What's on TV? Monday, October 10, 2005

On Saturday I talked about how different 2005's TV Guide was from the issues we usually look at, and this is certainly apparent when we look at the daily programming guide.  For one thing, the listings - except for prime time - appear only in grid format, and only the prime time grid changes from day to day.

That's why, for example, you'll see "Various Programs" indicated on the listings below; if a station had different programming each day in the 2:00-3:00 pm time slot, for example, rather than take up the time with what each day's show is the grid simply lets you know you'd better check it out yourself if you're not sure.  They know what they're doing here, though - the publishers were only too aware that by this time the bulk of TV Guide's subscription base consisted of hotels and motels receiving complimentary copies; more and more, people were depending on on-screen guides for their daily viewing.  For the same reason, the listings begin at 6am and run through 1am (for some, they end at 10pm) - most of what's on overnight is either informercials or programs that were already shown during the day.

A few random notes on the programming itself - you'll notice there's not a single movie being shown, or at least not during the times listed.  What a change from the past!  Also, the proliferation of infomercials (not seen in the past, or limited to the odd half-hour here and there), smarmy talk shows and mock court programs (each one existing only an excuse for people to shout at each other) and back-to-back airings of a particular show.  As I say, the times they are a changin'. So let's see what we've got.  Our programs are from the Twin Cities.

	KTCA, Channel 2 (PBS)
	Morning
	06:00a	BBC World News
	06:30a	George Shrinks
	07:00a	Arthur
	07:30a	Clifford the Big Red Dog
	08:00a	Dragon Tales
	08:30a	Berenstain Bears
	09:00a	Calliou
	09:30a	Barney & Friends
	10:00a	Sesame Street
	11:00a	Zoboomafoo
	11:30a	Dragon Tales
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Clifford the Big Red Dog
	12:30p	Reading Rainbow
	01:00p	Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
	01:30p	Various Programs
	03:00p	Teletubbies
	03:30p	Postcards from Buster
	04:00p	Maya & Miguel
	04:30p	Arthur
	05:00p	Cyberchase
	05:30p	Nightly Business Report
	Evening
	06:00p	The Newshour with Jim Lehrer
	07:00p	Antiques Roadshow
	08:00p	American Experience
	10:00p	As Time Goes By
	10:30p	Chef!
	11:00p	Nova
	12:00a	The Newshour with Jim Lehrer

One area in which KTCA has progressed over the years is that it now has a full schedule of programs, with only the odd rerun here and there. There's no "educational" programming in the sense there once was - rather than Grade 6 Spanish, we've got animated shows and series geared for younger viewers.  

American Experience is one of PBS' best and longest-running series; this one, about the race to complete the transcontinental railroad, is a reminder not only of what television can show, but what the country itself used to be able to accomplish when it put its mind to it.

	WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS)
	Morning
	06:00a	News (local)
	07:00a	The Early Show
	09:00a	Ellen
	10:00a	The Price is Right
	11:00a	The Young and the Restless
	Afternoon
	12:00p	News (local)
	12:30p	The Bold and the Beautiful
	01:00p	As the World Turns
	02:00p	Guiding Light
	03:00p	Dr. Phil
	04:00p	Oprah Winfrey
	05:00p	News (local)
	05:30p	CBS Evening News with Bob Schieffer
	Evening
	06:00p	News (local)
	06:30p	Wheel of Fortune
	07:00p	King of Queens
	07:30p	How I Met Your Mother
	08:00p	Two and a Half Men
	08:30p	Out of Practice
	09:00p	CSI: Miami
	10:00p	News (local)
	10:35p	The Late Show with David Letterman (guest Orlando Bloom)
	11:35p	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (guest Dominic Monaghan)
	12:35a	Oprah Winfrey

Channel 4's morning lineup is very typical of what you see by this time - local news, followed by a two-hour network morning show, followed by a syndicated talk show.  CBS does have two types of programming in short supply by this time: soap operas (there are four of them), and the sole network game show still in existence.  The Price is Right may have changed hosts from Bob Barker to Drew Carey, but it's still going strong to this day.

	KSTP, Channel 5 (ABC)
	Morning
	06:00a	News (local)
	07:00a	Good Morning America
	09:00a	Regis & Kelly
	10:00a	The View
	11:00a	News (local)
	Afternoon
	12:00p	All My Children
	01:00p	One Life to Live
	02:00p	General Hospital
	03:00p	Cheers
	03:30p	Judge Judy
	04:00p	Judge Judy
	04:30p	Inside Edition
	05:00p	News (local)
	05:30p	ABC World News Tonight
	Evening
	06:00p	News (local)
	06:30p	Friends
	07:00p	Wife Swap
	08:00p	Monday Night Football (Steelers vs. Chargers)
	11:00p	News (local)
	11:35p	Nightline
	12:05a	King of Queens
	12:35a	My Wife and Kids

I'm not positive, but unless ABC has slipped in another gabfest following The View, this is the same lineup they use to this day. The more suspect programming is kept to a minimum: an hour of Judge Judy and then Inside Edition, but it's a far cry from what you'll see next.  Jimmy Kimmel is carried on Channel 5, but not until after My Wife and Kids; nowadays, KSTP has it in the prime 10:35 spot like everyone else.

	KMSP, Channel 9 (Fox)
	Morning
	06:00a	News (local)
	07:00a	News (local)
	08:00a	News (local)
	09:00a	Tony Danza
	10:00a	Montel Williams
	11:00a	Maury
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Tyra Banks
	01:00p	Montel Williams
	02:00p	Maury
	03:00p	Judge Joe Brown
	03:30p	Judge Joe Brown
	04:00p	Judge Alex
	04:30p	Judge Alex
	05:00p	Fear Factor
	Evening
	06:00p	Seinfeld
	06:30p	Seinfeld
	07:00p	Prison Break
	08:00p	Prison Break
	09:00p	News (local)
	10:00p	A Current Affair
	10:30p	Frasier
	11:00p	Will & Grace
	11:30p	Just Shoot Me
	12:00a	Will & Grace
	12:30a	Judge Alex

Yes, well - I think Channel 9's daytime lineup might be the most execrable I've ever seen.  Six hours of talk/shout fests, two hours of fake "judge" shows, and Fear Factor.  Honestly, can it possibly get any worse than this?  At least Channel 41 doesn't have anything more objectionable than infomercials (a sad commentary in and of itself).

	KARE, Channel 11 (NBC)
	Morning
	06:00a	News (local)
	07:00a	Today
	10:00a	News (local)
	11:00a	Martha
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Days of Our Lives
	01:00p	Passions
	02:00p	Starting Over
	03:00p	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
	03:30p	Access Hollywood
	04:30p	Jeopardy!
	05:00p	News (local)
	05:30p	NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
	Evening
	06:00p	News (local)
	06:30p	Entertainment Tonight
	07:00p	Surface
	08:00p	Las Vegas
	09:00p	Medium
	10:00p	News (local)
	10:35p	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (guest Keira Knightley)
	11:35p	Late Night with Conan O’Brien
	12:35a	Last Call with Carson Daly

Look at the spartan lineup presented in the morning - two hours of local news, three hours of Today, and Martha Stewart.  I've seen more programming on those stations that used to sign on at 10:00.  On the other hand, it was much easier to type this out.

	KTCI, Channel 17 (PBS)
	Morning
	06:00a	MNDOT Aviation Weather
	Afternoon
	05:00p	Sesame Street
	Evening
	06:00p	Dragonfly TV
	06:30p	Zoom
	07:00p	Commanding Heights: the Battle for the World Economy
	08:00p	Voices from Texas
	09:00p	Art in the Twenty-First Century

I don't think Channel 17 has Aviation Weather on anymore, but then again it's been over four years since I lived there so I can't be certain.  I think it was already off by the time I left, though.  I've mentioned that KTCI has had various programming periods throughout its history; sometimes it would simply present reruns of shows that had already aired, while other times - as it appears here - they're presenting a completely separate lineup.

	KMWB, Channel 23 (The WB)
	Morning
	06:00a	This Is Your Day
	07:00a	Believer’s Voice of Victory
	07:30a	Infomercials
	08:00a	Various Programs
	08:30a	Infomercials
	09:00a	The Parkers
	09:30a	Girlfriends
	10:00a	Roseanne
	10:30a	Andy Griffith
	11:00a	Jerry Springer
	Afternoon
	12:00p	The People’s Court
	01:00p	Judge Mathis
	02:00p	Texas Justice
	02:30p	Texas Justice
	03:00p	Pokeman
	03:30p	The Batman
	04:00p	Xialin Showdown
	04:30p	Transformers Cybertron
	05:00p	The People’s Court
	Evening
	06:00p	Extra
	06:30p	Sex and the City
	07:00p	7th Heaven
	08:00p	Just Legal
	09:00p	Insider
	09:30p	Extra
	10:00p	Sex and the City
	10:30p	South Park
	11:00p	South Park
	11:30p	Insider
	12:00a	Jerry Springer

Remember what I said about Channel 9's lineup being bad?  This isn't much better, although Pokeman does bring back memories of when our friend Taylor was a little boy.  Considering Channel 23 was at one time an all-religious station, I think their affiliation with The WB might provide one of the more dramatic changes in emphasis that we've seen.

	WFTC, Channel 29 (UPN)
	Morning
	06:00a	Infomercials
	07:00a	Trollz
	07:30a	Archie’s Weird Mysteries
	08:00a	Matlock
	09:00a	Hunter
	10:00a	Judge Hatchett
	10:30a	Divorce Court
	11:00a	Judge Hatchett
	11:30a	Divorce Court
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Family Feud
	12:30p	Family Feud
	01:00p	Cops
	01:30p	Cops
	02:00p	Cops
	02:30p	King of the Hill
	03:00p	King of the Hill
	03:30p	Yes, Dear
	04:00p	Home Improvement
	04:30p	Yes, Dear
	05:00p	Malcolm in the Middle
	05:30p	That ‘70s Show
	Evening
	06:00p	The Simpsons
	06:30p	The Simpsons
	07:00p	One on One
	07:30p	All of Us
	08:00p	Girlfriends
	08:30p	Half & Half
	09:00p	Everybody Loves Raymond
	09:30p	Everybody Loves Raymond
	10:00p	News (local)
	10:30p	That ‘70s Show
	11:00p	Malcolm in the Middle
	11:30p	Drew Carey
	12:00a	Fear Factor

There's not much variety to Channel 29's programming - lots of reruns, lots of hour-long blocks, not much quality.  Long story short - the Fox network first started out on Channel 9, but as it didn't have much early success KMSP gave up on it, and it moved to 29. It was only after Fox became successful that Channel 9 swapped their own UPN affiliation to get Fox back.  Which could happen, because the two stations had a common ownership.

	KPXM, Channel 41 (Pax)
	Morning
	06:00a	Infomercials
	06:30a	Through Bible
	07:00a	Infomercials
	07:30a	Life Today
	08:00a	Infomercials
	08:30a	Various Programs
	09:00a	Shepherd’s Chapel
	10:00a	Infomercials
	Afternoon
	05:00p	Various Programs
	Evening
	06:00p	Pyramid
	06:30p	Family Feud
	07:00p	Doc
	07:30p	The Nanny
	08:00p	Diagnosis Murder
	09:00p	Early Edition

I'll always have a fondness for Channel 41, which used to be the famed "TV Heaven," with a schedule that resembled that of MeTV or Antenna, long before that was cool.  (In fact, the creators of the "TV Heaven" concept later did the same thing for TV Land.)  At this point in time it's fallen in with Pax, and as you can see their afternoon programming is heavily dependent on infomercials.

	KSTC, Channel 45
	Morning
	06:00a	Shopper’s Showcase
	09:00a	A Different World
	09:30a	A Different World
	10:00a	The Cosby Show
	10:30a	The Cosby Show
	11:00a	Cagney & Lacey
	Afternoon
	12:00p	Various Programs
	01:00p	Magnum, P.I.
	02:00p	Hawaii Five-O
	03:00p	Little House on the Prairie
	03:30p	The Brady Bunch
	04:00p	Little House on the Prairie
	05:00p	My Wife & Kids
	05:30p	Bernie Mac
	Evening
	06:00p	King of Queens
	06:30p	Cheers
	07:00p	Mary Tyler Moore
	08:00p	Mad About You
	08:30p	Bewitched
	09:00p	Hogan’s Heroes
	09:30p	Green Acres

Channel 45 is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, which founded and still owns KSTP.  (The station's logo used to include the so-called "groovy" 5 that was used by Channel 5.)  For that reason, you'll see a lot of shows that either used to be on Channel 5 or switch back and forth between the two.  Meh -could be a lot worse. TV