Yes, WPIX was the best!

I've talked often here and on the show about my love of the independent New York TV stations I received in Pennsylvania. The king of the trip was WPIX, Channel 11, and there is an excellent YouTube account called Pix Promos and More that reminds us why:

As the channel says in the description, 1987 may have been the channel at its peak, and you can tell by promos like this. In addition to some other high-profile acquisitions and movies, the channel got Cheers reruns, and it actually hired Ted Danson to appear in original PIX-branded marketing.

The description ends with:

If anybody asks what PIX was like at the peak of their power, show them this video, and they'll get it.

Top Ten #407

1) Late Night Television: I just like the fact that it exists and don't want it to just fade away, even if I haven't been watching it for years.

2) Robert Pine: The GENIUS was on the Love Boat podcast the former cast members do each week. They talk about much more than Love Boat, but sadly, Mike and I continue to be the only people who ask Mr. Pine about Lowenbrau.

3) Charo!: ABC premiered this variety special 50 years ago tonight! Mike and I discuss this very same program right here on the podcast.

4) The John Davidson Show: Also 50 years ago tonight, NBC premiered this variety show with guests George Burns, Jimmie Walker, and Tanya Tucker. Davidson had been guest-hosting on The Tonight Show for a while, so the network must have been high on him.

5) Memorial Day/Victoria Day: I remember one year I got flak for wishing Americans a happy Memorial Day--you know the day when people open pools, have barbecues, etc. So maybe this time I will note that tomorrow is May 25, which is sort of a Canadian holiday, though it's actually celebrated the Monday before, so it was last Monday. Let's just all have a good Monday.

6) Star Wars: As a new movie finally hits screens this weekend, we celebrate the TV legacy of the franchise, which includes classics like...this PSA!

7) Life's Most Embarrassing Moments: Steve Allen hosted this ABC special on this date in 1986. He of course invented the concept of embarrassment.

8) National Brother's Day: Celebrate the right way!

9) Ali vs. Dunn: Muhammad Ali is associated with ABC, but he defended his world title against Richard Dunn live from Munich on this night in 1976 on NBC. An ad touted those appearing at ringside: Joe Garagiola, Dick Enberg, Larry Merchant, and Candice Bergen!

10) R.I.P.: Michael Keating:

You don't see this kind of promotion these days!

I love this 1980 ad for an upcoming promotion at Fulton County Stadium:

For one thing, this just doesn't feel like the more glamorous SuperStation TBS of the later Eighties. It sure doesn't feel like the "America's Team" Atlanta Braves.

More to the point, though, "Beech Nut Pouch Redemption Night!" I love that it's not just a promotion sponsored by a chewing tobacco brand, but it involves used tobacco pouches. 1980, ladies and gents!

So how did that 1976 Fall NBC schedule work?

We had a little fun here and on our Facebook group on Thursday. It was a celebration of the schedule reveal--a 1976 NBC schedule reveal. How much was there to celebrate, though?

The network used an array of last-minute changes and big events (like The Big Event!) to load up its schedule, especially early in the new season. Some of its showcase events were the MLB World Series, the network premiere of Gone with the Wind (a huge draw), and NBC: The First 50 Years.

Also in the lineup was Saturday Night Live's infamous Mardi Gras special.

The strategy gave NBC some real momentum early in the season, and it challenged surging ABC for a while, but it was unable to match the success that #1 ABC, which had the event of the year with Roots, enjoyed with its regular series.

New show Quincy would stay in the lineup for years, and Baa Baa Black Sheep made it to a second season (renamed Black Sheep Squadron), but The Gemini Man, Van Dyke and Company, and The Quest were all one and done. If you don't count The Big Event and NBC Monday Night Movie, then the only NBC series in the season-end top 25 was Little House on the Prairie.

Top Ten #406

1) The 1976 NBC Fall Schedule: I don't mean to brag, but I didn't see a lot of other websites reporting on the 1976 NBC Fall schedule reveal Thursday night. Only on BOTNS, folks!

 

2) Emmy Awards: 50 years ago tonight, Mary Tyler Moore and John Denver (He was all over the place back then) hosted the 28th installment of the show. Big winners included Rich Man, Poor Man; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; and Police Story. 

3) On the Rocks: This single-season comedy aired its final episode on this night in 1976, and it got a retrospective episode. The U.S. adaptation of Britcom Porridge never caught on, but it's nice that ABC let it go out with a highlights episode.

4) The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams: NBC aired the 1974 film on this night in 1976 and got big ratings, which led to a series premiering in February 1977.

5) Dom Deluise and Friends Part IV: Switching to 1986, this special premiered 40 years ago tonight. I am not sure, but I suspect it failed to resolve all the loose ends from Part III.

6) Playboy Bunny of the Year Pageant: ABC ran Monday Night Specials in 1976, and the one on this date was Don Adams hosting this spirited competition. You see, John Denver had another gig.

7) Sugar Ray Leonard: Happy 70th birthday to the boxing icon who made an appearance in our HBO episode this season!

8) Fun for All Ages: The Frank Santopadre podcast devoted an episode (and there's a part 2 coming!) to animated adaptations of TV shows, and they even discuss The Mini-Munsters!

9) Saturday Night Live: Eclectic list of folks on this one: Host Jimmy Breslin, Sam Kinison (billed as a featured player), Marvin Hagler (billed as a special guest), musical guest Level 42, and singer E.G. Daily.

10) R.I.P.: John Barbour, Rex Reed, Donald Gibb:

GENIUS ALERT!

The OG of the show, and I mean Original Genius, Robert Pine, is a guest on The Love Boat Podcast this week! I have not been able to listen to it yet, but I felt I should make everyone aware.

Yes, I realize it's odd that I haven't made time to listen to Robert Pine talking about The Love Boat. I have no excuse.

Announcing the 1976 NBC Fall Schedule!

It's finally here! Now you can plan your entire Fall (and well into the Winter) knowing the full schedule. We mean the 1976 NBC Fall schedule, of course! The network once again goes into the season with a third-place schedule.

Without further ado, here we go:

SUNDAY:
7:00 The Wonderful World of Disney
8:00 NBC Mystery Movie
9:30 The Big Event

MONDAY:
8:00 Little House on the Prairie
9:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies

TUESDAY:
8:00 Baa Baa Black Sheep
9:00 Police Woman
10:00 Police Story

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 The Practice
8:30 NBC Movie of the Week
10:00 The Quest

THURSDAY:
8:00 The Gemini Man
9:00 Best Sellers (Adaptations like Captains and Kings, Once an Eagle, Seventh Avenue, The Rhinemann Exchange)
10:00 Van Dyke and Company

FRIDAY:
8:00 Sanford and Son
8:30 Chico and the Man
9:00 The Rockford Files
10:00 Serpico


SATURDAY:
8:00 Emergency
9:00 NBC Saturday Night at the Movies