1968 in American television

none November 2022 1968 This is a list of American television-related events in 1968. 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) prompts 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 is 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. October 19 Bea Benaderet makes her final physical appearance as Kate Bradley on the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction. This particular episode actually airs six days after her death from lung cancer. Benaderet's final overall episode of Petticoat Junction would air one week later and would feature only her voice with her stand-in filmed from the rear. November 17 Protest ensues when NBC breaks away from the final minutes of an American Football League game to air a television 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. "The 'Heidi' game in Birmingham". Birmingham Rewound. October 25, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2022.https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post/20120705/282054799132711 NBC Chief faced "Heidi Bowl" wrath (obituary for Julian Goodman) Matt Schudel The Washington Post July 5, 2012Lowry Cynthia 'Heidi' Blocks Out Football Game; TV Viewers Deluge NBC Switchboard Lancaster New Era November 18, 1968 8 WABC-TV debuts the Eyewitness News format on behalf of news director Al Primo. https://abc7ny.com/eyewitness-news-wabc-wabctv-abc7ny/4702761/ Looking back on 50 years of history at Eyewitness News 16 November 2018 November 22 On NBC, an interracial kiss is aired in the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren". The kiss is shared by William Shatner (James T. Kirk) and Nichelle Nichols (Nyota Uhura). December 24 The reading a passage from the Book of Genesis from Apollo 8 is telecast via the Intelsat 3 satellite to millions of people in over thirty countries across both Americas and Europe, with a report that there is a Santa Claus. COMSAT put the Intelsat satellite into operation a week ahead of schedule so that international audiences could follow the flight. This marked the fourth television broadcast from the spacecraft during the space mission.Muir-Harmony Teasel https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-apollo-8-delivered-moment-christmas-eve-peace-and-understanding-world-180976431/ How Apollo 8 Delivered Christmas Eve Peace and Understanding to the World January 9, 2026 Smithsonian Magazine December 11, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201211152457/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-apollo-8-delivered-moment-christmas-eve-peace-and-understanding-world-180976431/ live Other events and statistics in 1968 The last round-screen color television sets were produced by all American manufacturers. Television programs Debuts Date Debut Network January 6Woolery George W. Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series 1985 The Scarecrow Press 0-8108-1651-2 212–213 Happening '68 ABC January 8 The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau ABC January 22 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In NBC February 19https://www.npr.org/2018/02/19/586180373/its-a-beautiful-50th-birthday-for-mister-rogers-neighborhood Bianculli David February 19, 2018 NPR It's A Beautiful 50th Birthday For 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' February 19, 2018 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood NET June 12 Black Journal NET June 16Tim Brooks Earle Marsh The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA68 2009 Random House 978-0-307-48320-1 68 Animal World NBC July 1 Premiere CBS July 15Schemering Christopher Christopher Schemering The Soap Opera Encyclopedia September 1985 158–166 0-345-32459-5Waggett Gerard J. The Soap Opera Encyclopedia Harper Paperbacks November 1997 163–188 One Life to Live 0-06-101157-6 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 14Woolery George W. Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 1983 Scarecrow Press 0-8108-1557-5 https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/8/mode/2up 14 March 2020 8–9 The Adventures of Gulliver ABC September 14 The Archie Show CBS September 14 Fantastic Voyage ABC September 14Erickson Hal Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 2005 2nd McFarland & Co 978-1476665993 378 Go Go Gophers CBS September 14 Wacky Races CBS September 15Perlmutter David The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows 2018 Rowman & Littlefield 978-1538103739 426–427 The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn NBC September 17 Julia NBC September 18The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present Ballantine Books 0-345-45542-8 898 The Outsider NBC September 20 Hawaii Five-O CBS September 20 The Name of the Game NBC September 21 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062539/episodes Adam-12 episode/season list (season 7 of 7) IMDb February 5, 2012October 2022 Adam-12 NBC September 21 The Ghost & Mrs. Muir NBC September 23Mayberry RFD, TV Guide Mayberry R.F.D. CBS September 23 The Outcasts ABC September 24 60 Minutes CBS September 24Day's TV work - Doris Day.com The Doris Day Show CBS September 24The Mod Squad http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3409001694/mod-squad.html St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 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 26Journey to the Unknown episode guide. Journey to the Unknown ABC September 26 The Ugliest Girl in Town ABC Ending this year Date Show Network DebutJanuary 6 Iron Horse ABC 1966 Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor CBS 1967 The Herculoids CBS 1967 January 15 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. NBC 1964January 20 Birdman and the Galaxy Trio NBC 1967 Shazzan CBS 1967 February 10 Maya NBC 1967 March 2 ABC Scope ABC 1964 March 6 Lost in Space CBS 1965 March 7 Cimarron Strip CBS 1967 March 11 The Lucy Show CBS 1962 March 12 He & She CBS 1967March 14 Garrison's Gorillas ABC 1967 Batman ABC 1966 March 18 The Rat Patrol ABC 1966 March 19 Good Morning World CBS 1967 March 25 The Monkees NBC 1966 The Bell Telephone Hour NBC 1959 The Fulton Sheen Program Syndication 1961 March 27 Run for Your Life NBC 1965 March 28 The Second Hundred Years ABC 1967 March 29 The Invaders ABC 1967 March 31 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ABC 1964April 1 The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show - American television program https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Andy-Griffith-Show Encyclopædia Britannica September 21, 2022 en CBS 1960 Cowboy in Africa ABC 1967 April 5 Tarzan ABC 1966 April 15 I Spy NBC 1965 June 3 The Danny Thomas Hour NBC 1967 August 31 Samson & Goliath NBC 1967 September 8 Milton the Monster ABC 1965 September 9 Premiere CBS 1968 September 21 The Fantastic Four ABC 1967 November 2 The Adventures of Superboy CBS 1966 December 28 Super President NBC 1967UnknownThe Gumby Show Syndication 1957The Road Runner Show (returned in 1971) CBS 1966 Television specials Title Network Date(s) of airing Notes/Ref, He's Your Dog, Charlie BrownCBSFebruary 14 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 Nash Francis M. 1995 Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State 9781879688933 Network conversions and rebrandings Network Type Conversion date Source Sports Network Incorporated Hughes Television Network Unknown 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 February Galveston, Texas KVVV-TV 16 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 February 26 St. Johnsbury, Vermont WVTB 18 Satellite of WETK/Burlington; part of the Vermont ETV network March 15 Las Vegas, Nevada KLVX 10 March 18 Rutland, Vermont WVER 9 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 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 August 1 Fon du Lac, Wisconsin KFIZ-TV 34 Independent Newport, Kentucky (Cincinnati, Ohio) WXIX-TV 19 August 4 Paterson, New Jersey/New York City, New York WXTV 41 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 WGIQ 43 Part of the Alabama Educational Television network. September 15 Lorain/Cleveland, Ohio WUAB 43 Independent Detroit, Michigan WXON-TV 62 (now 28) 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 September 23 Ashland, Kentucky WKAS 25 Educational independent Part of Kentucky Educational Television Bowling Green, Kentucky WKGB-TV 53 Elizabethtown, Kentucky WKZT-TV 23 Lexington, Kentucky WKLE 46 Flagship of Kentucky Educational Television Madisonville, Kentucky WKMA-TV 35 Part of Kentucky Educational Television Morehead, Kentucky WKMR 38 Owenton, Kentucky WKON 52 Somerset, Kentucky WKSO-TV 29 September 30 Macon, Georgia WCWB-TV 41 NBC October 5 Palm Springs, California KPLM-TV 42 ABC October 9https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70453568/ February 13, 2021 October 9, 1968 MSU TV Transmitter Goes On Air 1 Sun-Democrat January 10, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230110051052/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70453568/msu-tv-transmitter-goes-on-air/ live Murray, Kentucky WKMU 21 Educational independent 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 November 13November 14, 1968 ETV In Operation Now Says Director https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hazard-herald-etv-in-operation-now-s/205100208/ September 1, 2026 The Hazard Herald 1 Hazard, Kentucky WKHA 35 Educational independent Part of Kentucky Educational Television November 18 Hastings, Nebraska KHNE-TV 29 NET Part of Nebraska ETV December 4 Little Rock, Arkansas KETS 2 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 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 Hollywood/Miami, Florida WYHS 69 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) The ABC affiliation in Lexington was taken by WTVQ upon that station's sign on. 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 1968 in television#Births Deaths 1968 in television#Deaths References External links List of 1968 American television series at IMDb 1968 *