Retro: Kentucky Saturday, September 17, 1960

[bpatrick]

From TV Guide, Kentucky Edition:

Chs. 5, 9, 12, 18, 27 listed Eastern Time
Chs. 3, 7, 11, 14, 50 listed Central Time

WAVE Ch. 3 Louisville (NBC)

8 AM Light Time (religious program aimed
at kids)
8:30 Cartoon Carnival
9 AM Howdy Doody (COLOR--next to last
broadcast of the original series, briefly
revived in 1976)
9:30 Ruff And Reddy (COLOR)
10 AM Fury
10:30 Circus Boy
11 AM True Story
11:30 Detective's Diary
12 N Farming With Jack Crowner (live from
the Kentucky State Fair)
1 PM Kentucky Afield
1:25 Baseball: Giants-Cardinals (Fred Haney and
Lindsey Nelson report)
4:30 Big Picture (time approximate)
5 PM Donna Reed (ABC, delay from Thu 7 PM)
5:30 Briefing Session
6 PM Tomorrow's Champions (local teenage amateur
boxers--wonder if Muhammad Ali ever took part?)
6:25 News
6:30 Bonanza (COLOR)
7:30 The Tall Man
8 PM The Deputy (Henry Fonda)
8:30 The Campaign And The Candidates
9:30 Lawrence Welk (ABC, delay from 8 PM and carried for
only 30 minutes)
10 PM The Rifleman (ABC, delay from Tue 8 PM)
10:30 Lawman (ABC, delay from Sun 7:30)
11 PM Maverick (ABC, delay from Sun 6:30)
12 M Movie: "Marriage Is A Private Affair"
2:15 News

WLW-T Ch. 5 Cincinnati (NBC)

8 AM Cowboys And Cartoons
9:30 Signal Three (kids' quiz)
10 AM Howdy Doody (COLOR)
10:30 Ruff And Reddy (COLOR)
11 AM Fury
11:30 Circus Boy
12 N True Story
12:30 Detective's Diary
1 PM All About Sports
1:15 Dugout Dope
1:25 Baseball: Pirates-Reds (COLOR)
4 PM Scoreboard (time approximate)
4:15 Telesports Digest
4:45 All About Sports
5 PM Playhouse
5:30 Wrestling From Dayton
6:30 Midwestern Hayride (COLOR)
7:30 Bonanza (COLOR)
8:30 The Tall Man
9 PM The Deputy
9:30 The Campaign And The Candidates
10:30 Manhunt
11 PM News, Weather, Sports
11:15 Movie: "Keeper Of The Flame" (Tracy and
Hepburn)

WTVW Ch. 7 Evansville (ABC)

11:15 Cartoon Capers
11:45 Wonderful Words Of Life
11:55 Baseball: Red Sox-Senators (Carl Erskine and
Jack Buck report)
2:45 NCAA Football: Georgia-Alabama from Birmingham
(Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman report) (time
approximate)
6 PM Home Run Derby (time approximate)
6:30 Campaign Roundup
7 PM Amateur Hour (delay from Mon 9:30; Ted's guests
are roller-skating tap dancer Jerry Wilson; vocal
quartet the Seamen; pantomimist Wayne Sharpe;
pop singer Joseph Messana)
7:30 Leave It To Beaver
8 PM Lawrence Welk
9 PM Jubilee U.S.A. (guest host Jimmy Wakely; guest is
Johnny Horton--wonder if he sang "Battle Of New
Orleans" or "North To Alaska"?)
9:30 Sea Hunt
10 PM Johnny Midnight
10:30 Sports (Joe Celania)
10:35 Wrestling From Evansville
12 M Grand Ole Opry
12:30 Movie: "The Woman On Pier 13"

WCPO Ch. 9 Cincinnati (ABC)

7 AM Know Your World
7:15 Industry On Parade
7:30 Yesterday's Newsreel
7:45 Joe Emerson (gospel music)
8 AM Herald Of Truth
8:30 Air Force Story
8:55 Play It Safe (kids' game with a safety theme)
9:30 Town And Country (music)
10 AM Janet Dean, Registered Nurse
10:30 Jet Jackson
11 AM Kit Carson
11:30 Cartoon Party
12 N TV Dance Party
1 PM All Star Wrestling
2:45 NCAA Football: Georgia-Alabama
5:45 Football Scoreboard (time approximate)
6 PM San Francisco Beat (reruns of "The Lineup")
6:30 Cannonball
7 PM Outdoor Rambler
7:30 Campaign Roundup
8 PM John Gunther's High Road (trip to Kenya)
8:30 Leave It To Beaver
9 PM Lawrence Welk
10 PM The Whistler ("I am the whistler and I know
many things..." or, as Jack Benny once satirized
it: "I am the Fiddler and I know many things...
because I fiddle around a lot.")
10:30 Silent Service
11 PM News, Weather, Sports
11:20 Movie: "Paper Gallows"

WHAS Ch. 11 Louisville (CBS)

8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Heckle And Jeckle
9:30 Mighty Mouse
10 AM Lone Ranger
10:30 I Love Lucy
11 AM Sky King
11:30 CBS News (Ron Cochran)
12 N Songs Of Faith
12:30 Inside Sports
12:45 Baseball: Orioles-Yankees (Dizzy Dean
and Pee Wee Reese report)
4 PM Americans At Work (time approximate)
4:30 Film Feature
5 PM Crusade Preview (WHAS Crusade For Children)
5:30 Crusade For Children
6:30 Perry Mason
7:30 Checkmate
8:30 Have Gun, Will Travel
9 PM Gunsmoke
9:30 Sea Hunt
10 PM Nelson Family (temporary new name for "Ozzie
And Harriet" ABC, delay from Wed 7:30)
10:30 News (Hugh Smith)
10:40 Weather (Milton Metz)
10:45 Sports
11 PM Movie: "Anchors Aweigh"

WKRC Ch. 12 Cincinnati (CBS)

8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Skipper Ryle
10 AM Heckle And Jeckle
10:30 Mighty Mouse
11 AM Lone Ranger
11:30 Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon
12 N Sky King
12:30 First Tuesday (political program)
1 PM Movie: "Tarzan And The Amazons"
2:30 Movies: "Blackwell's Island" and "The Man
Who Talked Too Much"
5 PM Championship Billiards
5:30 African Patrol
6 PM Aquanauts (delay from Wed 7:30)
7 PM Target (not Target: The Corruptors, which
debuted on ABC the following year)
7:30 Perry Mason
8:30 Checkmate
9:30 Have Gun, Will Travel
10 PM Gunsmoke
10:30 This Man Dawson
11 PM News, Weather, Sports
11:15 Movie: "Unconquered"

WFIE Ch. 14 Evansville (NBC)

8:30 Ding Dong School (Miss Frances in syndication)
9 AM Howdy Doody (COLOR)
9:30 Ruff And Reddy (COLOR)
10 AM Fury
10:30 Circus Boy
11 AM True Story
11:30 Detective's Diary
12 N Mr. Wizard
12:30 Film Feature
1 PM Americans At Work
1:15 Baseball: Giants-Cardinals
4:30 Eve Arden (she plays novelist Liza Hammond,
time approximate)
5 PM Item
6 PM Science Fiction Theater
6:30 Bonanza (COLOR)
7:30 The Tall Man
8 PM The Deputy
8:30 The Campaign And The Candidates
9:30 Sea Hunt (is there a misprint--it's shown as
being on both 7 and 14)
10 PM Pony Express
10:30 News (Jack McLean)
10:40 Sports (Jack McLean)
10:45 Movie: "Devil Girl From Mars"

WLEX Ch. 18 Lexington (NBC/ABC)

9:30 Walter Strong (religion)
10 AM Howdy Doody (COLOR)
10:30 Ruff And Reddy (COLOR)
11 AM Fury
11:30 Circus Boy
12 N True Story
12:30 Burley Tobacco
12:45 Film Feature
1:25 Baseball: Pirates-Reds (COLOR)
4 PM TBA (time approximate)
5:30 Western Movie (title not given)
6:30 Riverboat (delay from Sun 7 PM, COLOR)
7:30 Bonanza (COLOR)
8:30 The Tall Man
9 PM Lawrence Welk
10 PM Jubilee U.S.A.
10:30 Man From Interpol
11 PM News, Weather, Sports
11:15 Movie: "Paid To Kill"

WKYT Ch. 27 Lexington (ABC/CBS)

8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Skipper Ryle
10 AM Heckle And Jeckle
10:30 Mighty Mouse
11 AM Lone Ranger
11:30 Popeye Theater
12:30 Western Movie (title not given)
1:15 Popeye
1:25 Baseball: Giants-Cardinals
4:30 Movie: TBA
6 PM Sports Review
6:15 Touring Canada
6:30 Popeye
6:45 Conservation Club
7 PM Outdoor Rambler
7:30 Perry Mason
8:30 Bourbon Street Beat (ABC, delay from Mon 8:30)
9:30 Have Gun, Will Travel
10 PM Gunsmoke
10:30 How To Marry A Millionaire (a break for Barbara
Eden)
11 PM News, Weather, Sports
11:15 Movie: "High Terrace" (pre-"Wells Fargo" Dale Robertson)
12 M Movie: TBA

WEHT Ch. 50 (Ch. 25) Evansville (CBS)

8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Heckle And Jeckle
9:30 Mighty Mouse
10 AM Cartoons
10:30 I Love Lucy
11 AM Sky King
11:30 Movie: "Jungle Goddess" (George Reeves is in this one)
12:45 Baseball: Orioles-Yankees
4:25 Sports Round-Up (time approximate)
4:30 Movie: "Black Trail"
5:30 Things That Grow
6 PM Mr. District Attorney
6:30 Perry Mason
7:30 Checkmate
8:30 Have Gun, Will Travel
9 PM Gunsmoke
9:30 Phil Silvers (Sgt. Bilko)
10 PM Alfred Hitchcock Presents (delay from Sun 8:30)
10:30 Ranch Party (Tex Ritter welcomes Ray Price, Bonnie
Guitar, and Mac Wiseman)
11 PM Movie: "House Of Horrors"

 

[Corky Marlowe]

10 PM The Whistler ("I am the whistler and I know
many things..." or, as Jack Benny once satirized
it: "I am the Fiddler and I know many things...
because I fiddle around a lot.")
10:30 Silent Service

Now the Whistler theme is running through my head! As far as "Silent Service", I think that's the show Bob Newhart references in his bit about the submarine USS Codfish, where the skipper is addressing the crew as they are about to hit port..."Come on, men, let's let bygones be bygones and hear it for the cooks!"

 

[retrothoughts]

A big part of the reason why Ch. 5 in Cincinnati showed the Pirates-at-Reds, which the station originated, while the NBC affiliates in Evansville and Louisville showed the Giants-at-Cardinals was because baseball's TV rules of the day, until at least 1966, prohibited the showing of nationally-televised regular season games in cities with MLB franchises.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

A couple of thoughts on the last post:

The ABC-TV Network starting airing a Saturday game of the week in 1965. Those games were seen here so that may have been the first season that network games could be seen in major league cities.

Starting in 1956 and continuing for many years, WLW-T in Cincinnati originated the Reds telecasts. As WLW-T was (and is) the NBC-TV affiliate in Cincinnati, that would have also precluded any NBC-TV games from being seen here even if they would have been permitted.

 

[gregg75]

So Louisville only had a CBS and NBC in 1960. What station did they use for ABC, Channel 7 in Evansville, or none at all? Louisville is much larger than Evansville, you'd think it would have been just the opposite.

Lexington was almost in the same boat. When did they get their 3rd network affiliate?

ABC seems to have been the "also ran" network until they got more stations........I'd guess probably around 1974??????

 

[Tim L]

So Louisville only had a CBS and NBC in 1960. What station did they use for ABC, Channel 7 in Evansville, or none at all? Louisville is much larger than Evansville, you'd think it would have been just the opposite.

Lexington was almost in the same boat. When did they get their 3rd network affiliate?

ABC seems to have been the "also ran" network until they got more stations........I'd guess probably around 1974??????

Others with more knowledge can answer the Louisville and Lexington situations..A lot of the mid size cities got ABC affiliates probably between 1965-1970..

 

[radiorob2.0]

So Louisville only had a CBS and NBC in 1960. What station did they use for ABC, Channel 7 in Evansville, or none at all? Louisville is much larger than Evansville, you'd think it would have been just the opposite.

Lexington was almost in the same boat. When did they get their 3rd network affiliate?

ABC seems to have been the "also ran" network until they got more stations........I'd guess probably around 1974??????

Evansville was a little too far for casual viewing in Louisville. WAVE and WHAS aired some ABC programming until WLKY signed on the air a year later.

The Evansville situation with all three networks was sort of at the expense of Louisville. The Channel 7 allocation was originally non-commercial for Louisville. But a realignment and help from a senator moved Channel 7 to Evansville and its designation to commercial. WEHT was originally licensed to Henderson but eventually became a Evansville station for commerce reasons.

Lexington received full time ABC when WBLG-TV Channel 62 (now WTVQ Channel 36) signed on the air. Before that CBS was secondary for WLEX and WKYT. Lexington was close enough to Louisville and Cincinnati for homes to have antennas able to receive those markets.

 

[bpatrick]

Right. WLKY signed on in 1961 and was the ABC
affiliate for Louisville until the network moved to
WHAS in 1990. Ironically, WLKY has done far
better with CBS than it ever did with ABC.

WBLG/WTVQ signed on in 1968, at which point
WKYT became fulltime CBS. There hasn't been
a switch in Lexington.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

In many cities in the 1950's and even up into the 1960's, ABC-TV programs were seen on the same stations that offered CBS or NBC. Since the CBS/NBC programs probably had the higher ratings (probably because of ABC not being able to be seen as much), the stations would air shows from those networks rather than ABC. In some cities, the ABC affiliate might be a UHF station. Back then, many sets did not have UHF receivers or, if they did, signals may not have been the best due to an improper or minimal-ability antenna.

I remember in the 1950's seeing large antennas on homes right in Lexington. When I inquired as to why such powerful antennas were being used in the close-in suburbs, I was told that the only TV outlets in the city were on UHF and residents were tuning to stations in Cincinnati and Louisville to watch shows on their VHF channels.

 

[gregg75]

Getting back to what Cincinnati said, maybe 50% of the people in Lexington were getting their TV from Louisville or Cincinnati????? I think I'd put up a big antenna if it would give me 5 or 6 more stations. I know some UHF's were not that clear back then and probably had limited viewing areas.