May 11, 2015

What's on TV? Monday, May 7, 1979

This week we make our first of two visits this month to Phoenix.  In terms of programming, the Mountain time zone tends to mimic the Central, particularly in the prime time schedule.  I know virtually nothing about the television history of this area, but even there we'll be able to note a couple of things, so let's get started.


KOAI, Channel 2 (Flagstaff) (NBC)

Morning

06:00a
PTL Club

07:00a
Today (guests Danny and Marlo Thomas)

09:00a
Today in the Northland

09:30a
The Hollywood Squares (Loni Anderson, Foster Brooks, Charlie Callas, Richard Crenna, Brianne Leary, Paul Lynde, Roddy McDowall, Andrew Stevens, Francine Tacker)

10:00a
Card Sharks

10:30a
All Star Secrets (panelists Steve Allen, Ja’net DuBois, Steven Ford, Rose Marie, Ross Martin)

11:00a
Password (panelists Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth Hayes)

11:30a
Wheel of Fortune

Afternoon

12:00p
Navajo Nation Report

12:30p
Another World

02:00p
The Doctors

02:30p
Days of Our Lives

03:30p
PTL Club

04:30p
Bullwinkle

05:00p
Uncle Waldo

05:30p
NBC Nightly News (Chancellor/Brinkley)

Evening

06:00p
News (local)

06:30p
NAU Sports Profile

07:00p
Movie – “Rollercoaster”

09:30p
Whodunnit?

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Johnny Carson (guest host Rob Reiner, guests Martin Mull, Pete Barbuti)

You know, I'm not sure I've ever done one of these listings where Carson's actually been hosting Tonight.  It's either a night with no detail at all, or he's got a guest host.  Checking the rest of the week, it looks as if this is just Johnny's regular Monday night off, so we're stuck with Rob Reiner, who was still known as an actor back then.


KTVK, Channel 3 (ABC)

Morning

06:00a
World Religions

06:30a
Good Morning Phoenix

07:00a
Good Morning America (guest Burt Bacharach)

09:00a
Laverne & Shirley

09:30a
Ryan’s Hope

10:00a
All My Children

11:00a
One Life to Live

Afternoon

12:00p
General Hospital

01:00p
The Edge of Night

01:30p
Family Feud

02:00p
The $20,000 Pyramid

02:30p
Movie – “Skullduggery”

04:30p
The Beverly Hillbillies

05:00p
Chico and the Man

05:30p
ABC World News Tonight (Reynolds/Robinson/Jennings)

Evening

06:00p
News (local)

06:30p
Cross-Wits (guests Don Galloway, Polly Holliday, Bill Cullen, Vicki Lawrence)

07:00p
Battle of the Network Stars

09:00p
Playboy’s 25th Anniversary

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Police Story

11:40p
The Avengers

12:40a
News (local)

I wonder how many people would associate Playboy with anything other than comely young women?  I kid of course, but you can't really reprint short stories in a television show, and there's only so much coverage [sic] you can give to the Playmates, so what else do you do for an hour?  Judging from the description, it sounds as if the emphasis is on clips from Hugh Heffner's early '60s TV show, which feature top musical talent and some very interesting guests.  There are also a bunch of camp followers one might expect to see hanging around the mansion, Chevy Chase, Tony Curtis, Buck Henry, et al. And let's not even get into Battle of the Network Stars.


KPHO, Channel 5 (Ind.)

Morning

06:00a
700 Club

07:00a
The Flintstones

07:30a
Wallace and Ladmo

08:30a
Open House

09:00a
I Dream of Jeannie

09:30a
Bewitched

10:00a
Phil Donahue (guest author Raymond S. Moore)

11:00a
Make Me Laugh (guests Kip Addotta, Bill Kirchenbauer, the Unknown Comic, Robert Reed)

11:30a
News (local)

Afternoon

12:00p
Dick Van Dyke (B&W)

12:30p
Andy Griffith

01:00p
Marcus Welby, M.D.

02:00p
The Big Valley

03:00p
Gilligan’s Island

03:30p
Bugs Bunny

04:00p
Tom and Jerry

04:30p
Emergency One

05:30p
Adam-12

Evening

06:00p
Bob Newhart

06:30p
The Odd Couple

07:00p
The Rebels (part 1) (special)

09:00p
The Odd Couple

09:30p
News (local)

10:00p
The New Newlywed Game

10:30p
Movie – “They Marrying Kind” (B&W)

12:30a
Phil Donahue (guest author Raymond S. Moore)

01:30a
News (local)

The Rebels, part of a number of miniseries collectively known as The Kent Family Chronicles, was a production of Operation Prime Time, which for a time positioned itself as something of an alternative television network.  It provided original programming to a consortium of stations, both independent and (as in this case) affiliated, and did this successfully for a number of years.  Its most long-running progeny, which continues to this day?  Entertainment Tonight.


KAET, Channel 8 (PBS)

Morning

06:00a
Nova

07:00a
Over Easy (guest Cesar Romero)

07:30a
Lilias, Yoga and You

08:00a
Sesame Street

09:00a
The Electric Company

09:30a
Freestyle

10:00a
Sesame Street

11:00a
Masterpiece Theatre – Lillie, part 9

Afternoon

12:00p
Long Life and Prosperity

12:30p
Que Pasa, U.S.A.?

01:00p
David Susskind

02:00p
Artistry of Sung Ju Lee

02:30p
Villa Alegre

03:00p
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

03:30p
Sesame Street

04:30p
The Electric Company

05:00p
Sesame Street

Evening

06:00p
Over Easy (guest Anthony Quinn)

06:30p
The MacNeil/Lehrer Report

07:00p
Murder Most English

08:00p
Bill Moyers’ Journal

09:00p
World

10:00p
Dick Cavett (guest author Fritz Molden)

10:30p
The Forsyte Saga

11:30p
Firing Line

I don't mean to cop out here, but this is a thoroughly ordinary PBS schedule.  Nothing unusual or special about it.  I might, however, have been interested in the series Murder Most English, which turns out to be a collection of mystery episodes from Masterpiece Theatre.  It would later become its own series called, not surprisingly, Mystery.


KOOL, Channel 10 (CBS)

Morning

05:20a
Farm and Ranch Report

05:30a
Sunrise Semester (History of African Civilization)

06:00a
Monday Morning (Bob Schieffer)

07:00a
Captain Kangaroo

08:00a
All in the Family

08:30a
Whew!

08:55a
CBS News (Douglas Edwards)

09:00a
The Price is Right

10:00a
The Young and the Restless

10:30a
Search for Tomorrow

11:00a
News (local)

11:30a
As the World Turns

Afternoon

12:30p
The Guiding Light

01:30p
M*A*S*H

02:00p
Love of Life

02:30p
Dinah! (guests Lola Falana, Frankie Avalon, Peter Marshall, Jay Leno, Jay Johnson and Squeaky, Gloria Gaynor, Pia Zadora)

04:00p
Mike Douglas (co-host Ben Vereen, guests Tony Bennett, Patrick Duffy, Lola Falana, Johnny Yune, Vidal Sassoon)

05:30p
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

Evening

06:00p
News (local)

07:00p
The White Shadow

08:00p
M*A*S*H

08:30p
WKRP in Cincinnati

09:00p
Lou Grant

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
The Rockford Files

11:40p
McMillan & Wife

01:35a
Where the Jobs Are

02:05a
News (local)

The guest list from the afternon chatshows, Dinah! and Mike Douglas, are like a who's-who of celebrities of the late '70s and early '80s.  In other words, a mixed bag, to be sure.  I mean, look at Dinah Shore - Jay Leno and Pia Zadora.  We all know about Pia, but I wonder whatever happened to that Leno guy?  And who would have guessed that 35 years later, Patrick Duffy would still be associated with Dallas (at least until the sequel was cancelled) and Tony Bennett would still be turning out hits?


KTAR, Channel 12 (NBC)

Morning

05:55a
RFD 12

06:00a
Viewpoint

06:30a
The Archies

07:00a
Today (guests Danny and Marlo Thomas)

09:00a
Password (panelists Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth Hayes)

09:30a
The Hollywood Squares (Loni Anderson, Foster Brooks, Charlie Callas, Richard Crenna, Brianne Leary, Paul Lynde, Roddy McDowall, Andrew Stevens, Francine Tacker)

10:00a
Card Sharks

10:30a
All Star Secrets (panelists Steve Allen, Ja’net DuBois, Steven Ford, Rose Marie, Ross Martin)

11:00a
The Joker’s Wild

11:30a
Wheel of Fortune

Afternoon

12:00p
News (local)

12:30p
Another World

02:00p
The Doctors

02:30p
Days of Our Lifes

03:30p
The Six Million Dollar Man

04:30p
Mary Tyler Moore

05:00p
News (local)

05:30p
NBC Nightly News (Chancellor/Brinkley)

Evening

06:00p
News (local)

06:30p
Tic Tac Dough

07:00p
Movie – “Rollercoaster”

09:30p
Whodunnit?

10:00p
News (local)

10:30p
Johnny Carson (guest host Rob Reiner, guests Martin Mull, Pete Barbuti)

12:00a
Tomorrow (guest Daniel Sheehan)

Speaking of celebrities from the late '70s and early '80s, take a look at the panelists on the morning game show.  Steven Ford, Ja'net DuBois, Charlie Callas, Andrew Stevens, Foster Brooks.  There are some celebrities, like Steve Allen, who remain big names for a long time.  Others have, shall we say, a shorter shelf life.  Or they're so specifically associated with a certain time period, we only think of them in that way regardless of whatever else they might have done later.


KPAZ, Channel 21 (Ind.)

Morning

06:00a
Live Now

06:30a
Newborn

07:00a
Destined for the Throne

07:30a
Captain Andy

08:00a
Joy in the Morning

09:30a
Oral Roberts

11:00a
Spirit Song

11:30a
High Adventure

Afternoon

12:00p
Sharing

12:30p
It’s a Brand New Day

01:30p
Live Now

02:00p
Newborn

02:30p
Destined for the Throne

03:00p
The Good Life

03:30p
Let’s Just Praise the Lord

05:30p
Backyard

Evening

06:30p
Destined for the Throne

07:00p
Live Now

07:30p
Newborn

08:00p
Dan Griffin

08:30p
Roger McDuff

09:00p
Let’s Just Praise the Lord

12:00a
Love Special

01:00a
Joy in the Morning

02:00a
The Good Life

02:30a
Let’s Just Praise the Lord

04:30a
Dynamic Christianity

05:00a
The Good Life

05:30a
Jimmy Swaggart

KPAZ is obviously a religious station, don't you think?  No surprise, since its owner in 1979 was the then-fledgling Trinity Broadcast Network, which continues to own it to this day.  I used to drive by TBN's studio every day on the way to work here in Irving, until we moved to another part of town a couple of months ago. TV  

3 comments:

  1. The morning schedules are all over the place. (Remember Arizona isn't on daylight savings time, so it's defacto Pacific Time for much of the year.) The NBC affiliates are in step with the Eastern schedule, while CBS runs two hours earlier and ABC is three hours early! (The ABC affiliate was almost certainly just taking the east coast feed live.)
    --Wonder why Channel 2 named its noon newscast "Navajo Nation Report"? Did it spend the full show just talking about Indian affairs or was it just a branding thing?
    --"Another World" is 90 minutes long because NBC's daytime was struggling and the network admitted it didn't have a better plan.
    --Something I've always wondered is why, in the Phoenix market, ABC and an indy lucked out with the preferred VHF channel assignments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today, ABC is on UHF (Channel 15) in Phoenix.

      Fox is on Channel 10, and CBS is on Channel 5.

      And KTVK Channel 3 is an independent.

      Delete
  2. Ironically, "Mystery!" no longer exists as a separate series.

    Some years back, WGBH Boston (which packaged it) folded "Mystery!" back into another series it packages for PBS...(drum roll, please)......."Masterpiece Theatre"!

    Yes, "Mystery", which was spun-off from "Masterpiece Theatre" has been spun back into it!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!