1994 in American television

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List of years in American television:
1993–94 United States network television schedule
1994–95 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

In American television in 1994, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and re-brandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.

Notable events[edit]

January[edit]

Date Event
18 The Peanuts special You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown is broadcast by NBC. It will prove to be the last new Peanuts special broadcast on television for eight years until A Charlie Brown Valentine airs on ABC. It was the last special in creator Charles Schulz's lifetime to air on TV and the gang's first appearance on NBC in over 25 years.
CBS wins the rights to broadcast the 1998 Winter Olympics from Nagano, Japan, after paying roughly $375 million.
22 NBC broadcasts the NHL All-Star Game for the fifth consecutive year. This would also mark the last time that NBC would broadcast a National Hockey League game for 12 years.
23 CBS, which had broadcast National Football League games since 1956, broadcasts its final telecast, with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 38–21. CBS had been outbid during December 1993 for rights to the NFC package by the Fox Network. CBS, however, would regain NFL rights (taking over the AFC rights from NBC) in 1998.
24 During a segment on NBC's Today, host Bryant Gumbel asks "What is the internet, anyway?"
30 NBC airs the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year. It's the first time that a network has aired two straight Super Bowls outright. While CBS did air the first two Super Bowls back to back, the first ever Super Bowl was really a simulcast between CBS and NBC.
31 Bill Cosby returned to NBC for a two-hour movie, The Cosby Mysteries, after ending production of The Cosby Show 21 months earlier.

February[edit]

Date Event
1 American pay television channel Encore launches seven new themed multiplex channels (Westerns, True Stories, Love Stories, WAM!: America's Kidz Network, Action and Mystery), primarily on TCI cable systems, becoming the first premium service to offer a suite of thematic channels. Starz, which features more recent movie fare than its parent channel, also debuts on this date as part of the Encore multiplex and would eventually become a rival to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and The Movie Channel.
12 KTSP-TV in Phoenix changes its call letters to KSAZ-TV, reflecting its newly adopted "Spirit of Arizona" slogan.[1]
19 During the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, guest host Martin Lawrence makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene, which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and SNL (for life). In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer Jim Downey), saying that although SNL is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs.
21 Sony Pictures Entertainment merged Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television into Columbia TriStar Television. Two of the Sony owned game shows (Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!) will be produced by the new unit for Sony's then-new future programs. CPT and TriStar TV are still in-active until 1999 and the beginning of 2001, respectively.
23 CBS's coverage of the short program in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway (fueled by the media frenzy from a scandal in which associates of figure skater Tonya Harding attacked Nancy Kerrigan) immediately becomes one of the highest rated prime time television programs in American history.
25 Bob Costas hosts his final episode of Later on NBC with a one-hour retrospective titled "One Last Time".
28 Greg Kinnear debuts as host of NBC's Later.

March[edit]

Date Event
1 The Pay television content advisory system, which describe the varying degrees of suggestive or explicit content in series and movies being broadcast by pay cable channels, are first implemented by HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and The Movie Channel. A streamlined version of the system—a categorized, ten-point system of content labels and abbreviated codes—was implemented on June 10.
11 Viacom assumes control of Paramount Pictures, which includes Paramount Television. Later during the year Paramount/Viacom announces plans to initiate a new over-the-air television network, in conjunction with United Television. The new network, the United Paramount Network (or UPN for short), is initiated during January 1995.
15 Major League Soccer with ESPN and ABC Sports announced the league's first television rights deal without any players, coaches, or teams in place.[2] The three-year agreement committed 10 games on ESPN, 25 on ESPN2, and the MLS Cup on ABC. The deal gave MLS no rights fees but split advertising revenue between the league and networks.
31 Madonna appears on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman and makes headlines for going on a profanity-laden tirade—one of the most censored events of American TV talk-show history, swearing 13 times during the interview. Though infamous, it results in some of the highest ratings of Letterman's late-night career. (Robin Williams would later describe the segment as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman.")

April[edit]

Date Event
3 After 15 years, Charles Kuralt hosts CBS News Sunday Morning for the final time. He would be succeeded by Charles Osgood.
6 On the ESPN2 talk show Talk2 former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jim Everett flips the table and attacks host Jim Rome in retaliation for Rome repeatedly calling Everett "Chris" in relation to female tennis player Chris Evert.
10 Pat Summerall makes his final assignment and on-camera appearance as a broadcaster for CBS Sports, the final round of the Masters.
14 Turner Classic Movies, an extension of Turner Broadcasting System, debuted on the 100th anniversary of the first public movie showing in New York City.
17 ABC affiliate KARD in Monroe, Louisiana, which carried Fox on a secondary basis, switches to be a primary Fox affiliate.
18 Arsenio Hall announces that he won't continue his late night talk show, with the final episode of The Arsenio Hall Show ultimately airing on May 27, 1994.
28 The Simpsons broadcasts its 100th episode on Fox.

May[edit]

Date Event
13 Johnny Carson makes a surprise appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman to deliver Letterman his "Top Ten Lists". This would prove to be Carson's final television appearance.
14 Phil Hartman along with Melanie Hutsell, Rob Schneider, Sarah Silverman, and Julia Sweeney appear in their final Saturday Night Live episode as cast members. Hartman is presented with a bronzed stick of glue, symbolizing how he had become "The Glue" of the show, a term coined by Adam Sandler.[3]
23 New World Communications reaches a multi-year affiliation agreement with Fox among their entire station group, seven of which were in the former Storer Broadcasting chain, along with four stations purchased from Argyle Television and four stations from Citicasters.[4][5] In turn, Fox parent News Corporation purchased a 20 percent stake in New World. The terms of the agreement calls for all stations to switch to Fox after their existing contracts are up, initiating a wide-ranging realignment of television stations and network affiliations.[6]
Star Trek: The Next Generation concludes its seven-year run with the series finale, All Good Things... The two-hour finale was broadcast at 6 p.m. on most affiliates, rather than as part of the prime time lineup.
25 Shannen Doherty makes her final appearance as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.

June[edit]

Date Event
11 World Wrestling Federation wrestler Hulk Hogan signs a deal with World Championship Wrestling on a live broadcast of WCW Saturday Night.
16 ABC and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting confirm a wide-ranging affiliation pact securing the network's links with WXYZ-TV in Detroit and WEWS-TV in Cleveland. At Scripps-Howard's insistence, it also calls for KNXV-TV in Phoenix, WFTS-TV in St. Petersburg/Tampa (both outgoing Fox affiliates) and WMAR-TV in Baltimore (the market's NBC affiliate) to switch to ABC.[7] The deal comes at the expense of KTVK and WJZ-TV, whose long tenures with ABC spanned 40 years and 47 years, respectively.[8][9]
17 With all major networks providing live coverage, former NFL player O. J. Simpson, suspected in the murder of his former wife and her acquaintance, flees from police with his friend Al Cowlings in his white Ford Bronco; the low-speed chase ends with Simpson's surrender to police at his Brentwood mansion. NBC, who was broadcasting Game 5 of the NBA Finals between New York and Houston in the meantime, periodically covers the chase via a split-screen.
DirecTV, a direct broadcast satellite service, begins broadcasting in Jackson, Mississippi.
19 The World Wrestling Federation holds the second annual King of the Ring event on pay-per-view. The event in particular, is remembered among fans for featuring former National Football League player Art Donovan on commentary. Donovan seemingly had no familiarity with professional wrestling, and repeatedly asked the same questions throughout the event, notably, "How much does this guy weigh?"
20 NBC's Today moves into Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center.
23 The first ever Nurses Ball event airs on General Hospital.

July[edit]

Date Event
9 British vintage puppet action series Thunderbirds is introduced to the United States when the series goes to air on Fox Kids on Saturday mornings with brand new music and voices.
11 PBS repackages their existing children's programs as a new block called PTV.
12 The 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game from Pittsburgh is broadcast on NBC (NBC's first Major League Baseball telecast since Game 5 of the 1989 National League Championship Series). The game is the first production of The Baseball Network, a joint venture between MLB, NBC, and ABC. Hampered by its much-criticized regional policy for game broadcasts and a players' strike that cancels the 1994 postseason, the venture will be termed a failure even before it dissolves at the end of the 1995 season.
14 Westinghouse Broadcasting agrees to affiliate all of their television stations with CBS, including long-tenured NBC affiliates WBZ-TV in Boston and KYW-TV in Philadelphia, along with outgoing ABC affiliate WJZ-TV in Baltimore.[10] This deal consequently prompts CBS to sell WCAU-TV, owned by the network since 1957,[11] and precipitated Westinghouse's outright buyout of CBS the following year.[12]
16 Baseball Night in America premieres on ABC. This would mark the first time that Major League Baseball games would be broadcast on ABC since the 1989 World Series.

August[edit]

Date Event
12 The ABC soap opera All My Children broadcasts a memorial episode for original cast member Frances Heflin, who died during June. The memorial is in the form of a funeral service for Heflin's character, Mona Kane Tyler.
Fox broadcasts its first National Football League event, a pre-season game in San Francisco between the 49ers and Denver Broncos.
21 HBO broadcasts a concert appearance by Barbra Streisand, the entertainer's first public concert in 27 years.
29 Highlights from the NWA World Title Tournament from two days prior air on ECW Hardcore TV. It was at that particular event that the tournament winner, Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt and proclaimed the ECW Heavyweight Championship to be a world championship. Douglas' speech presaged the emergence of ECW - renamed from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling shortly after the event - as a nationally recognized promotion and the continued decline in the power and profile of the NWA.[13]

September[edit]

Date Event
3 WJW-TV in Cleveland is the first of the New World Communications stations to switch to Fox, ending a 40-year affiliation with CBS. Former Fox affiliate WOIO, in turn, joins CBS and takes over operations of independent WUAB (owned by Cannell Communications) via a local marketing agreement; this allows for WOIO to set up a news department using WUAB's personnel.[14][15]
4 Fox covers regular season National Football League games for the first time with the launch of their pre-game program, Fox NFL Sunday.
9 The National Hockey League reaches a five-year, US$155 million contract with Fox[16] for the broadcast television rights to the league's games, beginning with the 1994–95 season.[17]
11 The 46th Primetime Emmy Awards were presented on ABC.
12 New World station WDAF-TV in Kansas City ends a 45-year affiliation with NBC to join Fox, with former Fox affiliate KSHB-TV linking up with NBC.[18][19]
New World station KSAZ-TV in Phoenix ends a 40-year connection to CBS, with former independent KPHO-TV joining CBS.[20] Due to Fox affiliate KNXV-TV having a contract that ends three months later, KSAZ-TV operates as an independent for the interregnum.[21] KNXV-TV begins taking ABC programming on a piecemeal basis from soon-to-be former affiliate KTVK, the market's new independent.[22]
Original Family Feud host Richard Dawson returns to the series after nine years, replacing his successor, Ray Combs; the show also expands from half-hour to full-hour episodes.
ABC affiliate WEWS, who previously aired only the first hour of Good Morning America, begins airing the full two-hour version of the show, and as a result, The Morning Exchange was shifted an hour back.[23]
14 Gaylord Broadcasting agrees to affiliate both KTVT in Dallas and KSTW in Tacoma/Seattle with CBS.[24]
21 The sitcom Daddy's Girls debuts on CBS. Although it is abandoned after three episodes, it is notable as the first series in which a gay principal character is played by an openly gay actor, Harvey Fierstein.[25]
Sam Waterston makes his first appearance on Law & Order as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy.
Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric was merged into Dateline NBC, creating a Wednesday version of the series.[26]
23 UWF Blackjack Brawl airs live on SportsChannel America. This is the first and only major live television supercard event produced by Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). The event was a successor to UWF's only pay-per-view event, Beach Brawl.
24 The Marvel Action Hour, featuring animated adaptations of Iron Man and the Fantastic Four introduced by Stan Lee, debuts in syndication.

October[edit]

Date Event
1 Fox affiliate KITN-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul changes its name to WFTC-TV.
7 NBC airs the two-hour television movie, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, which concerns the lead-up to Zack and Kelly's wedding. This particular film in effect, served as the series finale for Saved by the Bell: The College Years. When aired in syndication, it is commonly split into two double-length episodes.

November[edit]

Date Event
3 Various NBC comedies feature storylines centered on blackout events. This included Mad About You, Friends, and Madman of the People.
15 Fox sells KDAF in Dallas to Renaissance Broadcasting for $100 million as a consequence of the New World/Fox alliance (KDFW would take over as the market's Fox affiliate the following year). In turn, Renaissance sells KDVR in Denver to Fox for $70 million and agrees to switch KDAF to The WB.[27][28]
21 CBS sells WCAU-TV in Philadelphia to NBC in a complex asset swap. In exchange for WCAU-TV, NBC agrees to sell to CBS KCNC-TV in Denver and KUTV in Salt Lake City, along with the channel 4 license and transmitter for WTVJ in Miami; in turn, NBC receives the channel 6 license and transmitter for WCIX, also in Miami. The intellectual properties for both WTVJ and WCIX are retained.[11]

December[edit]

Date Event
3 Roughly a month and a half after making his final World Wrestling Federation television appearance, Randy Savage makes his World Championship Wrestling TV debut on a live edition of WCW Saturday Night.
11 New World station WITI in Milwaukee ends a 27-year affiliation with CBS (it had also been with CBS from 1959 to 1961) to join Fox.[29] Outgoing Fox affiliate WCGV-TV and independent WVTV turn down CBS as it didn't align with the existing philosophy of Sinclair Broadcast Group (which operated both stations), with WCGV-TV choosing to join UPN.[30] WVCY-TV refused to sell to the network,[31] while talks with independent WDJT-TV (channel 58), owned by Weigel Broadcasting, broke down in late September. With CBS considering piping in network-owned WBBM-TV or WFRV-TV to area cable companies,[32] Weigel officials and CBS resume talks, inking a deal with WDJT-TV on December 5, five days prior.[33][34]
New World station WJBK-TV in Detroit ends a 44-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.[35] With former Fox affiliate WKBD owned by Paramount Stations Group and committed to UPN, and no other station in the market willing to affiliate or be acquired by the network, CBS purchases independent WGPR-TV (channel 62)—the first Black-owned television station in the mainland United States—from the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons. CBS takes over operations the day of the switch via a local marketing agreement.[36][37]
New World station WAGA-TV in Atlanta ends a 43-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.[38] Initially unable to find a replacement affiliate during the summer of 1994, CBS purchases WVEU (channel 69) from local interests,[39] but the startup process became moot when WGNX agreed to a deal with the network. WATL-TV is sold by Fox to Qwest Broadcasting and joins The WB.[40][41]
12 New World station WTVT in St. Petersburg/Tampa ends a 39-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.[42] Former ABC affiliate WTSP joins CBS, while outgoing Fox affiliate WFTS-TV joins ABC and launches local newscasts the same day.[7][43]
KNXV-TV in Phoenix ends their affiliation with Fox, allowing KSAZ-TV (temporarily operating as an independent) to join the network. As part of KTVK's slow disaffiliation from ABC, KNXV-TV begins carrying all ABC News programming, including World News Tonight and Nightline, while KTVK continues to run ABC's daytime and primetime lineups through the end of the year.[44]

Programs[edit]

Debuts[edit]

Date Show Network
January 2 The Mighty Jungle The Family Channel
Viper NBC
January 3 Intimate Portrait Lifetime
January 5 Birdland ABC
January 7 Burke's Law CBS
Ancient Mysteries A&E
January 9 America's Castles
January 11 Monty Fox
January 16 The George Carlin Show
January 17 Can We Shop starring Joan Rivers Syndication
Rolonda
TekWar
January 26 Babylon 5 PTEN
The Critic ABC
January 30 The Good Life NBC
February 5 Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? Fox Kids
February 6 Aladdin Syndication and CBS
February 14 Trashed MTV
February 28 Later with Greg Kinnear NBC
March 2 Tom CBS
March 3 The Byrds of Paradise ABC
March 5 Duckman USA Network
Weird Science
Secret Life of Toys The Disney Channel
March 7 Boggle The Family Channel
Shuffle
March 9 The Busy World of Richard Scarry Showtime
Thunder Alley ABC
Turning Point
March 12 Winnetka Road NBC
March 14 Someone Like Me
March 25 Mysteries of the Bible A&E
March 29 Ellen ABC
March 31 Traps CBS
April 1 Sister, Sister ABC
April 3 Christy CBS
April 5 South Central Fox
April 11 704 Hauser CBS
April 15 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Cartoon Network
April 16 All That Nickelodeon
April 22 Dennis Miller Live HBO
June 1 Breakfast Time FX
Personal fX: The Collectibles Show
The Pet Department
Sound fX
Under Scrutiny with Jane Wallace
Backchat
June 13 Jumble The Family Channel
June 15 Dead at 21 MTV
June 20 The Howard Stern Show E!
June 24 Encounters Fox
June 27 Free 4 All USA Network
Quicksilver
June 29 Models Inc. Fox
July 4 Politics with Chris Matthews America's Talking
July 9 Thunderbirds Fox Kids
Muddling Through CBS
August 4 Hotel Malibu
August 14 Inside the Actors Studio Bravo
August 15 The Brothers Grunt MTV
August 25 Heaven Help Us Syndication
My So Called Life ABC
August 26 M.A.N.T.I.S. Fox
August 29 Masters of the Maze The Family Channel
Maximum Drive
September 1 The Head MTV
September 3 VR Troopers Syndication
September 4 Fortune Hunter Fox
Hardball
Wild Oats
September 5 Extra Syndication
September 8 New York Undercover Fox
September 10 Bump in the Night ABC
The Magic School Bus PTV
Beethoven CBS
The Tick Fox Kids
September 11 The Boys Are Back CBS
September 12 Party of Five Fox
The Dennis Prager Show Syndication
The Gordon Elliott Show
Jones & Jury
Judge for Yourself
The New Price is Right
The Newz
The Suzanne Somers Show
September 13 On Our Own ABC
September 14 All American Girl
September 15 McKenna
Due South CBS
The Martin Short Show NBC
Sweet Justice
September 17 The Baby Huey Show Syndication
September 18 Chicago Hope CBS
September 19 ER NBC
September 20 Me and the Boys ABC
September 21 Daddy's Girls CBS
Touched by an Angel
The Cosby Mysteries NBC
September 22 Friends NBC
Madman of the People
September 24 Free Willy ABC
ReBoot
The 5 Mrs. Buchanans CBS
October 1 Wild C.A.T.s
October 3 Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills USA Network
The Fox Cubhouse Fox Kids
Jim Henson's Animal Show
October 4 Johnson and Friends
October 5 Rimba's Island
October 8 The Secret World of Alex Mack Nickelodeon
October 15 My Brother and Me
October 22 Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
October 24 Allegra's Window Nick Jr.
Gullah Gullah Island
Gargoyles Syndication
November 6 Earth 2 NBC
November 16 Essence of Emeril Food Network
November 19 Spider-Man Fox Kids
December 1 U to U Nickelodeon
December 2 Prime Games Game Show Network
December 18 Life with Louie Fox Kids

Ending this year[edit]

Date Show Debut
January 2 Doug (returned in 1996) 1991
January 14 The Les Brown Show 1993
January 19 George
January 23 The NFL on CBS (returned in 1998) 1956
January 28 Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 1993
January 30 CityKids
February 8 Saved by the Bell: The College Years
February 18 Thea
February 23 Bonkers
February 25 Later with Bob Costas 1988
April 21 Herman's Head 1991
The Sinbad Show 1993
May 10 Roc 1991
May 19 In Living Color 1990
L.A. Law 1986
May 22 The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. 1993
May 23 Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987
Evening Shade 1990
May 27 The Arsenio Hall Show 1989
May 28 Café Americain 1993
June 10 Shuffle 1994
June 18 Getting By 1993
Harts of the West
July 1 Love Connection (returned in 1998) 1983
July 10 I Witness Video 1992
July 20 Dinosaurs 1991
July 23 Trashed 1994
August 8 Droopy, Master Detective 1993
August 14 Bakersfield P.D.
August 27 Baby Races
August 28 America's Funniest People 1990
September 7 Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric 1993
Dead at 21 1994
September 8 Hotel Malibu
September 25 Wild Oats
September 30 Shop 'til You Drop (returned in 1996) 1991
October 1 Clarissa Explains It All
October 2 Fortune Hunter 1994
October 12 Daddy's Girls
October 22 Cro 1993
November 4 Free 4 All 1994
November 18 Boggle 1994
November 26 Dog City 1992
The Little Mermaid
December 3 Beethoven 1994
Sonic the Hedgehog 1993
December 10 Tales from the Cryptkeeper (returned in 1999)
Garfield and Friends 1988
December 20 Romper Room 1953
December 30 Jumble 1994

Entering syndication this year[edit]

Show Seasons In Production Source
Beverly Hills, 90210 4 Yes [45]
Doogie Howser, M.D. 4 No [45]
Evening Shade 4 No [45]
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 4 Yes [45]
Northern Exposure 5 Yes [45]
The Simpsons 5 Yes [45]

Resuming this year[edit]

Title Final aired Previous network New title Returning network Date of return
America Tonight 1991 CBS Same Same June 1
Tiny Toon Adventures 1992 Fox Kids March 27
The Kidsongs TV Show 1988 Syndication Syndicated through PBS member stations April 4

Changing networks[edit]

Show Moved from Moved to
Aladdin Disney Channel CBS
Sirens ABC Syndication

Made-for-TV movies and miniseries[edit]

Air date Title Channel
January 24 Pointman PTEN
February 13 Knight Rider 2010 Action Pack
February 27 Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III ABC
May 8–12 The Stand ABC
April 24 Barney's Imagination Island NBC
May 24 Seasons of the Heart
September 12 Danielle Steel's A Perfect Stranger
October 11 Out There II Comedy Central
October 30 Without Warning CBS
November 13 Scarlett
November 19 How the West Was Fun ABC
November 20 Million Dollar Babies CBS
November 28 Following Her Heart NBC

Networks and services[edit]

Launches[edit]

Network Type Launch date Notes Source
Action Cable television Unknown
Mystery Cable television Unknown
Westerns Cable television Unknown
Starz! Cable and satellite February 1
Outdoor Channel Cable television April 1
Turner Classic Movies Cable and satellite April 14
Classic Arts Showcase Cable television May 3
TV! Channel Cable and satellite June
fX Cable television June 1
Newsworld International Satellite television June 1
Trio Satellite television June 1
Bloomberg Direct Cable and satellite June 17
Love Stories Cable television July 1
MuchMusic USA Cable and satellite July 1
America's Talking Cable and satellite July 4
Independent Film Channel Cable and satellite September 1
True Stories & Drama Cable television September 12
WAM! America's Youth Network Cable television September 12
TFC Cable and satellite September 24
fXM: Movies from Fox Cable and satellite October 31
Game Show Network Cable and satellite December 1
Telenoticias Cable television December 1
Sega Channel Cable television December 14
HGTV Cable and satellite December 30

Conversions and rebrandings[edit]

Closures[edit]

Television stations[edit]

Station launches[edit]

Date City of license/Market Station Channel Affiliation
January 26 Wichita, KS K61CG 61 Independent
March 16 Salem, IN (Louisville, KY) WFTE 58 Independent
April 1 Greenville, TX KTAQ 47 Shop at Home Network (primary)
Jewelry Television (secondary)
April 15 Shreveport, LA KWLB 45 Independent
April 16 Bangor, ME W30BF 30 PBS / MPTV+
May 10 Dalton, GA–Chattanooga, TN WELF-TV 23 TBN
June 6 Orlando, FL WRBW 65 Independent
June 16 Crockett, TX K16BY [a] 16 NBC
June 19 Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN KVBM 45 UPN
June 20 Gainesville, FL W14CB 14 America One
July 18 Eugene, OR KROZ 36 Independent
July 20 Eureka, CA KBVU[b] 28 Fox
KEUV-LP 31 Univision
August 1 Tampa, FL WFCT 66 Independent
August 8 Medford–Klamath Falls, OR KMVU 26 Fox
August 18 Danville, VA (Roanoke–Lynchburg) WDRG 24 Independent
August 26 Honolulu, HI K60FJ 60 Univision
August 31 Austin, TX KNVA 54 Local weather
September 1 Fort Collins, CO KFCT[c] 22 Fox
September 6 Elmira, NY WYDC 48 Independent
September 20 Duluth, MN KNLD 21 Independent
September 21 Albany, NY W26BL 26 FamilyNet
Florence–Myrtle Beach, SC WWMB 21 Independent
October 15 Kannapolis, NC (Charlotte) WKAY 64 Independent
October 20 New Orleans, LA WHNO 20 LeSEA
October 21 Rock Hill, SC (Charlotte) WFVT-TV 55 Independent
October 31 Bryan, TX KYLE-TV 28 Independent
December 29 Tulsa, OK K50JG 50 TBN
December 31 Memphis, TN WFBI 50 HSN
Unknown date Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN K69GB 69 3ABN
Pittsburgh, PA WBPA-LP 29 Independent
Victoria, TX K64EQ 64 NBC

Stations changing network affiliation[edit]

Date City of license/Market Station Channel Prior affiliation New affiliation
April 17 West Monroe–Monroe, LA–El Dorado, AR KARD 14 ABC Fox
September 3 Cleveland–Shaker Heights, OH WJW-TV 8 CBS Fox[14]
WOIO 19 Fox CBS[15]
September 12 Kansas City, MO WDAF-TV 4 NBC Fox[18]
KSHB-TV 41 Fox NBC[19]
Phoenix, AZ KPHO-TV 5 Independent CBS[20]
KSAZ-TV 10 CBS Independent[21]
December 11 Atlanta, GA WAGA-TV 5 CBS Fox[38]
WATL-TV 36 Fox Independent[41][d]
WGNX 46 Independent CBS[40]
Detroit, MI WJBK-TV 2 CBS Fox[35]
WKBD-TV 50 Fox Independent[37][e]
WGPR-TV 62 Independent CBS[36][46]
Milwaukee, WI WITI 6 CBS Fox[29]
WCGV-TV 24 Fox Independent[30][e]
WDJT-TV 58 Independent CBS[33]
December 12 Phoenix, AZ KSAZ-TV 10 Independent Fox[47]
KTVK 3 ABC Independent[22][f]
KNXV-TV 15 Fox ABC[44][f]
Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL WTSP 10 ABC CBS[42]
WTVT 13 CBS Fox[43]
WFTS-TV 28 Fox ABC[7]

Births[edit]

Date Name Notability
January 19 Kristi Lauren Actress (I Hate My Teenage Daughter)
January 21 Marny Kennedy Australian actress (Mortified)
Chanelle Peloso Canadian actress (Incredible Crew)
Booboo Stewart Actor (Descendants)
February 1 Harry Styles English actor and singer (One Direction)
February 6 Charlie Heaton English actor (Stranger Things)
February 10 Makenzie Vega Actress (The Geena Davis Show, The Good Wife) and sister of Alexa Vega
February 11 Dominic Janes Actor (ER, Out of Jimmy's Head)
February 14 Allie Grant Actress (Weeds, Suburgatory, All Night)
Paul Butcher Actor (Zoey 101)
February 15 Corinne Foxx Actress
February 21 Hayley Orrantia Actress (The Goldbergs) and singer
February 23 Dakota Fanning Actress (Taken)
Cameron Palatas Actor
March 1 Justin Bieber Canadian singer and actor (Saturday Night Live)
March 2 Kofi Siriboe Actor
March 5 Aislinn Paul Canadian actress (Wild Card, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Heroes Reborn)
March 12 Christina Grimmie American singer (d. 2016)
Tyler Patrick Jones Actor (Ghost Whisperer)
March 14 Ansel Elgort American actor
Frankie Ryan Manriquez Actor (Life with Bonnie, Higglytown Heroes)
March 16 Sierra McClain Actress
March 22 Serena Kerrigan Voice actress (Alicia on Go, Diego, Go!)
April 2 Sofie Zamchick Voice actress (Whoopi's Littleburg, Wonder Pets) and singer
April 4 Chris O'Neal Actor (How to Rock)
Nadia Alexander Actress
April 9 Joey Pollari Actor
April 11 Dakota Blue Richards British actress (Skins)
April 12 Saoirse Ronan Canadian actress (Kingdom Hospital)
April 14 Skyler Samuels Actress (The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Scream Queens)
April 15 Arif Zahir Actor
April 16 Liliana Mumy Actress (Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Higglytown Heroes, Catscratch, Chowder, The Cleaner, The Loud House) and singer
April 16 Midori Francis Japanese-American actress (Dash and Lily)
April 18 Moisés Arias Actor (Hannah Montana, Jean-Claude Van Johnson)
April 24 Jordan Fisher Actor (Liv and Maddie, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)
May 4 Alexander Gould Actor (Weeds)
May 6 Noah Galvin Actor
May 7 Dylan Gelula Actress (Jennifer Falls, Chasing Life)
May 9 Braison Cyrus Actor
May 10 Cazzie David Actress
May 16 Miles Heizer Actor (Parenthood)
May 20 Peyton Clark Actor (I Didn't Do It)
May 24 Cayden Boyd Australian actor
June 2 Jemma McKenzie-Brown English actress
June 3 Anne Winters Actress (Tyrant)
June 11 Ivana Baquero Spanish-American actress (The Shannara Chronicles)
June 15 Alice Englert Australian actress (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell)
June 16 Caitlyn Taylor Love Actress (I'm in the Band, Ultimate Spider-Man)
June 23 Connor Jessup Actor (Falling Skies)
June 24 Erin Moriarty Actress (Red Widow, Jessica Jones)
June 29 Camila Mendes Actress (Riverdale)
July 6 Camilla and Rebecca Rosso Actresses
July 16 Mark Indelicato Actor (Ugly Betty, Dead of Summer)
July 17 Jessica Amlee Canadian actress (Heartland)
July 28 Tyler Peterson Actor (How I Met Your Mother)
August 9 Forrest Landis Actor
August 11 Alejandro Aranda Singer (American Idol)[50][51]
August 17 Taissa Farmiga Actress (American Horror Story) and sister of Vera Farmiga
August 18 Jessie Flower Voice actress (The Emperor's New School, Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Madelaine Petsch Actress (Riverdale)
August 22 Israel Broussard Actor
August 25 Natasha Liu Bordizzo Actress
August 27 Ellar Coltrane Actor
September 8 Cameron Dallas Actor
September 13 Mitch Holleman Actor (Reba)
September 16 Jesse Schwartz Voice actor (Leo on Little Einsteins (2005–06))
September 17 Denyse Tontz Actress (Big Time Rush, Dog with a Blog)
September 25 Jansen Panettiere Voice actor (Truman X on The X's) (d. 2023)
September 29 Clara Mamet Actress
October 9 Jodelle Ferland Actress (Kingdom Hospital)
October 13 Noah Crawford Actor (My Name is Earl, How to Rock)
October 24 Paola Lázaro Actress
October 25 Chloe Rose Canadian actress (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
October 26 Allie DeBerry Actress (A.N.T. Farm) and model
Morgan Saylor Actress (Homeland)
October 27 Eddie Alderson Actor (One Life to Live)
November 1 Rocky Lynch Actor and singer (R5)
November 8 Lauren Alaina Singer (American Idol)[citation needed]
November 10 Zoey Deutch Actress (Ringer)
November 11 Connor Price Canadian voice actor (The Save-Ums!)
November 13 David Levi Actor (The Naked Brothers Band)
November 15 Emma Dumont Actress (Bunheads, Aquarius)
November 16 India Ennenga Actress (Pinky Dinky Doo, Treme, The Returned)
Brandon Larracuente Actor
November 17 Raquel Castro Actress
November 21 Victoria de Lesseps Television personality
November 22 Dacre Montgomery Australian actor (Stranger Things)
December 3 Jake T. Austin Actor (Wizards of Waverly Place, The Fosters, Go, Diego, Go!)
December 11 Gabriel Basso Actor (The Big C)
December 14 Joshua Dionisio Filipino actor
December 15 Emma Lockhart Actress
December 17 Nat Wolff Actor (The Naked Brothers Band) and singer
December 24 LaShawn Tináh Jefferies Voice actress (Uniqua on The Backyardigans)
December 26 Samantha Boscarino Actress (How to Rock)

Deaths[edit]

Date Name Age Notability
January 1 Cesar Romero 86 Actor (The Joker on Batman)
January 8 Pat Buttram 78 Actor (Mr. Haney on Green Acres)
January 22 Telly Savalas 72 Actor (Theo Kojak on Kojak)
January 28 Hal Smith 77 Actor (Otis on The Andy Griffith Show, Dr. Seuss special)
February 11 Sorrell Booke 64 Actor (Boss Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard)
William Conrad 73 Actor (Cannon, Jake and the Fatman, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show)
February 24 Dinah Shore 76 Singer and talk show hostess (Dinah!)
March 4 John Candy 43 Comedian and actor (SCTV)
March 21 Dack Rambo 52 Actor (Jack Ewing on Dallas)
Macdonald Carey 81 Actor (Tom Horton in Days of Our Lives)
March 22 Walter Lantz 94 Cartoonist, creator of Woody Woodpecker
April 2 Betty Furness 78 Consumer advocate and spokesperson (The Today Show)
April 5 Kurt Cobain 27 Singer, songwriter, musician (Nirvana, Saturday Night Live [1992/93])
April 22 Richard Nixon 81 37th President of the United States
May 8 George Peppard 65 Actor (Banacek, Hannibal on The A-Team)
May 19 Jacqueline Kennedy 64 First Lady of the United States and spouse of President John F. Kennedy
June 1 Frances Heflin 73 Soap opera actress (All My Children)
June 11 Herbert Anderson 77 Actor (Henry Mitchell on Dennis the Menace)
June 14 Henry Mancini 70 Composer ("Peter Gunn Theme")
July 7 Cameron Mitchell 75 Actor (Uncle Buck on The High Chaparral)
July 8 Dick Sargent 64 Actor (Darrin Stephens #2 on Bewitched)
August 21 Danitra Vance 40 Comedian (the first African-American woman regular on Saturday Night Live)
September 3 James T. Aubrey 75 Head of programming at CBS (1963–64)
September 16 Jack Dodson 63 Actor (Howard Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show)
October 2 Harriet Nelson 85 Singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet)
October 19 Martha Raye 78 Comic actress and singer (The Martha Raye Show)
October 25 Mildred Natwick 89 Actress (The Snoop Sisters)
November 8 Michael O'Donoghue 54 Comedy writer (Saturday Night Live)
November 9 Priscilla Morrill 67 Character actress (Mrs. Vanderkellen on Newhart)
November 11 Pedro Zamora 22 HIV-positive participant of (The Real World)
November 18 Cab Calloway 86 American jazz singer
November 30 Lionel Stander 86 Actor (Max on Hart to Hart)
December 18 Don Fedderson 81 Producer (My Three Sons)

Television debuts[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Translator of KETK-TV.
  2. ^ Semi-satellite of KCVU.
  3. ^ Semi-satellite of KDVR.
  4. ^ Joined The WB in January 1995.
  5. ^ a b Joined UPN in January 1995.
  6. ^ a b KTVK began dropping ABC programming on a piecemeal basis in the summer of 1994, much of which KNXV-TV added while still a Fox affiliate. While carrying the majority of ABC programming on December 12, 1994, KNVX did not officially become an ABC affiliate until January 9, 1995.[48][49]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shaffer, Mark (February 13, 1994). "Channel 10 catches spirit, changes name to KSAZ". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. B1. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "U.S. Pro League Moves Along By Signing a Television Deal". The New York Times. March 16, 1994. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  3. ^ "Saturday Night Live > Season 19 > Episode 20: Heather Locklear/Janet Jackson". TV.com. May 14, 1994.
  4. ^ Foisie, Geoffrey (May 30, 1994). "Fox and the New World order" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. pp. 6, 8. Retrieved March 16, 2015 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; GREAT AMERICAN SELLING FOUR TELEVISION STATIONS". The New York Times. May 6, 1994. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Carter, Bill (May 24, 1994). "FOX WILL SIGN UP 12 NEW STATIONS; TAKES 8 FROM CBS". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Stevenson, Jennifer L. (June 16, 1994). "ABC switching channels in bay area". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1A, 17A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Muller, Bill (June 30, 1994). "Family-owned Ch. 3 outmuscled for prize". The Arizona Republic. pp. A1, A7. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Zurawik, David (June 17, 1994). "ABC-TV to Switch from WJZ to WMAR". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  10. ^ Bill Carter (July 15, 1994). "CBS to Add Three Affiliates in Deal With Westinghouse". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Tom Jicha (November 22, 1994). "CBS, NBC changing channels". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Times Mirror Company. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  12. ^ Sallie Hofmeister (August 2, 1995). "CBS Agrees to Buyout Bid by Westinghouse : Entertainment: $5.4-billion merger would create biggest TV, radio empire. But the deal faces obstacles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  13. ^ James Dixon; Arnold Furious; Lee Maughan (2015). The Complete WWE Guide Volume Six. Lulu.com. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-326-50746-6.
  14. ^ a b Feran, Tom (September 2, 1994). "Touch that dial! TV turnabout begins tomorrow on Channels 8, 19, 43". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 1A. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via NewsBank.
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  16. ^ Daniel, Al (May 17, 2020). "NHL on Fox established hockey's lasting U.S. network presence". Fansided.
  17. ^ "HOCKEY; Fox Outbids CBS for N.H.L. Games". Richard Sandomir (New York Times). September 10, 1994. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
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  20. ^ a b Walker, Dave (September 10, 1994). "TV switch: Channel 5 to carry CBS today". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. A1, A20. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b Meisler, Andy (August 29, 1994). "Murdoch's Raid Brings a Shuffling of TV Stations in Phoenix". New York Times. p. D1. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  22. ^ a b Walker, Dave (June 16, 1994). "ABC drops Ch. 3 after 40 years". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. A1, A15. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Heldenfels, R.J. (August 26, 1994). "'Morning Exchange' moving". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 72. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "Gaylord gets CBS affiliates in Seattle and Dallas" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. September 19, 1994. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ Jincha, Tom (September 21, 1994). "Dudley Do Wrong: 'Daddy's Girls' A Sitcom Dud". Sun-Sentinel.
  26. ^ "'Dateline' Lifetime". New York Daily News. September 11, 1994. p. 333.
  27. ^ "Parent Firm Of WTIC-TV To Buy, Sell". Hartford Courant. November 16, 1994. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  28. ^ Zier, Julie A. (November 21, 1994). "Fox, Renaissance trade markets" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ a b "Channel 6 leaving CBS to join Fox". Milwaukee Sentinel. May 23, 1994. p. A1.
  30. ^ a b Dudek, Duane (October 11, 1994). "Channels 18, 24 next to snub CBS". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. News 5.
  31. ^ Flint, Joe (October 3, 1994). "Nay for Eye on affil buy". Variety. p. 168. ProQuest 1401389916.
  32. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (December 2, 1994). "CBS ensures Milwaukee feed". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 3, 50. ProQuest 2362015453.
  33. ^ a b Cuprisin, Tim (December 6, 1994). "CBS gets home on Channel 58: Affiliation to start Sunday when Channel 6 goes". Milwaukee Journal. p. News 1.
  34. ^ Kirchen, Rich (December 10, 1994). "Down-to-the-wire deal kept Milwaukee on CBS' map". Milwaukee Business Journal. p. 2. Gale A16541130 ProQuest 222390177.
  35. ^ a b Duffy, Mike; Gunther, Marc (May 24, 1994). "Channel 2 dumps CBS, joins with Fox". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ a b "CBS, WGPR poised for Dec. 11 switch". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Associated Press. November 18, 1994. p. 3A. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ a b Roush, Matt (September 26, 1994). "WGPR sale means CBS spending jag: Network may spend millions on expansion, hiring". Crain's Detroit Business. p. 3.
  38. ^ a b Kloer, Phil (May 24, 1994). "TV shake-up in Atlanta; Keep your remote control handy this fall". The Atlanta Constitution. p. A1, A4. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Kloer, Phil (September 24, 1994). "Clearing up the local TV picture: Price was right: But will viewers follow CBS to Channel 69?". The Atlanta Constitution. p. B1. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ a b "Exchanging channels: Network switch mixes things up". The Atlanta Constitution. December 9, 1994. p. P24. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ a b Tim Jones; Mike Dorning (November 17, 1994). "Deal boosts minority TV presence". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  42. ^ a b Huntley, Helen; Stevenson, Jennifer L. (May 24, 1994). "WTVT-Ch. 13 is switching channels to Fox". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ a b Yant, Monica (December 9, 1994). "This just in: Ch. 28 will have news". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1B, 11B. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  44. ^ a b Walker, Dave (December 2, 1994). "Channel 15 receives good news: Jennings, Koppel moving in early". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. E17. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ a b c d e f "New(est) For NATPE In A Nutshell" from Broadcasting & Cable
  46. ^ McFarlin, Jim; Kiska, Tim (December 11, 1994). "Get with the program! We've got TV guide to help clear up network static". The Detroit News and Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ Walker, Dave (December 11, 1994). "Fox leaping to Ch. 10 in latest network flip". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. A1, A32, A33. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ Bravo, Al (January 7, 1995). "Channel-switching ends soon". Arizona Daily Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. Associated Press. p. 3. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ Walker, Dave (January 8, 1995). "Channel hopping takes final turn for Valley viewers". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. A1, A19, A20. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ "SCARYPOOLPARTY". NPR. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  51. ^ "Alejandro Aranda on Apple Music". Apple Music - Web Player. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

External links[edit]

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