Retro: Hartford/Springfield Mon, Jan 29, 1968

[Bluenoser]

from TV Guide-Western New England edition

WTIC 3-CBS Hartford
6:30 Understanding Our World (comparison of US and Indian drama, including descriptions of Indian Shakespeare productions)
7:00 News/Weather (c)
7:05 CBS News (c)
7:30 Your Community (c)
8:00 Captain Kangaroo (c)
9:00 Hap Richards (c)
9:15 Wally Gator (c)
9:30 Make Room for Daddy
10:00 Candid Camera
10:30 Movie "To Paris with Love" (c)
noon Love of Life (c)
12:25 CBS News (c)
12:30 Search for Tomorrow (c)
12:45 Guiding Light (c)
1:00 Movie "Nancy Goes to Rio" (pt 3/c)
1:30 As the World Turns (c)
2:00 Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (c)
2:30 House Party (c/guest Ann Dee)
3:00 To Tell the Truth (c)
3:25 CBS News (c)
3:30 Dick Van Dyke
4:00 Ranger Andy (c)
4:30 Hazel (c/return)
5:00 Perry Mason "The Gilded Lily" (return)
6:00 Weather (c)
6:05 Sports (c/Ehrlich)
6:15 News (c/Bruce Kern)
6:30 CBS News (c)
7:00 Movie "Separate Tables"
9:00 Andy Griffith (c/Don Knotts returns as Barney in an episode where he comes to Mayberry to select a site for an East-West summit, and Andy has to save his bacon after he bungs it up...WHDH punted it to Tuesday at 7)
9:30 Family Affair (c)
10:00 Carol Burnett (c/guests Jonathan Winters and Dionne Warwick)
11:00 News/Weather (c)
11:20 Sports (c)
11:25 Movie "The Night Holds Terror"

WBZ 4-NBC Boston
6:15 Sign-On Seminar "Fair Adventure" (Dr. Frank Baxter uses charts to show the verb forms in Shakespeare's sonnets)
6:45 Daily Almanac (Chase/Kent)
7:00 Today (c/guests Flip Wilson and Desmond Morris, plus a report on Chinese New Year; news/weather at 7:25/8:25)
9:00 Contact! (Bob Kennedy)
10:00 Snap Judgment (c)
10:25 NBC News (c)
10:30 Concentration (c)
11:00 Personality (c)
11:30 Hollywood Squares (c)
noon News (c/Chase and Scott)
12:25 Weather (Don Kent)
12:30 Mike Douglas (c/guests Bobby Darrin, Lesley Gore, and Guy Marks)
2:00 Days of Our Lives (c)
2:30 Doctors (c)
3:00 Another World (c)
3:30 You Don't Say! (c)
4:00 Match Game (c)
4:25 NBC News (c)
4:30 Merv Griffin (c/guests Henry Morgan, Dorothy Loudon, Betty Walker, and Jody Graber)
6:00 News (c/Arch Macdonald and Arnold Zenker)
6:20 Sports (c/Bob Starr)
6:25 Weather (c/Arch Macdonald)
6:30 NBC News (c)
7:00 News (c/Zenker, Macdonald and Lape)
7:20 Sports (c/Bob Starr)
7:30 Monkees (c)
8:00 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (c/guests Robert Culp, Flip Wilson, and First Edition)
9:00 Danny Thomas "The Last Hunters" (c)
10:00 I Spy "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" (c)
11:00 News (c/George Reading)
11:10 Weather (c/Arch Macdonald)
11:15 Sports (c/Bob Starr)
11:20 News (c/George Reading)
11:30 Tonight Show (c/guest Flip Wilson)
1:00 Movie "The Woman in the Window"

WHDH 5-CBS Boston
6:00 Science Pacemakers "Plants with a Story to Tell" (c)
6:30 Farming (c/Joe Kelly)
6:45 We Believe (c)
7:00 News (c)
7:05 Bozo the Clown (c)
8:00 Captain Kangaroo (c)
9:00 Romper Room (c)
9:30 Classroom 5 (c/Wallace Gleekman from Brookline High talks on blood)
10:00 Secret Storm (c)
10:30 Beverly Hillbillies (c)
11:00 Andy Griffith
11:30 Dick Van Dyke
noon News/Weather (c/Ray Walker and Marilyn Rockafellow)
12:30 Search for Tomorrow (c)
12:45 Guiding Light (c)
1:00 Love of Life (c)
1:25 Doctor's House Call (c)
1:30 As the World Turns (c)
2:00 Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (c)
2:30 House Party (c)
3:00 To Tell the Truth (c)
3:25 CBS News (c)
3:30 Edge of Night (c)
4:00 Movie "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell"
6:00 News (c/Jack Hynes)
6:15 Sports (c/Don Gillis)
6:25 Weather (c/Copeland)
6:30 CBS News (c)
7:00 Death Valley Days "No Place for a Lady" (c)
7:30 Gunsmoke (c)
8:30 Lucille Ball (c/guest starr Buddy Hackett)
9:00 Movie "The Counterfeit Traitor" (c)
11:45 News/Weather/Sports (c/Hynes, Copeland and Gillis)
12:15 Movie "Tobacco Road"

WNAC 7-ABC Boston
6:25 Farm & Market Report
6:30 Understanding Our World "The Focus of Man" (anthropolgist Nancy O. Lurie dicusses her work with the Winnebago Indians of Wisconsin)
6:55 Roger Ramjet (c)
7:00 Cartoons (Major Mudd)
8:00 Donna Reed
8:30 Baby Game (c)
8:55 Children's Doctor (c)
9:00 General Hospital
9:30 Virginia Graham (c/guests Carmel Quinn and Estelle Parsons)
10:00 Newlywed Game
10:30 Outrageous Opinions (c/Dustin Hoffman on the meaning of success)
11:00 Temptation (c)
11:25 ABC News (c)
11:30 How's Your Mother-in-Law? (c)
noon Bewitched (Elizabeth Montgomery was on that week's cover)
12:30 Treasure Isle (c)
1:00 Fugitive
2:00 Movie "Notorious"
4:00 Movie "Lost in Alaska"
5:20 News (c/John Henning)
5:30 ABC News (c)
6:00 Gidget (c)
6:30 McHale's Nevy
7:00 F Troop
7:30 Cowboy in Africa (c)
8:30 Drama Special "Luther" (c/TV adaptation of the 1963 Broadway hit about religious reformer Martin Luther' pre-empts Rat Patrol, Felony Squad, and Peyton Place)
10:00 Movie "Away All Boats" (c)
11:00 News/Weather/Sports (c/Henning, Ward and Burr)
11:15 Movie cont'd (c)
mid. Joey Bishop (c/guests the Kim Sisters, and Rip Taylor)
1:30 Issues & Answers (c/guest Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL))

WHNC 8-ABC New Haven
6:10 News
6:15 Infinite Horizon
6:45 Visit with Monsignor
7:00 Mr. Goober (c)
8:30 Mickey Mouse Club
9:00 Gypsy Rose Lee (c)
9:30 Dating Game (c)
10:00 PDQ (c)
10:30 Donna Reed
11:00 Temptation (c)
11:25 ABC News (c)
11:30 How's Your Mother-in-Law? (c)
noon Mike Douglas
1:30 I Love Lucy
2:00 Newlywed Game (c)
2:30 Baby Game (c)
2:55 Children's Doctor (c)
3:00 General Hospital (c)
3:30 Mr. Goober (c)
4:30 Mike Douglas (c/same as ch 4)
6:00 News/Weather/Sports (c)
6:25 Skiing Tips (c)
6:30 ABC News (c)
7:00 Truth or Consequences (c)
7:30 Cowboy in Africa (c)
8:30 Drama Special "Luther" (c)
10:00 Big Valley "Shadow of a Giant" (c)
11:00 News (c/Bob Norman)
11:15 Weather (c/Beanish)
11:20 Sports (c/Dick Galiette)
11:30 Joey Bishop (c)

WHCT 18-Ind Hartford
Pay-TV programs in italics
4pm Superheroes
4:30 You Asked for It
5:00 Highway Patrol
5:30 News (Patterson/Hard)
6:00 Merv Griffin (same as ch 4)
7:30 Alfred Hitchcock "Road Hog"/"Anniversary Gift"
8:30 Movie "Rosie"
10:30 Movie "Caprice"

WATR 20-NBC Waterbury
7:00 Today (c)
9:00 Film Features
10:00 Snap Judgment (c)
10:25 NBC News (c)
10:30 Concentration (c)
11:00 Personality (c)
11:30 Hollywood Squares (c)
noon Jeopardy! (c)
12:30 Eye Guess (c)
12:55 NBC News (c)
1:00 Film Feature
1:30 Let's Make a Deal (c)
2:00 Days of Our Lives (c)
2:30 Doctors (c)
3:00 Another World (c)
3:30 You Don't Say! (c)
4:00 Match Game (c)
4:25 NBC News (c)
4:30 This Man Dawson
5:00 Film Feature
6:00 Men Into Space "From Another World"
6:30 Film Feature
7:00 NBC News (c/likely OTA feed from WNBC)
7:30 Monkees (c)
8:00 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (c)
9:00 Danny Thomas "The Last Hunters" (c)
10:00 I Spy "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" (c)
11:00 Law & Mr. Jones "No Sale"
11:30 Tonight Show (c)

WWLP 22-Springfield/WRLP 32-Northfield (COL Greenfield) (NBC)
7:00 Today (c/news-weather at 7:25/8:25)
9:00 Merv Griffin (c/same as ch 4)
10:00 Snap Judgment (c)
10:25 NBC News (c)
10:30 Concentration (c)
11:00 Personality (c)
11:30 Hollywood Squares (c)
noon Jeopardy!
12:30 Eye Guess (c)
12:55 NBC News (c)
1:00 Kitty Broman (Ida Krauss with beauty techniques)
1:30 Let's Make a Deal (c)
2:00 Days of Our Lives (c)
2:30 Doctors (c)
3:00 Another World (c)
3:30 You Don't Say! (c)
4:00 Match Game (c)
4:25 NBC News (c)
4:30 Mike Douglas (same as ch 4)
6:00 Highlights (Tom Colton)
6:30 NBC News (c)
7:00 News (Silver/Robator)
7:15 Weather (John Quill)
7:20 Sports (Bill Rasmussen)
7:30 Monkees (c)
8:00 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (c)
9:00 Danny Thomas "The Last Hunters" (c)
10:00 I Spy "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" (c)
11:00 News (Mark Pierce, followed by Harry Robator at 11:10)
11:15 Weather (John Quill)
11:20 Sports (Bill Rasmussen)
11:30 Tonight Show (c)

WEDH 24-NET Hartford
9:30 Connecticut Social Studies
9:55 High School Literature
10:20 Grades 4-6 Language Arts
10:50 Gr 4-6 Social Studies
11:20 Doorways to Art
11:55 Film Feature
12:25 Creative Person (guest Fred Rogers; the description mentions the controversy when Misterogers' Neighborhood was spiked by WGBH Boston due to lack of funds)
1:00 Gr K-3 Science
1:25 All About You
2:05 Gr 3-5 Art
3:30 Supervisory Practice
4:00 Management Methods
4:30 Labor Turnover
5:00 Misterogers' Neighborhood "Are You Really Sure?"
5:30 What's New "Raming the Smithsonian" (conclusion)
6:00 Opinion: Washington
6:30 What's New (r)
7:00 Alcoholics are People (cameras show an AA meeting)
7:30 English: Fact & Fancy
8:00 French Chef
8:30 Antiques
9:00 NET Journal "Resolved: Those who oppose US policy in Vietnam should refuse to serve if drafted" (the question is debated by teams from UCLA and Dartmouth)
10:00 Concert in Brass

WHNB 30-West Hartford/W79AI-Torrington (NBC)
6:30 Connecticut Classroom
7:00 Today (c/news-weather at 7:25/8:25)
9:00 Regis Philbin
10:00 Snap Judgment (c)
10:25 NBC News (c)
10:30 Concentration (c)
11:00 Personality (c)
11:30 Hollywood Squares (c)
noon Jeopardy! (c)
12:30 Eye Guess (c)
12:55 NBC News (c)
1:00 Divorce Court (c)
1:30 Let's Make a Deal (c)
2:00 Days of Our Lives (c)
2:30 Doctors (c)
3:00 Another World (c)
3:30 You Don't Say! (c)
4:00 Match Game (c)
4:25 NBC News (c)
4:30 Flintstones (c)
5:00 Combat! "The Farmer"
6:00 McHale's Navy
6:30 NBC News (c)
7:00 Weather (c/Jobert)
7:05 News (c/Monahan)
7:15 News
7:30 Monkees (c)
8:00 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (c)
9:00 Danny Thomas "The Last Hunters" (c)
10:00 I Spy "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" (c)
11:00 News/Weather/Sports (c)
11:30 Tonight Show (c)

WHYN 40-ABC Springfield
7:00 News/Weather/Sports (c/John Deegan and Dave Scott)
8:00 Three Stooges
8:30 Jack LaLanne
9:00 Fugitive
10:00 Dating Game
10:30 Donna Reed
11:00 Temptation (c)
11:25 ABC News (c)
11:30 How's Your Mother-in-Law? (c)
noon Bewitched
12:30 Treasure Isle (c)
1:00 Virginia Graham (c/guests Dodie Goodman, SI press director Terry Rice, and author Ruth Goode; the game show Undercover, hosted by John Deegan, will air during the show)
1:45 You Asked for It
2:00 Newlywed Game (c)
2:30 Baby Game (c)
2:55 Children's Doctor (c)
3:00 General Hospital (c)
3:30 Dark Shadows (c)
4:00 Bozo the Clown (c)
4:30 Flintstones (c)
5:00 McHale's Navy
5:30 ABC News (c)
6:00 News (c/Gary Garrison)
6:05 Combat! "The Convict"
7:00 News (c/Dan Scanlan)
7:10 Weather (c/Savioli)
7:15 Sports (c/Doug Wheeler)
7:20 Dr. Albert Burke (c)
7:30 Movie "Charlie Chan in Egypt"
8:30 Drama Special "Luther" (c)
10:00 Big Valley "Shadow of a Giant" (c)
11:00 News (c/Gary Garrison)
11:15 Weather (c/Loughman)
11:20 Sports (c/Doug Wheeler)
11:30 Joey Bishop (c)

 

[Bluenoser]

Presenters for the network news updates...

ABC
11:25am-Marlene Sanders

CBS
12:25pm-Joseph Benti
3:25pm-Douglas Edwards

NBC
10:25am-Nancy Dickerson
12:55pm-Edwin C. Newman
4:25pm-Floyd Kalber

 

[oldiesfan6479]

WATR 20-NBC Waterbury
7:00 NBC News (c/likely OTA feed from WNBC)

Was WATR's network feed simply an off-air pickup of WNBC?

If you've ever had to work somewhere that had only such a feed, or even a "dirty"
master control feed via microwave, you really, really, couldn't wait for the day you
got your own Telco line.

 

[KML0224]

Channel 8 in those days was WNHC for New Haven, Connecticut. Our market had two NBC stations at the time, since channel 30 of New Britain wouldn't get their power increase until 1978 (around the time they became WVIT-TV). Channel 3 became WFSB-TV in 1974 when Post Newsweek bought the station. I'm trying to remember when WRLP-TV of Greenfield, MA went off the air.

 

[pqgeorge]

Channel 8 in those days was WNHC for New Haven, Connecticut. Our market had two NBC stations at the time, since channel 30 of New Britain wouldn't get their power increase until 1978 (around the time they became WVIT-TV). Channel 3 became WFSB-TV in 1974 when Post Newsweek bought the station. I'm trying to remember when WRLP-TV of Greenfield, MA went off the air.

WRLP-TV Channel 32, Greenfield, MA left the air at 11:00 PM, Sunday night April 9th, 1978. It coincided with the last game of the 1977-1978 Bruins season. The WRLP transmitter was crated and shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah for the building of KSTU-TV, Channel 20 (now on Channel 13).

 

[pqgeorge]

Channel 8 in those days was WNHC for New Haven, Connecticut. Our market had two NBC stations at the time, since channel 30 of New Britain wouldn't get their power increase until 1978 (around the time they became WVIT-TV). Channel 3 became WFSB-TV in 1974 when Post Newsweek bought the station. I'm trying to remember when WRLP-TV of Greenfield, MA went off the air.

WATR-TV basically used an over-the-air feed from WNBC-TV, Channel 4, New York for any NBC programming. I'm sure WATR-TV had a backup OTA feed from WHNB-TV Channel 30 from New Britain. AT&T lines were very expensive at the time. WATR-TV had no local color well into the 70's. So, in order for Channel 20 to get network color, they had to pass-through using a composite feed directly over the air. No doubt they had some phasing issues (color-wise). One good thing about WATR using an OTA feed from WNBC-TV, they had access to full-quality 15 kHz audio from WNBC (being the key station of the NBC Network), unlike most network affiliates who still had the standard flat sounding 5 kHz phone-lines. It wasn't until January, 1978 when all network affiliates switched to 15 kHz phone lines.

 

[wbhist]

Presenters for the network news updates...

ABC
11:25am-Marlene Sanders

CBS
12:25pm-Joseph Benti
3:25pm-Douglas Edwards

NBC
10:25am-Nancy Dickerson
12:55pm-Edwin C. Newman
4:25pm-Floyd Kalber

And the names of the newscasts . . .

- ABC: News with the Woman's Touch (sponsored by Purex)
- CBS: CBS Mid-Day News (12:25p), CBS Afternoon News (3:25p)
- NBC: [name here] with the News (the 10:25a Dickerson and 12:55p Newman updates); apparently Kalber's didn't have a name that I know of.

Channel 8 in those days was WNHC for New Haven, Connecticut. Our market had two NBC stations at the time, since channel 30 of New Britain wouldn't get their power increase until 1978 (around the time they became WVIT-TV). Channel 3 became WFSB-TV in 1974 when Post Newsweek bought the station.

And then WNHC-TV's owner of record at the time was the Radio and Television Division of Triangle Publications; WTIC-TV's license-holder, as between c.1964 and the 1974 sale to Post-Newsweek and accompanying call letter change, was Broadcast-Plaza, Inc. (derived from the name of their complex at Broadcast House, 3 Constitution Plaza, that opened in the early '60's), even though Travelers Insurance was still, up to 1974, the parent; Travelers Broadcasting Service Corp. was license-holder prior to c.1964 (contrary to any NYC retro TV listings placed on here up to this point). WATR's owner was WATR, Inc.; about 1974-75 the license holder moniker was changed to Thomas Television, Inc. (named after the late Harold Thomas who owned the station). As to the other main Connecticut station (and other NBC affiliate), prior to the sale of WHNB to Viacom, its owner was Connecticut Television, Inc. (one of whose principals, Herbert Scheftel, was the "-Tel" in Paterson, NJ station WXTV Channel 41's first owner, Trans-Tel Corp., as between its 1968 sign-on and the acquisition around 1972 by Spanish International Communications Corp.) WEDH's owner was the Connecticut Educational Television Corp.

Going to Boston, besides "Group W" Westinghouse which owned WBZ-TV, and RKO General which owned what was then WNAC-TV (as well as WHCT), we have WHDH, Inc., license-holder of record for the first Channel 5, as owned by the Herald-Traveler Corp. In Springfield, WHYN was owned by WHYN Stations Corp., and WWLP (and WRLP in Greenfield) by Springfield Television Broadcasting Corp. (All info courtesy contemporary Broadcasting Yearbooks, as on David Gleason's website/database.)

It wasn't until January, 1978 when all network affiliates switched to 15 kHz phone lines.

On exactly what day in 1978 do you remember the audio switchover taking place? January 30 or thereabouts?

 

[pqgeorge]

On exactly what day in 1978 do you remember the audio switchover taking place? January 30 or thereabouts?

It was around late January, early February 1978 when all of the telco lines changed to 15 kHz. However, back in June of 1973, ABC experimented with full-quality audio for a week or so. WCVB-TV, Channel 5 in Boston and WTEV Channel 6 in New Bedford, MA used a land-based microwave feed. Thus, they sounded just like the local audio of WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York. It sounded great. But, it was only for a brief period and then back to the 5 kHz of network audio. Later, WPRI-TV Providence (back then as CBS affiliate in '74) used a similar microwave feed from WCBS-TV and stayed with it for the duration of their affiliation until 1977. Thus, they had local quality audio.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

The upgraded 15 kHz audio on the Telco lines in '78 was called either a "diplexer"
or "sound-in-synch."

 

[spencerkarter85]

I didn't know that WTNH didn't carry Dark Shadows. But why wasn't General Hospital in color on then-ABC WHDH-7? Broadcasted in B&W Kinescope?

 

[wbhist]

I didn't know that WTNH didn't carry Dark Shadows. But why wasn't General Hospital in color on then-ABC WHDH-7? Broadcasted in B&W Kinescope?

Either that, or a typo on the part of TV Guide. But it seems Channel 7 (which was actually WNAC at the time; as of 1968 the WHDH calls, as you see, were on the first Channel 5 whose FCC license was ultimately yanked and went off the air for the last time in 1972, to be replaced by another station which remains there today) did air GH on delay.

And it is ironic that the first WHDH (Channel 5) was a CBS affiliate - given that in the first five years of Channel 7's having those calls (1990-95), it too was CBS affiliated.

 

[wbhist]

The upgraded 15 kHz audio on the Telco lines in '78 was called either a "diplexer" or "sound-in-synch."

I've generally heard the term "diplexer" used in terms of this upgrade of network feed telco audio.

 

[trippefontaine1]

I didn't know that WTNH didn't carry Dark Shadows. But why wasn't General Hospital in color on then-ABC WHDH-7? Broadcasted in B&W Kinescope?

Channel 8 did not carry Dark Shadows at this time. I think they may have carried it before it got really popular. I saw an interview with Dan Curtis who said that ABC affiliates wanted to carry Dark Shadows when it got extremely popular, but ABC would only let them carry it live and wouldn't let them carry it at a different time. I guess that channel 8 wasn't agreeable to that, so that is probably why it wasn't seen in CT. As popular as the show was, I always was really uncertain why channel 8 didn't carry such a ratings hit. It never made sense. In 1970 channel 8 did start carrying Dark Shadows, but by then the show was losing steam and was cancelled in April of 1971.

 

[danderson6500]

ABC should have dropped their demand to carry Dark Shadows live in pattern. Given the competition(You Don't Say with Tom Kennedy on NBC and Edge of Night on CBS) they should have dropped that demand.

 

[CTListener]

ABC should have dropped their demand to carry Dark Shadows live in pattern. Given the competition(You Don't Say with Tom Kennedy on NBC and Edge of Night on CBS) they should have dropped that demand.

What kind of ratings did Dark Shadows get nationally against such solid soap opera and game show competition? All this anecdotal recollection of how "popular" and what a "hit" it was don't pass the sniff test with me. ABC's prime time hits were few and far between in the '60s. Was it doing any better in the daytime? It all seems like the revisionist history that has turned the original "Star Trek" into a huge TV hit in many people's eyes. It was no such thing at any time during the span of the original series. Only syndication and sequels made it so.

 

[trippefontaine1]

What kind of ratings did Dark Shadows get nationally against such solid soap opera and game show competition? All this anecdotal recollection of how "popular" and what a "hit" it was don't pass the sniff test with me. ABC's prime time hits were few and far between in the '60s. Was it doing any better in the daytime? It all seems like the revisionist history that has turned the original "Star Trek" into a huge TV hit in many people's eyes. It was no such thing at any time during the span of the original series. Only syndication and sequels made it so.

The program was sort of in the middle when it came to overall ratings, but it was big with younger viewers and sometimes demographics is more important.

 

[Ccook55]

Channel 8 did not carry Dark Shadows at this time. I think they may have carried it before it got really popular. I saw an interview with Dan Curtis who said that ABC affiliates wanted to carry Dark Shadows when it got extremely popular, but ABC would only let them carry it live and wouldn't let them carry it at a different time. I guess that channel 8 wasn't agreeable to that, so that is probably why it wasn't seen in CT. As popular as the show was, I always was really uncertain why channel 8 didn't carry such a ratings hit. It never made sense. In 1970 channel 8 did start carrying Dark Shadows, but by then the show was losing steam and was cancelled in April of 1971.

In Atlanta, WAII (later WQXI)/channel 11 aired Dark Shadows at 5:15 PM after a local movie which started at 3:30.

 

[ftballfan]

What kind of ratings did Dark Shadows get nationally against such solid soap opera and game show competition? All this anecdotal recollection of how "popular" and what a "hit" it was don't pass the sniff test with me. ABC's prime time hits were few and far between in the '60s. Was it doing any better in the daytime? It all seems like the revisionist history that has turned the original "Star Trek" into a huge TV hit in many people's eyes. It was no such thing at any time during the span of the original series. Only syndication and sequels made it so.

In Traverse City-Cadillac, NBC affiliate WPBN aired Dark Shadows in pattern according to a Ludington Daily News schedule I posted on here from 1969 (that market didn't have its own ABC affiliate until 1971) while Grand Rapids' ABC affiliate WZZM pre-empted it for Bozo (WZZM was the default ABC affiliate for portions of the Traverse City market).

 

[danderson6500]

So the NBC station aired Another World, then Dark Shadows(a ABC show)? That must have been weird, I wonder they had a local announcer come in when Bill Wolff(who was AW's announcer) did the 'stay tuned' tag for You Don't Say(or Bright Promise)?

 

[ftballfan]

So the NBC station aired Another World, then Dark Shadows(a ABC show)? That must have been weird, I wonder they had a local announcer come in when Bill Wolff(who was AW's announcer) did the 'stay tuned' tag for You Don't Say(or Bright Promise)?

According to the schedule I posted, Another World aired at 3pm, then Bright Promise at 3:30pm, followed by Dark Shadows at 4pm