• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Retro: North Carolina Sunday, July 4, 1976

Day 2 of Bicentennial coverage. From TV Guide,
North Carolina Edition:

WFMY Ch. 2 Greensboro (CBS)

7:30 Good News
8 AM In Celebration Of US (Walter Cronkite
anchors CBS's daylong coverage)
6 PM News
6:30 CBS News (Bob Schieffer)
7 PM In Celebration Of US continues
11 PM News
11:15 CBS News (Morton Dean)
11:30 In Celebration Of US
sign off 12 Midnight

E (WUND/2 Columbia/Edenton; WUNC/4
Chapel Hill; WUNK/25 Greenville, NC;
WUNL/26 Winston-Salem; WUNJ/39
Wilmington; WUNG/58 Concord)

1:45 Festival For The Fourth (North
Carolina's Bicentennial celebration,
from Raleigh)
4 PM Book Beat
4:30 Crockett's Victory Garden
5 PM Consumer Survival Kit
5:30 Wall Street Week
6 PM North Carolina People
6:30 World Press
7 PM Nova
8 PM Evening At Pops
9 PM Masterpiece Theatre: "Notorious
Woman" (Part 5)
10 PM Bill Moyers' Journal
sign off 11 PM

WBTV Ch. 3 Charlotte (CBS)

7 AM The Story
7:30 Light Unto My Path
8 AM In Celebration Of US
6 PM News
6:30 It Happened In The Carolinas
7 PM In Celebration Of Us continues
11 PM News
11:15 CBS News
11:30 In Celebration Of US
12 M Movie: "Career"
sign off 2 AM

WWAY Ch. 3 Wilmington (ABC)

7 AM Cavalcade Of Quartets
7:30 Spirit Of '76
8 AM Rev. Leonard Repass
8:30 Conrad Hinson Family
9 AM Day Of Discovery
9:30 Rex Humbard
10:30 Jerry Falwell
11:30 It Is Written
12 N Issues And Answers
12:30 McRoy Gardner (gospel music)
1 PM Formby's Antique Furniture Workshop
1:30 Great American Birthday Party (Harry
Reasoner anchors)
2:30 This Is Baseball
3 PM Carolina Sportsman
3:30 Great American Birthday Party
4:30 World Invitational Tennis: Chris
Evert vs. Evonne Goolagong
6 PM Focus
7 PM Billy Graham Bicentennial Festival
Of Faith
8 PM ABC Movie: "The New Land" (pilot
for a failed 1974 series)
10 PM Great American Birthday Party
11 PM ABC News (Bill Beutel)
11:15 Friends Of Man
11:45 Sacred Heart
sign off 12 Midnight

WRAL Ch. 5 Raleigh (ABC)

6:30 Gospel Singing Jubilee
7:30 Sister Gary
8 AM Fellowship Hour
8:30 I Love America
9 AM Oral Roberts
9:30 Good News
10 AM Light Unto My Path
10:30 Day Of Discovery
11 AM First Presbyterian Church
12 N Issues And Answers
12:30 Capital Close-Up
1 PM Carl Grey's Bicentennial
1:30 Great American Birthday Party
2:30 Festival For The Fourth (joined
in progress)
4 PM Lawrence Welk (his Bicentennial
show, the highest rating he ever got)
5 PM Movie: "The Big Show"
7 PM Billy Graham Bicentennial Festival
Of Faith
8 PM ABC Movie: "The New Land"
10 PM Great American Birthday Party
11 PM News
11:30 TBA
12:30 ABC News
sign off 12:45 AM

WECT Ch. 6 Wilmington (NBC)

7:30 Max Morris, A Preacher And His
Piano
8 AM Glorious Fourth (NBC's coverage)
10 AM Oral Roberts
10:30 Garner Ted Armstrong
11 AM Glorious Fourth continues
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth continues
6 PM Family Affair
6:30 NBC News (John Hart)
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope Special
10 PM Best Of The Fourth (John Chancellor
and David Brinkley anchor)
11 PM Movie: "Fort Apache" (the Western)
1 AM World Of Survival
sign off 1:30 AM

WITN Ch. 7 Washington, NC (NBC)

7 AM Vegetable Soup
7:30 Christian Viewpoint
8 AM Glorious Fourth
10 AM Rex Humbard
11 AM Glorious Fourth continues
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth continues
6 PM Tempo '76
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope
10 PM Best Of The Fourth
11 PM Good News
11:30 The Saint
sign off 12:30 AM

WGHP Ch. 8 High Point (ABC)

7:25 Religious News
7:30 Chaplain Of Bourbon Street
8 AM Gospel Expo
8:30 Jerry Falwell
9:30 Jimmy Swaggart
10 AM Hour Of Power
11 AM Great American Birthday Party
12 N Issues And Answers
12:30 Medix
1 PM Help Yourself
1:30 Great American Birthday Party
2:30 Bill Dance Outdoors
3 PM Porter Wagoner
3:30 That Good Ole Nashville Music
4 PM Movie: "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
6 PM Tarzan
7 PM Glory Road West
8 PM ABC Movie: "The New Land"
10 PM Great American Birthday Party
11 PM News
11:15 ABC News
11:30 Merv Griffin
1 AM News

WNCT Ch. 9 Greenville, NC (CBS)

8 AM Jerry Falwell
9 AM Oral Roberts
9:30 In Celebration Of US (joined in
progress)
6:30 CBS News
7 PM In Celebration Of US continues
11 PM CBS News
11:15 TBA
11:30 In Celebration Of US
sign off 12 Midnight

WSOC Ch. 9 Charlotte (NBC)

6:30 Jerry Falwell
7:30 Flames Of Revival
8 AM Glorious Fourth
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth continues
6 PM Garner Ted Armstrong
6:30 Wild Kingdom
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope
10 PM Best Of The Fourth
11 PM News
11:30 Jack Hudson Presents
12 M The Kopykats
sign off 1 AM

WIS Ch. 10 Columbia, SC (NBC)

5 AM Great American Celebration
(from 7 PM Saturday)
7 AM Gospel Singing Jubilee
7:30 South Carolina Pulpit
8 AM Glorious Fourth
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth continues
6 PM Sunday Report
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope
10 PM Best Of The Fourth
11 PM News
11:30 Virginian
1 AM With This Ring
sign off 1:15 AM

WTVD Ch. 11 Durham (CBS)

5 AM Great American Celebration
(from 7 PM Saturday)
7 AM Curious Kaleidoscope
7:30 Big Blue Marble
8 AM In Celebration Of US
6 PM Let's Go To The Races
6:30 CBS News
7 PM In Celebration Of US
11 PM News
11:15 CBS News
11:30 In Celebration Of US
12 M It Takes A Thief
1 AM The Story
sign off 1:30 AM

WCTI Ch. 12 New Bern (ABC)

7 AM Gospel Singing Jubilee
8 AM Rev. Danny White
8:30 Voice Of Victory
9 AM Four In Christ
9:30 Hour Of Power
10:30 Jerry Falwell
11:30 TBA
12 N Issues And Answers
12:30 Encounter
1 PM This Is Baseball
1:30 Movie: "Man's Favorite Sport?"
4 PM James Franciscus' Water World
4:30 WCT Tennis
6 PM Patsy Awards (Betty White and
Allen Ludden honor outstanding
animal actors)
6:30 Barney Miller (Candid Camera runs
in Barney's in-pattern slot, 8:30
Thursdays)
7 PM Glory Road West
8 PM ABC Movie: "The New Land"
10 PM Great American Birthday Party
11 PM ABC News
11:15 Sammy And Company
sign off 12:45 AM

WXII Ch. 12 Winston-Salem (NBC)

7 AM Rev. Leonard Repass
7:30 Flames Of Revival
8 AM Glorious Fourth
10 AM Midmorning's Glorious Fourth
(local version of NBC's program)
11 AM Glorious Fourth continues
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth continues
6 PM Campaign '76
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope
10 PM Best Of The Fourth
11 PM Wrestling
sign off 12 Midnight

WBTW Ch. 13 Florence, SC (CBS/ABC)

7 AM Gospel Singing Jubilee
8 AM Christ Is The Answer
8:30 New Life In Christ
9 AM Oral Roberts
9:30 Day Of Discovery
10 AM Involvement
10:30 Rex Humbard
11:30 Happening (public affairs)
12 N In Celebration Of US (joined in
progress)
6 PM Fisherman
6:30 CBS News
7 PM In Celebration Of US
8 PM Billy Graham Bicentennial
Festival Of Faith
9 PM Southern Methodist Salute
To America
10 PM In Celebration Of US
11 PM ABC News
11:15 CBS News
11:30 Jerry Falwell
sign off 12:30 AM

WCCB Ch. 18 Charlotte (ABC)

5 AM Great American Celebration
(from 7 PM Saturday)
7 AM Viking (the Viking Mars landing,
scheduled for today)
7:30 All Aboard America (the Freedom
Train, which carries America's
major documents)
8 AM Rev. Leroy Jenkins
8:30 Vision Outreach
9 AM Jimmy Swaggart
9:30 Movin' With Bluegrass
10 AM Hour Of Power
11 AM Great American Birthday Party
12 N Issues And Answers
12:30 Viewpoint
1 PM Ernest Angley
2 PM Steve Allen's Laugh Back
3:30 Nanny And The Professor
4 PM NFL Championship Games
4:30 WCT Tennis
6 PM Southern Sportsman
6:30 Freedom Is
7 PM Glory Road West
8 PM ABC Movie: "The New Land"
10 PM Great American Birthday Party
11 PM ABC News
11:15 News Review

WRDU (WRDC) Ch. 28 Durham (NBC)

7:30 Jerry Falwell
8:30 First Assembly
9 AM United Christian Fellowship
Miracle Crusade
9:30 Carolina Focus
10 AM Gospel Light
10:30 Sports Challenge
11 AM Church Service--Presbyterian
11:30 James Franciscus' Water World
12 N Meet The Press
1 PM Glorious Fourth
6 PM Wild Kingdom
6:30 NBC News
7 PM Happy Birthday, America
8:30 Bob Hope
10 PM Best Of The Fourth
11 PM PTL Club
sign off 1 AM

WRET (WCNC) Ch. 36 Charlotte (Ind.)

6:45 Sacred Heart
7 AM Your Future Is Now
7:30 People To People
8 AM Chaplain Of Bourbon Street
8:30 Rev. Thea Jones
9 AM Leroy Jenkins
9:30 Flintstones
10 AM Jimmy Swaggart
10:30 Movie: "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
1 PM Formby's Antique Furniture Workshop
1:30 This Is Baseball
2 PM PTL Club
4 PM Baseball: Braves-Giants
6:30 Putt Putt Golf (time approximate)
7 PM People To People
7:30 Rev. Thea Jones
8 PM Billy Graham Bicentennial Festival
Of Faith
9 PM Cry In The Wilderness
9:30 Moment Of Truth (religion)
10 PM PTL Club
sign off 12 Midnight

WTVI Ch. 42 Charlotte (PBS)

3:30 America, America, America
5 PM Erica (needlework)
5:30 Ilona's Palette
6 PM Wall Street Week
6:30 Lowell Thomas Remembers
7 PM Olympiad
8 PM Evening At Pops
9 PM Masterpiece Theatre
10 PM David Susskind
sign off 11:45 PM
 
I find it disheartening, yet ironic that, of the three networks, the American Broadcasting Company offered up less bicentennial special programming. A failed pilot in primetime? Come on! It appears the ABC affiliates at the time were more in the "spirit of '76" than the mothership.
 
While ABC had certainly reached parity with CBS
and NBC on the entertainment front, and probably
could have come up with something better than a
failed pilot, I don't think the news department was
quite there (Harry Reasoner had not been successful
anchoring solo, and Barbara Walters was about to join
him, with things only getting worse until "World News
Tonight" debuted in 1978) and couldn't afford the daylong
coverage that CBS and NBC provided.

But I have to agree that the affiliates were more into
the day than the network; I see, for example, "Yankee
Doodle Dandy" on WGHP, Lawrence Welk's Bicentennial
show on WRAL, Billy Graham on WWAY, and the "Great
American Celebration" all-Saturday-night syndicated special
on WCCB (WXIA, also an ABC affiliate at the time, had that
special in Atlanta).
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom