1978 in American television
This is a list of American television-related events in 1978.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1977–78 United States network television schedule |
| 1978–79 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television programs currently in production |
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 15 | Super Bowl XII airs on CBS, the first time the NFL's championship event is played and telecast at night. |
| January 23 | Roots One Year Later, a special examining the impact and influence of the miniseries, airs on ABC. |
| January 28 | The Doobie Brothers make a guest appearance on ABC's What's Happening!! |
| February 5 | ABC celebrates its silver anniversary with a retrospective special. |
| March 7 | Showtime goes nationwide on the air. |
| March 22 | The Beatles spoof The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash airs on NBC. |
| March 26 – April 1 | CBS commemorates its golden anniversary in radio and TV broadcasting with CBS: On the Air, a 9½-hour retrospective special airing over 7 nights. |
| April 16–19 | Holocaust, starring James Woods and Meryl Streep first airs on NBC. |
| April 22 | The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live; the duo of Jake & Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) are introduced in a skit by Paul Shaffer (as Don Kirshner) and performs "Hey Bartender". |
| April 26 | Ringo Starr's, Ringo, a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper, airs on NBC, with Starr's fellow former Beatle, George Harrison, providing the narration. |
| July 1 | In Charlotte, North Carolina, NBC affiliate WSOC-TV leaves the network and joins ABC, citing a stronger affiliation (at the time, NBC is in last place among the three major networks, while ABC is in first place). NBC eventually aligns with Ted Turner-owned independent station WRET-TV (now WCNC-TV), tempted by promises Turner made to NBC to make $2.5 million worth of upgrades, including a stronger transmitter and the launch of a news department; former ABC affiliate WCCB becomes an independent station, and eventually a charter affiliate of Fox in 1986.[1] |
| July 10 | On ABC, the ABC Evening News get a revamp and become ABC World News Tonight, employing a unique three-anchor setup (Frank Reynolds serving as lead anchor from Washington, Max Robinson presenting national news from Chicago, and Peter Jennings with international news from London). |
| August 1 | Taking advantage of an oral escape-clause in his contract with ABC, Harry Reasoner returns to CBS, eventually rejoining 60 Minutes, the program he anchored with Mike Wallace from its 1968 premiere until he joined ABC News in 1970. |
| September 17 | The ceremony formalizing the success of the peace talks between Israel's Menachem Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat—the Camp David accords—is televised live from the White House East Room. |
| September 19 | The chairs on which Archie and Edith Bunker sat through 8 seasons of the CBS comedy All in the Family are presented to the Smithsonian Institution. |
| September 27 | Replacing Zara Cully and Damon Evans, Jay Hammer joins the cast of the CBS comedy The Jeffersons, for a short period of time. |
| October 31 | On NBC, Norma Brown wins $28,800 playing the Money Cards on Card Sharks, the first and only time a contestant has won the maximum amount. |
| November 12 | In Fort Smith, Arkansas, KLMN-TV (now Fox affiliate KFTA-TV) signs-on the air and takes CBS programming from KFPW-TV/KTVP. Both KFPW-TV and KTVP subsequently become full-time ABC affiliates, giving Fort Smith in-market affiliates of all three major networks. |
| November 17 | The Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming Star Wars sequel. |
Programs
ABC
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
- General Hospital (1963–present)
- One Life to Live (1968–2012)
- All My Children (1970–2011)
- Monday Night Football (1970–present)
- Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1996)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978)
- Happy Days (1974–1984)
- Baretta (1975–1978)
- Barney Miller (1975–1982)
- Good Morning America (1975–present)
- Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
- Tom and Jerry (1965–1972, 1975–1977, 1980–1982)
- Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979)
- Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
- Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983)
- What's Happening!! (1976–1979)
- Eight Is Enough (1977–1981)
- Fantasy Island (1977–1984)
- The Love Boat (1977–1986)
- Soap (1977–1981)
- Three's Company (1977–1984)
CBS
- Love of Life (1951–1980)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
- 60 Minutes (1968–present)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
- All in the Family (1971–1979)
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984)
- M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
- Maude (1972–1978)
- The Price Is Right (1972–present)
- The Waltons (1972–1981)
- Barnaby Jones (1973–1980)
- Kojak (1973–1978, 2005)
- Match Game '78 (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
- The Young and the Restless (1973–present)
- Good Times (1974–1979)
- Rhoda (1974–1978)
- Tattletales (1974–1978, 1982–1984)
- The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
- One Day at a Time (1975–1984)
- Alice (1976–1985)
- Wonder Woman (1976–1979)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979)
- Lou Grant (1977–1982)
NBC
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
- The Doctors (1963–1982)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–1979)
- The Tomorrow Show (1973–1982)
- Chico and the Man (1974–1978)
- Columbo (1971–1978)
- Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974–1984)
- Land of the Lost (1974–1976)
- Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)
- Police Woman (1974–1978)
- The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
- Saturday Night Live (1975–present)[e]
- Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
- The Gong Show (1976–1980)
- Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983)
- The Bionic Woman (1976–1978)
- CHiPs (1977–1983)
PBS
- Sesame Street (1969–present)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present)
- Nova (1974–present)
In syndication
- Candid Camera (1948–present)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
- Hee Haw (1969–1992)
- Soul Train (1971–2006)
- Dinah! (1974–1980)
- Match Game PM (1975–1981)
- In Search of... (1976–1982)
- The P.T.L. Club (1976–1987)
- The Muppet Show (1976–1981)
- This Week in Baseball (1977–1998, 2000–present)
HBO
- Inside the NFL (1977–present)
Nickelodeon
- Pinwheel (1977–1991)
Shows that took place
- Best Friends Whenever (2015) They time traveled to 1978.
Debuting this year
Resuming this year
| Show | Last aired | Previous network | Retitled as/Same | Returning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Rollers | 1976 | NBC | Same | April 24 |
| Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! | 1970 | CBS | September 9 | |
| Jeopardy! | 1975 | NBC | The All-New Jeopardy! | October 2 |
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| March 6 | The Six Million Dollar Man | 1973 |
| March 29 | The Carol Burnett Show | 1967 |
| March 30 | Police Woman | 1974 |
| March 31 | Tattletales | |
| April 1 | The Bob Newhart Show | 1972 |
| April 7 | Quark | 1977 |
| April 28 | C.P.O. Sharkey | 1976 |
| April 29 | Maude | 1972 |
| Another Day | 1978 | |
| May 13 | The Ted Knight Show | |
| The Bionic Woman | 1976 | |
| Columbo | 1971 | |
| May 18 | Baretta | 1975 |
| July 21 | Chico and the Man | 1974 |
| September 1 | Fred Flintstone and Friends | 1977 |
| October 28 | Laff-A-Lympics | |
| Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics | ||
| November 10 | The American Girls | 1978 |
| December 2 | Yogi's Space Race | |
| December 4 | Lucan | 1977 |
| December 9 | Rhoda | 1974 |
| December 16 | The New Fantastic Four | 1978 |
| December 23 | The Scooby-Doo Show | 1976 |
| Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! | 1969 |
Made-for-TV movies and miniseries
| Title | Network | Date of airing |
|---|---|---|
| King | NBC | February 12–14 |
| Holocaust | April 16–19 | |
| Centennial | October 1 – February 4 | |
| Someone's Watching Me! | November 29 |
Television stations
Station launches
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Charlotte, North Carolina | WCCB | 18 | ABC | Independent | |
| WRET-TV | 36 | Independent | NBC | |||
| WSOC-TV | 9 | NBC | ABC |
Station closures
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 9 | Greenfield, Massachusetts | WRLP | 32 | NBC | June 29, 1957 | |
| August 15 | Warrensburg/Sedalia, Missouri (Columbia/Jefferson City) |
KMOS-TV | 6 | CBS | July 8, 1954 (as an independent station) |
Returned to the air December 22, 1979 as a PBS member station |
Births
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 28 | Zara Cully | 86 | Actress (Mother Olivia Jefferson on The Jeffersons) |
| March 18 | Peggy Wood | 86 | Actress (One Life to Live) |
| April 22 | Will Geer | 76 | Actor (Grandpa Walton on The Waltons) |
| May 21 | Bruce Geller | 47 | Screenwriter, producer (Mannix) |
| June 29 | Bob Crane | 49 | Actor (Col. Hogan on Hogan's Heroes) |
| July 3 | James Daly | 59 | Actor (Dr. Paul Lochner on Medical Center) |
| September 7 | Keith Moon | 32 | English drummer (The Who) |
References
- The Charlotte Observer, Apr. 25 and 29, 1978.
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