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List of years in American television: |
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1997–98 United States network television schedule |
1998–99 United States network television schedule |
List of American television programs currently in production |
In American television in 1998, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.
Date | Event |
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3 | Jim McKay announces that Wide World of Sports has been cancelled by ABC after 37 years. |
12 | CBS acquires the rights to the AFC of the NFL as part of a $4 billion, eight-year contract; Fox and ABC renew their agreements for the NFC and Monday Night Football , respectively (Super Bowl XXXII, broadcast on January 25, would be NBC's last NFL game until 2006). |
15 | Many of Sinclair's stations that were previously affiliated with UPN were converted to affiliates of The WB. |
30 | CBS affiliate in Orlando, WCPX-TV changes its name to WKMG-TV following its purchase by Post-Newsweek. |
Date | Event |
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9 | Prevue Channel (now Pop) revamps its programming to include short-form segments. The revamp lasts until January 31, 1999, when the channel is renamed TV Guide Channel. |
Date | Event |
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18 | A wanted child molester named Matthew Fenwick appears as a contestant on the game show Wheel of Fortune and wins $4,400. At the time of the episode's airing, Matthew was on the run after being accused of molesting two underage girls, ages 8 and 10, who discovered Matthew on the game show after a warrant was issued for him in November 1997 by the police. He was arrested two days after his appearance on the game show and subsequently pled guilty in July 1998 for two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. |
29 | World Wrestling Federation wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels, winning his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIV. With this, it has been cited to be the full beginning of the "Attitude Era". |
Date | Event |
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4 | CatDog premieres on Nickelodeon following the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards. The show did not air every day until October. |
6 | Long-running British children's television series Teletubbies begins its U.S. television debut on PBS Kids. |
9 | The Price Is Right's 5,000th episode is broadcast on CBS. On the show, every pricing game is played for a car (something Price had only done once before. It has been repeated only once since then). At the beginning of the show, CBS announces it has renamed Studio 33 (the studio at CBS Television City where The Price Is Right has taped since its 1972 return) the Bob Barker Studios in honor of the show's then-host and executive producer. |
11 | The National Cable Television Association announces they will discontinue the CableACE awards, due to the Emmy Awards recognizing cable programming. |
24 | A second special episode of Dallas , Dallas: War of the Ewings , airs on CBS seven years after the original series finished. |
30 | Seven television stations broadcast the suicide of maintenance worker Daniel V. Jones on live television. The incident causes many to criticize Los Angeles television stations' practice of airing police pursuits live and calls for proposed changes in the way live coverage of events are handled in the future. |
Date | Event |
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7 | The infamous Seinfeld episode, "The Puerto Rican Day" is broadcast on NBC. In it, Cosmo Kramer accidentally burns and then stomps on the Puerto Rican flag. NBC was forced to apologize and had it banned from airing on the network again. Also, it was not initially part of the syndicated package. In the summer of 2002, the episode started to appear with the flag-burning sequence intact. |
14 | 76.3 million people tune in to The Finale of Seinfeld on NBC. |
28 | Former Saturday Night Live actor and comedian Phil Hartman, then featuring on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio , the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons , and announcer of Cartoon Network is shot and killed by his wife (who then kills herself). |
Date | Event |
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11 | United Video Satellite Group, parent company of the Prevue Channel (now Pop), acquires TV Guide from News Corporation for $800 million and 60 million shares of stock worth an additional $1.2 billion. In recognition of this, Prevue Channel will rebrand to the TV Guide Channel on February 1, 1999. [1] [2] |
14 | Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz is broadcast on NBC. The game registered a 22.3 Nielsen rating and 38 share with average 35.9 million viewers. This made it the highest rated and most watched game in the history of the National Basketball Association. 72 million people in the US watched at least part of the game. [3] The previous record was a 21.2 rating and 37 share for Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons. [4] |
Date | Event |
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3 | The feud between UPN and Sinclair Broadcast Group has been ended, with many of the Milwaukee, Birmingham, Raleigh and Charleston stations that were temporary independent stations went back to being UPN affiliates. |
15 | A pre-season football game in Vancouver, British Columbia between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks is CBS's first NFL football broadcast since January 1994. |
16 | KATH-LP in Juneau, Alaska signs on the air, giving the Juneau market its first full-time NBC affiliate. The sign-on was delayed for a month due to delays in receiving the equipment required to place the station on the local GCI cable system (Sister station KSCT-LP in Sitka, the market's former Fox affiliate, had already switched to NBC). [5] [6] |
Date | Event |
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6 | CBS resumes its regular season coverage of the National Football League for the first time since 1993. |
8 | In front of a nationwide audience watching on Fox, Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run of the Major League Baseball season, breaking the 37 year old record held by Roger Maris. |
17 | Frasier appears for the first time on Thursday nights in the 9:00 slot, NBC had been discussing in May, displacing Seinfeld , although Just Shoot Me! has been moved to Tuesdays two days earlier. The show produced new episodes in its slot next week. |
Date | Event |
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4 | UPN adds two additional nights of programming to its schedule with primetime series added to Friday nights, including a movie block on Thursday nights. |
21 | Fox broadcasts the Game 4 of its second World Series. The New York Yankees defeat the San Diego Padres, winning their 24th championship and second since 1996. |
19 | Fox Family Channel debuts its new annual event 13 Nights of Halloween. |
Date | Event |
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8 | The Milwaukee, Raleigh, Birmingham and Charleston stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group aired many Star Trek: Voyager episodes viewers left out of the last season, with the permission of UPN and Paramount Television. |
20 | The Rugrats Movie , based on Nickelodeon's hit series Rugrats is released in theaters. The movie introduces the character of Dil Pickles, who became a main character in Rugrats the following January. The Rugrats Movie was a commercial success, making a grand total of $100,494,675 domestically and another $40,400,000 in international markets. [7] To promote the movie, Nickelodeon put all Rugrats episodes on hiatus for the week. It was the first time since 1994 that Rugrats was not part of Nick's daily schedule. |
Date | Event |
---|
Show | Seasons | In production | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Chicago Hope | 4 | Yes | [8] |
Dave's World | 4 | No | [9] |
Doug | 6 | Yes | |
Diagnosis: Murder | 5 | Yes | [9] |
ER | 4 | Yes | [10] |
Friends | 4 | Yes | [11] |
The Nanny | 5 | Yes | [12] |
New York Undercover | 4 | No | [13] |
Newsradio | 4 | Yes | [14] |
Sister, Sister | 5 | Yes | [15] |
This Old House | 19 | Yes | [16] |
Touched by an Angel | 4 | Yes | [9] |
Show | Last aired | Previous network | New title | New network | Date of return |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kids Say the Darndest Things | 1995 | CBS | Same | Same | January 9 |
The NFL Today | 1994 | CBS | September 6 | ||
Disney's Brand Spanking New! Doug | 1997 | ABC | Disney's Doug | ABC/Syndication | September 12 |
Hollywood Squares | 1989 | Syndication | Same | Same | September 14 |
Love Connection | 1994 | September 21 | |||
Match Game | 1991 | ABC | Syndication |
Show | Moved from | Moved to |
---|---|---|
For Your Love | NBC | The WB |
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | ABC | |
Sliders | Fox | Sci-Fi Channel |
Magic Adventures of Mumfie | Fox Kids | Fox Family Channel |
Flipper | Syndication | PAX TV |
All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | Syndication | Fox Family Channel |
All New Captain Kangaroo | ||
Match Game | ABC | Syndication |
Title | Network | Date of airing |
---|---|---|
Halloweentown | Disney Channel | October 17 |
Title | Network | Date of airing |
---|---|---|
The Last Don II | CBS | May 3 [17] |
Peter Benchley's Creature | ABC | May 17 |
Thanks of a Grateful Nation | Showtime | May 31 |
Network | Type | Launch date | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
Discovery en Espanol | Cable television | Unknown | ||
ESPN Classic | Cable television | January 1 | ||
Showtime Extreme | Cable and satellite | March 10 | Showtime Extreme, a multiplex channel from Showtime, airs action and adventure films, thrillers, gangster films and sporting events. The channel's launch coincided with Viacom's channels (excluding the Showtime networks) moving from USSB to DirecTV. | |
BBC America | Cable and satellite | March 29 | BBC Worldwide and Discovery Communications launched BBC America as part of a $565 million alliance to develop new channels and co-productions. The channel carried British drama, comedy, and documentary programs and live news broadcasts from BBC World. | |
Toon Disney | Cable and satellite | April 18 | Toon Disney, devoted to carrying animated series and movies 24 hours a day, was launched by The Walt Disney Company on Disney Channel's 15th anniversary. The first program to air was "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment from Fantasia . | |
ZDTV | Cable and satellite | May 11 | A channel launched by Ziff Davis airing technology-based programs. | |
CityVision | Cable television | June 8 | ||
Lifetime Movie Network | Cable and satellite | June 29 | A offshoot of Lifetime carrying made-for-TV movies aimed at women. | |
Discovery Health Channel | Cable and satellite | July 1 | Discovery Health Channel aired repeats of health-oriented programs from other Discovery networks, plus some original programming. | |
Discovery Wings Channel | Cable and satellite | July 15 | Named after the Discovery Channel series Wings , Discovery Wings Channel aired programs related to aircraft and aerospace. Discovery Wings also showed top-of-the-hour interstitials featuring aviation forecast data provided by the National Weather Service. | |
MTV S MTVX VH1 Country VH1 Smooth VH1 Soul | Digital cable | August 1 | MTV Networks launches "The Suite from MTV and VH1", five music channels initially exclusive to digital cable. | |
PAX | Over-the-air multicast | August 31 | Paxson Communications launches PAX TV (now named Ion Television), a family-oriented broadcast network. Paxson's stations previously carried a number of paid programming services (as well as the overnight Christian block The Worship Network), branded as the Infomall Television Network until at the time of PAX's launch. [9] | |
The WB 100+ Station Group | Cable television | September 21 | The WB launches its programming service of cable-only networks, branded as the 100+ Station Group. It was originally known as The WeB, which was from its launch until March of next year. Several cable providers that carried The WB's programming on WGN Superstation feed (until it was dropped the following September) were replaced by its own service. [18] | |
The Biography Channel | Cable and satellite | November 16 | First announced in June 1996, The Biography Channel aired episodes of A&E's profile series Biography and related series. | |
History Channel International | Cable and satellite | November 16 | History Channel International broadcast programs focusing on world history, plus a selection of programs in foreign languages for the Cable in the Classroom initiative. |
Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CBS Eye on People | Eye on People | Cable television | Unknown | ||
Nostalgia Good TV | Goodlife TV Network | Cable television | Unknown | ||
The Family Channel | Fox Family Channel | Cable and satellite | August 15 | More than a year after its acquisition by News Corporation's Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc., The Family Channel is re-initiated as Fox Family Channel, with the network now targeting a younger family-oriented audience than that of its predecessor. | |
HBO2 | HBO Plus | Cable and satellite | October 1 | ||
HBO3 | HBO Signature | Cable and satellite | October 1 | ||
Q2 | Style Network | Cable and satellite | October 1 | QVC shut down its Q2 network on October 1 and sold its satellite capacity to E!, who used the space to launch Style Network. |
Network | Type | Closure date | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Sports Classics | Cable and satellite | Unknown | ||
Sega Channel | Online service | July 31 |
Date | Name | Age | Notability |
---|---|---|---|
January 4 | Mae Questel | 89 | Actress (voice of Olive Oyl in Popeye the Sailor ) |
January 5 | Sonny Bono | 62 | Singer and entertainer ( The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ) |
January 21 | Jack Lord | 77 | Actor (Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O ) |
February 3 | Fat Pat | 27 | American rapper |
February 6 | Carl Wilson | 51 | Singer-songwriter (The Beach Boys) and brother of Brian Wilson |
February 19 | Grandpa Jones | 84 | Comedian and musician ( Hee Haw ) |
February 23 | Philip Abbott | 74 | Actor ( The F.B.I. ) |
March 10 | Lloyd Bridges | 85 | Actor (Mike Nelson on Sea Hunt ) |
April 17 | Linda McCartney | 56 | Musician (guest star on The Simpsons ) (Paul McCartney's wife) |
May 14 | Frank Sinatra | 82 | Singer, actor, and producer |
May 28 | Phil Hartman | 49 | Actor, comedian ( Saturday Night Live , The Simpsons, NewsRadio ) |
July 6 | Roy Rogers | 86 | Singer and actor ( The Roy Rogers Show ) |
July 21 | Robert Young | 91 | Actor ( Father Knows Best , Marcus Welby, M.D. ) |
July 30 | Buffalo Bob Smith | 80 | Children's show host ( Howdy Doody ) |
August 2 | Shari Lewis | 65 | Puppeteer ( Lamb Chop's Play-Along ) |
September 23 | Mary Frann | 55 | Actress (Joanna on Newhart ) |
October 2 | Gene Autry | 91 | Musical performer ( The Gene Autry Show ) |
October 3 | Roddy McDowall | 70 | Actor ( Tales of the Gold Monkey ) |
November 17 | Dick O'Neill | 70 | Actor ( Family Matters , Home Improvement ) |
Esther Rolle | 78 | Actress (Florida on Maude and Good Times ) | |
December 6 | Michael Zaslow | 56 | Actor (Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light ) |
December 14 | Norman Fell | 74 | Actor (Stanley Roper on Three's Company ) |
December 23 | Michelle Thomas | 30 | Actress (Myra on Family Matters , Justine on The Cosby Show ) |
December 25 | Richard Paul | 58 | Actor ( Carter Country , Match Game ) |
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' subsidiary, United Television. Viacom turned it into a joint venture in 1996 after acquiring a 50% stake in the network, and subsequently purchased Chris-Craft's remaining stake in 2000. On December 31, 2005, UPN was kept by CBS Corporation, which was the new name for Viacom when it split into two separate companies. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner jointly announced that the companies would shut down UPN and competitor The WB to launch a new joint venture network later that year. UPN ceased broadcasting on September 15, 2006, with The WB following two days later. Select programs from both networks moved to the new network, The CW, when it launched on September 18, 2006.
In American television in 1995, notable events included television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
KING-TV is a television station in Seattle, Washington, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Everett-licensed independent station KONG. The two stations share studios at the Home Plate Center in the SoDo district of Seattle; KING-TV's transmitter is located in the city's Queen Anne neighborhood.
KCBS-TV, branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent outlet KCAL-TV. The two stations share studios at the Radford Studio Center on Radford Avenue in the Studio City section of Los Angeles; KCBS-TV's transmitter is located on the western side of Mount Wilson near Occidental Peak.
KWHY-TV is a Spanish-language independent television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by Meruelo Broadcasting alongside Garden Grove–licensed KBEH ; the two stations share RF channel 4 under a channel sharing agreement. KWHY and KBEH share studios on West Pico Boulevard in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles and transmitter facilities atop Mount Wilson.
KJLA is a television station licensed to Ventura, California, United States, serving the Los Angeles area as an affiliate of Visión Latina. The station is owned by Costa de Oro Media, LLC, a company run by Entravision Communications founder, CEO and chairman Walter Ulloa. KJLA's studios are located on Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.
KTUU-TV is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with NBC and CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KAUU. The two stations share studios on East 40th Avenue in midtown Anchorage; KTUU-TV's transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.
ON TV was an American subscription television (STV) service that operated in eight markets between 1977 and 1985. Originally established by National Subscription Television, a joint venture of Oak Industries and Chartwell Communications, ON TV was part of a new breed of STV operations that broadcast premium programming—including movies, sporting events, and concerts—over an encrypted signal on a UHF television station and leased decoders to subscribing customers. At its peak in 1982, ON TV boasted more than 700,000 customers—more than half of them in Los Angeles, its most successful market. However, the rapidly expanding availability of cable television, coupled with a recession, caused the business to quickly lose subscribers at the same time that Oak Industries was experiencing severe financial difficulties. Between March 1983 and June 1985, all eight operations closed.
Disney General Entertainment Content (DGEC), formerly Capital Cities/ABC,ABC Group, Disney–ABC Television Group and the second incarnation of Walt Disney Television, is part of Disney Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company that oversees its owned-and-operated television content, assets and sub-divisions.
KATH-LD, virtual channel 2, is a low-power NBC-affiliated television station licensed to both Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KATH-LD's transmitter is located in downtown Juneau.
The second season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 1, 1998. The second season concluded after 18 episodes on January 20, 1999; it remains the longest season of South Park to date. Almost all the episodes were directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, with the exception of two episodes directed by Eric Stough.
Estrella TV is an American Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by the Estrella Media subsidiary of HPS Investment Partners, LLC. The network primarily features programs, the vast majority of which are produced by the network itself, aimed at Hispanic and Latino American audiences – featuring a mix of entertainment series, reality television series, drama series, news, sports, and imported Mexican-produced feature films.
The early history of television in the United States, particularly between 1956 and 1986, was dominated by the Big Three television networks: the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The term fourth television network was used within the industry during this era to refer to a theoretical fourth commercial broadcast (over-the-air) television network that would operate as a direct competitor to the "Big Three".
Grit is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network features classic westerns, both TV series and films.
Katie Joplin is an American sitcom created by Tom Seeley and Norm Gunzenhauser that aired for one season on The WB Television Network from August to September 1999. Park Overall stars as the title character, a single mother who moves from Knoxville to Philadelphia and tries to balance her job as a radio program host with parenting her teenage son Greg. Supporting characters include Katie's niece Liz Berlin as well as her co-workers, played by Jay Thomas, Jim Rash, and Simon Rex. Majandra Delfino guest-starred in three episodes as the daughter of the radio station's general manager.
The following are lists of changes to American television networks, including changes of station affiliations, that occurred in 2018.