1974 in American television

none 1974 This is a list of American television-related events in 1974. Events Date Event Ref. January 31 CBS broadcasts The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a multi-Emmy-winning adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines’ novel of the same name which follows the 110-year life of a former slave from the American Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Cicely Tyson is tapped to play the title role. February 1 KITC-TV signs-on the air, giving the Boise market its first full-time ABC affiliate.1, 5 KITC-TV, Channel 6 plans Feb. 1 debut https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jan-12-1974-2334939/ Idaho Free Press January 12, 1974 June 26, 2026January 21, 1974 Channel Six To Switch On By Next Month 15 Idaho Free Press https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman-channel-six-to-switc/118069321/ June 26, 2026 Newspapers.comNampa Free Press February 1, 1974 June 26, 2026 Channel Six debuts tonight 7 https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-01-1974-2334934/February 1, 1974 KITC-TV Programs Kick Off at 6 Tonight 17 Idaho Free Press https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman-kitc-tv-programs-kic/118069307/ June 26, 2026 Newspapers.com February 8 After 20 years and 5,195 episodes, The Secret Storm ends its run on CBS’s daytime schedule. Ten days later, the show is replaced by Tattletales, a Bert Convy-hosted game show that is devoted to celebrity gossip. RADIO-TELEVISION: CBS-TV Replacing N.Y.-Based Soaper With Coast Gamer December 12, 1973 34 Variety https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1973-12-12_273_5/page/34/mode/2up June 26, 2026RADIO-TELEVISION: TV-RADIO PRODUCTIONS CENTRES IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD: NEW YORK February 13, 1974 62 Variety https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1974-02-13_274_1/page/62/mode/2up June 26, 2026 March 11 The children's special Free to Be... You and Me, produced by comedic actress Marlo Thomas, airs on ABC. March 13 The Execution of Private Slovik, a made-for-TV film telling the story of Pvt. Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier to be executed for desertion after the American Civil War, airs on NBC. March 18 CBS's cancellation of Here's Lucy marks the end of the television reign of Lucille Ball, which lasted 23 consecutive years beginning with the 1951 premiere of I Love Lucy. April 5 The Dean Martin Show ends its run on NBC after 264 hour-long episodes. NBC will continue to air periodic editions of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast over the next 10 years. April 26 KPVI signs-on the air, giving the Idaho Falls market its first full-time ABC affiliate.April 26, 1974 KPVI-6 inaugural program today kicks off local station 36 Idaho State Journal https://www.newspapers.com/article/idaho-state-journal-kpvi-sign-on/82657502/ June 26, 2026 Newspapers.comApril 29 Chuck Scarborough joins WNBC-TV and revamps its format as NewsCenter 4, signaling the debut of the NewsCenter format."New anchor at WNBC-TV." Broadcasting, March 18, 1974. p. 87. Archived issues available via americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020. July 15 Christine Chubbuck, a television reporter for WXLT in Sarasota, Florida commits suicide via a gunshot from behind her right ear during a live newscast on Suncoast Digest.July 15, 1974 Viewers Witness Dramatic Action: Local Television Performer Shoots Self During Show https://www.newspapers.com/article/sarasota-journal-viewers-witness-dramati/183826732/ June 26, 2026 Sarasota Journal 1A Steve FloetheJuly 15, 1974 TV hostess tries onscreen suicide 1 The Tampa Times https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-times-tv-hostess-tries-onscree/113583425/ June 26, 2026 Newspapers.comJuly 16, 1974 On-Air Shot Kills TV Personality https://www.newspapers.com/article/sarasota-herald-tribune-on-air-shot-kill/183826839/ June 26, 2026 Sarasota Herald-Tribune 1A, 4A Jon DietzAugust 8 U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his pending resignation live on television, effective at 12 Noon EDT the next day, at which time Vice President Gerald Ford is sworn in as President. August 21 WEVU (now WZVN-TV) signs-on the air, giving the Fort Myers market its first full-time ABC affiliate.New TV Station Opens 2-B News-Press https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37842061/new_tv_station_opens/ live June 26, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20191026053243/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37842061/new_tv_station_opens/ October 26, 2019 Newspapers.comAugust 25 Al Ham's music theme Part of Your Life made its debut on WBTV-TV in Charlotte.1974-08-07 WBTV's Cussed, Discussed News Theme Gets Overhaul The Charlotte Observer September 10 Born Innocent, a controversial film starring Linda Blair, airs on NBC. The film, which involved a fourteen-year-old being sent to what the television preview deemed a women's prison (when in reality it was a reform school), drew heavy criticism due to an all-female rape scene, the first ever seen on American television. The scene was deleted in subsequent re-airings after a group of girls assaulted an eight-year-old with a pop bottle, influenced by the scene in the film. October 6 Monty Python's Flying Circus, the British sketch comedy series that aired its final episode this year, is first shown on American television when PBS member station KERA-TV in Dallas, Texas airs it at 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time.Young, Bill. "Monty Python: 1969-2014". Tellyspotting: Your Brit TV Pub. KERA. Retrieved February 27, 2015.McCall, Douglas (2014). Monty Python: a chronology, 1969-2012 (Second ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 36. 0-7864-7811X November 28 For the fourth time this year, ABC aligns with a new station as WOPC-TV in Altoona, Pennsylvania brings full-time ABC service to the Altoona-State College market. WOPC-TV struggles for viewers and goes dark in 1982; ABC would return to Altoona (and channel 23) in 1988 when Fox affiliate WWPC-TV (then a satellite of WWCP-TV in Johnstown) breaks from its simulcast with WWCP-TV. Other notable events On the CBS soap opera Love of Life, Meg Dale (Tudi Wiggins) calls her son Ben Harper (Christopher Reeve) a "bastard", marking the first time that a swear word is spoken on American daytime television. Television stations Sign-ons Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref. February South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana WNIT 34 PBS February 1 Nampa/Boise, Idaho KITC 6 ABC March 31 Orlando, Florida WOFL 35 Independent April 26 Pocatello, Idaho KPVI 6 ABC May 5 Los Angeles, California KVST-TV 68 Non-commercial independent July 25 South Bend, Indiana WMSH-TV 46 Independent August 8 Naples/Fort Myers, Florida WEVU 26 ABC August 11 Booneville, Mississippi WMAE-TV 12 PBS Part of MSETV September 9 Grand Forks, North Dakota KGFE 2 PBS Part of Prairie Public Television September 29 New York City WBTB-TV 68 Independent October 5 Hagerstown, Maryland WWPB 31 PBS Part of Maryland Public Television Sacramento, California KMUV-TV 31 Independent now a CW owned-and-operated station November 28 Johnstown, Pennsylvania WOPC 38 ABC Now WATM-TV on channel 23 December 1 New Haven, Connecticut WEDY 65 PBS Part of the Connecticut Public Television network December 15 Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, Iowa KRIN 32 PBS Part of Iowa Public Television Network affiliation changes Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref. August 5 Bakersfield, California KJTV 17 ABC CBS October 6 Monroe, Louisiana KNOE-TV 8 CBS (primary) NBC (secondary) CBS (exclusive) West Monroe/Monroe, Louisiana KLAA 14 Independent NBC Was temporarily off the air from 1971 to 1974 Unknown date Augusta, Georgia WJBF-TV 6 ABC (primary) NBC (secondary) ABC (exclusive) WRDW-TV 12 CBS (primary) NBC (secondary) CBS (exclusive) Station closures Date City of license/Market Station Channel Affiliation Sign-on date Notes March 28 Lebanon, New Hampshire WRLH 31 NBC September 10, 1966; had been silent from 1968 to August 3, 1971 April 30 Roanoke, Virginia WRFT-TV 27 ABC March 4, 1966 Returned to air September 7, 1974 – February 11, 1975, as WRLU Unknown date Chicago, Illinois WXXW 20 PBS September 20, 1965 Would return to the air in February 1983 as WYCC Television shows Debuting this year +DateShowNetworkJanuary 7How to Survive a MarriageNBCJackpot!NBCJanuary 15Happy DaysABC January 17Chopper OneABCFirehouseABCFebruary 1Good TimesCBSFebruary 4Who Killed Lamb?West Bend News Page 9, 4 February 1974, West Bend, Wisconsin.ABCFebruary 6The CowboysABCFebruary 10Apple's WayCBSFebruary 18TattletalesCBSMarch 3NovaPBSMarch 13The Letter PeoplePBSMay 6The $10,000 PyramidABCJuly 1High RollersNBCWinning StreakNBCJuly 4Bicentennial MinuteCBSJuly 29Name That TuneNBCAugust 8Just for LaughsABCSeptember 4That's My MamaABCSeptember 7Run, Joe, RunNBCLand of the LostNBCWheelie and the Chopper BunchNBCValley of the DinosaursCBSShazam!CBSThe Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn MachineCBSThe Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle ShowCBSPartridge Family 2200 A.D.CBSThe U.S. of ArchieCBSHong Kong PhooeyABCDevlinABCKorg: 70,000 B.C.ABCThe New Adventures of GilliganABCThese Are the DaysABCSeptember 9RhodaCBSDinah!SyndicationThe $25,000 PyramidSyndication September 11Get Christie Love!ABCLittle House on the PrairieNBCSeptember 12Harry O ABCPaper Moon ABCSeptember 13Chico and the ManNBCThe Rockford FilesNBCPolice WomanNBCThe Texas WheelersABCKolchak: The Night StalkerABCKodiakABCPlanet of the ApesCBSSeptember 14The New LandABCPaul Sand in Friends and LoversCBSSeptember 21NakiaABCDecember 23The Big ShowdownABCThe Money MazeABC Ending this year Date Show Debut January 2 Love Story 1973 January 4 Return to Peyton Place 1972 The Who, What, or Where Game 1969 January 5 Griff 1973 January 11 Love, American Style 1969 Room 222 February 8 The Secret Storm 1954 March 8 The Brady Bunch 1969 March 11 The New Dick Van Dyke Show 1971 March 15 Lotsa Luck 1973 March 18 Here's Lucy 1968 March 23 The Partridge Family 1970 March 24 The Dean Martin Show 1965 March 29 Baffle 1973 April 6 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law 1971 April 11 Chopper One 1974 Firehouse April 28 The F.B.I. 1965 May 1 Doc Elliot 1973 May 8 The Cowboys 1974 May 10 Toma 1973 May 29 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour 1971 June 27 The Flip Wilson Show 1970 June 28 The Wizard of Odds 1973 Three on a Match 1971 July 26 Dinah's Place 1970 August 29 Just for Laughs 1974Temperatures Rising 1972 October 4 The Texas Wheelers 1974 October 12 Star Trek: The Animated Series 1973 October 18 Kodiak 1974 October 19 The New Land November 30 Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch December 19 Paper Moon December 20 Planet of the Apes The Newlywed Game 1966 The Girl in My Life 1973 December 21 Devlin1974 Hong Kong Phooey Partridge Family 2200 A.D. The U.S. of Archie Valley of the Dinosaurs December 28 Nakia Births 1974 in television#Births Deaths 1974 in television#Deaths See also 1974 in television 1974 in film 1974 in the United States List of American films of 1974 References External links List of 1974 American television series at IMDb October 2021 1974