1972 in American television
This is a list of American television-related events in 1972.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1971–72 United States network television schedule |
| 1972–73 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television programs currently in production |
Events
| Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| January 21 | The first convention of Star Trek fans is held at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in New York City. | [1] |
| March 18 | After losing a 15-year court battle over the legality of its business relationship with The Herald-Traveler, CBS' Boston, Massachusetts affiliate WHDH-TV Channel 5 signs off the air after the movie Fixed Bayonets! finished at 1 am. At 3 a.m. on March 19, WCVB takes over the Channel 5 frequency, simultaneously switching affiliations to the ABC network following CBS' loss of interest in the channel during the long legal wrangle. | |
| May | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson relocates from New York City to the NBC Studios in Burbank, California. It would return to New York in 2014 when The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is launched. | |
| August 26 | Effective with this issue, TV Guide discontinues the practice of using a "C" to indicate color programs, and instead starts using a "BW" for monochrome, saving a lot of printer's ink in the process. At the time about half of the TV households in the U.S. had color sets. | |
| September 4 | The Price Is Right premieres on CBS. As of 2021, it is the longest-running game show on American television. | |
| October 1 | The famous Move Closer to Your World theme made its debut on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia. | [2] |
| December 31 | The first installment of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve airs on NBC, beginning a yearly tradition of Dick Clark-hosted New Year's specials. | [3] |
Programs
- 60 Minutes (1968–)
- All in the Family (1971–1979)
- All My Children (1970–2011)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Bonanza (1959–1973)
- Bozo the Clown (1949–)
- Candid Camera (1948–)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
- Columbo (1971–1978)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–)
- Emmerdale Farm (1972–)
- Face the Nation (1954–)
- General Hospital (1963–)
- Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993)
- Here's Lucy (1968–1974)
- Ironside (1967–1975)
- It's Academic (1961–)
- Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–)
- Kimba the White Lion (1966–1967), re-runs
- Laugh-In (1968–1973)
- Leave It To Beaver (1957–1963)
- Lost In Space (1965–1968)
- Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1967–73)
- Love of Life (1951–1980)
- Love, American Style (1969–1974)
- Mannix (1967–1975)
- Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976)
- Mary Tyler Moore (1970–77)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–)
- McCloud (1970–1977)
- McMillan & Wife (1971–1977)
- Meet the Press (1947–)
- Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)
- Monday Night Football (1970–)
- One Life to Live (1968–2012)
- Play School (1966–)
- Rainbow (1972–1992)
- Room 222 (1969–1974)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- Sesame Street (1969–)
- Soul Train (1971–)
- The Benny Hill Show (1969–1989)
- The Brady Bunch (1969–1974)
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
- The Dean Martin Show (1965–1974)
- The Doctors (1963–1982)
- The Doris Day Show (1968–1973)
- The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
- The Flip Wilson Show (1970–1974)
- The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
- The Mod Squad (1968–1973)
- The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974)
- The Newlywed Game (1966–1974)
- The Odd Couple (1970–75)
- The Partridge Family (1970–1974)
- The Price Is Right (1972–)
- The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
- The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971–1974)
- The Today Show (1952–)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–1979)
- Tom and Jerry (1965–1972, 1975–1977, 1980–1982)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Where the Heart Is (1969–1973)
Debuts
- January 13 – Me and the Chimp on CBS (1 season)
- January 14 – Sanford and Son on NBC (1972–1977)
- January 15 – Emergency! on NBC (1972–1977)
- June 21 – The Super (1972–1972) on ABC.
- September 4 – The New Price Is Right (1972–present), The Joker's Wild (1972–1975, 1977–1986), and Gambit (1972–1976) all on CBS. Any Number, Bonus Game, and Double Prices were the three games played on the first episode of The New Price Is Right, which loses the "New" by mid-1973, and is currently television's longest running game show in history, having started its 50th season in September 2021.
- September 9
- Runaround on NBC (1972–1973)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984) and The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1973) both on CBS
- September 11 – The Rookies (1972–1976) on ABC
- September 12
- Maude, a spinoff of All in the Family on CBS (1972–1978)
- Temperatures Rising on ABC (1972–1974)
- September 13 – The Julie Andrews Hour on ABC; although only on for one season, it won seven Emmy Awards including Best Musical Variety Series
- September 14 – The Waltons on CBS (1972–1981)
- September 15 – Ghost Story on NBC (1972–1973)
- September 16
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and Bridget Loves Bernie (1972–1973) on CBS
- The Streets of San Francisco on ABC (1972–1977)
- September 17
- October 3 – 4 Country Reporter on then-CBS affiliate KDFW Channel 4 (now a Fox O&O station); in 1986, the show moves into first-run syndication under the new name Texas Country Reporter, eventually airing nationally on the RFD-TV satellite/cable channel (As of October 2007, the show will mark 35 years on television)
- October 14 – Kung Fu on ABC (1972–75)
- November 4 – Great Performances on PBS (1972–)
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| March 1 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father (US) | 1969 |
| March 10 | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (US) | 1971 |
| March 12 | The Jimmy Stewart Show (US) | |
| March 25 | Bewitched (US) | 1964 |
| March 31 | Bright Promise (US) | 1969 |
| April 27 | Me and the Chimp (US) | 1972 |
| August 23 | The Super (US) | 1972 |
| August 24 | My Three Sons (US) | 1960 |
| September 2 | The Road Runner Show | 1966 |
Births
Deaths
Networks and services
Network launches
| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Box Office | Cable | November 8 | First ever premium movie channel created by Time Life; oldest pay television service in the United States | |
Television stations
Sign-ons
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23 | Meridian, Mississippi | WHTV | 24 | Silent | NBC | Became a satellite of WTVA/Tupelo, Mississippi until becoming a CBS affiliate in 1980. |
| WTOK-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) NBC (secondary) |
CBS (exclusive) | Now an ABC affiliate | ||
Station closures
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18 | Boston, Massachusetts | WHDH-TV | 5 | CBS | November 26, 1957 | |
| Unknown date | Baltimore, Maryland | WMET-TV | 24 | Independent | March 1, 1967 | |
References
- "The First Star Trek Convention, or How I Got my Geek Cred" Wired. January 3, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- "Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1972-08-30.
- Today in TV History: The Very First ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’. Decider. December 31, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
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