This is a list of American television-related events in 1971.
Events Date Event Ref. January 1 During the evening's broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC, cigarette advertisements were broadcast in the United States for the final time. This is due to the ban on cigarette advertisements passed into law a year earlier. January 12 CBS airs the first episode of All in the Family, with a disclaimer at the beginning of the program warning viewers about potentially offensive content. Within a year, it became television's most popular program, and started a trend toward realism in situation comedies. February 7 ABC affiliate WBKO (formerly WLTV) in Bowling Green, Kentucky activates its new transmission facility. This comes after operating with limited power in the aftermath of the WLTV transmitter sabotage by dynamite in September 1969. ”WBKO Begins Transmissions from New Tower”. The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. February 7, 1971. Archived from the original April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022. - via Newspapers.com. February 23 The documentary, The Selling of the Pentagon is broadcast on CBS. May CBS releases its schedule for the Fall 1971 season, canceling all four of the network's rural-oriented series, including Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., and Hee Haw, the latter of which continued to be in production for first-run syndication for an additional 21 years. This action was also known as the “rural purge”. August 1 – September 5 CBS airs the acclaimed 6-hour BBC miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII, starring Keith Michell, in six separate installments, airing on six consecutive Sundays. September 12 KVUE signs-on the air, giving the Austin market its first full-time ABC affiliate. It takes both KTBC-TV and KXAN-TV's secondary ABC affiliations, leaving KTBC-TV as a full-time CBS affiliate, and KHFI-TV as a NBC affiliate. September 13 U.S. network prime time programming shrinks as the original Prime Time Access Rule takes effect. NBC, unable to take advantage, immediately feels the pinch and fails to win any of the 1971–72 season's first thirteen weeks in terms of the Nielsen ratings. November A 12-year streak in the ratings for the CBS soap opera As the World Turns''' ends as that program lost the #1 slot for the first time since 1959.
| December 23 | NBC airs the 1964 Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'', for the final time (in this case, KUAM-TV in Guam), as CBS picked up the rights for that special beginning the following year. The special would return to NBC in 2024.
Television programs Debuts Date Debut Network January 10 Masterpiece Theatre PBS January 12 All in the Family CBS August 1 Comedy Playhouse CBSThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour September 11 The Funky Phantom ABC Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch CBS The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show The Jackson 5ive ABC Lidsville Sabrina, the Teenage Witch CBS September 17 McMillan & Wife NBC O'Hara, U.S. Treasury CBS September 18 The New Dick Van Dyke Show CBS October 25 The Electric Company PBS
Programs changing network affiliation Show Moved from Moved toHee HawCBS SyndicationLassieLet's Make a DealABCThe Lawrence Welk ShowThe Road Runner ShowCBS
Ending this year Date Show Network Debut January 1 Headmaster CBS 1970 January 7 Nancy NBC 1970 February 24 To Rome with Love CBS 1969 March 4 Family Affair CBS 1966 March 19 That Girl ABC 1966 March 19 The Name of the Game NBC 1968 March 23 Julia NBC 1968 The Beverly Hillbillies CBS 1962 March 28 Hogan's Heroes CBS 1965 March 29 Mayberry R.F.D. CBS 1968 March 31 The Johnny Cash Show ABC 1969 April 2 Dark Shadows ABC 1966 April 27 Green Acres CBS 1965 May 5 The Johnny Cash Show ABC 1969 June 6 The Ed Sullivan Show CBS 1948 June 25 A World Apart ABC 1970 August 1 The Red Skelton Show NBC 1951 September 5 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (Returned in 2008 as The Banana Splits Reboot) NBC 1968 Comedy Playhouse CBS 1971 October 22 What's New PBS 1959 Unknown date NBC Experiment in Television NBC 1971
Networks and services Network launches Network Type Launch date Notes Source New Jersey Network Over-the-air state network April 5 The PBS affiliated state network serving New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and the New York City area.
Television stations Sign-ons Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref. January 25 Indianapolis, Indiana WHMB-TV 40 Religious independent February South Bend, Indiana WNIT 34 PBS February 3 Pueblo, Colorado KTSC 8 PBS February 28 Louisville, Kentucky WDRB 41 Independent Now a Fox network affiliate. April 5 Trenton, New Jersey WNJT 52 PBS Flagship of the New Jersey Network April 7 Gainesville, Florida WCJB-TV 20 NBC April 11 Baltimore, Maryland WBFF-TV 45 Independent Now a Fox network affiliate. May 31 Paducah, Kentucky WDXR-TV 29 Independent Became a satellite station of the Kentucky Educational Television network in 1979. June 4 Wilmington, North Carolina WUNJ-TV 39 PBS/UNC-TV June 6 Atlanta, Georgia WHAE-TV 46 Independent now a CBS affiliate June 27 Peoria, Illinois WTVP 47 PBS July 4 Mississippi State/Starkville, Mississippi WMAB-TV 2 PBS/MSETV July 7 Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho KBGL-TV 10 PBS Part of Idaho Public Television July 24 Battle Creek, Michigan WUHQ-TV 41 ABC July 28 Fort Smith, Arkansas KFPW-TV 40 CBS August 3 Lebanon, New Hampshire WRLH 31 NBC Returned to the air after an almost three-year hiatus August 9 Watertown, New York WNPE-TV 16 PBS August 15 Houston, Texas KVRL 26 Independent August 23 Traverse City, Michigan WGTU 29 ABC September 5 Norwood, New York WNPI-TV 18 PBS Satellite of WNPE-TV/Watertown September 12 Austin, Texas KVUE 24 ABC September 26 Springfield, Massachusetts WGBY-TV 57 PBS October 11 Visalia/Fresno, California KMPH-TV 26 Independent October 16 Baton Rouge, Louisiana WRBT 33 ABC October 23 Sarasota, Florida WXLT-TV 40 ABC October 31 Muncie, Indiana WIPB 49 PBS December Rochester, Minnesota KAVT-TV 15 PBS December 5 Columbia, Missouri KCBJ-TV 17 ABC December 21 Fairbanks, Alaska KUAC-TV 9 PBS YouTube: Inaugural sign-on of KUAC on Dec. 22, 1971 December 31 Boise, Idaho KAID 4 PBS Part of Idaho Public Television Unknown date Indianapolis, Indiana WURD 44 Religious independent Toledo, Ohio ToledoVision5 5 (cable-only) Independent
Network affiliation changes Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref. July 24 Cadillac-Traverse City, Michigan WWTV 9 CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) CBS (exclusive) Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan WWUP-TV 10 October Anchorage, Alaska KENI-TV 2 ABC NBC KYUR 13 NBC ABC December 5 Columbia, Missouri KRCG 13 CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) CBS (exclusive) Warrensburg/Sedalia, Missouri KMOS-TV 6 At the time of this change, KMOS (now a PBS member station) was a satellite of KRCG.
Station closures Date City of license/Market Station Channel Affiliation Sign-on date Notes March 16 Midland, Texas KDCD-TV 18 Independent December 19, 1961 (first incarnation) January 15, 1968 (second incarnation) April 15 San Francisco, California KUDO 38 Independent December 28, 1968 Returned to the air as KVOF-TV on October 4, 1974. September 15 Jacksonville, Illinois WJJY-TV 14 ABC August 18, 1969 Unknown date Muncie, Indiana WLBC-TV 49 NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) June 14, 1953 Returned to the air October 31 as PBS member station WIPB
Births
Deaths
See also 1971 in television 1971 in film 1971 in the United States List of American films of 1971
References
External links List of 1971 American television series at IMDb