tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post459093354166088971..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: What's on TV? Thursday, January 21, 1965Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-66970531307906652772016-01-20T23:06:00.611-05:002016-01-20T23:06:00.611-05:00After Storer bought channel 38 in April 1965 (the ...After Storer bought channel 38 in April 1965 (the calls changed in October) afternoon ABC programs preempted by WNAC were shown there.<br /><br />WJZB did simulcast Huntley-Brinkley from WWLP. The local news before H-B was also from WWLP. WJZB never transmitted in color, and by 1967 the only shows they did air were WWLP news and Huntley-Brinkley.Maureen Carneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-75031446628681285822016-01-20T06:37:06.319-05:002016-01-20T06:37:06.319-05:00In those early days Australia never really had net...In those early days Australia never really had networked schedules - each city and different members of the same network rarely had common schedules, they were all programmed at a local level, so we never really had the issue of programs airing simultaneously across two time-zones. <br /><br />And sitcoms, unless they were of a particularly 'mature' nature, were rarely scheduled to start after 8.00pm at all. That's why I was surprised to see <i>Bewitched</i> airing at 9.00. It just seemed odd to think of it at 9.00 as that timeslot for us is usually reserved for more adult fare.<br /><br />Networked scheduling never really became commonplace until the mid-late 1980s but even then scheduling was done in local time at each time zone, so if a program is scheduled at 8.30 it's at 8.30 in each time-zone, not 8.30 in some and 7.30 in others.Television.AUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903689901203419868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-2975691445514132212016-01-19T17:22:32.613-05:002016-01-19T17:22:32.613-05:00Soem notes:
(1) WJZB Worcester was originally kno...Soem notes:<br /><br />(1) WJZB Worcester was originally known as WWOR, and was broadcasting off-and-on from 1953 until 1969. For most of it's life (after about 1958; it was briefly an ABC and DuMont affiliate in it's earliest years), it was a satellite of NBC affiliate WWLP Springfield.<br /><br />But Worcester was too close to Boston for WJZB to become a "big three" affiliate. However, it carried the NBC news, perhaps because parent station WWLP suggested to the network that it would help WJZB's "public service" (and perhaps also help at FCC license renewal time).<br /><br />WJZB went-off the air for good in 1969 after a fire destroyed their transmitter. <br /><br />(2) WIHS was originally owned by the Boston Archdiocese (hence the morning programming for Catholic schools in the area).<br /><br />In 1966, Storer Communications bought WIHS and changed the call letters to WSBK ("SBK" was Storer's stock ticker symbol).<br /><br />Although WIHS (which went on the air in October of 1964) carried some collegiate sports events,. the station moved into sports in a big way after Storer bought the station. Around 1967, it began carrying Boston Bruins hockey team (and would through 2002), adding the Boston Red Sox in 1975 (which they'd carry until 1995 and again from 2003 through 2005). They also carried Boston Celtics basketball for a time as well.<br /><br />(3) The other Group W station affiliated with NBC at the time (KYW of Cleveland; it was moved to Philadelphia later in 1965 under FCC orders, undoing an ownership swap a decade earlier with that network concerning Cleveland and Philly), and it too carried both Steve Allen's 1962-64 show and Regis Philbin's short-lived 1964-65 show instead of Johnny Carson (I believe that apart from the Group W cities, both shows were broadcast in late-afternoon in most cities).<br /><br />A few months later, Regis was replaced by Merv Griffin. WBZ continued to pre-empt Carson and carry Griffin in late-night. When KYW moved to Philly, I think they began carrying Carson. WBZ finally did so in the fall of 1966.<br /><br />WBZ and KYW both stopped carrying "Tonight" during the short-lived "America After Dark" fiasco in 1957; both bailed out of the show a month before Jack Paar took over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-76189549734656450142016-01-19T12:32:53.852-05:002016-01-19T12:32:53.852-05:00I don't know if you've got time zones in A...I don't know if you've got time zones in Australia - your country certainly is large enough.<br />Anyway, Boston is in the Eastern Standard Time zone, where primetime was then 7:30 to 11 pm.<br />In Chicago, where I was at the time, subtract one hour, and <i>Bewitched</i>, comes on at 8 pm.<br />Here in the USA, we grew up with that litany: <br /><i>9 Eastern - 8 Central Time!</i><br />What was the Australian equivalent?Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-25507318868493183032016-01-19T04:29:59.879-05:002016-01-19T04:29:59.879-05:00Bewitched at 9.00? Seems quite late for that sort ...<i>Bewitched</i> at 9.00? Seems quite late for that sort of sitcom... or maybe I'm just too used to never seeing it in prime time!Television.AUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903689901203419868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-9708443598609162742016-01-18T11:55:54.872-05:002016-01-18T11:55:54.872-05:00Group W, Westinghouse's TV syndication arm, ow...Group W, Westinghouse's TV syndication arm, owned Regis Philbin's show.<br />It was an emergency replacement for Steve Allen, who ended the show he was doing for them rather abruptly.<br />Group W also owned WBZ-TV in Boston, one of five stations they owned in various cities. These stations were affiliated with all three networks; Group W's boss, Donald McGannon, often asserted his "independence" by dropping network offerings in favor of his own company's products, such as in this case.<br />A few years after this, McGannon came up with the Prime Time Access Rule, ostensibly to promote "diversity" in local programming; this came to be regarded as nothing more than trying to put Group W in the syndication business in a big way (the whole story has been written up elsewhere).<br />Prime Time Access backfired big time, not only for the FCC, but for McGannon and Group W: almost all their shows flopped.<br /> ... but that (as Mr. Kipling said) is <i>another</i> story ...Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.com