Retro: Louisville/Lexington/Cincinnati Thursday, May 15, 1975

[bpatrick]

From TV Guide, Kentucky Edition:

WAVE Ch. 3 Louisville (NBC)

6:30 Today In WAVE Country
7 AM Today (Jim Hartz/Barbara Walters)
9 AM Morning Show (guest Peter Bogdanovich)
10 AM Celebrity Sweepstakes
10:30 Wheel Of Fortune
11 AM High Rollers
11:30 Hollywood Squares (Steve Martin
is a celebrity guest, a couple of
years before he really hit it big)
12 N News
12:30 Mike Douglas
1:30 Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
4 PM Movie: "Never Say Goodbye"
5:30 Mickey Mouse Club (original, and number
one in its time slot in Louisville)
6 PM News
6:30 NBC News
7 PM To Tell The Truth
7:30 Bobby Goldsboro
8 PM Sunshine
8:30 Bob Crane
9 PM Mac Davis
10 PM Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
(Michael Landon is roastee)
11 PM News
11:30 Tonight Show
1 AM Star Trek

WLWT Ch. 5 Cincinnati (NBC)

6:20 Good Morning
6:30 Dick Van dyke
7 AM Today
9 AM Hollywood Squares
9:30 High Rollers
10 AM Celebrity Sweepstakes
10:30 Phil Donahue (guest: Gloria Steinem)
11:30 Midday
12 N Bob Braun's 50-50 Club
1:30 Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
4 PM Family Affair
4:30 Beverly Hillbillies
5 PM I Dream Of Jeannie
5:30 Jackpot!
6 PM News
6:30 NBC News
7 PM To Tell The Truth
7:30 Hollywood Squares
8 PM Sunshine
8:30 Bob Crane
9 PM Mac Davis
10 PM Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
11 PM News
11:30 Tonight Show
1 AM Tomorrow (Muhammad Ali discusses
his fight with Ron Lyle, scheduled
for Friday night on ABC)

WCPO Ch. 9 Cincinnati (CBS)

6:20 Farm News
6:30 Focus On Environment
7 AM CBS News (Hughes Rudd)
8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Uncle Al (I believe this was the
longest-running local kids' show,
from 1951 to about 1980)
10 AM Joker's Wild
10:30 Gambit
11 AM Now You See It
11:30 Tattletales
12 N Noon Report
1 PM Search For Tomorrow
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Price Is Right
3:30 Match Game '75
4 PM Movie: "The Hell With Heroes"
6 PM News (with Cincinnati legend
Al Schottelkotte (sp?))
6:30 CBS News
7 PM Truth Or Consequences
7:30 Ohio Lottery
8 PM The Waltons
9 PM GE Theater: "Larry"
11 PM News
11:30 Hec Ramsey
1:30 Bible Answers
2 AM News

WHAS Ch. 11 Louisville (CBS)

6:30 Camera Three
7 AM CBS News
8 AM Captain Kangaroo
9 AM Dick Van dyke
9:30 Young And The Restless
10 AM Joker's Wild
10:30 Gambit
11 AM Now You See It
11:30 Love Of Life
11:55 CBS News (Douglas Edwards)
12 N News
12:30 Omelet
1 PM Search For Tomorrow
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Price Is Right
3:30 Match Game '75
4 PM Tattletales
4:30 Gomer Pyle, USMC
5 PM Beverly Hillbillies
5:30 Andy Griffith
6 PM News
6:30 CBS News
7 PM Beat The Clock
-----------------------------
NOTE: Regular programming will
be pre-empted if the Colonels are
in the ABA playoff.
-----------------------------
7:30 Wild Wild World Of Animals
8 PM The Waltons
9 PM GE Theater: "Larry"
11 PM News
11:30 Movie: "Pride Of The Yankees"
1:30 News

WKRC Ch. 12 Cincinnati (ABC)

6 AM Linguistics Composition
6:30 Woman Power
6:55 Graham Kerr
7 AM A.M. America
9 AM Movie: "Blue Hawaii"
10:30 Money Maze
11 AM Nick Clooney (probably no coincidence:
George's dad for 90 minutes, 10:30-12)
12 N Password
12:30 Split Second
1 PM All My Children
1:30 Daytime Emmy Awards
3 PM General Hospital
3:30 One Life To Live
4 PM Dinah!
5:30 News
6 PM ABC News (Howard K. Smith/Harry Reasoner)
6:30 Diamond Head Game
7 PM Bowling For Dollars
7:30 $25,000 Pyramid
8 PM Barney Miller
8:30 Karen (Karen Valentine as a Washington
lobbyist)
9 PM Streets Of San Francisco
10 PM Harry O
11 PM News
11:30 The FBI
12:30 Wide World Special: "It's Magic!"

WKPC Ch. 15 Louisville (PBS)

7 AM Sesame Street
8 AM Electric Company
9 AM In-school programs
4 PM Sesame Street
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Villa Alegre
6 PM Electric Company
6:30 Kentucky GED Series
7 PM Aviation Weather
7:30 Consumer Survival Kit
8 PM Bill Moyers' Journal: International
Report
9 PM In Performance At Wolf Trap
10 PM Mystery Of The Maya
11 PM Captioned ABC News

WLEX Ch. 18 Lexington (NBC)

7 AM Today
9 AM Mike Douglas
10 AM Celebrity Sweepstakes
10:30 Wheel Of Fortune
11 AM High Rollers
11:30 Hollywood Squares
12 N News
12:30 Blank Check
12:55 NBC News (Edwin Newman)
1 PM Jackpot!
1:30 Days Of Our Lives
2:30 The Doctors
3 PM Another World
4 PM Somerset
4:30 Bonanza
5:30 News
6 PM Metro Report
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Beverly Hillbillies
7:30 Wilburn Brothers
8 PM Sunshine
8:30 Bob Crane
9 PM Mac Davis
10 PM Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
11 PM News
11:30 Tonight Show
1 AM Tomorrow

WXIX Ch. 19 Cincinnati (Ind.)

8 AM Perspective
8:30 New Zoo Revue
9 AM Cartoons
9:30 Flintstones (2 episodes)
10:30 Wheel Of Fortune
11 AM Blank Check
11:25 News
11:30 Somerset
12 N Young And The Restless
12:30 Love Of Life
12:55 CBS News
1 PM Movie: "Holiday For Lovers"
3 PM Bugs Bunny And Friends
3:30 Popeye
4 PM Flintstones
4:30 Gilligan's Island
5 PM Mickey Mouse Club
5:30 Bewitched
6 PM Star Trek
7 PM Ironside
8 PM The Lucy Show
8:30 Merv Griffin
10 PM Thriller (Boris Karloff)
11 PM Dragnet
11:30 Movie: "Niagara"

WKYT Ch. 27 Lexington (CBS)

7 AM CBS News
8 AM Town Talk
9 AM Captain Kangaroo
10 AM Joker's Wild
10:30 Gambit
11 AM Now You See It
11:30 Love Of Life
11:55 CBS News
12 N News
12:15 Bulletin Board
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
1 PM Young And The Restless
1:30 As The World Turns
2 PM Guiding Light
2:30 Edge Of Night
3 PM Price Is Right
3:30 Mickey Mouse Club
4 PM Virginian
5:30 News
6 PM News
6:30 CBS News
7 PM The FBI
8 PM The Waltons
9 PM GE Theater: "Larry"
11 PM News
11:30 Hec Ramsey

WLKY Ch. 32 Louisville (ABC)

6:30 New Zoo Revue
7 AM A.M. America
9 AM Dinah!
10:30 One Life To Live
11 AM Money Maze
11:30 Blankety Blanks
12 N Password
12:30 Split Second
1 PM All My Children
1:30 Daytime Emmy Awards
3 PM General Hospital
3:30 Movie: "Rock-a-Bye Baby"
5:30 News
6 PM ABC News
6:30 Hogan's Heroes
7 PM Let's Make A Deal
7:30 What's My Line?
8 PM Barney Miller
8:30 Karen
9 PM Streets Of San Francisco
10 PM Harry O
11 PM News
11:30 Perry Mason
12:30 Wide World Special: "It's Magic!"

WDRB Ch. 41 Louisville (Ind.)

11 AM Introspect
11:30 Reed Farrell (Charita Bauer and
Maureen Stillman of "Guiding Light"
discuss the show and old-time radio)
12 N It's A New Day
12:30 700 Club
2 PM Waters Family
2:30 Bozo's Big Top
3 PM Presto The Clown
4 PM Three Stooges
4:30 Leave It To Beaver
5 PM Batman (2 episodes)
6 PM Gilligan's Island
6:30 Rifleman
7 PM Bewitched
7:30 The Lucy Show
8 PM Dealer's Choice
8:30 Merv Griffin
10 PM Avengers
11 PM Movie: "East Of Eden"
1 AM Movie: "Pawnee"

WTVQ Ch. 62 (now Ch. 36) Lexington (ABC)

6:50 New Zoo Revue
7:20 Romper Room
7:50 Graham Kerr
7:55 Farm Report
8 AM A.M. America
9 AM Movie: "One-Eyed Jacks" (Part 1)
11 AM One Life To Live
11:30 Blankety Blanks
12 N Password
12:30 Split Second
1 PM All My Children
1:30 Daytime Emmy Awards
3 PM General Hospital
3:30 Addams Family
4 PM Gilligan's Island
4:30 That Girl
5 PM Truth Or Consequences
5:30 News
6 PM ABC News
6:30 Untamed World
7 PM Ironside (Barbara Hale is guest--
she starred with Raymond Burr
on "Perry Mason")
8 PM Barney Miller
8:30 Karen
9 PM Streets Of San Francisco
10 PM Harry O
11 PM News
11:30 Wide World Special: "It's Magic!"

Kentucky Educational Television (Ch. 23
Elizabethtown, Ch. 29 Somerset, Ch. 38
Morehead, Ch. 46 Lexington, Ch. 52 Owenton,
Ch. 54 Covington, Ch. 68 Louisville)

8 AM Kentucky GED Series
8:30 In-school programs
3 PM Electric Company
3:30 Kentucky GED Series
4 PM Sesame Street
5 PM Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Villa Alegre
6 PM Electric Company
6:30 Zoom
7 PM Kentucky GED Series
7:30 Human Relations/School
Discipline
8 PM Bill Moyers' Journal: International
Report
9 PM In Performance At Wolf Trap
10 PM Mystery Of The Maya
11 PM Captioned ABC News

 

[radiorob2.0]

I'm too lazy to search Google but I believe Uncle Al lasted until the mid eighties as did Bob Braun.

WKYT Ch. 27 Lexington (CBS)
8 AM Town Talk

This show ran for years on Channel 27. June Rawlings (I might be spelling that wrong) hosted this chit chat show and was later named "The June Rawlings Show" before it was canceled in the late seventies. IIRC correctly "Town Talk" had an organist that played in the background as June interview guest.

Channel 62 became Channel 36 in June 1980. It's been many years but I believe they actually dismantled and rebuilt the 1000' tower.

 

[bpatrick]

Uncle Al lasted until 1985, and I think Bob Braun
was canceled about the same time, as WLWT put
more money into news. When Multimedia owned
WLWT, they wanted to put Braun into national
syndication; he refused, saying he liked for his
show to be a showcase for local and regional
talent, which would have to go if the show went
national.

I remember when WTVQ moved to Channel 36;
it was off the air for several weeks in the spring
and summer of 1980. I believe there's an independent
on Channel 62 in Lexington today.

 

[bk77]

When Multimedia owned
WLWT, they wanted to put Braun into national
syndication; he refused, saying he liked for his
show to be a showcase for local and regional
talent, which would have to go if the show went
national.

I seem to remember Braun was talking about this back in the mid 90's when he was doing mornings at then 1530 WSAI-AM.

Before Braun became the main host, Ruth Lyons did the 50/50. She was offered a chance to take her show nationally but decided to keep her show strictly for Cincinatti viewers.

When Braun said no to Mulitmedia's idea of making his local show national, I wonder if this was the beginning of the idea behind the Jerry Springer show? I believe Jerry was already doing the news at WLWT in 1985 and from what I remember Jerry's show was already in the planning stages in the late 80's.

My guess is that when Bob Braun said no to Mulitmedia, they went to Springer about the idea of hosting a nationwide show.
Of course we know what happened in the future.

 

[Stanislav]

My guess is that when Bob Braun said no to Mulitmedia, they went to (Jerry) Springer about the idea of hosting a nationwide show.

Of course we know what happened in the future.

Yes -- the decline of Western civilization... :

 

[Stanislav]

My guess is that when Bob Braun said no to Mulitmedia, they went to (Jerry) Springer about the idea of hosting a nationwide show.

Of course we know what happened in the future.

Yes -- the decline of Western civilization... :

Which also just reminded me of what some comedian once said....the gist of it was that it's good to watch shows like Springer, because "no matter how bad things are going, you can watch those shows and be comforted by the fact that there are people out there whose lives are WAY more f---ed up than yours..."

 

[genius]

9 AM Uncle Al (I believe this was the
longest-running local kids' show,
from 1951 to about 1980)

Not entirely sure about that one. I know KELO in South Dakota's Captain 11 program had a good forty-year run, although it had became a weekly series by the time it met its demise in the mid-90s.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

With regards to Louisville TV Stations: WHAS-Channel 11 and WLKY-Channel 32. When did they switch networks? For many years, WHAS was CBS and is now ABC. WLKY was ABC for quite a while and is now CBS. Anyone?

 

[genius]

With regards to Louisville TV Stations: WHAS-Channel 11 and WLKY-Channel 32. When did they switch networks? For many years, WHAS was CBS and is now ABC. WLKY was ABC for quite a while and is now CBS. Anyone?

If I recall correctly it was because WHAS aired the Kentucky Derby, but then ABC won the rights to the race, so they swapped over to ABC from CBS. Ironically not long afterward WAVE and NBC got the rights not long afterward...

 

[Charles1]

With regards to Louisville TV Stations: WHAS-Channel 11 and WLKY-Channel 32. When did they switch networks?

The switch happened in September, 1990.

 

[bpatrick]

9 AM Uncle Al (I believe this was the
longest-running local kids' show,
from 1951 to about 1980)

Not entirely sure about that one. I know KELO in South Dakota's Captain 11 program had a good forty-year run, although it had became a weekly series by the time it met its demise in the mid-90s.

Note I said I believe Uncle Al was the longest-running
local kids' show, because you've got me on this
one. Captain 11 lasted from 1955 to 1996, seven years
longer than Uncle Al. I can't argue with facts, but Uncle
Al's run of 34 years is nothing to be sneezed at.

Also, I should mention that at one point Uncle Al was on ABC
Saturday mornings; this was when WCPO was Cincinnati's ABC
affiliate the first time, in the late '50s, I think. WCPO went to
CBS and WKRC to ABC in 1961; they switched back in (when?)
'95 or '96.

 

[bpatrick]

With regards to Louisville TV Stations: WHAS-Channel 11 and WLKY-Channel 32. When did they switch networks? For many years, WHAS was CBS and is now ABC. WLKY was ABC for quite a while and is now CBS. Anyone?

If I recall correctly it was because WHAS aired the Kentucky Derby, but then ABC won the rights to the race, so they swapped over to ABC from CBS. Ironically not long afterward WAVE and NBC got the rights not long afterward...

When ABC got the rights to the race in 1975, the Derby people
requested (demanded might be a better word) that the race be
carried on both WHAS and WLKY. The Derby/CBS/WHAS relationship
had been a good one, but the main reason was WLKY's reception
problem, being on Channel 32, while WHAS is on Channel 11.

When Capital Cities bought ABC, their management decided that
the Derby could not air on a CBS affiliate (specifically, WHAS).
When the contract came up for renewal in 1990, CBS nearly won
back the Derby, only to see ABC retain it with a last-minute winning
bid. That was when WHAS decided to go to ABC; after all, they
didn't like carrying the pre-race festivities all day, while the race
itself was on another channel.

NBC got the rights in 2000, and WAVE is the station that makes
an all-day affair of it (WHAS cuts in and out during the day, at
least according to some of the last issues of TV Guide from that
area that I've seen).

Getting CBS was a godsend to WLKY, especially in the daytime,
since the CBS soaps have always performed quite well in Louisville.

 

[genius]

Note I said I believe Uncle Al was the longest-running
local kids' show, because you've got me on this
one. Captain 11 lasted from 1955 to 1996, seven years
longer than Uncle Al. I can't argue with facts, but Uncle
Al's run of 34 years is nothing to be sneezed at.

Oh I thought you had meant "longest local kids show anywhere". Should have known better!

 

[bpatrick]

I did mean "longest running local kids' show anywhere,"
so I'm conceding that you're right about Captain 11.
Regarding Uncle Al, I'm just saying that 34 years is a
most respectable run and deserves a mention regardless.

 

[radiorob2.0]

I remember when WTVQ moved to Channel 36;
it was off the air for several weeks in the spring
and summer of 1980. I believe there's an independent
on Channel 62 in Lexington today.

One of these days I need to give the full story to the UHF morgue, but here is the condensed version of Channel 62 after WTVQ. Two companies fought through most of the eighties for the allocation. One was going to make it a round a clock preach-a-thon, the other was going to provide general entertainment program. A compromise was reached and the general entertainment company received the CP with an agreement to provide the preachers some time.

WLKT signed on the air in 1988. Their tower was located east or northeast of Lexington (it's been a while) pumping out full power. The problems started out of the gate with major picture and sound problems. Another issue was the microwave hop. The antenna was too low to send a stable signal to the transmitter site and swayed in the wind. A improvised fix was made at the studio to raise the antenna to stabilize the signal.

The major problem was programming and revenue. Lexington finally received an independent station two years earlier when WDKY signed on the air and a year later received the Fox affiliation. There was just enough revenue to support the four existing station but not enough for a fifth so WLKT suffered. Also, all the popular syndicated shows of the time were airing on the other stations. WLKT limped along with scraps. Then there was a major lawsuit between the current owners and the preachers over breach of contract. WLKT's days were numbered.

About a year later WLKT disappeared one afternoon as the money ran out. The license was returned and the tower dismantled. The allocation lingered through the nineties with several scenarios including a transmitter site located between Lexington and Louisville to serve both markets. Today Channel 62 is a low power signal.

 

[FatPunkBastard]

So the 11/32 swap was over the Derby? I thought it had something to do with 41 going FOX, but I guess it was just co-incidence. It all went down about the same time. I was a Sr in HS in 1990, but I sure do remember Presto The Clown on WDRB growing up. A couple radio engineers I've worked with over the years had done a good deal of TV in the L'ville area years ago....fun to hear the back-stage stories of my fave local TV shows from my youth...who was a drunk, who was cool, who was a beast, the equip issues they had, etc. I was 2 and a half years old when the above-excerpted TV guide came out!