1973 in American television
This is a list of American television-related events in 1973.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1972–73 United States network television schedule |
| 1973–74 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television programs currently in production |
Events
| Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| March 11 | Charlottesville, Virginia finally receives a television station when NBC affiliate WVIR-TV signs-on. | |
| March 23 | Concentration, the longest-running game show at the time, airs for the 3,796th and final time on NBC, ending its run after 14 years and seven months. The show was the longest-running daytime game show to date until 1987, when the record was eclipsed by The Price is Right, which began its run in 1972. | |
| April 3 | WIIL-TV (now WAWV-TV) signs on the air, giving the Terre Haute market its first full-time ABC affiliate. | |
| April 16 | A TV documentary about the career of Paul McCartney, entitled James Paul McCartney, airs on ABC in the U.S. | |
| May 10 | ABC concludes its initial run at broadcasting the National Basketball Association, marking the last NBA broadcast on ABC until the network regained the rights prior to the 2002-03 season. CBS would take over the over-the-air rights as the NBA’s broadcast television partner the next season. ABC’s final NBA broadcast sees the New York Knicks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which clinched the Knicks’ NBA Championship. | |
| May 17 | Daytime television on ABC is interrupted by news coverage of the hearings pertaining to the Watergate scandal. Following ABC's coverage on this day, CBS televises the next day's hearings, followed the day after that by NBC. The three networks continue cycling coverage in this way until August 7. | |
| July 2 | CBS debuts the 1970's version of Match Game, which will become the #1-rated daytime television program for 1973, 1974, and 1975, and the #1 game show for its first four years on the air. | |
| September 15 | The fourth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show premieres on CBS with Betty White making her first appearance on the show as Sue Ann Nivens. | |
| September 30 | Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in a televised tennis match held at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Billed as The Battle of the Sexes, the global television audience, including viewers watching on ABC in the United States, is estimated at 90 million viewers in 36 countries. | |
| October 4 | WMBB in Panama City, Florida signs-on the air, returning NBC to the market after WJHG-TV dropped that affiliation to become a full-time ABC affiliate the previous year. | |
| October 8 | WHFV signs-on the air from Fredericksburg, Virginia as a NBC affiliate. | |
| November 20 | The animated Thanksgiving special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving premieres on CBS. It ends up winning an Emmy Award the following year. | |
| December 12 | On CBS, Kojak’s trademark lollipop makes its debut in the episode “Hot Sunday”. | |
| December 19 | After reading a news item that said the federal government had fallen behind in getting bids to supply toilet tissue, Johnny Carson inadvertently triggers an unprecedented three-week panic when he announces, on NBC's The Tonight Show, that there is an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States. The panic was settled in January 1974. | |
| December 28 | CBS affiliate KZTV in Corpus Christi, Texas signs-on satellite station KVTV, bringing CBS programming into the Laredo market. | |
Television programs
Programs
- 60 Minutes (1968–)
- All in the Family (1971–79)
- All My Children (1970–2011)
- American Bandstand (1952–89)
- Another World (1964–99)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Bonanza (1959–73)
- Bozo the Clown (1949–)
- Candid Camera (1948–)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–84)
- Columbo (1971–78)
- Concentration (1958–78)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–)
- Emergency! (1972–77)
- Face the Nation (1954–)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–84)
- General Hospital (1963–)
- Gunsmoke (1955–75)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–80)
- Hee Haw (1969–93)
- Here's Lucy (1968–74)
- I've Got a Secret (1972–73)
- Ironside (1967–75)
- It's Academic (1961–)
- Jeopardy! (1964–75, 1984–)
- Kimba the White Lion (1966–67), re-runs
- Kung Fu (1972–75)
- Love of Life (1951–80)
- Love, American Style (1969–74)
- Mannix (1967–75)
- Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–76)
- Mary Tyler Moore (1970–77)
- M*A*S*H (1972–83)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–)
- Maude (1972–78)
- McCloud (1970–77)
- McMillan & Wife (1971–77)
- Meet the Press (1947–)
- Monday Night Football (1970–)
- One Life to Live (1968–2012)
- Police Story (1973–78)
- Rainbow (1972–92)
- Room 222 (1969–74)
- Sanford and Son (1972–77)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–86)
- Sesame Street (1969–)
- Soul Train (1971–2006)
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972–78)
- The Brady Bunch (1969–74)
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78)
- The Dean Martin Show (1965–19)
- The Doctors (1963–82)
- The Edge of Night (1956–84)
- The Flip Wilson Show (1970–74)
- The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–82)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961–81)
- The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74)
- The Newlywed Game (1966–74)
- The Odd Couple (1970–75)
- The Partridge Family (1970–74)
- The Price Is Right (1972–)
- The Secret Storm (1954–74)
- The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971–74)
- The Today Show (1952–)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–92)
- The Waltons (1972–81)
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–79)
- To Tell the Truth (1956–68; 1969–78)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–88)
- What's My Line (1950–75)
Debuting this year
- January 6 – Schoolhouse Rock! on ABC (1973–09)
- January 28 – Barnaby Jones on CBS (1973–80)
- March 20 – Police Story on NBC (1973–78)
- March 26
- The Young and the Restless on CBS (1973–)
- The $10,000 Pyramid on CBS with Dick Clark as host
- July 2 – CBS revives Match Game with more ribald questions (1962–69, 1973–84, 1990–91, 1998–99)
- July 17
- The Wizard of Odds, first United States game show hosted by Alex Trebek, premieres on NBC
- The New Treasure Hunt (syndicated 1973–76)
- September 8
- An animated revival of Star Trek premieres on NBC (1973–74)
- Super Friends (1973–74) premieres on ABC
- September 10 – Lotsa Luck on NBC (1973–74)
- September 14 – Adam's Rib on ABC (1 season)
- September 21 - Needles and Pins on NBC (1 season)
- September 22 – The Starlost (1973–74)
- October 15 – The Tomorrow Show on NBC (1973–82)
- October 24 – Kojak on CBS (1973–78, 2005)
- Greatest Sports Legends (syndicated 1973–93)
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| January 16 | Bonanza | 1959 |
| March 23 | Love is a Many Splendored Thing | 1967 |
| Where the Heart Is | 1969 | |
| March 30 | Ghost Story | 1972 |
| Mission: Impossible | 1966 | |
| May 20 | Laugh-In | 1968 |
| August 24 | The Mod Squad | |
| September 9 | The Doris Day Show | |
| Bridget Loves Bernie | 1972 | |
| Runaround | ||
| October 27 | The New Scooby-Doo Movies | |
| December 28 | Needles and Pins | 1973 |
Networks and services
Network launches
| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Broadcasting Network | Cable/satellite and over-the-air | Unknown date | Founded by Paul Crouch, the station began after he purchased KLXA-TV to start a religious television network by converting the former independent station into the network’s flagship, which eventually became KTBN-TV. | |
Television stations
Sign-ons
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 22 | Greensboro, North Carolina | WUNL-TV | 26 | PBS via UNC-TV | |
| March 11 | Charlottesville, Virginia | WVIR-TV | 29 | NBC | |
| April 3 | Terre Haute, Indiana | WIIL-TV | 38 | ABC | |
| May 30 | Youngstown, Ohio | WNEO | 45 | PBS | |
| June 2 | Montclair, New Jersey | WNJN | 50 | PBS | Part of the New Jersey Network |
| New Brunswick/Trenton, New Jersey | WNJB | 58 | |||
| June 29 | Las Cruces, New Mexico | KRWG-TV | 22 | PBS | |
| July 26 | Zanesville, Ohio | WOUC-TV | 44 | PBS | Satellite of WOUB-TV in Columbus, Ohio |
| September 16 | Eagle Butte, South Dakota | KPSD-TV | 13 | PBS | Part of South Dakota Public Broadcasting |
| October | Portsmouth, Ohio (Huntington, West Virginia/Ashland, Kentucky) |
WPBO-TV | 42 | PBS | |
| October 4 | Panama City, Florida | WDTB-TV | 13 | NBC | |
| October 8 | Fredericksburg, Virginia | WHFV | 69 | NBC | |
| November 5 | Los Angeles, California | KLCS | 58 | PBS | |
| November 18 | New York City | WSNL-TV | 67 | Independent | |
| December 28 | Laredo, Texas | KVTV | 13 | CBS | |
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 4 | Panama City, Florida | WJDM-TV | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) |
ABC (exclusive) | Rejoined NBC in 1982 |
| Unknown date | Fayetteville, Arkansas | KNAC-TV | 5 | NBC (exclusive) | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) |
|
| Fontana, California/Los Angeles, California | KLXA-TV | 40 | Bilingual independent | TBN (O&O) | Licensed reassigned to Santa Ana in 1983, became KTBN-TV in 1977 | |
Station closures
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 7 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | KGTM-TV | NBC | February 8, 1969 | ||
| Unknown date | LaSalle, Illinois | WEEQ | 35 | NBC | November 7, 1957 | Satellite of WEEK-TV/Peoria, Illinois |
Births
| Date | Name | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| January 4 | Damon Gupton | American actor (Criminal Minds) |
| January 11 | Rockmond Dunbar | American actor (Soul Food, Prison Break) |
| January 16 | Josie Davis | American actress (Charles in Charge, The Young and the Restless) |
| January 23 | Lanei Chapman | American actress |
| January 29 | Miranda Krestovnikoff | English archaeologist and television host |
| January 31 | Portia de Rossi | Australian actress (Ally McBeal, Arrested Development, Scandal) |
| February 12 | Tara Strong | Canadian voice actress (voice of Timmy Turner on The Fairly OddParents) |
| February 15 | Sarah Wynter | Australian actress (24) |
| February 19 | Eric Lange | American actor (The Bridge, Narcos) |
| March 8 | Boris Kodjoe | Austrian-German actor (Soul Food, The Last Man on Earth) |
| March 17 | Amelia Heinle | American soap opera actress |
| Michelle Nolden | Canadian actress (Numb3rs, Saving Hope) | |
| March 20 | Cedric Yarbrough | American actor, comedian (Reno 911!, The Boondocks, Speechless) |
| March 21 | Jerry Supiran | American actor (Small Wonder) |
| March 24 | Jim Parsons | American actor (Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory) |
| March 26 | T. R. Knight | American actor (Grey's Anatomy) |
| April 2 | Roselyn Sánchez | Puerto Rican singer, model and actress (Without a Trace, Devious Maids) |
| April 3 | Adam Scott | American actor (Parks and Recreation) |
| April 8 | Emma Caulfield | American actress (Beverly Hills, 90210, General Hospital, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) |
| April 11 | Jennifer Esposito | American actress (Spin City, Related, Samantha Who?, Blue Bloods, Taxi Brooklyn, Mistresses, NCIS) |
| April 12 | Christina Moore | American actress (Hyperion Bay, Mad TV, That '70s Show, Hawthorne) |
| April 23 | John Lutz | American actor, comedian (30 Rock) |
| April 27 | Jillian Bach | American actress (Two Guys and a Girl) |
| April 28 | Elisabeth Röhm | German-American actress (Bull, Angel, Law & Order, The Client List, Stalker) |
| Melissa Fahn | American voice actress (Cowboy Bepop, Digimon, FLCL, Invader Zim, Eureka Seven) and singer | |
| Jorge Garcia | American actor (Becker, Lost) | |
| May 5 | Tina Yothers | American actress (Family Ties) |
| May 16 | Tori Spelling | American actress (Beverly Hills, 90210) and daughter of Aaron Spelling |
| May 17 | Sasha Alexander | American-Serbian actress (Dawson's Creek, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles) |
| May 25 | Molly Sims | American model, actress (Las Vegas) |
| Demetri Martin | American actor, comedian (The Daily Show, Important Things with Demetri Martin, We Bare Bears) | |
| May 27 | Jack McBrayer | American actor, comedian (30 Rock, Wander Over Yonder) |
| June 9 | Keesha Sharp | American actress (Girlfriends) |
| June 12 | Mel Rodriguez | American actor (Getting On, The Last Man on Earth) |
| June 15 | Neil Patrick Harris | American actor (Doogie Howser, M.D., How I Met Your Mother) |
| June 16 | Eddie Cibrian | American actor (Sunset Beach, CSI: Miami) |
| June 21 | Juliette Lewis | American actress (The Firm) |
| June 26 | Rebecca Budig | American actress (Guiding Light, All My Children, General Hospital) |
| July 3 | Patrick Wilson | American actor (A Gifted Man, Fargo) |
| July 6 | William Lee Scott | American actor (The Steve Harvey Show) |
| July 8 | Kathleen Robertson | Canadian actress (Maniac Mansion, Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| July 9 | Enrique Murciano | American actor (Without a Trace) |
| July 15 | Brian Austin Green | American actor (Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| July 20 | Omar Epps | American actor (House, [[Shooter (TV series)|Shooter]]) and rapper |
| July 21 | Ali Landry | American actress (Eve) |
| July 23 | Kathryn Hahn | American actress (Crossing Jordan) |
| July 25 | David Denman | American actor (The Office) |
| August 1 | Tempestt Bledsoe | American actress (The Cosby Show) |
| August 2 | Kia Goodwin | American actress (227) |
| August 6 | Vera Farmiga | American actress (Touching Evil, Bates Motel) |
| August 11 | Frank Caeti | American actor, comedian (Mad TV) |
| August 22 | Kristen Wiig | American actress, comedian (Saturday Night Live) |
| August 24 | Dave Chappelle | American actor, comedian (Chappelle's Show) |
| Carmine Giovinazzo | American actor (CSI: NY) | |
| Grey DeLisle | American voice actress (current voice of Daphne Blake in the Scooby-Doo Franchise) and singer-songwriter | |
| September 3 | Jennifer Paige | American singer and actress |
| September 5 | Rose McGowan | Italian-American actress (Charmed, Chosen) |
| September 7 | Shannon Elizabeth | American actress (Cuts) |
| September 14 | Andrew Lincoln | English actor (The Walking Dead) |
| September 18 | James Marsden | American actor (Westworld) |
| September 25 | Bridgette Wilson | American actress (Santa Barbara) |
| October 3 | Neve Campbell | Canadian actress (Party of Five, House of Cards) |
| Keiko Agena | American actress (Gilmore Girls) | |
| October 9 | Jennifer Aspen | American actress (Party of Five, Rodney, GCB) |
| Steve Burns | American actor and entertainer (Blue's Clues) | |
| October 10 | Mario Lopez | American actor, host (Saved by the Bell, Extra) |
| October 26 | Seth MacFarlane | American actor, comedian and director (Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, American Dad!) |
| November 1 | David Berman | American actor (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) |
| November 2 | Marisol Nichols | American actress (24, Riverdale) |
| November 7 | Yunjin Kim | American-South Korean actress (Lost, Mistresses) |
| November 8 | David Muir | American journalist (20/20, World News Tonight) |
| November 9 | Alyson Court | Canadian actress |
| November 25 | Eddie Steeples | American actor (My Name is Earl) |
| November 28 | Gina Tognoni | American actress (Guiding Light, Venice: The Series, One Life to Live, The Young and the Restless) |
| December 3 | Holly Marie Combs | American actress (Picket Fences, Charmed, [[Pretty Little Liars (TV series)|Pretty Little Liars]]) |
| December 4 | Tyra Banks | American actress, model and host (The Tyra Banks Show, America's Next Top Model) |
| December 9 | Nicole Randall Johnson | American comic actress (Mad TV) |
| December 10 | Arden Myrin | American actress, comedian (Mad TV, Shameless) |
| December 14 | Thuy Trang | Vietnamese-born American actress, (Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers) (died 2001) |
| December 27 | Wilson Cruz | American actor (My So-Called Life, Noah's Arc) |
| December 28 | Seth Meyers | American comedian, host (Saturday Night Live, Late Night) |
| December 30 | Jason Behr | American actor (Roswell) |
| Maureen Flannigan | American actress (Out of This World) |
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 24 | J. Carrol Naish | 77 | Character actor (Life With Luigi) |
| January 28 | John Banner | 63 | Actor (Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes) |
| March 13 | Stacy Harris | 54 | U.S. actor (Dragnet, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) |
| April 26 | Irene Ryan | 70 | Actress (Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies) |
| September 21 | Diana Sands | 39 | Actress (The Fugitive) |
| October 2 | Paul Hartman | 69 | Actor (Emmett Clark on The Andy Griffith Show) |
| December 23 | Irna Phillips | 72 | Soap opera writer and creator (The Guiding Light, As the World Turns) |
See also
References
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