America Alive!

America Alive! is a daytime television talk show[1] that aired on NBC weekdays from July 24, 1978, to January 4, 1979. Created by Woody Fraser,[2] the hour-long show aired in the 12:00 p.m. Eastern time slot, and was broadcast live in the Eastern and Central time zones; the program was shown on a tape delay in the rest of the country.

The show, which generally broadcast live from several locations across the United States, featured Jack Linkletter (son of broadcaster Art Linkletter) as the main host,[3] broadcasting from New York City[1] in front of a studio audience. Bruce Jenner,[3] Pat Mitchell, and Janet Langhart joined him as co-hosts, generally in the role of roving reporters visiting different parts of the country.

Other featured presenters on the program included entertainment critic David Sheehan,[4] gossip columnist Sheilah Graham (who presented a "gossip check" segment),[4] and consumer reporter David Horowitz. Famed researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson regularly appeared as authorities on the subject of human sexuality,[4] and the comedy team of Dick Orkin and Bert Berdis also frequently appeared for satirical pieces.

Several months into the program's run, in November 1978, Linkletter discussed the high cost of producing America Alive! because of the travel budget necessary for its roving reporters, and discussed the ratings, which were "bordering on dismal".[1] The show particularly had trouble against two popular CBS soap operas, The Young and the Restless and Search for Tomorrow, along with the added competition from ABC's The $20,000 Pyramid and Ryan's Hope, all of which were more successful than the NBC offering.

America Alive! aired its final broadcast on January 4, 1979,[5] with a scheduled NBC News special featuring Betty Ford being shown in its slot the following day. NBC would fill the hour that America Alive! occupied with two game shows, The All New Jeopardy! and new entrant Password Plus, the following Monday, January 8.[5]