1968 in American television
Television related events in the USA during 1968
This is a list of American television-related events in 1968.
Events
Date | Event | Ref. |
---|---|---|
January 20 | The TVS Television Network broadcasts the first-ever syndicated primetime college basketball game at the Houston Astrodome. Billed as "The Game of the Century", the Houston Cougars defeat the UCLA Bruins 71–69. | |
February 6 | ABC's coverage of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France became the first Olympics, Summer or Winter, to be telecast in color on any American network. | |
April 2 | NBC broadcasts a television special in which British singer Petula Clark appears with Harry Belafonte as her guest. An innocent, affectionate gesture between the two during a song (Clark touches Belafonte on the arm) has prompted concern from the show's sponsor (Chrysler Corporation) due to the difference in their races. | |
April 4 | Singer James Brown appears on national television in an attempt to calm feelings of anger following the assassination of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. | |
September 9 | Two CBS soap operas, Search for Tomorrow and The Guiding Light, expand to 30 minutes per episode. | |
October 12–27 | ABC broadcasts coverage of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico. This was the first Summer Olympics to be telecast in color in the United States. | |
October 14 | First live television broadcast from a spacecraft in orbit, during the Apollo 7 mission. There are six broadcasts during the eleven-day mission. | |
October 19 | Bea Benaderet makes her final physical appearance as Kate Bradley on the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction. This particular episode actually aired six days after her death from lung cancer. Benaderet's final overall episode of Petticoat Junction would air one week later and would feature only her voice with her stand-in filmed from the rear. | |
November 17 | Protest ensues when NBC breaks away from the final minutes of an American Football League game to air a TV movie adaptation of Heidi, much to the outrage of the network's AFL viewers. After the break away, the Oakland Raiders scored two touchdowns to defeat the New York Jets, 43–32, in the final minute of play. | [1][2][3] |
WABC-TV debuted the Eyewitness News format on behalf of news director Al Primo. | [4] | |
November 22 | An interracial kiss was aired in the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren". The kiss was shared by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. | |
December 24 | The reading a passage from the Book of Genesis from Apollo 8 is telecast worldwide, with a report that there is a Santa Claus. This marked the fourth television broadcast from the spacecraft during the space mission. | [5] |
Other events and statistics in 1968
- The last round-screen color TV sets were produced by all American manufacturers.
Television programs
Debuts
Date | Debut | Network |
---|---|---|
January 6[6] | Happening '68 | ABC |
January 8 | The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau | ABC |
January 22 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | NBC |
February 19[7] | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood | NET |
June 12 | Black Journal | NET |
June 16[8] | Animal World | NBC |
July 1 | Premiere | CBS |
July 15[9][10] | One Life to Live | ABC |
September 7 | Arabian Knights | NBC |
September 7 | The Banana Splits | NBC |
September 7 | Danger Island | NBC |
September 12 | Soul! | WNDT |
September 14[11] | The Adventures of Gulliver | ABC |
September 14 | The Archie Show | CBS |
September 14 | Fantastic Voyage | ABC |
September 14[12] | Go Go Gophers | CBS |
September 14 | Wacky Races | CBS |
September 15[13] | The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | NBC |
September 17 | Julia | NBC |
September 18[14] | The Outsider | NBC |
September 20 | Hawaii Five-O | CBS |
September 20 | The Name of the Game | NBC |
September 21[15] | Adam-12 | NBC |
September 21 | The Ghost & Mrs. Muir | NBC |
September 23[16] | Mayberry R.F.D. | CBS |
September 23 | The Outcasts | ABC |
September 24 | 60 Minutes | CBS |
September 24[17] | The Doris Day Show | CBS |
September 24[18] | The Mod Squad | ABC |
September 24 | That's Life | ABC |
September 25 | The Good Guys | CBS |
September 25 | Here Come the Brides | ABC |
September 26 | Blondie | CBS |
September 26[19] | Journey to the Unknown | ABC |
September 26 | The Ugliest Girl in Town | ABC |
Ending this year
Date | Show | Network | Debut | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 15 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | NBC | 1964 | ||||
January 20 | Birdman and the Galaxy Trio | 1967 | |||||
February 10 | Maya | NBC | September 26, 1967 | ||||
March 2 | ABC Scope | ABC | November 11, 1964 | ||||
March 6 | Lost in Space | CBS | 1965 | ||||
March 11 | The Lucy Show | 1962 | |||||
March 12 | Super Sisters | ABC | - | March 14 | Batman | ABC | 1966 |
March 25 | The Monkees | NBC | 1966 | ||||
The Bell Telephone Hour | 1959 | ||||||
The Fulton Sheen Program | Syndication | 1961 | |||||
March 27 | Run for Your Life | NBC | 1965 | ||||
April 1 | The Andy Griffith Show[20] | CBS | 1960 | ||||
April 15 | I Spy | NBC | 1965 | ||||
September 9 | Premiere | CBS | 1968 | ||||
Unknown | The Gumby Show | Syndication | 1957 | ||||
The Road Runner Show (returned in 1971) | CBS | 1966 |
Television specials
Title | Network | Date(s) of airing | Notes/Ref, |
---|---|---|---|
He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown | CBS | February 14 | |
Elvis | NBC | December 3 | Elvis Presley's first television appearance in seven years; highest rated television special of 1968. |
Networks and services
Network launches
Network | Type | Launch date | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Kentucky Educational Television | Regional Over-the-air public broadcast | September 23 | [21] |
Network conversions and rebrandings
Network | Type | Conversion date | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Sports Network Incorporated | Hughes Television Network | Unknown |
Television stations
Sign-ons
Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 1 | Macon, Georgia | WMUM-TV | 29 | NET | Part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting television network |
January 2 | San Francisco, California | KBHK-TV | 44 | Independent | |
January 4 | Joplin, Missouri | KUHI-TV | 16 | CBS | |
January 6 | Dayton, Ohio | WSWO-TV | 26 | Independent | |
January 19 | Cleveland, Ohio | WKBF-TV | 61 | Independent | |
February | Galveston, Texas | KVVV-TV | 16 | Independent | |
February 4 | Brookings, South Dakota | KESD-TV | 8 | NET | Part of South Dakota Public Broadcasting |
February 5 | Dallas, Texas | KDTV | 39 | Independent | |
February 13 | Lexington/Jackson, Tennessee | WLJT-TV | 11 | NET | |
February 15 | Vincennes, Indiana | WVUT | 22 | NET | |
February 26 | St. Johnsbury, Vermont | WVTB | 18 | NET | Satellite of WETK/Burlington; part of the Vermont ETV network |
March 15 | Las Vegas, Nevada | KLVX | 10 | NET | |
March 18 | Rutland, Vermont | WVER | 9 | NET | Satellite of WETK/Burlington; part of the Vermont ETV network |
Windsor, Vermont | WVTA | 24 | |||
April 1 | San Francisco, California | KEMO-TV | 20 | Bilingial independent | |
April 11 | Hanover, New Hampshire | WHED-TV | 15 | PBS | Part of New Hampshire Public Television |
May 12 | Binghamton, New York | WSKG-TV | 46 | NET | |
May 21 | Keene, New Hampshire | WEKW-TV | 49 | NET | Satellite of WENH-TV/Durham, NH as part of New Hampshire Public Television |
June 2 | Lexington, Kentucky | WBLG-TV | 62 (now on 36) | ABC | |
June 10 | Kalispell, Montana | KCFW | 9 | CBS | |
Meridian, Mississippi | WHTV | 24 | CBS | ||
August 1 | Fon du Lac, Wisconsin | KFIZ-TV | 34 | Independent | |
Newport, Kentucky (Cincinnati, Ohio) | WXIX-TV | 19 | Independent | ||
August 4 | Paterson, New Jersey/New York City, New York | WXTV | 41 | Independent | |
August 19 | Burlington, Vermont ((Plattsburgh, New York) | WEZF-TV | 22 | ABC | |
Olney, Illinois | WUSI-TV | 16 | NET | Satellite of WSIU-TV/Carbondale, Illinois | |
September 9 | Louisville, Alabama | WGIA | 43 | NET | Part of the Alabama Educational Television network. |
September 15 | Lorain/Cleveland, Ohio | WUAB | 43 | Independent | |
Detroit, Michigan | WXON-TV | 62 (now 28) | Independent | ||
Palm Springs, California | KMIR-TV | 36 | NBC | ||
Poplar Bluff, Missouri | KPOB-TV | 15 | ABC | Satellite of WSIL-TV of Harrisburg, Illinois | |
September 22 | Springfield, Missouri | KMTC | 27 | ABC | |
September 23 | Ashland, Kentucky | WKAS[21] | 25 | NET | Part of Kentucky Educational Television[21] |
Bowling Green, Kentucky | WKGB-TV[21] | 53 | |||
Elizabethtown, Kentucky | WKZT-TV[21] | 23 | |||
Hopkinsville, Kentucky | W64BR | 64 | Translator of WKMA/Madisonville, Kentucky; part of Kentucky Educational Television | ||
Lexington, Kentucky | WKLE[21] | 46 | Flagship of Kentucky Educational Television | ||
Madisonville, Kentucky | WKMA-TV[21] | 35 | Part of Kentucky Educational Television | ||
Morehead, Kentucky | WKMR[21] | 38 | |||
Owenton, Kentucky | WKON[21] | 52 | |||
Somerset, Kentucky | WKSO-TV[21] | 29 | |||
September 30 | Macon, Georgia | WCWB-TV | 41 | NBC | |
October 5 | Palm Springs, California | KPLM-TV | 42 | ABC | |
October 9 | Murray, Kentucky | WKMU[21] | 21 | NET | Part of Kentucky Educational Television |
October 26 | Sacramento, California | KTXL | 40 | Independent | |
November 4 | Durham/Raleigh, North Carolina | WRDU-TV | 28 | NBC | |
Tampa, Florida | WTOG | 44 | Independent | ||
November 11 | Lubbock, Texas | KSEL-TV | 28 | Independent | |
November 18 | Hastings, Nebraska | KHNE-TV | 29 | NET | Part of Nebraska ETV |
December 4 | Little Rock, Arkansas | KETS | 2 | NET | Flagship of the Arkansas Educational Television Network |
December 6 | Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Florida | WSMS-TV | 51 | Independent | |
December 9 | Merriman, Nebraska | KRNE-TV | 12 | NET | Part of Nebraska ETV |
December 11 | El Centro, California (Yuma, Arizona, USA/Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico) | KECC-TV | 9 | ABC | |
December 14 | Ventura/Los Angeles, California | KKOG-TV | 16 | Independent | |
December 16[22] | Hazard, Kentucky | WKHA[21] | 35 | NET | Part of Kentucky Educational Television |
December 18 | Fort Myers, Florida | WBBH-TV | 20 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
December 24 | Augusta, Georgia | WAGT | 26 | NBC | |
December 28 | San Francisco, California | KUDO | 38 | Independent | |
Unknown date | Corpus Christi, Texas | KVDO-TV | 22 | Independent | |
Hollywood/Miami, Florida | WYHS | 69 | Independent | Satellite of WCIX-TV (now WFOR-TV) Miami |
Network affiliation changes
Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 1 | Joplin, Missouri | KODE-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | ABC (exclusive) | KUHI would take the CBS affiliation in Joplin, Missouri, three days later. |
June 2 | Lexington, Kentucky | WLEX-TV | 18 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC (secondary) | NBC (exclusive) | |
WKYT-TV | 27 | ABC (primary) CBS (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | |||
September 30 | Macon, Georgia | WMAZ-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC and NBC (secondary) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) |
Station closures
Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 23 | Lebanon, New Hampshire | WRLH | 31 | NBC | July 29, 1966 | Would return to the air in August 1971 |
Births
Deaths
References
- ^ "The 'Heidi' game in Birmingham". Birmingham Rewound. October 25, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Matt Schudel (July 5, 2012). "NBC Chief faced "Heidi Bowl" wrath (obituary for Julian Goodman)". The Washington Post.
- ^ Lowry, Cynthia (November 18, 1968). "'Heidi' Blocks Out Football Game; TV Viewers Deluge NBC Switchboard". Lancaster New Era. p. 8.
- ^ "Looking back on 50 years of history at Eyewitness News". November 16, 2018.
- ^ The Apollo 8 Flight Journal - Video Index - NASA
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 212–213. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
- ^ Bianculli, David (February 19, 2018). "It's A Beautiful 50th Birthday For 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'". NPR. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1.
- ^ Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 158–166. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
- ^ Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "One Life to Live". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Harper Paperbacks. pp. 163–188. ISBN 0-06-101157-6.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 378. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 426–427. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. p. 898. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- ^ "Adam-12 episode/season list (season 7 of 7)". IMDb. Retrieved February 5, 2012.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Mayberry RFD, TV Guide
- ^ Day's TV work - Doris Day.com
- ^ "The Mod Squad". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.
- ^ Journey to the Unknown episode guide.
- ^ "The Andy Griffith Show - American television program". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State. ISBN 9781879688933.
- ^ Television Factbook 1979, pages 970-b
External links
- List of 1968 American television series at IMDb