Retro: Western Illinois, April 3, 1974

[Mike Stroud]

Historical perspective: this was the day that a massive outbreak of tornadoes struck the central and southern U.S. during the late afternoon and evening hours; programming may well have been pre-empted after around 4 p.m. or so.

Rock Island, Illinois:
(4) WHBF (CBS; now digital 4; PSIP same)

Quincy, Illinois:
(7) KHQA (CBS primary; ABC secondary; now digital 7; PSIP same; NOTE: licensed to Hannibal, Missouri; ABC available on digital sub-channel now)
(10) WGEM (NBC; now digital 10; PSIP same)

Moline, Illinois:
(8) WQAD (ABC; now digital 38; PSIP 8)

Peoria, Illinois:
(19) WRAU (ABC; now WHOI on digital 19; PSIP same)
(25) WEEK (NBC; now digital 25; PSIP same)
(31) WMBD (CBS; now digital 30; PSIP 31)
(47) WTVP (PBS; now digital 46; PSIP 47)

Springfield, Illinois:
(20) WICS (NBC; now ABC affiliate on digital 42; PSIP 20)

Kirksville, Missouri/Ottumwa, Iowa:
(3) KTVO (ABC; now digital 33; PSIP 3)

Davenport, Iowa:
(6) WOC (NBC; now KWQC on digital 36; PSIP 6)

For programs on channel 71, LaSalle/Peru, Illinois, see WMBD--according to Wikipedia, WMBD maintained this translator during the 1960s and 1970s


MORNING
6:25 a.m.
(4) Great Bible Stories--unsure if local or syndicated

6:30
(4) Garner Ted Armstrong--religion
(10) Jack LaLanne Show
(20) Viewpoint on Nutrition--probably local

6:50
(7) Kup's Farm Komments--local (this is certainly NOT veteran Chicago broadcaster Irv Kupcinet, known for his "Kup's Show")

6:55
(6) Today in Agriculture--local
(19) Professor Kitzel--cartoons and (probably) local children's show
(31) Farm Feature--local

7:00
(4) (7) (31) CBS Morning News--Hughes Rudd, anchor
(6) (10) (20) (25) Today Show--Frank McGee, Barbara Walters (sadly, McGee died before the end of the month from bone cancer; in a high irony, one of this day's topics was the link between cancer and smoking)
(19) New Zoo Revue

7:30
(3) Water's Family--perhaps Gospel music
(8) Christophers--religious program from a Catholic order
(19) Samson--cartoon (?)

7:45
(8) Quad Cities, A.M.--local morning show

8:00
(3) Sesame Street--no PBS outlet in southern Iowa and northern Missouri at the time
(4) (7) (31) Captain Kangaroo
(19) Tennessee Tuxedo

8:25
(8) Earl Nightingale

8:30
(8) Modern Supervision--adult education (?)
(19) I Love Lucy

9:00
(3) Osmonds--ABC cartoon; probably tape-delayed from the little-known Sunday morning lineup
(4) (31) Joker's Wild
(6) (20) (25) Dinah's Place--guests, country singers Eddy Arnold, Tammy Wynette and George Jones (the latter two married at the time)
(7) (8) Educational Series--perhaps in-school programming in place of PBS affiliates?
(10) New Zoo Revue
(19) Phil Donahue--show may have still been based in Dayton, Ohio then
(47) Sesame Street--WTVP was the only PBS outlet in this listing

9:30
(3) Living Easy with Dr. Joyce Brothers--pop psychologist tried her hand at a women's talkfest in the mid-70s
(4) (31) Gambit
(6) (10) (20) (25) Jeopardy!--from all indications, this and "Gambit" pretty much tied in the ratings, making it all the more difficult to understand why NBC would move it to 1:30 Eastern/12:30 Central in July
(7) Studio 7--local (perhaps music)

10:00
(3) Galloping Gourmet--no recipe listed
(4) (7) (31) Now You See It
(6) (10) (20) (25) Wizard of Odds--Alex Trebek, in his first U.S. gig, helmed this "Price is Right" wannabe
(8) Romper Room
(19) All My Children (tape-delay from ABC)
(47) Electric Company

10:30
(3) (8) (19) Brady Bunch--ABC rerun
(4) (7) (31) Love of Life
(6) (10) (20) (25) Hollywood Squares

10:55
(4) (7) (31) CBS News--Douglas Edwards, anchor

11:00
(3) (8) (19) Password
(4) (7) (31) Young and the Restless
(6) (10) (20) (25) Jackpot!

11:30
(3) (8) (19) Split Second
(4) (7) (31) Search for Tomorrow
(6) (10) (20) (25) Celebrity Sweepstakes

11:55
(6) (10) (20) (25) NBC News--Edwin Newman, anchor

AFTERNOON
12:00
(3) KTVO News
(4) Dick Van Dyke--rerun
(6) WOC News
(7) KHQA News
(8) All My Children
(10) Dinah's Place (tape-delayed from 9 a.m.)
(19) WRAU News
(20) WICS News
(25) Green Acres--rerun
(31) WMBD News

12:15
(3) Town/Country Forum--local
(7) Hal Barton--local variety show

12:25
(31) Town and Country--probably local women's show

12:30
(3) (4) (7) (31) As the World Turns--note ABC affil KTVO tapping in the feed here
(6) (10) (20) (25) Three on a Match
(8) (19) Let's Make a Deal

1:00
(3) (8) (19) Newlywed Game
(4) (7) (31) Guiding Light
(6) (10) (20) (25) Days of Our Lives

1:30
(3) (8) (19) Girl in My Life
(4) (7) (31) Edge of Night
(6) (10) (20) (25) Doctors

2:00
(3) (8) (19) General Hospital
(4) (7) (31) Price is Right
(6) (10) (20) (25) Another World

2:30
(3) (8) (19) One Life to Live
(4) (7) (31) Match Game
(6) (10) (20) (25) How to Survive a Marriage

3:00
(3) (19) Love, American Style--ABC rerun; "The $10,000 Pyramid moved here on May 6
(4) (7) Tattletales
(6) (10) (20) Somerset
(8) Petticoat Junction--rerun
(25) Cartoons (probably no local host anymore)
(31) Movie--"Stage to Thunder Rock," 1964
(47) Sesame Street

3:30
(3) (10) All My Children--tape-delayed from ABC
(4) Mike Douglas (60-minute version)
(6) Cap'n Ernie--almost certainly local kids' show (some were still going despite ACT and the FCC)
(7) Gambit--tape-delayed from CBS (five minues shaved off somehow, though)
(8) Munsters
(19) I Dream of Jeannie
(20) Flipper
(25) Gilligan's Island

3:55
(7) Joker's Wild--tape-delayed from CBS

4:00
(3) Not for Women Only--Barbara Walters, host
(6) I Dream of Jeannie
(8) (19) Lucy Show (1962-68; different episodes)
(10) Beat the Clock--unsure if Jack Narz or Gene Wood episode
(20) Gilligan's Island
(25) Bonanza
(47) Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

4:25
(7) Bonanza

4:30
(3) (10) Let's Make a Deal--tape-delayed from ABC
(4) Hogan's Heroes
(6) Merv Griffin (60-minute version)
(8) Gomer Pyle, USMC
(19) Dick Van Dyke
(20) Courtship of Eddie's Father
(47) Electric Company

(network news info courtesy of Vanderbilt TV News Archive: http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/)

5:00
(3) KTVO News
(4) Gilligan's Island
(8) (19) ABC Evening News--(?)
(10) To Tell the Truth--guest panelist, Gene Rayburn
(20) Beverly Hillbillies
(25) Gomer Pyle, USMC
(31) Addams Family

5:25
(7) KHQA Weather

5:30
(3) ABC Evening News
(4) (7) (31) CBS Evening News--(?)
(6) (10) (20) (25) NBC Nightly News--(?)
(8) Star Trek--episode where Spock crash lands on a planet and tries to leave
(19) WRAU News
(47) What's New--appears to be rerun of old NET 1960s science show for kids

EVENING
6:00
(3) KTVO News
(4) WHBF News
(6) WOC News
(7) KHQA News
(10) WGEM News
(19) Truth or Consequences--Bob Barker still holding court after 18 years (except for one spent between the NBC run and syndication, in 1965-66)
(20) WICS News
(25) WEEK News
(31) WMBD News
(47) Child Development--probably adult education course

6:25
(6) Comment--a/k/a station editorial

6:30
(3) Porter Wagoner--legendary country singer's half-hour hoedown; Dolly Parton was still on the show then
(4) New Price is Right--syndicated Dennis James version (I thought the word "New" had been dropped back in the Summer of 1973?)
(6) Adam-12--tape-delayed from NBC, probably from the previous week
(7) Dragnet--rerun of 1967-70 version
(8) Passover--religious special; unsure if local or syndicated
(10) Circus!--unusual syndie offering hosted by none other than Bert Parks, which profiled circuses from all over the world
(19) Hogan's Heroes
(20) To Tell the Truth--Larry ("What's My Line?") Blyden, guest panelist
(25) To Tell the Truth--Anita Gillette, guest panelist
(31) Beat the Clock--probably Gene Wood episode

6:45
(47) Theonie--PBS cooking show

7:00
(3) (8) (19) The Cowboys--this short-lived Western featured future "Dallas" star Jim Davis
(4) (7) (31) Sonny and Cher--guests: Ken Berry, George Foreman (described as "embroiled in a dough-throwing bout at Sonny's Pizza Parlor"), and Miss Teenage America Lori Lei Matsukawa
(6) (10) (20) (25) Flip Wilson Cartoon--DePatie/Freleng rendition of the comedy star's childhood (no kidding here)
(47) Washington Connection--probably PBS

7:30
(3) (8) (19) Movie--"The Gun and the Pulpit," 1974 TV-movie
(6) (10) (20) (25) Hallmark Hall of Fame--"Crown Matrimonial," about the abdication of King Edward VIII of England in the early 20th century
(47) Theater in America--"A Memory of Two Mondays" by Arthur Miller

8:00
(4) (7) (31) Cannon

9:00
(3) (8) (19) Doc Elliot--James Franciscus starred in this middle-of-the-pack drama
(4) (7) (31) Kojak--episode about "graft and corruption in the city government"
(6) (10) (20) (25) NBC News Presents: Special Edition (hold on to your hats, folks, it's just another of the Peacock Network's unsuccessful magazine attempts of this decade)
(47) Firing Line--Phyllis Schlafly (a native Illinoisan) and an ERA proponent butt heads under Bill Buckley's umpiring

10:00
(3) KTVO News
(4) WHBF News
(6) WOC News
(7) KHQA News
(8) WQAD News
(10) WGEM News
(19) WRAU News
(20) WICS News
(25) WEEK News
(31) WMBD News (with no independents and WTVP having signed off for the night, what can you do? ...)

10:30
(3) Geraldo Rivera: Good-Night, America--ABC late-night offering that may have been the controversial reporter's first national outing
(4) Wild, Wild West--rerun
(6) (10) (20) (25) Tonight Show--Charles Aznavour (famous for "Yesterday When I Was Young"), guest
(7) (31) Movie--"Situation Hopeless--But Not Serious," 1965 (CBS late night)
(8) Dragnet
(19) Mod Squad--syndicated rerun

11:00
(8) Movie--"Enter Laughing," 1967

11:30
(4) Rawhide
(19) Geraldo Rivera: Good-Night, America (same as 10:30 p.m. above)

12:00 a.m.
(6) (10) (20) (25) Tomorrow (no guests listed)

12:30
(4) Country Music Time--perhaps local (?)
(7) KHQA News

1:00
(4) WHBF News
(6) WOC News
(8) Gospel Singing--probably local
(10) WGEM News
(19) WRAU News
(20) WICS News

1:30
(8) WQAD News

 

[wbhist]

Springfield, Illinois:
(20) WICS (NBC; now ABC affiliate on digital 42; PSIP 20)

MORNING
6:30
(20) Viewpoint on Nutrition--probably local

No, it was a nationally syndicated show (based in L.A., I.I.N.M.), lasting from 1970 to 1998, and hosted by Dr. Arnold Pike. Its theme music was the same as a snippet used from the 1970's into the early '90's for the sounder of all-news 1010 WINS in New York City.

 

[Mike Stroud]

Oh, another thing. Since the Vanderbilt TV News Archive site was down when I wrote the retro, I forgot to insert the newscasters on this night. They were:

ABC Evening News: Howard K. Smith, Harry Reasoner
CBS Evening News: Walter Cronkite
NBC Nightly News: John Chancellor

 

[SteveRichards]

Quincy, Illinois:
(7) KHQA (CBS primary; ABC secondary; now digital 7; PSIP same; NOTE: licensed to Hannibal, Missouri; ABC available on digital sub-channel now)
(10) WGEM (NBC; now digital 10; PSIP same)

KHQA was exclusively CBS at this point. WGEM, however, was secondary ABC, as indicated WGEM airing "All My Children" and "Let's Make a Deal." There's a good chance WGEM was taking those shows from an off-air feed of KTVO.

None of the listed CBS affiliates were clearing "Sunrise Semester" at this point.

6:50
(7) Kup's Farm Komments--local (this is certainly NOT veteran Chicago broadcaster Irv Kupcinet, known for his "Kup's Show")

"Kup" was Chuck Kuppler, KHQA's farm director. A few years later, KHQA gave him 15 minutes or so at 7AM, bumping back the "CBS Morning News" to 6AM from the East Coast feed.

(7) Studio 7--local (perhaps music)

This was a local interview show produced at KHQA's Hannibal studio. A few years later, it was truncated to 15 minutes and aired at 7:15 following Kuppler's farm report. "Romper Room" eventually filled-out the hour till 8AM; not sure if "Romper Room" was the original show in the 7:30 slot.

12:30
(3) (4) (7) (31) As the World Turns--note ABC affil KTVO tapping in the feed here

KTVO still had a secondary CBS affiliation at this point, and may have even cleared an NBC show on occasion (KTVO was primary CBS until 1968, with secondary NBC and ABC affiliations). I had previously believed that KTVO eliminated both "As the World Turns" and "Search for Tomorrow" from CBS at the same time, but apparently "Search" got bumped off a time before ATWT.
KTVO likely picked up the off-air feed of KCCI (KRNT) in Des Moines for CBS programming, or possibly KHQA. It's my understanding that KTVO did not have a direct network feed until it became a primary ABC affiliate in 1968.

 

[radiorob2.0]

Flip Wilson Cartoon--DePatie/Freleng rendition of the comedy star's childhood (no kidding here)

That was what I was watching as a six year old when the Lexington NBC affiliate WLEX was knocked off the air. Within minutes the CBS and ABC affiliate were off the air. We then tuned to WHAS-TV Louisville but moments later we lost power. The only local radio station on the air was WLAP only because they had a generator. Lexington didn't have a touchdown but the events from earlier in the day and the continuing threat made everyone cautious especially at night.

 

[azumanga]

Flip Wilson Cartoon--DePatie/Freleng rendition of the comedy star's childhood (no kidding here)

The name of the special was "Clerow Wilson and the Miracle of P.S. 14", which was first telecast in 1972. Apparently, Flip Wilson wanted his own "Fat Albert", after the success of Bill Cosby's animated special on NBC, which led to the long-running Saturday morning series on CBS.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Historical perspective: this was the day that a massive outbreak of tornadoes struck the central and southern U.S. during the late afternoon and evening hours; programming may well have been pre-empted after around 4 p.m. or so.

Other than tornado warning bulletins that may have appeared on at least the Peoria stations (for the McLean and Logan county tornadoes) and on WICS Springfield (for those in Christian, Logan, Piatt and Macon counties), I don't think there would have been very many programming interruptions for storm coverage among the stations listed in the old Western Illinois edition, as the Super Outbreak didn't really get going until east of the Illinois River (but I have read that as far west as the Peoria area was under a tornado watch that fateful 4/3/1974). See this county damage link below on this site devoted to the Super Outbreak of 1974:

http://www.april31974.com/county_damage.htm

Another historical footnote about April 3, 1974 in the Midwest: the Wabash Valley Fault was shaking that day to as a magnitude 4.3 earthquake affected southern Illinois, and caused damage in Indiana and Illinois, that evening (in the midst of the tornado outbreak). That quake was centered near West Salem, IL--near the epicenter of the Apr. 18, 2008 quake. That quake in the midst of the Super Outbreak would have been felt all throughout Western Illinois and as far away as Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and even as far east as Virginia:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/wisconsin/history.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Salem,_Illinois

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/illinois/history.php

 

[Mike Stroud]

Flip Wilson Cartoon--DePatie/Freleng rendition of the comedy star's childhood (no kidding here)

That was what I was watching as a six year old when the Lexington NBC affiliate WLEX was knocked off the air. Within minutes the CBS and ABC affiliate were off the air. We then tuned to WHAS-TV Louisville but moments later we lost power. The only local radio station on the air was WLAP only because they had a generator. Lexington didn't have a touchdown but the events from earlier in the day and the continuing threat made everyone cautious especially at night.

Talk about a feat of memory!!! radiorob, that is truly amazing that you can remember exactly what TV stations you were watching on the night of the Super Outbreak, something that happened nearly 40 years ago. I guess it's something akin to people remembering exactly what happened on the day of the JFK assassination or 9/11. Being six, a tornado had to be something quite scary for you to boot.