Retro: Harrisburg region, PA Sun, Nov 26, 1978

[Bluenoser]

from Lancaster Sunday News

WMAR 2-CBS Baltimore
7:00 Images & Actions (major issues changing the face of religion is discussed by Ted Holmes, Rev. William Sloane Coffin, and Dr. Oswald Hoffman in a 30th anniversary special)
8:00 Wacky Races
8:30 Bloomin' Place
9:00 Movie "Bells of San Angelo"
10:00 Movie "The Lonely Trail"
11:00 Bottom Line
noon Navy Football Highlights
12:30 NFL Today
1:00 NFL: Los Angeles-Cleveland
4:00 Famous Classic Tales "A Christmas Carol"
5:00 Festival of Lively Arts for Young People "A Special Day in the Year of the Child" (host Cliff Robertson)
6:00 Candid Camera
6:30 In Search of...
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Alice
9:00 Kaz
10:00 Dallas
11:00 News
11:30 Movie "Two-Lane Blacktop"

KYW 3-NBC Philadelphia
5:00 A Better Way
5:30 Pattern for Living
6:00 World Around the Revolution
6:30 Challenge
7:00 Questions & Answers
7:30 Exceptional Child
8:00 Vegetable Soup II
8:30 Sunday
9:00 Insight
9:30 Feelin' Free
10:00 Myriad
10:30 Report from...
11:00 Penn State Football Highlights
noon Meet the Press
12:30 NFL '78
1:00 NFL: NY Jets-Miami
4:00 NFL: New England-Baltimore
7:00 Wonderful World of Disney "Superdad" (pt 1)
8:00 Movie "A Fire in the Sky" (a comet has Phoenix in its sights)
11:00 News
11:30 Movie "The Seven Minutes"
1:30 Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (guests Peter Allen, Chuck Berry, Stephen Bishop, Andy Gibb, Brothers Johnson, Kansas, and the Ohio Players)
3:00 Interaction
3:30 News

WRC 4-NBC Washington
6:00 A Better Way
6:30 Survival Skills
7:00 Knowledge
7:30 Stuff
8:00 Telus
8:30 Mass
9:00 Vistas
9:30 NewsCenter Forum
10:00 Sunday
11:00 It's Academic
11:30 Her-Rah!
noon Meet the Press
12:30 NFL '78
1:00 NFL: Ny Jets-Miami
4:00 NFL: New England-Baltimore
6:30 NBC Nightly News
7:00 Wonderful World of Disney "Superdad" (pt 1)
8:00 Movie "A Fire in the Sky"
11:00 News
11:30 Movie "Moonshine War"

WTTG 5-Ind Washington
6:30 This is the Life
7:00 World Tomorrow
7:30 Jimmy Swaggart
8:00 Wonderama
10:00 Flintstones
10:30 Movie "Harum Scarum"
noon Movie "Bad Day at Black Rock"
1:30 Movie "The Gypsy Moths"
3:30 Movie "The Great Gatsby"
6:30 Hee Haw (guests Don Williams, the Kendalls, and Tennessee Ernie Ford)
7:30 Donna Fargo
8:00 Lawrence Welk "Musical Alphabet"
9:00 David Wolper Presents "The Plat to Murder Hitler" (narrated by James Mason)
10:00 News
10:30 Sports Extra
11:00 Movie "Road to Bali"
12:55 David Susskind "They're Still the Funniest Men Around: Veteran Comics"

WPVI 6-ABC Philadelphia
6:00 Christophers
6:30 This is the Life
7:00 Directions
7:30 Sunday Session
8:00 Dialogue
8:30 Mass
9:00 Puerto Rican Panorama
9:30 Kids are People Too
10:30 Captain Noah & His Magical Ark
11:00 Al Alberts
noon Movie "Wonder Woman"
1:30 Larry Ferrari
2:00 Issues & Answers (listed at 2 and 2:30, I assume one of these is the Action News version)
3:00 New Jersey Perspective
3:30 Philadelphia Perspective
4:00 Movie "Robin and the Seven Hoods"
6:00 News
6:30 Visions
7:00 Hardy Boys "Defection to Paradise" (conclusion)
8:00 Battlestar Galactica "Living Legend" (conclusion)
9:00 Movie "A Question of Love"
11:00 News
11:30 Movie: TBA
1:00 College Football '78
1:30 Issues & Answers
2:00 ABC News

WGAL 8-NBC Lancaster
6:45 Sacred Heart
7:00 Music & the Spoken Word
7:30 Faith for Today
8:00 Couriers
8:30 Christopher Closeup
8:45 Nuestra Comunidad
9:00 This is the Life
9:30 Temple
10:00 Penn State Football Highlights
11:00 Marlo & the Magic Movie Machine
11:30 Cartoonland
11:55 News
noon Call of the Outdoors
12:30 Meet the Press
1:00 NFL: NY Jets-Miami
4:00 NFL: TBA, either Pats-Colts or Seattle-Oakland
7:00 Wonderful World of Disney "Superdad" (pt 1)
8:00 Movie "A Fire in the Sky"
11:00 News
11:30 Movie "Moonshine War"
1:30 News

WCAU 10-CBS Philadelphia
5:55 Agricultural News
6:00 Turn to 10
6:30 Sunday Edition
7:30 Earthwatch
8:00 Dateline: Yesterday
8:30 AM
9:30 Earth On
10:00 Images & Actions (as 2, 7am)
11:00 Update
11:30 Face the Nation
noon Famous Classic Tales "A Christmas Carol"
1:00 Dick Vermeil (Eagles football)
1:30 NFL Today
2:00 NFL: Philadelphia-St. Louis
5:00 Festival of Lively Arts for Young People "A Special Day in the Year of the Child"
6:00 CBS Evening News
6:30 News
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Alice
9:00 Kaz
10:00 Dallas
11:00 CBS News
11:15 News
11:45 Movie "Raid on Rommel"
1:25 Movie "The Misfits"
3:45 AM

WBAL 11-NBC Baltimore
6:30 Learning to Read
7:00 Focus on Faith
7:15 Davey & Goliath
7:30 Day of Discovery
8:00 Hot Fudge
8:30 Brady Bunch
9:00 Movie "In Society"
10:30 Movie "Warm December"
1:00 NFL: NY Jets-Miami
4:00 Meet the Press
4:30 Look at It This Way
5:00 Wild, Wild World of Animals
5:30 Wild Kingdom
6:00 News
6:30 American Lifestyles
7:00 Wonderful World of Disney "Superdad" (pt 1)
8:00 Movie "A Fire in the Sky"
11:00 News
11:30 Movie "The Mummy"

WHYY 12-PBS Wilmington/Philadelphia
8:30 Sesame Street
9:30 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
10:00 Zoom
10:30 Freestyle "Variety Special" (guest Mike Farrell)
11:00 Rebop "Livin' in the City"
11:30 Studio See
noon Turnabout "Early Warning" (report on breast cancer)
12:30 People's Business: Harrisburg Report
1:00 Movie "Life and Death of Colonel Blimp"
5:00 Firing Line (guest is PR Gov. Carlos Romero Barcello)
6:00 Getting on Top of It
6:30 Julia Child & Company "Breakfast Party"
7:00 Long Search "A Question of Balance" (exploring Taoism)
8:00 Eyewitness
9:00 Masterpiece Theatre "The Duchess of Duke Street" (pt 6-"For Love or Money")
10:00 Great Performances-Dance in America "Choreography by Balanchine, pt 3" (Mikhail Baryshnikov performs with the New York City Ballet in a tribute to choreographer George Balanchine)
11:00 David Susskind "You Can't Lock Us Up: Mental Patients are Roaming the Streets"
mid. Crime of Passion

WJZ 13-ABC Baltimore
6:00 This is the Life
6:30 International Zone
7:00 Sunday Live
8:00 Teaching Children to Read
8:30 For the Moment
9:00 Directions
9:30 Insight
10:00 Kids are People Too
11:30 Animals, Animals, Animals (tigers)
noon Issues & Answers
12:30 Newsmakers
1:00 Sunday Live
2:00 Movie "King Kong"
4:00 Lawrence Welk
5:00 Carter Country
5:30 When Havoc Struck
6:00 News
6:30 Muppet Show
7:00 Hardy Boys "Defection to Paradise" (conclusion; the Sunday News' listings editor had a brain cramp and had Disney listed on both 11 and 13 at 7 )
8:00 Battlestar Galactica "Living Legend" (conclusion)
9:00 Movie "A Question of Love"
11:00 News
11:30 Next Step Beyond
mid. ABC News

WLYH 15-CBS Lancaster/Lebanon
7:30 James Robison
8:00 Rex Humbard
9:00 Jerry Falwell
10:00 Day of Discovery
10:30 Jimmy Swaggart
11:00 Search
11:30 Face the Nation
noon Jacobs Brothers
12:30 Rookies
1:30 NFL Today
2:00 NFL: Philadelphia-St. Louis
5:00 Festival of Lively Arts for Young People "A Special Day in the Year of the Child"
6:00 Bionic Woman
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Alice
9:00 Kaz
10:00 Dallas
11:00 CBS News
11:15 Rex Humbard

WPHL 17-Ind Philadelphia
6:30 Delaware Valley Forum
7:00 Time of Deliverance
7:30 Dr. Thea F. Jones
8:00 Day of Discovery
8:30 Oral Roberts
9:00 Hour of Power
10:00 Leroy Jenkins
10:30 Rex Humbard
11:30 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
12:30 Movie "Dimples"
2:00 Movie "The Hospital"
4:00 Movie "A Big Hand for the Little Lady"
6:00 Tarzan
7:00 Wild Kingdom "Coral Sea Night Dive"
7:30 Hee Haw Honeys
8:00 Great Adventure
9:00 Hour of Deliverance
10:00 Jersey People
10:30 Profile
11:00 Dr. Thea F. Jones
11:30 700 Club (guest Chuck Colson)
1:00 Dr. Thea F. Jones

WHP 21-CBS Harrisburg
7:30 Show My People
8:00 Rex Humbard
9:00 Day of Discovery
9:30 TBA
10:00 Hour of Power
11:00 Topic A
11:30 Face the Nation
noon Broadcasting's Creed
1:00 NFL Game of the Week
1:30 NFL Today
2:00 NFL: Philadelphia-St. Louis
5:00 Festival of Lively Arts for Young People "A Special Day in the Year of the Child"
6:00 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Alice
9:00 Kaz
10:00 Dallas
11:00 News
11:15 CBS News
11:30 Jerry Falwell
12:30 News

WTPA 27-ABC Harrisburg
8:30 Lynne Perry
9:00 Oral Roberts
9:30 Black Perspective
10:00 Kids are People Too
11:30 Animals, Animals, Animals
noon Issues & Answers
12:30 Movie "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows"
2:00 Movie "Lillies of the Field"
3:30 Movie "Gentle Giant"
5:00 The FBI
6:00 Tarzan
7:00 Hardy Boys "Defection to Paradise" (conclusion)
8:00 Battlestar Galactica "Living Legend" (conclusion)
9:00 Movie "A Question of Love"
11:00 ABC News
11:15 Movie "Easy Rider"

WTAF 29-Ind Philadelphia
7:20 Community Update
7:30 At Home with the Bible
8:00 A Better Way
8:30 Come Walk the World
9:00 Dudley Do-Right
9:30 Josie & the Pussycats
10:00 Jetsons
10:30 Three Stooges Hour
11:30 Superman
noon Road Runner
12:30 Daffy Duck
1:00 Star Maidens (x2)
2:00 Movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
4:30 World of Survival
5:00 Movie "Flight of the Cougar"
6:30 Room 222
7:00 Bewitched
7:30 Newsprobe
8:00 Jimmy Swaggart
8:30 The King is Coming
9:00 James Robison
9:30 Jerry Falwell
10:30 It is Written
11:00 PTL Club
mid. Community Update

WITF 33-PBS Hershey
8:30 Big Blue Marble
9:00 Zoom
9:30 Once Upon a Classic
10:00 Studio See
10:30 Freestyle
11:00 Rebop
11:30 Infinity Factory
noon Echoes of Silver
12:30 The Greatest Game Ever Played (recalling the 1958 Colts-Giants tilt for the NFL championship, the first one ever to go to sudden-death OT with the Colts pulling out a 23-17 win)
1:30 Wall Street Week
2:00 Wild Horses, Broken Wings (Davene Bennett, with her 15 foster kids in tow, explores southern New Mexico in the look at her unique way of child-rearing)
3:00 American Short Story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"/"I'm a Fool"
4:30 Economically Speaking
5:00 Firing Line (as ch 12)
6:00 The Long Search "A Question of Balance"
7:00 Soccer
8:00 Evening at Symphony (guests TASHI)
9:00 Masterpiece Theatre "The Duchess of Duke Street" (as ch 12)
10:00 Strauss Family
11:30 Movie "That Certain Age"

WSBA 43-CBS York (like a number of affiliates, 43 used a re-versioning of the CBS imaging for their print ads; I've also seen WDBJ Roanoke use this approach)
7:30 James Robison
8:00 Jimmy Swaggart
8:30 Jacobs Brothers
9:00 Jerry Falwell
10:00 Day of Discovery
10:30 Old Time Revival Hour
11:00 Rex Humbard
noon World Tomorrow
12:30 Rookies
1:30 NFL Today
2:00 NFL: Philadelphia-St. Louis
5:00 Festival of Lively Arts for Young People "A Special Day in the Year of the Child"
6:00 Bionic Woman
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Alice
9:00 Kaz
10:00 Dallas
11:00 CBS News
11:15 700 Club

WBFF 45-Ind Baltimore
7:00 Cartoons
7:30 Rev. David Jones
8:00 Jimmy Swaggart
9:00 Rev. Leroy Jenkins
9:30 Dr. Thea F. Jones
10:00 Rex Humbard
11:00 Hour of Power
noon World of Tomorrow
12:30 Bob Harrington
1:00 Moon Man Space Connection
2:00 Notre Dame Football Highlights (29 had the Philly rights, showing the Irish Tues nights at 11)
3:00 Maverick
4:00 The Saint
5:00 McHale's Navy
5:30 World War II: GI Diary
6:00 Man from UNCLE "Very Important Zombie Affair"
7:00 Dragnet
7:30 A Very Merry Cricket
8:00 Let's Celebrate Life
9:00 Jerry Falwell
10:00 Ernest Angley
11:00 Dragnet
11:30 Movie "The Secret Service"
12:40 News

WKBS 48-Ind Philadelphia
8:00 Jimmy Swaggart
8:30 Show My People
9:00 Popeye
9:30 Flintstones
10:00 Mighty Mouse
10:30 Woody Woodpecker
11:00 Flash & Buck
noon Movie "Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde"
1:30 Movie "Against All Flags"
3:00 Movie "The Stooge"
5:00 Movie "We're No Angels"
7:00 World at War "Whirlwind" (the bomber offensive on Germany and its effects on the country)
8:00 Movie "The Ipcress File"
10:00 It Takes a Thief
11:00 Best of Groucho
11:30 On Target

PRISM (pay TV, carried by the cableco in Lancaster)
3pm Classic: Captain Kidd
4:30 Movie "The Magic Pony"
6:00 Movie "The Eagle Has Landed"
8:00 Movie "Julia"
10:00 Movie "Lenny"

 

[anabate123]

Can you post listings for Monday, November 27, 1978?

 

[KML0224]

How in the hell did Harrisburg/Lancaster/York have THREE CBS affiliates? I never could figure that one out!

 

[azumanga]

How in the hell did Harrisburg/Lancaster/York have THREE CBS affiliates? I never could figure that one out!

It all had to do with the terrain of the region, as well as the power and location of the UHF transmitters. And until the late-1960s, all three stations carried the same programs, both network and syndicated, as part of the regional "Keystone Network"; each station had their own news and commercials. But as there was considerable overlap in 60% of the market between the three stations, many viewers had a choice of at least two CBS affiliates. This is especially after WHP broke off from the regional network in the late-1960s following an ownership change, with WSBA and WLYH continuing to share programs until WSBA became an indie as WPMT (now Fox) in 1983. WLYH would leave CBS in 1995 to carry the new UPN network (it is affiliated with CW today).

 

[Marckd]

Yes harrisburg had 3 CBS affiliates till 1983. My guess also was back in the 1950's each statin had a very week signal with little overlap. Each station may have reached 20 miles. WGAL 8 The NBC station though covered the entire region into the western area of the Philadephia market as well as Baltimore. Also in many parts of this market CBS affiliate 2 WMAR (became NBC in 81 and ABC in 95) reached the area as well. Channel 27 was the ABC affiliate with a better UHF signal than the 3 CBS stations. Plus wherever you could not get Channel 27 you got 13 in Baltimore for ABC and to the east 6 in Philadelphia. With Cable you got several of each network station. The arrangement with CBS was obsolete by 1970. Sometime in the late 60's and Early 70's WHP broke away and kept CBS while boosting its signal while 15 and 43 remained together.

By the mid 70's, 15 and 43 simulcast except for a couple hours a day maybe. Channel 21 had its own syndicated shows. My guess CBS had allowed this was to make sure everyone in that market could that could get WGAL could get CBS shows as well. The other funny thing - The CBS SUnday Morning cartoon reruns ran on none of the stations. Also the 90 minutes of CBS public affairs shows were preempted as well. So even with 2 CBS stations a few shows still fell through the cracks.

I believe 43 WSBA went dark late in 1982 or early in 1983 . I know 43 signed on as an independent Labor Day weekend 1983 and owned by Renaissance Broadcasting (which also began 20 WTXX Hartford and 39 WDZL Miami a year before). 43 WPMT boosted its power to 5 million watts. The 2 CBS affiliates had about 75 % overlap by then as well. Its a mystery why it took so long for one of these stations to break away and become an independent.

Also would love a Saturday schedule as well as a weekday

 

[KML0224]

Just to nitpick:

The old WTXX-TV channel 20 was/is licensed to WATERBURY, a good distance southwest from Hartford down I-84. They're CW affiliated WCCT-TV now. Their transmitter is closer to Hartford via Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, CT.

Regardless, Hartford/New Haven once had two NBC affiliates. That same channel 20 was NBC affiliated WATR-TV until early 1982. They helped fill in the reception holes for portions of New Haven County, due to WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain/Hartford not having their signal upgrade until about 1978. Naturally, the signal overlap was significant and NBC on channel 20 was considered redundant by the early 1980s.

Getting back to Harrisburg/Lancaster/York...I see that the reason they could only have one VHF station in the market was fairly obvious in the analog days:

2- Baltimore/New York City/Pittsburgh
3- Philadelphia/Clearfield, PA
4- Washington/New York City/Pittsburgh
5- Washington/New York City/Weston, WV
6- Philadelphia/Johnstown
7- Washington/New York City/Wheeling, WV
9- Washington/Secaucus, NJ/Steubenville, OH
10- Philadelphia/Altoona
11- Baltimore/New York City/Pittsburgh
12- Wilmington, DE/Binghamton/Clarksburg, WV
13- Baltimore/Pittsburgh

Maybe I'm wrong on a couple of them. I don't know what the separation requirements were for analog VHF. I once read how they had to "shoe horn" or drop in WWCP-TV (FOX) channel 8 of Johnstown, because of WGAL-TV being there first.

 

[bpatrick]

I assume that "Images & Actions" was the program used to
mark the 30th anniversary of "Lamp Unto My Feet," since it
started in 1948 (the other two components of CBS's religious/
cultural block were "Look Up And Live," which debuted in 1954,
and "Camera Three," which started locally in New York in 1953
and went network in 1956). Within two months "Sunday Morning"
would replace this entire block, although "Camera Three" spent a
year or so more on PBS.

 

[azumanga]

I assume that "Images & Actions" was the program used to
mark the 30th anniversary of "Lamp Unto My Feet," since it
started in 1948 (the other two components of CBS's religious/
cultural block were "Look Up And Live," which debuted in 1954,
and "Camera Three," which started locally in New York in 1953
and went network in 1956). Within two months "Sunday Morning"
would replace this entire block, although "Camera Three" spent a
year or so more on PBS.

Though on CBS, "Lamp" and "Look Up" would be supplanted with "For Our Times", a replacement CBS religious program that was seen through the late-1980s -- like the others, that too also had low clearance.

 

[Markd]

Also WCAU TV preempted moderate amounts of CBS Saturday and Sunday Morning programs beginning in the fall of 1976. They preempted "Far Out Space Nuts" reruns in the fall of 1976 on Sunday Mornings. Beginning in Winter of 1977 they dumped Lamp Unto My Feet. That Spring of 1977, Look Up and Live was also dropped...bringing preemptions to 90 minutes Sunday Mornings. The Fall of 1977, WCAU TV dumped Camera Three and they alos stopped running the other Sunday morning half hour of kids CBS programming. So WCAU TV was preempting 2 hours of SUnday Morning shows from CBS 1977-78; Ghostbusters live action, Ark II (late Waco), Lamp, Look Up, and Camera Three. In the fall of 1978, they moved Marlo & Magic Movie Machine which was syndicated to 8 AM Saturday Morning, preempting the first hour of Saturday cartoons. So at this point in 1978, WCAU TV preempted a hour of CBS cartoons Saturdays, an hour of CBS Cartoon reruns SUndays, and 90 minutes of CBS Cultural and religious shows, totalling 3 and a half hours a week, On Saturday Mornings at 7 AM WCAU TV ran a local religious show called Credo.

In the winter of 1979, CBS News SUnday Morning replaced the 90 minutes of low rated public affairs and religious shows and WCAU TV added that. Marlo was cut in syndication to 30 minutes as well so WCAU TV added a hoal hour od Sunday Morning cartoons, What's New Mr Magoo to Saturday mornings at 830. So WCAU prempted an hour of Saturday Morning cartoons, ran half an hour of Sunday Cartoons on Saturday Mornings, preempting 30 minutes of the Sunday cartoon lineup. So preemptions totaled to 90 minutes. That Fall, Marlo moved to Sundays again. WCAU TV reinstated one of the Sunday Morning cartoons which I believe was The Sketebirds. They began a local kids show called Candy Apple News Co on sunday morning as well. Saturdays, they reinstated the 8 AM hour of cartoons after Credo, So WCAU TV was back to only 30 minutes of preemptions.

I am surpirsed as an O & O WCAU TV was allowed to preempt anything. I would think CBS would force O & O stations to run entire lineups and its not like WCAU TV had anything great to run in CBS shows place. Still that 90 minutes of cultural religious shows was widely preempted and carried only by maybe a dozen affiliates. The SUnday Morning hour of kids' shows also was widely preempted and only on about a dozen stations as well.

By 1980, WCAU TV was running the entire CBS Weekend lineup again.