1971 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1971.

List of years in American television:
1970–71 United States network television schedule
1971–72 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

Events
Date Event Ref.
January 1 During the evening's broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC, cigarette advertisements were broadcast in the United States for the final time. This is due to the ban on cigarette advertisements passed into law a year earlier.
January 12 CBS airs the first episode of All in the Family, with a disclaimer at the beginning of the program warning viewers about potentially offensive content. Within a year, it became television's most popular program, and started a trend toward realism in situation comedies.
February 7 ABC affiliate WBKO (formerly WLTV) in Bowling Green, Kentucky activates its new transmission facility. This comes after operating with limited power in the aftermath of the WLTV transmitter sabotage by dynamite in September 1969. [1]
February 23 The documentary, The Selling of the Pentagon is broadcast on CBS.
March 7 The news divisions of all three broadcast networks broadcast their coverage of the “eclipse of the century”.
May CBS releases its schedule for the Fall 1971 season, canceling all four of the network's rural-oriented series, including Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., and Hee Haw, the latter of which continued to be in production for first-run syndication for an additional 21 years. This action was also known as the “rural purge”.
August 1-September 5 CBS airs the acclaimed 6-hour BBC miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII, starring Keith Michell, in six separate installments, airing on six consecutive Sundays.
September 13 U.S. network prime time programming shrinks as the original Prime Time Access Rule takes effect. NBC, unable to take advantage, immediately feels the pinch and fails to win any of the 1971–72 season's first thirteen weeks in terms of the Nielsen ratings.
November A 12-year streak in the ratings for the CBS soap opera As the World Turns' ends as that program lost the #1 slot for the first time since 1959.
December 23 NBC airs the 1964 Christmas special, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, for the final time, as CBS picked up the rights for that special beginning the following year. CBS still holds the rights to the holiday special to this day.

Television programs

Debuts
Date Debut Network
January 10 Masterpiece Theatre PBS
January 12 All in the Family CBS
August 1 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour CBS
September 11 The Funky Phantom ABC
Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch CBS
The Jackson 5ive ABC
Lidsville
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch CBS
September 17 McMillan & Wife NBC
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury CBS
September 18 The New Dick Van Dyke Show CBS
October 25 The Electric Company PBS

Programs changing network affiliation
Show Moved from Moved to
Hee Haw CBS Syndication
Lassie
Let's Make a Deal ABC
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Road Runner Show CBS

Ending this year
Date Show Network Debut
January 1 Headmaster CBS 1970
January 7 Nancy NBC 1970
February 24 To Rome with Love CBS 1969
March 4 Family Affair CBS 1966
March 19 That Girl ABC 1966
March 23 Julia NBC 1968
The Beverly Hillbillies CBS 1962
March 28 Hogan's Heroes CBS 1965
March 29 Mayberry R.F.D. CBS 1968
April 2 Dark Shadows ABC 1966
April 27 Green Acres CBS 1965
May 5 The Johnny Cash Show ABC 1969
June 6 The Ed Sullivan Show CBS 1948
September 5 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (Returned in 2008 as The Banana Splits Reboot) NBC 1968
October 22 What's New PBS 1959 (on NET)

Networks and services

Network launches
Network Type Launch date Notes Source
New Jersey Network Over-the-air state network April 5 The PBS affiliated state network serving New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and the New York City area.

Television stations

Sign-ons
Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref.
January 25 Indianapolis, Indiana WHMB-TV 40 Religious independent
February South Bend, Indiana WNIT 34 PBS
February 3 Pueblo, Colorado KTSC 8 PBS
February 28 Louisville, Kentucky WDRB 41 Independent Now a Fox network affiliate.
April 5 Trenton, New Jersey WNJT 52 PBS Flagship of the New Jersey Network
April 7 Gainesville, Florida WCJB-TV 20 NBC
April 11 Baltimore, Maryland WBFF-TV 45 Independent Now a Fox network affiliate.
May 31 Paducah, Kentucky WDXR-TV 29 Independent Became a satellite station of Kentucky Educational Television in 1978.
June 4 Wilmington, North Carolina WUNJ-TV 39 PBS/UNC-TV
June 6 Atlanta, Georgia WHAE-TV 46 Independent now a CBS affiliate
June 27 Peoria, Illinois WTVP 47 PBS
July 4 Mississippi State/Starkville, Mississippi WMAB-TV 2 PBS/MSETV
July 7 Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho KBGL-TV 10 PBS Part of Idaho Public Television
July 24 Battle Creek, Michigan WUHQ-TV 41 ABC
July 28 Fort Smith, Arkansas KFPW-TV 40 CBS
August 3 Lebanon, New Hampshire WRLH 31 NBC Returned to the air after an almost three-year hiatus
August 9 Watertown, New York WNPE-TV 16 PBS
August 15 Houston, Texas KVRL 26 Independent
August 23 Traverse City, Michigan WGTU 29 ABC
September 5 Norwood, New York WNPI-TV 18 PBS Satellite of WNPE-TV/Watertown
September 12 Austin, Texas KVUE 24 ABC
September 26 Springfield, Massachusetts WGBY-TV 57 PBS
October 11 Visalia/Fresno, California KMPH-TV 26 Independent
October 16 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WRBT 33 ABC
October 23 Sarasota, Florida WXLT-TV 40 ABC
October 31 Muncie, Indiana WIPB 49 PBS
December Rochester, Minnesota KAVT-TV 15 PBS
December 5 Columbia, Missouri KCBJ-TV 17 ABC
December 21 Fairbanks, Alaska KUAC-TV 9 PBS [2]
December 31 Boise, Idaho KAID 4 PBS Part of Idaho Public Television
Unknown date Indianapolis, Indiana WURD 44 Religious independent
Toledo, Ohio ToledoVision5 5 (cable-only) Independent

Network affiliation changes
Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref.
July 24 Cadillac-Traverse City, Michigan WWTV 9 CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)		 CBS (exclusive)
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan WWUP-TV 10
October Anchorage, Alaska KENI-TV 2 ABC NBC
KYUR 13 NBC ABC
December 5 Columbia, Missouri KRCG 13 CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)		 CBS (exclusive)
Warrensburg/Sedalia, Missouri KMOS-TV 6 At the time of this change, KMOS (now a PBS member station) was a satellite of KRCG.

Station closures
Date City of license/Market Station Channel Affiliation Sign-on date Notes
March 16 Midland, Texas KDCD-TV 18 Independent December 19, 1961 (first incarnation)
January 15, 1968 (second incarnation)
April 15 San Francisco, California KUDO 38 Independent December 28, 1968 Returned to the air as KVOF-TV on October 4, 1974.
September 15 Jacksonville, Illinois WJJY-TV 14 ABC August 18, 1969
Unknown date Muncie, Indiana WLBC-TV 49 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)		 June 14, 1953 Returned to the air October 31 as PBS member station WIPB

Births
Main article: 1971 in television § Births

Deaths
Main article: 1971 in television § Deaths

See also

References
  1. ”WBKO Begins Transmissions from New Tower”. The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. February 7, 1971. Archived from the original April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022. - via Newspapers.com.
  2. YouTube: Inaugural sign-on of KUAC on Dec. 22, 1971
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