The listings this week have expanded dramatically, and it's not just because we've got more local stations in the Twin Cities area than in the past. It's 1984, and we're now in the cable era that we've read so much about in older issues. It's not full-blown cablemania yet; this issue only carries program listings for nine, five of which you'll see below. Still, it's a distinct difference from, say, 1962, when at most you'd see your three network affiliates, an independent station or two, and perhaps an educational station (especially if a major university was nearby). As to whether or not cable television in 1984 is fulfilling the promise of giving us unlimited viewing opportunities? Well, you'll have to be the judge of that.
In contrast to many of the KTCA listings of weeks gone by, the PBS affiliate has gone to a comprehensive, all-day broadcasting format. Still a number of reruns during the day, but it's nice to see that a couple of early-morning programs retain the educational spirit of the station's original mission, including College for Working Adults, the de facto successor to Sunrise Semester.
KMSP has done a nice job building its programming in the years since it went from being an ABC affiliate to an independent. You'll notice that it's the station that carries Thicke of the Night, which we talked about on Saturday. I think their programming was more creative when they first went independent - you saw a lot of programs that hadn't been on for awhile, series like Gunsmoke, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Nanny and the Professor. By now, it's heavily slanted to more recent network series.
I think we should note the Today show, which includes a tribute to Edwin Newman on the occasion of his retirement. Newman was one of the mainstays of NBC for many, many years, and his name has popped up in these listings frequently, usually as host of one of the morning news updates. He was one of the most erudite, witty, thoughtful newsmen ever on television, and even today, years after his death, he's still better than what passes for most on-air talent today.
KTCI, the secondary PBS affiliate in the Twin Cities, has always had something of an identity crisis. For awhile the station simply replayed KTCA's PBS programming in off-hour timeslots, then it went through a spell when it contained entirely original programming. To be honest, I'm not sure what it does right now, but I'll be finding out shortly.
WFBT is one of the newer independent stations; as you can see, it consists entirely of religious and family programming, the FBT standing for "Family Bible Television." It later became KITN, and now it's WFTC, the MyTV affiliate.
KXLI was a St. Cloud station available to Twin Cities viewers with one of those loop antennas. We never got a particularly clear picture, but it didn't matter back then, because KXLI, known as "TV Heaven," was one of the most entertaining stations in the cities. This was its second, less-successful, go-round as TV Heaven; while the afternoon programming is pretty good, the prime-time lineup is underwhelming. Back in its original incarnation, TV Heaven had theme nights: crime on Monday, war on Tuesday, and so on. It's how we got to see some fairly rare (in pre-DVD days) programs, including 12 O'Clock High, Mr. and Mrs. North, Mike Hammer (the Darrin McGavin version), The Fugitive, Combat!, and a host of others. I still miss that station.
You know, I had completely forgotten that ESPN used to carry business programming in the early morning hours, but before it became a lifestyle network, it had to have something to show at 5 a.m. Frankly, I think it was an improvement over what it carries now. You can see that instead of endless replays of SportsCenter, the daytime lineup is filled with endless replays of the previous night's games. Besides the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, the primetime lineup consists of the weekly NBA newsmagazine, a documentary on the 1980 NFL season, and a single live college basketball game. Today, that college game would start at 6 p.m., and would be the first game of at least three, if not four, games.
HBO has yet to go into original programming in a big way, aside from the George Burns special on tonight. Four movies constitute most of today's schedule, and you're going to get at least two or three chances to see each one.
TBS - excuse me, WTBS - has already latched on to it's famous 5/35 schedule, making it stand out from the rest of the stations. It also makes it much more challenging for the typist trying to record these listings for his faithful readers. The Turner Superstation has very little original programming at this point; in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to distinguish this lineup from any of the independent stations in most cities.
Back in 1984, USA was home of the National Hockey League, which had by this time departed network television. I was never fortunate enough to see their coverage; at this point in history, Minneapolis city government was embroiled in a political battle over selecting a cable company to provide coverage to the city, with the result that we still didn't have it. I've been told USA was quite good, though. Quite a difference in their programming from today, with their endless NCIS marathons. Of course, NCIS hadn't been created yet.
This is the real WGN, home of Chicago Cubs baseball, and not the fake WGN "America" we get today if we live outside Chicagoland. And why do they insist on retaining the WGN moniker? Can't they think of anything better? After all, there's absolutely nothing WGN-ish about WGN America. Of course, there wasn't anything particularly national in scope about WGN back in 1984, either. As a matter of fact, they look a lot like WTBS, don't they?
KTCA, Channel 2 (PBS) | ||
Morning | ||
05:45a | A.M. Weather | |
06:00a | College for Working Adults | |
06:30a | Nightly Business Report | |
07:00a | Intro to Technical and Business Communication | |
07:30a | Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood | |
08:00a | Sesame Street | |
09:00a | The Electric Company | |
09:30a | 3-2-1 Contact | |
10:00a | High Feather | |
10:30a | Quilting | |
11:00a | World of Cooking | |
11:30a | Sesame Street | |
Afternoon | ||
12:30p | Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood | |
01:00p | Movie – “Sleeping Car to Trieste” (B&W) | |
03:00p | Over Easy (guest Margaret Whiting) | |
03:30p | Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood | |
04:00p | Sesame Street | |
05:00p | 3-2-1 Contact | |
05:30p | Nightly Business Report | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour | |
07:00p | Nature | |
08:00p | Nova | |
09:00p | Seeing Things | |
10:00p | Good Neighbors | |
10:30p | To the Manor Born | |
11:00p | The Pallisters | |
12:00a | Latenight America |
WCCO, Channel 4 (CBS) | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | News (local) | |
05:30a | CBS Morning News (Bill Kurtis, Diane Sawyer) | |
08:00a | Phil Donahue | |
09:00a | Hour Magazine (guest Mariette Hartley) | |
10:00a | The Price is Right | |
11:00a | The Young and the Restless | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | Noon Report | |
12:30p | As the World Turns | |
01:30p | Capitol | |
02:00p | Guiding Light | |
03:00p | Tattletales | |
03:30p | Wheel of Fortune | |
04:00p | Breakaway (guest James Farentino) | |
05:00p | News (local) | |
05:30p | CBS Evening News with Dan Rather | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | News (local) | |
06:30p | PM Magazine | |
07:00p | Hallmark Hall of Fame – “The Master of Ballantrae” | |
10:00p | News (local) | |
10:30p | The Jeffersons | |
11:00p | Magnum, P.I. | |
12:10a | McCloud | |
01:30a | CBS News |
As I mentioned on Saturday, the Hallmark Hall of Fame, which has moved from longtime host NBC to CBS, still specializes in classical programming, although it's gone from staged dramas to movies. Alas, this won't last much longer.
KSTP, Channel 5 (ABC) | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | Entertainment Tonight | |
05:30a | Health Field | |
06:00a | News (local) | |
07:00a | Good Morning America (interview with President Reagan, guests Tom Sellick, Jack Klugman) | |
09:00a | Family | |
10:00a | Benson | |
10:30a | Loving | |
11:00a | Family Feud | |
11:30a | Ryan’s Hope | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | All My Children | |
01:00p | One Life to Live | |
02:00p | General Hospital | |
03:00p | Good Company | |
04:00p | Eight is Enough | |
05:00p | News (local) | |
05:30p | ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | News (local) | |
06:30p | Entertainment Tonight | |
07:00p | Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders | |
07:30p | Happy Days | |
08:00p | Three’s Company | |
08:30p | Oh Madeline | |
09:00p | Hart to Hart | |
10:00p | News (local) | |
10:30p | Nightline | |
11:30p | Movie – “Rodeo Girl” | |
01:25a | Movie – “Imitation of Life” | |
04:00a | Film | |
04:30a | Film |
I did not remember that Madeline Kahn had her own sitcom, and Oh Madeline didn't really do her any favors, running for only 22 episodes. Perhaps her talent was too big for the small screen, that TV just couldn't harness it all.
KMSP, Channel 9 (Ind.) | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | News (local) | |
05:30a | Jimmy Swaggart | |
06:00a | Gary Randall | |
06:30a | :20 Minute Workout | |
07:00a | Superfriends | |
07:30a | Tom and Jerry | |
08:00a | The Flintstones | |
08:30a | Great Space Coaster | |
09:00a | Carter Country | |
09:30a | Morning Stretch | |
10:00a | Woman to Woman (fest Betty Freidan) | |
11:00a | The Big Valley | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | News (local) | |
01:00p | Love Connection | |
01:30p | The Joker’s Wild | |
02:00p | Tic Tac Dough | |
02:30p | Gilligan’s Island | |
03:00p | Scooby-Doo | |
03:30p | Woody Woodpecker | |
04:00p | Little House on the Prairie | |
05:00p | The Love Boat | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Taxi | |
06:30p | The People’s Court | |
07:00p | Hodag Country Music Festival | |
09:00p | News (local) | |
10:00p | Taxi | |
10:30p | The Rockford Files | |
11:30p | Top 40 Videos | |
12:00a | Thicke of the Night (guests Ann Turkel, Dana Hall, Linda Hopkins, Whitney Btown) | |
01:30a | Movie – “The Domino Principle” | |
03:30a | Movie – “Death Squad” |
WTCN, Channel 11 (NBC) | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | The Courtship of Eddie’s Father | |
05:30a | My Three Sons | |
06:00a | Ag Day | |
06:30a | NBC News (John Dancy) | |
07:00a | Today (retirement of Edwin Newman) | |
09:00a | The Facts of Life | |
09:30a | Sale of the Century | |
10:00a | Wheel of Fortune | |
10:30a | Dream House | |
11:00a | Mary Tyler Moore | |
11:30a | Search for Tomorrow | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | Days of Our Lives | |
01:00p | Another World | |
01:30p | Merv Griffin (guests Betty Buckley, Olympic Coach Jack Page) | |
02:00p | Match Game-Hollywood Squares (panelists Constance McCashin, Tom Poston, Larry Manetti) | |
03:00p | Bob Newhart | |
03:30p | Alice | |
04:00p | Special Treat | |
05:00p | Newscope | |
05:30p | News (local) | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw | |
06:30p | Family Feud | |
07:00p | The A-Team | |
08:00p | Riptide | |
09:00p | Remington Steele | |
10:00p | News (local) | |
10:35p | M*A*S*H | |
11:05p | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guests Linda Ronstadt, George Carlin) | |
12:05a | Late Night with David Letterman | |
01:05a | News (local) | |
01:40a | Movie – “Bad Company” | |
03:30a | Mission: Impossible | |
04:30a | Mary Tyler Moore |
KTCI, Channel 17 (PBS) | ||
Afternoon | ||
05:00p | Sesame Street | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Nightly Business Report | |
06:30p | Over Easy | |
07:00p | Austin City Limits | |
08:00p | MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour | |
09:00p | Nova | |
10:00p | American Playhouse |
WFBT, Channel 29 (Ind.) | ||
Morning | ||
06:00a | Jim Bakker | |
07:00a | Breakfast with Casey Jones | |
08:30a | D. James Kennedy | |
09:00a | 700 Club | |
10:30a | Jimmy Swaggart | |
11:00a | Jim Bakker | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | Rejoice | |
12:30p | Another Life | |
01:00p | That Girl | |
02:30p | Treasure Hunt | |
03:00p | Family Affair | |
03:30p | Inspector Gadget | |
04:00p | The Lone Ranger | |
04:30p | F Troop (B&W) | |
05:00p | Get Smart | |
05:30p | Dick Van Dyke (B&W) | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Soar with the Eagles | |
06:30p | 700 Club | |
08:00p | Jim Bakker | |
09:00p | Hungry Eyes | |
10:00p | Rejoice | |
10:30p | Emergency! | |
11:30p | Movie – “Svengali” (B&W) |
KXLI, Channel 41 (St. Cloud) (Ind.) | ||
Morning | ||
06:00a | Biznet News | |
08:00a | Cartoon Carnival | |
08:30a | The Muppet Show | |
09:00a | Daniel Boone | |
10:00a | The Streets of San Francisco | |
11:00a | Hawaii Five-O | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | FNN Financial News | |
01:00p | The Millionaire (B&W) | |
01:30p | Burns and Allen (B&W) | |
02:00p | Our Miss Brooks (B&W) | |
02:30p | Andy Griffith (B&W) | |
03:00p | My Favorite Martian | |
03:30p | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | |
04:00p | Inspector Gadget | |
04:30p | The Twilight Zone (B&W) | |
05:00p | Leave it to Beaver (B&W) | |
05:30p | One Day at a Time | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | M*A*S*H | |
06:30p | WKRP in Cincinnati | |
07:00p | Family | |
08:00p | Movie – “Three for the Show” | |
10:00p | The Jeffersons | |
10:30p | The Rockford Files | |
11:30p | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (B&W) | |
12:00a | FNN Financial News |
ESPN | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | Business Times | |
07:00a | SportsCenter | |
07:15a | Sidelines | |
07:45a | SportsCenter | |
08:00a | College Basketball (Tennessee at Kentucky) | |
10:00a | College Basketball (Georgetown at Syracuse) | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | Skiing | |
02:00p | College Basketball (Tennessee at Kentucky) | |
04:00p | College Basketball (Georgetown at Syracuse) | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Sports Center | |
06:30p | This Week in the NBA | |
07:00p | Saviors, Saints & Sinners | |
08:00p | College Basketball (Maryland at Virginia) | |
10:00p | SportsCenter | |
10:15p | College Basketball (Connecticut at Boston College) | |
12:15a | Inside the PGA Tour | |
12:45a | The Fishin’ Hole | |
01:15a | SportsCenter | |
01:30a | College Basketball (Maryland at Virginia) | |
03:30a | Boxing Highlights |
HBO | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | Predators | |
06:00a | Seal Pup | |
06:30a | Movie – “Threshold” | |
08:30a | Best of Consumer Reports | |
09:00a | Movie – “Kiss Me Goodbye” | |
11:00a | Movie – “The Terry Fox Story” | |
Afternoon | ||
01:00p | Movie – “Threshold” | |
03:00p | Seal Pup | |
03:30p | Predators | |
04:30p | Movie – “Kiss Me Goodbye” | |
Evening | ||
06:30p | Best of Consumer Reports | |
07:00p | George Burns | |
08:00p | Movie – “The Terry Fox Story” | |
10:00p | Movie – “Forced Vengeance” | |
11:35p | Movie – “Threshold” | |
01:10a | George Burns | |
02:10a | Movie – “The Terry Fox Story” | |
03:50a | Movie – “Forced Vengeance” |
WTBS | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | CNN News | |
06:00a | Funtime | |
06:35a | I Dream of Jeannie | |
07:05a | Bewitched | |
07:35a | I Love Lucy | |
08:00a | Movie – “’Til We Meet Again” (B&W) | |
10:05a | Catlins | |
10:35a | Texas | |
11:05a | Perry Mason | |
Afternoon | ||
12:05p | Movie – “Torpedo Bay” | |
02:05p | The Flintstones | |
02:30p | Battle of the Planets | |
03:00p | The Munsters (B&W) | |
03:35p | The Brady Bunch | |
04:05p | Leave it to Beaver (B&W) | |
04:35p | The Beverly | |
05:05p | Little House on the Prairie | |
Evening | ||
06:05p | Carol Burnett and Friends | |
06:35p | NBA Basketball (Atlanta at Washington) | |
08:50p | News | |
10:00p | All in the Family | |
10:30p | Catlins | |
11:00p | Movie – “The Art of Love” | |
01:05a | Movie – “Beach Ball” | |
02:50a | Search for the Nile | |
03:50a | The Rat Patrol | |
04:20a | The World at Large | |
04:30a | Jimmy Swaggart |
USA | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | Movie – “The Wooden Horse” (B&W) (from 4:00a) | |
06:00a | Cartoon Express | |
07:00a | Calliope | |
08:00a | Alive & Well! (guest Jon “Bowzer” Bauman) | |
10:00a | Designs for Living | |
10:30a | Great American Homemaker | |
11:00a | Movie – “The Wooden Horse” | |
Afternoon | ||
01:00p | Sonya | |
02:00p | Alive & Well! (guest Jon “Bowzer” Bauman) | |
04:00p | Hot Spots | |
05:00p | Cartoon Express | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Radio 1990 | |
06:30p | Dragnet | |
07:00p | NHL All-Star Game | |
10:00p | College Basketball (Mississippi at Auburn) | |
12:00a | NHL All-Star Game | |
03:00a | College Basketball (Mississippi at Auburn) |
WGN | ||
Morning | ||
05:00a | Chico and the Man | |
05:30a | Faith 20 | |
06:00a | Top O’ the Morning | |
06:30a | The Muppet Show | |
07:00a | Bozo the Clown | |
09:00a | Movie – “Shadow over Elveron” | |
11:00a | Family | |
Afternoon | ||
12:00p | News (local) | |
01:00p | Rhoda | |
01:30p | Andy Griffith (B&W) | |
02:00p | I Dream of Jeannie | |
02:30p | Alvin and the Chipmunks | |
03:00p | Superfriends | |
03:30p | Scooby-Doo | |
04:00p | Charlie’s Angeles | |
05:30p | WKRP in Cincinnati | |
Evening | ||
06:00p | Barney Miller~ | |
06:30p | The Jeffersons | |
07:00p | Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous | |
09:30p | INN News (Bosh/Harper) | |
10:00p | Soap | |
10:30p | The Love Boat | |
11:35p | Movie – “Ride to Glory” | |
02:00a | INN News (Bosh/Harper) | |
02:30a | Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In | |
03:00a | Movie – “Night in Paradise” |