Retro: Susquehanna Valley Thurs, July 13, 1978

[Bluenoser]

from Lancaster Sunday News
The Sunday News' listings didn't indicate B&W programs

WMAR 2-CBS Baltimore
6:30 Summer Semester
7:00 CBS Morning News
8:00 My Three Sons
8:30 Romper Room
9:00 Captain Kangaroo
10:00 Joker's Wild
10:30 Price is Right
11:30 Love of Life
11:55 CBS News
noon Young & the Restless
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
1:00 2's Company
1:30 As the World Turns
2:30 Guiding Light
3:30 All in the Family
4:00 Tom & Jerry
4:30 Bonanza
5:30 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 Newlywed Game
7:30 $25,000 Pyramid
8:00 Waltons
9:00 Hawaii Five-O
10:00 Barnaby Jones
11:00 News
11:30 M*A*S*H
12:05 McCloud "Lady on the Run"
2:10 News

KYW 3-NBC Philadelphia
6:00 Farm Market Report
6:15 Body Politics
6:45 Farm, Home & Garden
6:55 News
7:00 Today
9:00 Morning
9:30 Express Way
10:00 Card Sharks
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 New High Rollers
11:30 Wheel of Fortune
noon News
12:30 Gong Show
1:00 For Richer, For Poorer
1:30 Days of Our Lives
2:30 Doctors
3:00 Another World
4:00 Merv Griffin
5:30 News
6:30 NBC Nightly News
7:00 Evening Magazine
7:30 Match Game PM
8:00 Meeting House
8:30 Black Edition
9:00 James at 15
10:00 What Really Happened to the Class of '65
11:00 News
11:30 Tonight Show (Rich Little pinch-hits for Johnny)
1:00 Tomorrow
2:00 News

WRC 4-NBC Washington
6:00 Knowledge
6:30 Not for Women Only
7:00 Today
9:00 Mike Douglas
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 New High Rollers
11:30 Wheel of Fortune
noon Card Sharks
12:30 To Tell the Truth
1:00 For Richer, For Poorer
1:30 Days of Our Lives
2:30 Doctors
3:00 Another World
4:00 Gong Show
4:30 Sanford & Son
5:00 Mary Tyler Moore
5:30 News
6:30 NBC Nightly News
7:00 Newlywed Game
7:30 Family Feud
8:00 CHiPs
9:00 James at 15
10:00 What Really Happened to the Class of '65
11:00 News
11:30 Tonight Show (Rich Little subs for Johnny)
1:00 Tomorrow
2:00 Take Five with Stiller & Meara

WTTG 5-Ind Washington
6:00 Education
6:30 New Zoo Revue
7:00 Tom & Jerry
7:30 Porky Pig
8:00 Flintstones
8:30 Deputy Dawg
9:00 Dennis the Menace
9:30 Father Knows Best
10:00 Dick Van Dyke
10:30 That Girl
11:00 Medical Center
noon Panorama
2:00 High Hopes
2:30 I Love Lucy
3:00 Archies
3:30 Mickey Mouse Club
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Tom & Jerry
5:00 Flintstones
5:30 Partridge Family
6:00 My Three Sons
6:30 Family Affair
7:00 Andy Griffith
7:30 Brady Bunch
8:00 Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau "The Smile of the Walrus"
9:00 Merv Griffin
10:00 News
11:00 Odd Couple
11:30 Perry Mason
12:30 Movie "Angel and the Badman"
2:30 FBI

WPVI 6-ABC Philadelphia
6:00 Operation Alphabet
6:30 Perspective
7:00 Good Morning America
8:00 Captain Noah & His Magical Ark (did many stations jump out of GMA after 1 hour in those days?)
9:00 Donahue
10:00 AM Philadelphia
11:00 Happy Days
11:30 Family Feud
noon News (cue the marching band )
12:30 Ryan's Hope
1:00 All My Children
2:00 One Life to Live
3:00 General Hospital
4:00 Merv Griffin
5:30 News
6:30 ABC World News Tonight (this title was just launched the previous Monday)
7:00 To Tell the Truth
7:30 Hollywood Squares
8:00 Welcome Back, Kotter
8:30 What's Happening!!
9:00 Movie "Return to Fantasy Island"
11:00 News
11:30 Starsky & Hutch
12:37 Toma
1:45 Delaware: Perspective

WGAL 8-NBC Lancaster
6:05 Farm, Home & Garden
6:25 News
6:30 Lewis Family
7:00 Today
9:00 Mike Douglas (co-host Tony Bennett, info wasn't listed for Mike's other stations)
10:00 Card Sharks
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 New High Rollers
11:30 Wheel of Fortune
noon Sanford & Son
12:30 Noonday on 8
1:00 To Tell the Truth
1:30 Days of Our Lives
2:30 Doctors
3:00 Another World
4:00 For Richer, For Poorer
4:30 Merv Griffin
6:00 News
6:30 NBC Nightly News
7:00 Muppet Show
7:30 Hollywood Squares
8:00 CHiPs
9:00 James at 15
10:00 What Really Happened to the Class of '65
11:00 News
11:30 Tonight Show (Rich Little subs for Johnny)
1:00 Tomorrow
2:00 News

WCAU 10-CBS Philadelphia
6:00 Summer Semester
6:30 Groupview
7:00 CBS Morning News
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 Joel A. Spivak
10:00 Tic Tac Dough
10:30 Price is Right
11:30 Love of Life
11:55 CBS News
noon Young & the Restless
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
1:00 Match Game '78
1:30 As the World Turns
2:30 Guiding Light
3:30 All in the Family
4:00 Dinah!
5:30 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 Newlywed Game
7:30 Muppet Show
8:00 Waltons
9:00 Hawaii Five-O
10:00 Barnaby Jones
11:00 News
11:30 M*A*S*H
12:05 McCloud "Lady on the Run"
2:10 Movie "The Vintage"
4:00 News
4:35 Joel A. Spivak

WBAL 11-NBC Baltimore
6:30 Learning to Do
7:00 Today
9:00 Donahue
10:00 Baltimore at Ten
10:30 Hollywood Squares
11:00 New High Rollers
11:30 Wheel of Fortune
noon News
12:30 Bewitched
1:00 For Richer, For Poorer
1:30 Days of Our Lives
2:30 Doctors
3:00 Another World
4:00 Brady Bunch
4:30 Emergency One!
5:30 Mary Tyler Moore
6:00 News
6:30 NBC Nightly News
7:00 Bowling
7:30 Match Game PM
8:00 CHiPs
9:00 James at 15
10:00 What Really Happened to the Class of '65
11:00 News
11:30 Tonight Show (Rich Little subs for Johnny)
1:00 Tomorrow
2:00 News

WHYY 12-PBS Wilmington
9:00 Sesame Street
10:00 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
10:30 Electric Company
11:00 Zoom
11:30 Antiques
noon Cookin' Cajun
12:30 Dick Cavett
1:00 Over Easy
1:30 Nova
2:30 Forsyte Saga
3:30 Lilias, Yoga & You
4:00 Sesame Street
5:00 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6:00 News
6:25 Delaware State Lottery
6:30 Over Easy
7:00 MacNeil-Lehrer Report
7:30 Dick Cavett
8:00 Once Upon a Classic "Robin Hood" (pt 9)
8:30 In Search of the Real America
9:00 World "Three Days in Szczecin" (dock workers vs the Communists, dramatized in a film based on actual tape recordings from Polish workers)
10:00 Masterpiece Theatre "Poldark II" (pt 6)
11:00 Captioned ABC News
11:30 Crime of Passion

WJZ 13-ABC Baltimore
5:50 Sign-On Seminar
6:20 News
6:30 Not for Women Only
7:00 Good Morning America
9:00 Marcus Welby, MD
10:00 Express Way
10:30 On Location
11:00 Happy Days
11:30 Family Feud
noon News
12:30 Ryan's Hope
1:00 All My Children
2:00 One Life to Live
3:00 General Hospital
4:00 Edge of Night
4:30 Mike Douglas
6:00 News
7:00 ABC World News Tonight
7:30 Evening Magazine
8:00 Welcome Back, Kotter
8:30 What's Happening!!
9:00 Movie "Return to Fantasy Island"
11:00 News
11:30 Starsky & Hutch
12:37 Toma
1:45 News
1:55 Take Five with Stiller & Meara

WLYH 15-CBS Lancaster/Lebanon
6:30 Good Morning
7:00 CBS Morning News
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 Donahue
10:00 Good Morning
10:30 Price is Right
11:30 Love of Life
noon Young & the Restless
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
1:00 Match Game '78
1:30 As the World Turns
2:30 Guiding Light
3:30 All in the Family
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Bugs Bunny
5:00 Emergency One!
6:00 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 Rookies
8:00 Waltons
9:00 Hawaii Five-O
10:00 Barnaby Jones
11:00 News
11:30 M*A*S*H
12:05 McCloud "Lady on the Run"
2:10 News

WPHL 17-Ind Philadelphia
8:55 News
9:00 Delaware Valley Forum
9:30 Romper Room
10:00 700 Club
11:30 Manna
noon Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet
12:30 Family Affair
1:00 Movie "Crack in the Mirror"
3:00 Great Adventure
4:00 Mickey Mouse Club
4:30 Speed Racer
5:00 Ultra Man
5:30 Spiderman
6:00 My Three Sons
6:30 Get Smart
7:00 Carol Burnett & Friends
7:30 Odd Couple
8:00 Rookies
9:00 Movie "The Best of Everything"
11:30 Movie "Hell Raiders"
1:05 Delaware Valley Forum

WHP 21-CBS Harrisburg
6:30 Summer Semester
7:00 PTL Club
9:00 Captain Kangaroo
10:00 Tic Tac Dough
10:30 Price is Right
11:30 Love of Life
noon Young & the Restless
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
1:00 High Hopes
1:30 As the World Turns
2:30 Guiding Light
3:30 All in the Family
4:00 Match Game '78
4:30 Little Rascals
5:00 Brady Bunch
5:30 Petticoat Junction
6:00 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 Pennsylvania Lottery Daily Number
7:01 Cross-Wits
7:30 Joker's Wild
8:00 Waltons
9:00 Hawaii Five-O
10:00 Barnaby Jones
11:00 News
11:30 M*A*S*H
12:05 McCloud "Lady on the Run"
2:10 News

WTPA 27-ABC Harrisburg
7:00 Good Morning America
9:00 Dinah!
10:30 Romper Room
11:00 Happy Days
11:30 Family Feud
noon $20,000 Pyramid
12:30 Ryan's Hope
1:00 All My Children
2:00 One Life to Live
3:00 General Hospital
4:00 Edge of Night
4:30 Batman
5:00 Bewitched
5:30 News
6:00 ABC World News Tonight
6:30 Liars Club
7:00 Mary Tyler Moore
7:30 Odd Couple
8:00 Welcome Back, Kotter
8:30 What's Happening!!
9:00 Movie "Return to Fantasy Island"
11:00 News
11:30 Starsky & Hutch
12:37 Toma

WTAF 29-Ind Philadelphia
6:50 Community Update
7:00 Archies
7:30 Elmer Fudd/Porky Pig
8:30 Lone Ranger
9:00 PTL Club
11:00 News
11:30 Not for Women Only
noon Funky Phantom
12:30 Elmer Fudd/Porky Pig
1:00 High Hopes
1:30 Courtship of Eddie's Father
2:00 Partridge Family
2:30 Dastardly & Mutley
3:00 Daffy Duck
3:30 Tom & Jerry
4:00 Bugs Bunny
4:30 Tom & Jerry
5:00 Road Runner
5:30 Gilligan's Island
6:00 Bewitched
6:30 Joker's Wild
7:00 Mary Tyler Moore
7:30 Hogan's Heroes
8:00 Movie "Slaves"
10:30 Hollywood Connection
11:00 Sgt. Bilko
11:30 Movie "Watch It Sailor"
1:25 Movie "Dangerous Charter"

WITF 33-PBS Hershey
9:00 Sesame Street
10:00 Crockett's Victory Garden
10:30 Food Preserving
11:00 Bit with Knit
11:30 Antiques
noon Rebop
12:30 Dick Cavett
1:00 Over Easy
1:30 Economically Speaking
2:00 Nova
3:00 Lilias, Yoga & You
3:30 Villa Alegre
4:00 Sesame Street
5:00 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
5:30 Electric Company
6:00 Weather/World
6:15 Farm, Home & Garden
6:30 Over Easy
7:00 MacNeil-Lehrer Report
7:30 360
8:00 Once Upon a Classic "Robin Hood" (pt 9)
8:30 Pieces of Greenwood (a look at the now-defunct Iron Furnace in Huntington Co)
9:00 World "Three Days in Szczecin"
10:00 Masterpiece Theatre "Poldark II" (pt 6)
11:00 Dick Cavett
11:30 Captioned ABC News
mid. Captioned Local News (given that WITF runs the captioned ABC news, I'm guessing that they picked up WTPA's news?)

WSBA 43-CBS York
7:00 CBS Morning News
8:00 Captain Kangaroo
9:00 700 Club
10:30 Price is Right
11:30 Love of Life
noon Young & the Restless
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
1:00 Encounter with Lew Doolittle
1:30 As the World Turns
2:30 Guiding Light
3:30 All in the Family
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Bugs Bunny
5:00 Emergency One!
6:00 News
6:30 CBS Evening News
7:00 Rookies
8:00 Waltons
9:00 Hawaii Five-O
10:00 Barnaby Jones
11:00 News
11:30 M*A*S*H
12:05 McCloud "Lady on the Run"

WBFF 45-Ind Baltimore
6:45 News
7:00 Three Stooges/Cartoons
7:30 Little Rascals/Our Gang Comedies
8:00 Flintstones
8:30 Gilligan's Island
9:00 Partridge Family
9:30 I Love Lucy
10:00 Dinah!
11:30 Lucy Show
noon Big Valley
1:00 Movie "Two Guys from Milwaukee"
3:00 Munsters
3:30 Flintstones
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Batman
5:00 Gilligan's Island
5:30 Gomer Pyle
6:00 I Dream of Jeannie
6:30 Get Smart
7:00 Hogan's Heroes
7:30 I Love Lucy
8:00 Perry Mason
9:00 Movie "Assignment Terror"
11:00 Lucy Show
11:30 Movie "The White Squaw"
12:50 News

WKBS 48-Ind Philadelphia
10:00 Edge of Night
10:30 Delaware Valley
11:30 New Zoo Revue
noon $20,000 Pyramid
12:30 Star Trek
1:30 Beverly Hillbillies
2:00 Dennis the Menace
2:30 Brady Kids
3:00 Banana Splits
3:30 Huck & Yogi
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Munsters
5:00 Woody Woodpecker
5:30 Monkees
6:00 Emergency One!
7:00 Star Trek
8:00 Movie "A Guy Named Joe"
10:30 Honeymooners
11:00 America 2Night
11:30 Movie "The Redhead and the Cowboy"

 

[RyanHoward]

That should have been "Mike Douglas" at 4 pm on KYW-3, not "Merv Griffin." Merv was on WPVI-6.

 

[Bluenoser]

That should have been "Mike Douglas" at 4 pm on KYW-3, not "Merv Griffin." Merv was on WPVI-6.

Oops :-[ Didn't notice that when I proofread it. IIRC, KYW was where the show was done out of?

 

[RyanHoward]

At the time of that listing(July 1978), Mike's show was still out of KYW; it would move to
Hollywood that September, for better selection of guests.

 

[mleach]

WKBS 48-Ind Philadelphia
10:00 Edge of Night
10:30 Delaware Valley
11:30 New Zoo Revue
noon $20,000 Pyramid
12:30 Star Trek
1:30 Beverly Hillbillies
2:00 Dennis the Menace
2:30 Brady Kids
3:00 Banana Splits
3:30 Huck & Yogi
4:00 Fred Flintstone & Friends
4:30 Munsters
5:00 Woody Woodpecker
5:30 Monkees
6:00 Emergency One!
7:00 Star Trek
8:00 Movie "A Guy Named Joe"
10:30 Honeymooners
11:00 America 2Night
11:30 Movie "The Redhead and the Cowboy"

I was in Atlantic City not long before these listings ( the day Bob Crane was murdered ) and I could have sworn that WKBS started their broadcast day earlier than 10am though. I DO rememebr watching Huck & Yogi though at 3:30.

Kinda surprised WRC's listings are featured here but NOT WJLA and WTOP/WDVM's. I didn't think WRC's signal would have made it that far north. The lack of Hagerstown, MD's WHAG-TV in these listings are a bit of a surprise too.

 

[DToTheJ]

WTAF 29-Ind Philadelphia
7:30 Elmer Fudd/Porky Pig
12:30 Elmer Fudd/Porky Pig
3:00 Daffy Duck
4:00 Bugs Bunny
5:00 Road Runner

Wow, did WTAF stretch the Looney Tunes cartoons, or what?

 

[ixnay]

7/13/1978 - my eventual stepdad's 52nd birthday. By his 53rd, he'd started courting my mother (and met me). They've been married since 1980.

Back close to the topic... WGAL is the only media outlet that I've seen, heard, or read that referred to the Lanc/Hbg/York market as "the Susquehanna Valley" or sometimes, "Sus-Q Valley".

Did that toponym originate at WGAL, one of the other stations in the market, or one of the papers in the market?

Also...

Was WGAL owned by Pulitzer in mid-1978? When did Pulitzer buy it? And when was it sold to Hearst Argyle? Does H-A still own it? wgal.com's front page doesn't say and I won't take my chances with Wiki.

ixnay

 

[azumanga]

Does H-A still own [WGAL]? wgal.com's front page doesn't say and I won't take my chances with Wiki.

wgal.com does have a link for Hearst at the bottom of its front page -- it's right near the bottom, above the logo for CNN.

 

[mleach]

Back close to the topic... WGAL is the only media outlet that I've seen, heard, or read that referred to the Lanc/Hbg/York market as "the Susquehanna Valley" or sometimes, "Sus-Q Valley".

Did that toponym originate at WGAL, one of the other stations in the market, or one of the papers in the market?

I can remember watching WLYH's "Action News 15" in early 1983 when the anchor was the infamous Larry Mendte and I can remember him saying the words "the Susquehanna Valley".

 

[Bluenoser]

Back close to the topic... WGAL is the only media outlet that I've seen, heard, or read that referred to the Lanc/Hbg/York market as "the Susquehanna Valley" or sometimes, "Sus-Q Valley".

SouthernMedia news music site has a WLYH clip from when Leland Perry (sp?) was anchoring there.

 

[harrisburgpatv]

Bluenoser,

Thanks for this! I have loads of SE PA TVG's from this area and will have to post some schedules. It was neat to see a schedule for WBFF, which wasn't added to the SE PA TVG until 1985.

Here's some comments I'd like to throw along on the stations (Harrisburg's) that I've pretty much grew up with and followed my whole life..

CBS let its affiliates choose whether it wanted to show MG at 1pm or 4pm. I think WHP-21 changed MG's timeslot more times than I've ever seen! It was shuffled around between 1pm and 4pm quite a bit in '78 and '79 (before it was canceled).

WGAL's "Noonday on 8" *always* pre-empted the 12:30 NBC offering. What finally brought the show to noon (where it remains to this day) was when "The Doctors" moved back 90 minutes to the 12:30 slot....WGAL moved Noonday to be able to still show "The Doctors"

WTPA-27 had an odd setup during the 5:30-7pm window. Local news came on at 5:30, the national news telecast aired at 6, and they aired syndicated fare at 6:30pm. They finally ended this in September 1981 when ABC News was moved to the familiar 6:30 slot.

WITF aired the trio of "Sesame Street", "Mister Rogers", and "The Electric Company", in that order, from 4 to 6 for most of the '70s. Occasionally, old TVG's would list MR at 4, SS at 4:30, and TEC at 5:30. They also aired a second helping of SS at 9am (which was the same episode as the one that would air later in the afternoon) in the summers during the '70s. The show still airs at 9am, but its second helping is at 7pm. WITF is the only station I know that does this.

 

[timmyb]

Back close to the topic... WGAL is the only media outlet that I've seen, heard, or read that referred to the Lanc/Hbg/York market as "the Susquehanna Valley" or sometimes, "Sus-Q Valley".

Did that toponym originate at WGAL, one of the other stations in the market, or one of the papers in the market?

ixnay

ix,

WGAL is definitely and relentlessly the only station in this market to refer to the area as "The Susquehanna Valley." It mus be an edict by the top at the station to never ever call "The Mid-State" or "Central PA" or "Southcentral PA" as the others do.

WHTM - The Midstate

WHP - either The Midstate or Central PA

WPMT - usually Southcentral PA

harrisburgpatv, please PM me sometime soon. You seem to be a treasure trove of PA TV knowledge!!

 

[ixnay]

Back close to the topic... WGAL is the only media outlet that I've seen, heard, or read that referred to the Lanc/Hbg/York market as "the Susquehanna Valley" or sometimes, "Sus-Q Valley".

Did that toponym originate at WGAL, one of the other stations in the market, or one of the papers in the market?

ixnay

ix,

WGAL is definitely and relentlessly the only station in this market to refer to the area as "The Susquehanna Valley." It mus be an edict by the top at the station to never ever call "The Mid-State" or "Central PA" or "Southcentral PA" as the others do.

WHTM - The Midstate

WHP - either The Midstate or Central PA

WPMT - usually Southcentral PA

Timmyb, see mleach’s post towards the bottom of page 1 re WLYH.

Azumanga, thanks for the confirmation. Now I can give H-A some advice…. End the confusion! Get new calls for Ch. 8! They are too similar and the station too geographically close to its fellow NBC afifliate WBAL!

ixnay

 

[azumanga]

Now I can give H-A some advice…. End the confusion! Get new calls for Ch. 8! They are too similar and the station too geographically close to its fellow NBC afifliate WBAL!

Yet both stations had their calls since signing on in 1948 (WBAL) and 1949 (WGAL).

 

[Markd]

WKBS-TV Sign on times - along with other Philadelphia independent Stations

Philadelphia sign ons of independent stations were quite unusual.

Yes, WKBS-TV did not sign on until 10 AM in the Summer of 1978. Channel 17 WPHL was the same way. Actually the Philadelphia independent TV stations all signed on between 10 AM and Noon until the fall of 1973.

In the fall of 1973 WTAF 29 began 7 AM sign on with a cartoon block. Channel 48 WKBS-TV followed suit a week later. But after Christmas of 1973, both stations reverted to 10 to 11 AM sign ons again. In the Fall of 1974, Channel 48 began sign ons at 7 AM weekdays again and Channel 29 followed suit. That January, Channel 29 reverted to 9:30 sign ons and Channel 48 reverted to 10:30 AM sign ons.

In the Fall of 1975, Channel 29 again began 7 AM sign ons. Channel 48 did as well but with cartoons from 7 to 8 AM. Channel 48 then ran the PTL Club from 8 to 10 AM weekdays followed by rejected ABC shows and Del Valley talk show. Channel 29 dropped went back to 9:30 AM sign ons in February of 1976 and Channel 48 kept sign ons at 8 AM due to the PTL Club.

The week before labor day of 1976, WTAF 29 began 7 AM sign on times again and Channel 48 WKBS followed suit once again signing on at 5 AM for PTL Club followed by the cartoons at 7 AM and sitcoms at 9 AM and rejected ABC shows at 10 AM and Delaware Valley at 11 AM. PTL Club was dropped that fall and was not on in the market until the Spring, bringing Channel 48 to 7 AM sign on by late September of 1976.

After New YEars in 1977, Channel 29 ended 7 AM sign ons once again and began 9:30 AM sign ons on weekdays, WKBS TV Channel 48 once again followed suit and began signing on at 10 AM with ABC rejects, followed by Delaware Valley at 11 AM and rejected NBC shows from Noon to 12:30 and from 1 PM to 1:30. Sitoms ran in betweeen. That March, Channel 29 began 9 AM sign Ons with the PTL CLub followed by public affairs from 11 to Noon and a cartoon at noon and sitcoms until 2:30 PM. These late sign ons continued all the way until the last week of August of 1977.

The last week of August of 1977, Channel 48 began 6:30 AM sign ons once again. They ran cartoons until 9 AM, NBC rejects until 10 AM, ABC rejects until 11 AM, sitcoms Noon to 2:30 PM. Two weeks later Channel 29 began 7 AM sign ons with cartoons until 9 AM, PTL at 9 AM, and Public affairs at 11 AM. Channel 29, from the fall of 1977 on signed on before 7 AM. They would never pull back their sign ons later again.

Channel 48, however, once more dropped morning programming late in December 1977 and began 10 AM weekday sign ons again with ABC rejects then Delaware Valley and then classic sitcoms after 11:30 AM. They remained this way until the end of Summer of 1978. The Summer of 1978 was their lamest lineup resting most of their stronger shows.

Finally in the fall of 1978, WKBS TV Channel 48 begins 6:30 AM sign ons and earlier. From then on they would be on the air a full day. Saturday sign ons were still like at 9 AM but Sundays and weekdays began their day before 7 AM. Channel 29 also remained with before 7 AM sign ons from 1977 on.

Now Channel 17 continued 9:30 and 10 AM weekday sign on times consistantly until the Winter of 1979 when they would finally add morning programs signing on at 7 AM or earlier. They did not go back and forth the way Channels 29 and 48 did. Channel 17 did sign on at 7 AM on Weekends from the early 70's on.

 

[ixnay]

Now I can give H-A some advice…. End the confusion! Get new calls for Ch. 8! They are too similar and the station too geographically close to its fellow NBC afifliate WBAL!

Yet both stations had their calls since signing on in 1948 (WBAL) and 1949 (WGAL).

I believe you. But H-A didn't buy WGAL until a few years ago. Owning two similarly lettered.... ahhhh, never mind.

ixnay

 

[mleach]

Re: WKBS-TV Sign on times - along with other Philadelphia independent Stations

Philadelphia sign ons of independent stations were quite unusual.

Yes, WKBS-TV did not sign on until 10 AM in the Summer of 1978. Channel 17 WPHL was the same way. Actually the Philadelphia independent TV stations all signed on between 10 AM and Noon until the fall of 1973.

In the fall of 1973 WTAF 29 began 7 AM sign on with a cartoon block. Channel 48 WKBS-TV followed suit a week later. But after Christmas of 1973, both stations reverted to 10 to 11 AM sign ons again. In the Fall of 1974, Channel 48 began sign ons at 7 AM weekdays again and Channel 29 followed suit. That January, Channel 29 reverted to 9:30 sign ons and Channel 48 reverted to 10:30 AM sign ons.

In the Fall of 1975, Channel 29 again began 7 AM sign ons. Channel 48 did as well but with cartoons from 7 to 8 AM. Channel 48 then ran the PTL Club from 8 to 10 AM weekdays followed by rejected ABC shows and Del Valley talk show. Channel 29 dropped went back to 9:30 AM sign ons in February of 1976 and Channel 48 kept sign ons at 8 AM due to the PTL Club.

The week before labor day of 1976, WTAF 29 began 7 AM sign on times again and Channel 48 WKBS followed suit once again signing on at 5 AM for PTL Club followed by the cartoons at 7 AM and sitcoms at 9 AM and rejected ABC shows at 10 AM and Delaware Valley at 11 AM. PTL Club was dropped that fall and was not on in the market until the Spring, bringing Channel 48 to 7 AM sign on by late September of 1976.

After New YEars in 1977, Channel 29 ended 7 AM sign ons once again and began 9:30 AM sign ons on weekdays, WKBS TV Channel 48 once again followed suit and began signing on at 10 AM with ABC rejects, followed by Delaware Valley at 11 AM and rejected NBC shows from Noon to 12:30 and from 1 PM to 1:30. Sitoms ran in betweeen. That March, Channel 29 began 9 AM sign Ons with the PTL CLub followed by public affairs from 11 to Noon and a cartoon at noon and sitcoms until 2:30 PM. These late sign ons continued all the way until the last week of August of 1977.

The last week of August of 1977, Channel 48 began 6:30 AM sign ons once again. They ran cartoons until 9 AM, NBC rejects until 10 AM, ABC rejects until 11 AM, sitcoms Noon to 2:30 PM. Two weeks later Channel 29 began 7 AM sign ons with cartoons until 9 AM, PTL at 9 AM, and Public affairs at 11 AM. Channel 29, from the fall of 1977 on signed on before 7 AM. They would never pull back their sign ons later again.

Channel 48, however, once more dropped morning programming late in December 1977 and began 10 AM weekday sign ons again with ABC rejects then Delaware Valley and then classic sitcoms after 11:30 AM. They remained this way until the end of Summer of 1978. The Summer of 1978 was their lamest lineup resting most of their stronger shows.

Finally in the fall of 1978, WKBS TV Channel 48 begins 6:30 AM sign ons and earlier. From then on they would be on the air a full day. Saturday sign ons were still like at 9 AM but Sundays and weekdays began their day before 7 AM. Channel 29 also remained with before 7 AM sign ons from 1977 on.

Now Channel 17 continued 9:30 and 10 AM weekday sign on times consistantly until the Winter of 1979 when they would finally add morning programs signing on at 7 AM or earlier. They did not go back and forth the way Channels 29 and 48 did. Channel 17 did sign on at 7 AM on Weekends from the early 70's on.

Very interesting to hear about those late start times for the Philly indies back then. OTOH..down south in the Baltimore-Washington area their three indies ( WTTG, WDCA and WBFF ) pretty much throughout the 70's all three had started their broadcast day quite early ( between 6 and 7am ). Maybe the reason for all of this is that Philly had THREE such stations ( WPHL. WTAF and WKBS ) which means fewer shows to pick from while down south with Baltimore and DC being seperate markets there was some overlap even though back then WTTG, WDCA and WBFF were all available on cable and of course OTA in each other cities, actually there was a time when WTTG I think actually targeted Baltimore viewers for a time, likewise with WBFF and DC and Virginia. Actually I seem to remember watching an interview years ago with the late George Lewis who was Captian Chesapeake on WBFF for many years when he made the claim that about 70% of the mail he had received from "crew members" were from VIRGINIA. Likewise with "Captain 20" who has said in the past that he had recieved almost as much mail from Baltimore viewers than he did with DC's.

On a similar note for some reason I seem to recall hearing that when Baltimore's WNUV channel 54 had dropped the suscription pay service "Super TV" in 1985, plans were to make WNUV a regional Baltimore AND Washington "superstation" to compete more with WDCA & WTTG and LESS than with WBFF. I think WNUV even tried to get on cable in DC and on the systems in Virginia...of course that never did happen.

 

[Markd]

WTAF 29's many runs of Looney Toons and Merri Melodies

Actually prior to September of 1978, WTAF-TV 29 owned the broadcast rights to two out of three Looney Toons and Merri Melodies packages. They owned the pre 1948 color cartoons including the early Bugs Bunny (and the 1940-47 Porky Pig and Daffy Duck cartoons as well) ones all syndicated by AAP/MGM. They also owned the post 1948 Looney Toons and Merri Melodeies packages which included Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester & Tweety, Road Runner, among others. Those were syndicated by Warner Brothers. The package they were missing were the pre 1941 black and white but colorized Porky Pig and Daffy Duck cartoons. Those were also syndicated by Warner Brothers. Wile those cartoons were made in black and white, color was added to them in the late 1950's. Channel 6 WPVI owned those and ran them during Captain Noah and The Magical Ark show.

In the Fall of 1978, Channel 17 WPHL would acquire the pre 1941 Looney Toons from Channel 6, when Captain Noah was relegated to weekends in order to run the entire Good MOrning America show. At that time, 17 WPHL also acquired the post 1948 Looney Toons and Merri Melodies cartoons leaving Channel 29 with only the MGM syndicated pre 48 Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig cartoons.

When Channel 17 left the kids business in 1980, Channel 48 WKBS TV acquired the post 48 Warner Brothers cartoons and the pre 41 colorized Warner Brothers cartoons. Channel 29 continued with the pre 48 color warner bros cartoons syndicated by AAP/MGM. When Channel 48 went dark, Channel 17 got the Warner Brothers cartoons back once again.

 

[azumanga]

Re: WTAF 29's many runs of Looney Toons and Merri Melodies

The package they were missing were the pre 1941 black and white but colorized Porky Pig and Daffy Duck cartoons. Those were also syndicated by Warner Brothers. Wile those cartoons were made in black and white, color was added to them in the late 1950's.

I thought it was the late-1960s that these toons were colorised, as almost all of them had the the late-1960s "W7" shield at the start and end of each short.

 

[Markd]

It was likely the 60's when those Porky Pig cartoons had color added to them. You are likely right. Just got the decade wrong