Sunday Showcase The TV Schedule Only Edition June 1975 - June 1981

We interrupt this Sunday's regularly scheduled Showcase review to bring you 7 days worth of Nashville television schedules. I will begin on Sunday June 8, 1975 and end on Saturday, June 13, 1981. The reason for this special edition is Fan Fair. Fan Fair began in April of 1972, but was moved to June the next year where it remained a staple of country music for decades at the Nashville State Fairgrounds until morphing into the CMA Music Festival which is held downtown. The Sunday Showcases from the first week of June are full of Fan Fair related articles and events which would be great if that's all this weekly foray into the past was about, but I'm more into strange advertisements, rock concerts, and television/movie type entries. So due to Fan Fair I could not find one single issue I wanted to review. So it's this Frankenstein monster of a weekly TV schedule that spans years instead of days. The only stipulation I made was all of the schedules had to be from June and they had to cover a 7 year span. 1975 - 1981 was prime television viewing for me as I was 9 most of 1975 and would have been 14 in June of 1981. It's a regular nostalgia mini-series. I hope you enjoy it.

First up is Sunday June 8, 1975. I would have watched the Three Stooges on Channel 2 at 8:30. I might have then gone to First Freewill Baptist Church on Sulphur Springs Road. Once home I would have watched the Lone Ranger or the Atlanta vs New York baseball game until I grew restless and went outside to play for the rest of the afternoon. Six Million Dollar Man and Mannix would be my most likely prime time viewing.

Sunday June 8, 1975

I should have been done with the school year so Monday June 7, 1976 could possibly be a full day of television viewing if the weather was bad. WZTV Channel 17 is now an option so if I was up at 7 in the morning I'd be tuning in to Spiderman instead of Bozo. WLAC Channel 5 is now WTVF and I would probably still look in on Captain Kangaroo, but I recall being almost a fanatic about Green Acres so I'd switch to WNGE Channel 2 at 830. It seems weird to me now that Happy Days reruns were already being shown every weekday, but I definitely was watching them. There's just so much awesomeness to see here. WTVF was running their Dialing for Dollars promotion for their 3:00 movies and that was always fun. My prime time would be spent enjoying Monday Night Baseball. 

Monday June 7, 1976

A year later and Happy Days is still in syndication on WNGE Channel 2. It had stiff competition with the second half of The Price Is Right now opposite it. My mother was still working nights at this time and she didn't miss Bob Barker's show. I became very adept at many of the games. My favorite game show ever was The Match Game which aired in the afternoon on Channel 5. Afterwards I'd tune to The Gong Show on Channel 4 or perhaps Speed Racer and then The Brady Bunch. 6 to 7 I'd be laughing at The Beverly Hillbillies and Hogan's Heroes on Channel 17. Prime time was ABC with my beloved Happy Days and Laverne And Shirley. Then it would be M*A*S*H and One Day At A Time on CBS or on this particular night I might have switched over to watch the Reds play the Mets.

Tuesday June 7, 1977

Daytime television is much the same in 1978 as it was in 1977. Dinah Shore and Mike Douglas still have 90 minute long talk shows on WZTV. Channel 5 no longer has afternoon movies, but WSM Channel 4 does. It would basically be between Channel 5 and Channel 17 for me from 3-5:30 as each station has great shows. The Life And Times of Grizzly Adams was cool and Wild Wild West was too, but I would attempt to get control of the television from my father and often would get to watch the entirety of ABC's lineup on Wednesday night. Eight Is Enough fascinated me since I have no siblings. 

Wednesday June 14, 1978

Bozo is gone from WNGE 2. I don't know when it ended, but it was still there in June of 1978. I was too old for Captain Kangaroo by this point so Good Morning America was probably what was on. Laverne and Shirley has replaced Happy Days in the 10:00 in the morning spot on Channel 2. Little Rascals and The Brady Bunch air from 3-4 in the afternoon, but I was just as likely to tune over to Channel 5 to see The Addams Family at 3:30 especially since it segued right into Gilligan's Island which was a mainstay. I had been a big fan of The Waltons in prior years, but I guarantee Channel 2 was on with Mork and Mindy and Angie. I've spoken of my love for the Angie show here before. Barney Miller and Carter Country were both shows my father enjoyed. Barnaby Jones got lots of play in our home too as my mother now worked days and she loved detective shows. The local news shows from each channel were always racing to stay ahead of their competitors and WTVF now had a helicopter! Next thing you know, they'd have color weather radar.

Thursday June 14, 1979

We're up to 1980 and I've included the capsules of the shows too. I know I would have probably watched the Dukes of Hazzard rerun where they meet Cale Yarborough if I wasn't going roller skating on that night. Mike Douglas has vanquished Dinah Shore and only his 90 minute long talk show remains. The Incredible Hulk is also on CBS on this night. Dallas was well on its way to becoming a phenomenon, but The Prisoner was airing on WDCN Channel 8 public television and I would watch it without understanding much of it back then.

Friday June 13, 1980

I couldn't resist sharing this great photo of some Fan Fair fans. 

Well, it's the end of the week and Saturday means cartoons all morning, country music shows, and lots of sports throughout the rest of the day before prime time gives way to escapist fare like Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and B.J. and the Bear. I enjoyed the Walking Tall television series even though it was short lived. 

Saturday June 13, 1981

Every week there would be a separate little handy guide to all of the sports coming on TV during the week. I would try to watch as much baseball as I could although I would often get bored and wander off. NWA Wrestling on Channel 17 was another thing though. I would not miss it and would watch every second of it. 

That's all for this week. Next Sunday I'm revisiting 1985 where everybody wants to rule the world.