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Retro: New England - Saturday October 19, 1968

Source – TV Guide, Eastern New England edition

2 - WGBH Boston (NET)
10:00a Lexington Kindergarten Project (special) – first of a two-part series answering the question “What are the needs of the kindergarten child?” (2 hours)
12p-4:30p no listings
04:30p Sing Hi-Sing Lo – music
04:45p The Friendly Giant – children
05:00p Misterogers – children
05:30p What’s New – children
06:00p News in Perspective – profiling the three major presidential candidates (color)
07:00p World Press (color)
08:00p Profiles in Courage
09:00p David Susskind – discussion; urban students on race relations; Alden Whitman of the NY Times discusses how some obituaries are prepared in advance (2 hours) (color)

3 – WTIC Hartford (CBS)
07:30a RFD – Atwood
08:00a Go-Go Gophers (color)
08:30a Bugs Bunny/Road Runner (color)
09:30a Kimba – children (color)
10:00a Archie (color)
10:30a Batman/Superman (color)
11:30a Huckleberry Hound/Yogi Bear (color)
12:30p Jonny Quest (color)
01:00p Moby Dick/Mighty Mightor (color)
01:30p Your Community (color)
02:00p Movie double feature “Gun in His Hand” and “Francis Goes to West Point”
04:00p Daktari (color) – delayed from Wednesday @ 7:30p
05:00p Blondie (color) – delayed from Thursday @ 7:30p
05:30p Brad Davis – variety; guests are Bobby Vinton and the Enchanted Forest (color)
06:00p Weather, Sports, News (color)
06:30p CBS News – Roger Mudd (color)
07:00p Here’s Lucy (color) – delayed from Monday @ 8:30p
07:30p Jackie Gleason – guests: Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Mike Douglas and Bob Newhart (color)
(After the program: a five-minute Republican political message)
08:30p My Three Sons (color)
09:00p Hogan’s Heroes (color)
09:30p Petticoat Junction (color) (this was Bea Benaderet’s last episode; the next one (Betty Jo has her baby) would feature her voice only)
10:00p Mannix (color)
11:00p News, Weather, Sports (color)
11:30p Movie double feature “The Light Touch” (1951) and “The All American” (1953)

4 – WBZ Boston (NBC)
05:30a Big Picture – Army
06:00a World of Animals
06:30a Boomtown – Rex Trailer
07:00a Boomtown – continued
08:30a Boomtown – continued
09:30a Boomtown – continued
10:00a The Flintstones (color)
10:30a Banana Splits (color)
11:30a Underdog (color)
12:00p News, Weather (color)
12:30p AFL Highlights – highlights of last week’s games: Buffalo at Boston, Denver at San Diego, Miami at Cincinnati, New York at Houston and Oakland at Kansas City (color)
01:00p Cartoon Festival (color)
02:00p Here and Now – documentary; “Through Dark Glasses” (local folk singer and his music)
02:30p Confrontation – discussion (topic is model cities)
03:00p Newsmakers – interview
03:30p To Be Announced
04:00p Starring the Editors
04:30p Merv Griffin – variety; scheduled guests: Jack Douglas and his wife Reiko; author Helen Gurley Brown; actor Jesse White; comedian Stanley Myron Handleman; and singer Neil Diamond (color)
06:00p News, Sports, Weather – Reading, Clark Booth, Bill Hovey (color)
06:30p College Talent – variety; guest presenter: James Gregory; judges: Will Hutchins, Alejandro Rey and Barbara McNair (color)
07:00p Adventures of Huck Finn “Pirate Island” (color)
07:30p Adam-12 (color)
08:00p Get Smart (color)
08:30p The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (color)
09:00p Movie “The Halleluja Trail (1965) (color)
12:00a News, Sports, Weather – Reading, Clark Booth, Bill Hovey (color)
12:30a Movie “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1961)
02:30a News, Sports, Weather
02:40a Movie “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943)

5 – WHDH Boston (CBS)
06:30a Sunrise Semester (color) – Philosophy: Feuerbach’s reversal of Schieiermacher’s appeal (color)
07:00a Bozo the Clown (color)
08:00a Go-Go Gophers (color)
08:30a Bugs Bunny/Road Runner (color)
09:30a Wacky Races (color)
10:00a Archie (color)
10:30a Batman/Superman (color)
11:30a News, Sports, Weather – Andy MacMillan, Bill O’Connell, Ted Miller (color)
12:00p Candlepin Bowling (color)
01:00p Junior Bowling (color)
02:00p Movie “Gidget Goes to Rome” (1962) (color)
04:00p Outdoorsman – Joe Foss (color)
04:30p Horse Race – The Man O’ War $100,000 added for 3-year-olds and up; from Belmont Park (color)
05:00p 12 O’Clock High
06:00p News, Sports, Weather – John Henning, Bill O’Connell, Ted Miller (color)
06:30p Week Ends Here (color)
07:30p Jackie Gleason – guests: Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Mike Douglas and Bob Newhart (color)
(After the program: a five-minute Republican political message)
08:30p My Three Sons (color)
09:00p Hogan’s Heroes (color)
09:30p Petticoat Junction (color)
10:00p Mannix (color)
11:00p News, Sports, Weather – John Henning, Bill O’Connell, Ted Miller (color)
11:30p Movie “Triumph of Michael Strogoff” (1964)
02:00a Sugarfoot

6 – WTEV New Bedford (ABC)
06:30a Farmer’s Corner (color)
07:00a Roger Ramjet (color)
07:30a New Three Stooges (color)
08:00a Felix – children (color)
08:30a Flash Gordon (color)
09:00a Casper (color)
09:30a Gulliver (color)
10:00a Spider-Man (color)
10:30a Fantastic Voyage (color)
11:00a Journey to the Center of the Earth (color)
11:30a Fantastic Four (color)
12:00p George of the Jungle (color)
12:30p American Bandstand – Joe Tex sings “You Need Me, Baby” and “Skinny Legs and All” (color)
01:00p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track and field (400 meter relay, high jump); swimming (women’s 400 meter freestyle); rowing finals (coxless fours and pairs) (color)
02:00p NCAA Pre-Game Show (color)
02:15p College Football – Alabama vs. Tennessee at Knoxville, Tenn. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkerson report (color)
05:15p Wide World of Sports – The Tournament of Thrills Auto Daredevil Championship; The National Air Races (color)
06:30p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track (1500 meter); rowing (single and double sculls, and eights); weightlifiting; yachting (from Acapulco) (color)
07:30p Dating Game – guest: Joan Blondell of “Here Comes the Brides” (color)
08:00p Newlywed Game (color)
08:30p Lawrence Welk (color)
(After the program: a five-minute talk by George Wallace)
09:30p Hollywood Palace – Diahnn Carol welcomes Richard Harris, Mort Sahl, Jim Webb and her “Julia” costars Marc Copage and Michael Link (color)
10:30p Olympic Games (special) – Women’s track (800 meters); swimming (men’s and women’s 100-meter breast stroke and freestyle) (color)
11:00p ABC News – McBee (color)
11:15p News, Weather, Sports – Wayne Bailey (color)
11:30p Movie “The X from Outer Space” (1966) (color)
01:00a Movie “South Sea Sinner” (1950)

7 – WNAC Boston (ABC)
06:30a Agriculture, U.S.A.
07:00a King Kong – children
07:30a Linus – children (color)
08:00a Toy Phone Theater – Young Hiawatha falls in love with Minehaha
09:00a Casper (color)
09:30a Gulliver (color)
10:00a Spider-Man (color)
10:30a Fantastic Voyage (color)
11:00a Movie “Charlie Chan at Treasure Island” (1939)
12:25p News (color)
12:30p Patriots ’68 – Sid Doherty, Gino Cappelletti (color)
01:00p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track and field (400 meter relay, high jump); swimming (women’s 400 meter freestyle); rowing finals (coxless fours and pairs) (color)
02:00p NCAA Pre-Game Show (color)
02:15p College Football – Alabama vs. Tennessee at Knoxville, Tenn. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkerson report (color)
05:15p Wide World of Sports – The Tournament of Thrills Auto Daredevil Championship; The National Air Races (color)
06:30p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track (1500 meter); rowing (single and double sculls, and eights); weightlifiting; yachting (from Acapulco) (color)
07:30p Dating Game – guest: Joan Blondell of “Here Comes the Brides” (color)
08:00p Newlywed Game (color)
08:30p Lawrence Welk (color)
(After the program: a five-minute talk by George Wallace)
09:30p Hollywood Palace – Diahnn Carol welcomes Richard Harris, Mort Sahl, Jim Webb and her “Julia” costars Marc Copage and Michael Link (color)
10:30p Olympic Games (special) – Women’s track (800 meters); swimming (men’s and women’s 100-meter breast stroke and freestyle) (color)
11:00p Movie “The Nutty Professor” (1963); Jerry Lewis (color)
01:00p Movie “Destination Gobi” (1953)

8 – WNHC New Haven (ABC)
06:45a Sacred Heart – religion
07:00a Cartoons – children (color)
08:00a Fantastic Voyage – children
08:30a Foreign Legionnaire
09:00a Casper (color)
09:30a Gulliver (color)
10:00a Spider-Man (color)
10:30a Rocky (color)
11:00a The Cisco Kid (color)
11:30a Fantastic Four (color)
12:00p George of the Jungle (color)
12:30p NFL This Week (color)
01:00p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track and field (400 meter relay, high jump); swimming (women’s 400 meter freestyle); rowing finals (coxless fours and pairs) (color)
02:00p NCAA Pre-Game Show (color)
02:15p College Football – Alabama vs. Tennessee at Knoxville, Tenn. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkerson report (color)
05:15p Wide World of Sports – The Tournament of Thrills Auto Daredevil Championship; The National Air Races (color)
06:30p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track (1500 meter); rowing (single and double sculls, and eights); weightlifiting; yachting (from Acapulco) (color)
07:30p Movie “Charlie Chan’s Secret” (1936)
08:30p Lawrence Welk (color)
(After the program: a five-minute talk by George Wallace)
09:30p Hollywood Palace – Diahnn Carol welcomes Richard Harris, Mort Sahl, Jim Webb and her “Julia” costars Marc Copage and Michael Link (color)
10:30p Olympic Games (special) – Women’s track (800 meters); swimming (men’s and women’s 100-meter breast stroke and freestyle) (color)
11:00p News, Weather, Sports (color)
11:30p Movie “Killers are Challenged” (1960)

9 – WMUR Manchester (ABC) – they would not have live studio color until 1972
08:30a Ring-A-Ding the Clown
09:00a Casper (color)
09:30a Gulliver (color)
10:00a Spider-Man (color)
10:30a Fantastic Voyage (color)
11:00a Journey to the Center of the Earth (color)
11:30a Fantastic Four (color)
12:00p George of the Jungle (color)
12:30p American Bandstand – Joe Tex sings “You Need Me, Baby” and “Skinny Legs and All” (color)
01:00p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track and field (400 meter relay, high jump); swimming (women’s 400 meter freestyle); rowing finals (coxless fours and pairs) (color)
02:00p NCAA Pre-Game Show (color)
02:15p College Football – Alabama vs. Tennessee at Knoxville, Tenn. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkerson report (color)
05:15p Wide World of Sports – The Tournament of Thrills Auto Daredevil Championship; The National Air Races (color)
06:30p Olympic Games (special) – Men’s track (1500 meter); rowing (single and double sculls, and eights); weightlifiting; yachting (from Acapulco) (color)
07:30p Dating Game – guest: Joan Blondell of “Here Comes the Brides” (color)
08:00p Newlywed Game (color)
08:30p Lawrence Welk (color)
(After the program: a five-minute talk by George Wallace)
09:30p Hollywood Palace – Diahnn Carol welcomes Richard Harris, Mort Sahl, Jim Webb and her “Julia” costars Marc Copage and Michael Link (color)
10:30p Olympic Games (special) – Women’s track (800 meters); swimming (men’s and women’s 100-meter breast stroke and freestyle) (color)
11:00a News – McBee (color)
11:15p The Untouchables

10 – WJAR Providence (NBC)
08:30a Trails West
09:00a Super Six (color)
09:30a Top Cat (color)
10:00a The Flintstones (color)
10:30a Banana Splits (color)
11:30a Underdog (color)
12:00p Birdman (color)
12:30p Super President (color)
01:00p Leave it to Beaver
01:30p Movie double feature “Gun Brothers” (1956) and “Toughest Gun in Tombstone” (1958)
03:45p Film
04:00p Bowling (color)
04:30p Horse Race – The Man O’ War $100,000 added for 3-year-olds and up; from Belmont Park (color)
05:00p Gadabout Gaddis (color)
05:30p To Be Announced
06:00p Fabulous Shorts (special) – Jim Backus hosts a cartoon roundup featuring many Oscar-winners (color)
07:00p Death Valley Days (color)
07:30p Adam-12 (color)
08:00p Get Smart (color)
08:30p The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (color)
09:00p Movie “The Hallelujah Trail” (1965) (color)
12:00a News, Weather, Sports (color)
12:30a High School Scoreboard
12:40a Movie “Darby’s Rangers” (1958)

12 – WPRI Providence (CBS)
07:00a Bugs Bunny/Road Runner (color)
08:00a Mr. Magoo (color)
09:30a Wacky Races (color)
10:00a Archie (color)
10:30a Batman/Superman (color)
11:30a Herculoids (color)
12:00p Shazzan! (color)
12:30p Jonny Quest (color)
01:00p Moby Dick/Mighty Mightor (color)
02:00p Movie “The Harder They Fall” (1956)
04:00p NFL This Week (color)
04:30p NFL Game of the Week (color)
05:00p Run For Your Life (color)
06:00p News – Bob Cain (color)
06:30p CBS News – Roger Mudd (color)
07:00p Truth or Consequences – game (color)
07:30p Jackie Gleason – guests: Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Mike Douglas and Bob Newhart (color)
(After the program: a five-minute Republican political message)
08:30p My Three Sons (color)
09:00p Hogan’s Heroes (color)
09:30p Petticoat Junction (color)
10:00p Mannix (color)
11:00p News – Tony Silviera (color)
11:30p Movie “40 Pounds of Trouble” (1962) (color)

14 – WJZB Worcester (Ind) – they only aired 90 minutes per night and did not colorcast; everything is a simulcast from WWLP Springfield
No programming scheduled

36 – WSBE Providence (NET)
No programming scheduled

38 – WSBK Boston (Ind) – and some other shows from ABC, CBS and NBC not cleared by the prime affiliates
08:00a Kathryn Kuhlman (color)
08:30a Davey and Goliath (color)
09:00a Super Six (NBC, color)
09:30a Top Cat (NBC, color)
10:00a Alvin (color)
10:30a Prince Planet
11:00a Marine Boy (color)
11:30a Herculoids (CBS, color)
12:00p Shazzan! (CBS, color)
12:30p Jonny Quest (CBS, color)
01:00p Moby Dick/Mighty Mightor (CBS, color)
02:00p Upbeat – Music; scheduled guests: Marvin Gaye, Jay and the Techniques, the Tokens and Little Eva (color)
03:00p Wrestling
04:00p Roller Game of the Week
06:00p Sports Hot Seat – guest: heavyweight contender Joe Frazer (color)
06:30p NBC News – Frank McGee (NBC, color)
07:00p NFL This Week (color)
07:30p Password (color)
08:00p Pro Hockey – Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins; Don Earle reports (color)
10:30p Alfred Hitchcock – drama
11:00p The Professionals – sports; race-horse trainer Eddie Neloy (color)
11:30p Tell Me More – discussion

53 – WEDN Norwich, CT (NET)
No programming scheduled

56 – WKBG Boston (Ind) - they had recently moved their antenna and now had a better signal to the south and west of Boston
09:00a Ready for Action (color)
09:30a Great Outdoors (color)
10:00a Movie “The Broken Star” (1956)
11:30a Boston College Football Highlights – filmed highlights of the Boston College/Villanova game last week (color)
12:00p Movie “Samson and the Mighty Challenge” (1964)
02:00p Wrestling (color)
03:00p Roller Derby (color)
04:00p Movie “Dig That Uranium” (1956); Bowery Boys
05:00p Hy Lit – music; guest include Ravi Shankar, the Fuzzy Bunnies, the Grass Roots and Aesop’s Fables (color)
06:00p Polka Varieties (color)
07:00p Wilburn Brothers – music; guest: Jimmy Dickens (color)
07:30p Porter Wagoner – music; guest: Billy Walker (color)
08:00p Movie “The Mummy’s Curse” (1944)
09:00p Pro Basketball – Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls; Tommy Heinsohn and Red Auerbach report (color) Were they really on for only an hour?
10:00p Joe Pyne – discussion (color)
11:00p One Step Beyond
11:30p Movie “The Strangler” (1963)
 
According to the TV listings page of the October 19th, 1968 Boston Globe, the basketball game on WKBG-56 was broadcast that evening from 9 to 11 P.M.

Additionally, it's interesting that WBZ-4 broadcast "Merv Griffin", a five-days-a-week show, on a Saturday at 4:30 P.M.

I suspect that one of the scheduled airings during the previous week was pre-empted, perhaps for some sort of news event (the first manned Apollo flight, Apollo 7, was in orbit during that time).
 
The "Merv Griffin" airing may have been a weekend repeat of a recent episode (like NBC did with "Tonight" for several years).

I find it amazing that ABC only aired 2-1/2 hours of Olympic coverage.
 
Maureen Carney noted: said:
I find it amazing that ABC only aired 2-1/2 hours of Olympic coverage (on October 19th, 1968).

If my memory serves me correct, ABC only carried about 45 hours of coverage throughout the 16-day Olympiad.

And that was more hours than the combined total of TV coverage for both the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome (on CBS) and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (on NBC)!
 
This was typical for ABC's Olympic coverage back then; very little of the 1968 Games were aired in prime time, and the little that was, aired before 8 or after 10.
 
Olympic Coverage In The 60's (Was:Re:Retro:New England-Saturday October 19, 1968

Until 1972, there wasn't that much prime-time Olympic coverage on American television for these reasons:

(1) There were nowhere near as many remote units covering the events as there are now, so there were some events that simply weren't being covered for TV.

(2) For the 1960 Summer Games in Rome and (except for about fifteen minutes of each day's coverage) the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck, tapes had to be flown across the Atlantic. Even still, some coverage from Rome (events held in the morning and early afternoon local time) and quite a bit of coverage from Innsbruck (since most Winter Olympic events back then were completed by early afternoon local time) was broadcast the same day the events occurred.

(3) Although the Syncom 3 satellite had been launched by the time the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo came around, allowing NBC's coverage to be fed by satellite to the 'States (in fact, the opening ceremonies aired live and in color, although the closing ceremonies, on tape, were the only other part of the '64 Summer Games broadcast in color), the time difference worked against extensive live coverage. What little was shown in prime-time was often 18-20 hours old (although I would think some of the 15-minute late-night shows at 11:15 P.M. EDT may have shown quickly-edited highlights of a couple of events that had been held a couple of hours earlier).

(4) But the biggest reason was that in the 1960's, the Olympics had not yet proven themselves as a reliable prime-time ratings draw. It's my understanding that ABC's first-ever week-long prime-time ratings "wins" were the two weeks of the 1968 Summer Games. That prompted ABC in 1972 to blow-out all of prime-time for two weeks to devote all of prime-time to the Summer Olympics in Munich.
 
Tennessee defeated Alabama 10-9 in Knoxville in 1968 ;D
 
Here is ABC's 1968 Summer Olympics schedule:

1968 Summer Olympics (October 12-27)
(Mexico City, Mexico) (ABC)

10/12 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
10/13 7 p.m.-8 p.m.
10/14 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-11 p.m.
10/15 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
10/16 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
10/17 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
10/18 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
10/19 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
10/20 5 p.m.-7 p.m., 11 p.m.-Midnight
10/21 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-11 p.m.
10/22 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30, 9:30 p.m.-10 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
10/23 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m-7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-11 p.m.
10/24 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m.-11 p.m.
10/25 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 9 p.m.-10 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
10/26 4:30 p.m.-5 p.m., 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
10/27 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
 
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