seven signals, including channel 60, which returned to Spanish as Telefutura station WXFT, after HSN sold that station to Univision.

 

[Marckd]

Yes Channel 66 was still WFBN in September of 1985. They were still locally owned at the time. The station signed on Spetember of 1981 with some public affairs shows an hour or two a day and the rest of the day was Subscription TV called Spectrum. In the fall of 1983, WFBN began running Music Videos during the day before 6 PM and Spectrum was on 6 PM till about 3 AM when the station began running Music Videos. There were a handful of TV stations running videos 24/7 back in the mid 80's. In the Summer of 1984, the station added a couple hours of drama shows a day and a movie and a couple sitcoms but still did music videos most of the day. Then in the Fall of 1984, WFBN cut music videos back to 5 to 9 AM and 2 AM to 5 AM. They bought some more movie packages being WFLD ran little movies plus WLS TV had cut their afternoon movie a year or so before. WFBN was sold to Grant in September of 1985 but Grant did not make changes at the station until January of 1986. At that point, WFBN bacame WGBO and added only a few sitcoms but ran mostly the stuff they had been running. The Music Videos in overnights and morning drive times were dumped totally.

Sadly, WGBO was never able to grow. Focus overpaid for moderate budget product and Grant inherited this debt. Grant bought a few more shows. The shows on WGBO were ones that fell of WGN TV and WFLD TV a year or two before. Most predicted it would be Channel 60 that would go full time Spanish and WGBO would be the third independent station (Chicago certainly could support 3). Grant also overpaid for product on their Philadelphia station and Miami station. At the start of 1986, WPWR began full time operation relegating WBBS Spanish progams to weekends. WPWR bought all the cheap product plus they got all the decent barter kids shows WFLD and WGN passed on. So WGBO did not even have much in way of cartoons. WPWR 60 also began bidding for newer shows for the future and WGBO could not come close to getting anything decent.

In the Fall of 1986, Grant was in deep debt with not just WGBO but WBFS Miami and WGBS TV Philadelphia. At the end if the year they filed Chapter 11. The other stations continued similar programming minus a few shows while WGBO began running huge blocks of infomercials. Grant never did come out of bankruptcy and the stations including WGBO were repossessed by creditors and the creditors formed Combined Broadcasting. Combined upgraded the Philly and Miami stations while running mostly paid programming on WGBO with some low budget movies and drama shows plus some barter. By 1993, WGBO was getting a bit better programming with more older sitcoms being on Barter by then. In 1994, Combined sold the company to Paramount but excluded WGBO which sold to Univision and today is their O & O. WGBO's shows moved to what was a part-time Spanish Station 26 WCIU and that station converted to a full time English Speaking general entertainment station.

Actually Chicago only had half a Spanish Station till 1985. That was 26 WCUI as I mentioned. They ran business news till 4 PM some religion till 6 and SPanish from SIN (now Univision) after 6 weekdays. Weekends were many foreign languages plus religious shows (which were in Engliah) and also Spanish in the evenings. WSNS 44 a former general entertainment station till 1980 and a part time general entertainment/Subscription TV ON TV after 6 or 7PM till 1982 and a full time STV station after 1982 was flipped to full time SIN Spanish (now Univision) in July of 1985. WBBS which occupied Channel 60 evenings was to take Net Span (now Telemundo) but instead Net Span went to 26 WCIU because WCIU had slightly more hours available. WBBS then ran Spanish Movies only till they relegated to weekends in 1986 and later that year that was gone. After Net Span morped into Telemundo 44 WSNS picked that up and Univision moved to WCIU evenings. WCIU wanted a 24 hour affiliation with WCIU but WCIU turned that down so they bought WGBO and sold WGBO's shows to WCIU at the end of 1994.

Back in 1985 only 2 Spanish stations could be supported in most Spanish dominant US TV Markets, if that many. Today most support about 4.