1968 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1968.

List of years in American television:
1967–68 United States network television schedule
1968–69 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

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.
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 The first televised 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 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
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,
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]

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
Main article: 1968 in television § Births

Deaths
Main article: 1968 in television § Deaths

References
  1. "The 'Heidi' game in Birmingham". Birmingham Rewound. October 25, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  2. Matt Schudel (July 5, 2012). "NBC Chief faced "Heidi Bowl" wrath (obituary for Julian Goodman)". The Washington Post.
  3. Lowry, Cynthia (November 18, 1968). "'Heidi' Blocks Out Football Game; TV Viewers Deluge NBC Switchboard". Lancaster New Era. p. 8.
  4. "Looking back on 50 years of history at Eyewitness News". November 16, 2018.
  5. The Apollo 8 Flight Journal - Video Index - NASA
  6. 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.
  7. Bianculli, David (February 19, 2018). "It's A Beautiful 50th Birthday For 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'". NPR. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  8. 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.
  9. Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 158–166. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
  10. Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "One Life to Live". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Harper Paperbacks. pp. 163–188. ISBN 0-06-101157-6.
  11. 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.
  12. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 378. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  13. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 426–427. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  14. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. p. 898. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  15. "Adam-12 episode/season list (season 7 of 7)". IMDb. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  16. Mayberry RFD, TV Guide
  17. Day's TV work - Doris Day.com
  18. "The Mod Squad". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.
  19. Journey to the Unknown episode guide.
  20. "The Andy Griffith Show - American television program". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  21. Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State. ISBN 9781879688933.
  22. Television Factbook 1979, pages 970-b
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