(if American)

... Trump Card? Multi-millionaire (and Republican presidential hopeful) Donald Trump's ambitious game show is in its final days of syndication after being cancelled earlier in the year, due to poor ratings. At this point, many stations either dropped the show, placed it in late night, or used it as schedule filler, often showing 2 back-to-back shows at irregular times.

... The Challengers? Also in its last weeks is this game show hosted by Dick Clark, which is based on the latest current events (not to mention an early 1970s game show, The Who What or Where Game).

... The Joker's Wild? This new version, hosted by Pat Finn, was also at the end of its syndication rope; by this time, not many stations carried it, with some stations scheduling it in late-night.

... Classic Concentration, Alex Trebek's last non-Jeopardy game show (and later, NBC's last daytime game show)?

... the last days of the daytime Wheel Of Fortune on NBC, after 16 years (and a brief stint on CBS)? Bob Goen was the last daytime host, with Vanna White turning the letters for two men.

... what happened to Pee Wee? Paul Reubens, the man well-known as "Pee Wee Herman", was arrested in Sarasota, FL for, shall we say, "overstaying his welcome" at an adult cinema in Sarasota, FL. As a result, Pee Wee's Playhouse, already cancelled by CBS, but originally on the schedule until fall, was taken off the air immediately. (7/26/1991)

... when an issue of TV Guide was only 79 cents?

... when TV Guide, and many local papers, started publishing "VCR Plus" codes?

... when ESPN carried business programming on weekday mornings?

... when most regional sports channels were on only in the evenings?

... when wrestling started to be more for show than for sport on TV?

... when repeats of Hanna-Barbera cartoons were seen on USA Network's Cartoon Express?

... Hanna-Barbera's weekday morning program, Wake, Rattle and Roll?

... when the first "N" in "TNN" stood for "Nashville"?

... when, for 4 hours a day on weekdays, USA carried repeats of game shows like The $25,000 Pyramid, Hollywood Squares (with John Davidson as host), and, of course, Press Your Luck?

... The $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by John Davidson?

... when the current version of The Price Is Right turned 19 years old?

.. when TNT carried "The Good Stuff", such as classic Popeye and Bugs Bunny cartoons, NFL football, classic MGM films, and rarely-seen MGM series like Daktari and The Courtship of Eddie's Father?

... when TNT presented the Pan-American Games from Havana, Cuba?

... when The [ABC] Family Channel (now Freeform) "Accentuated The Positive" with shows such as Batman, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Rin Tin Tin -- K-9 Cop, Bordertown, The Flying Nun, Beauty And The Beast, and of course, The 700 Club?

... when you would find repeats of Hogan's Heroes, The Brady Bunch, Andy Griffith, The Jeffersons, Mary Tyler Moore and All In The Family... on TBS?

... TBS's weekend music video block, Night Tracks?

... when Lifetime carried medical programming for medical personnel all day Sundays?

... when MTV, who recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, really meant "Music Television"?

... MTV's tiny non-music line-up, including Just Say Julie, Remote Control, 1/2-hour Comedy Hour, and of course, Liquid Television (where Beavis & Butthead got its start)?

... the two "Julie Browns" on MTV?

... Xuxa on Univision? This Brasilian female children's show host was a huge success in Latin America. In 1993, she tried to break into the anglophone market in the US & Canada with her own syndicated series (seen in Canada on YTV), but by fall 1994, due to poor ratings of her anglophone show, she disappeared from the US & Canada altogether.

... the last days of Romper Room in the US (with repeats from the 1981-82 season)?

... Captain Kangaroo on PBS?

... Zoobilee Zoo?

... when Roseanne, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Howie Mandel and Kid 'N Play all had their own Saturday morning cartoon series?

... when NBC carried Saturday morning cartoons?

... Super Mario Bros., the animated series on NBC, in syndication, and even on Univision?

... wrestler Captain Lou Albano as one of the Mario Bros. in the live-action bits (in the syndicated version only)?

... The Arsenio Hall Show, and its short-lived spinoff, Party Machine with Nia Peeples?

... The Ron Reagan Show?

... The Joan Rivers Show?

... The Byron Allen Show?

... The Phil Donahue Show?

... Geraldo?

... when "Galloping Gourmet" Graham Kerr made a comeback on television (on in the fall of 1990, he was off again a year later)?

... 1990s revivals of Dragnet, Adam-12 and The Munsters?

... the last days of new episodes of Hee Haw?

... when David Letterman followed Johnny Carson late at night on NBC?

... CBS's Crimetime After Prime-Time line-up?

... ABC's Into The Night, with Rick Dees?

... A Current Affair and Hard Copy?

... Family Feud with Ray Combs?

... ABC's The Home Show?

... two historical series, Instant Recall and Memories, Then And Now?

... sports bloopers on Roggin's Heroes?

... music videos and more on Night Flight?

... Superboy?

... Friday The 13th, the TV series?

... Cosby vs. Simpsons on Thursday nights? (Cosby's sexual assault allegations notwithstanding)

... new sitcoms in syndication, such as Out Of This World, My Secret Identity, and What A Dummy?

... when Urkel, that klutzy nerd from Family Matters, had his own doll?

... when Dennis Miller, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Victoria Jackson, Dana Carvey and Mike Myers were regulars on Saturday Night Live?

... a Disney animated series based on Gummi Bears?

... Sunday late-night infomercials on Nick-At-Nite and TBS?

... "commercial programs" for items such as Deal-A-Meal, Soloflex and Blueblocker Sunglasses, not to mention a myriad of real-estate and get-rich-quick scams?

... infomercials disguised as award shows, just to sell you "greatest hits" records?

(if Canadian)

... when TV Guide was still staple-bound, and costed C$1.05? With the exchange rate at the time, it was about US$.91, plus GST -- more expensive than the US version's cover price of US$.79. In 2001, both versions have a $1.99 cover price, with the Canadian edition being US$1.29, plus GST.

... when A&E, CNN and TNN were premium channels?

... when TV Ontario's English and French channels switched places on Sundays?

... when CBC's The National was followed by Barbara Frum's The Journal?

... when The National had a Saturday night edition?

... when CTV's W5, then hosted by Eric Malling, celebrated its 25th anniversary?

... when Global showed Wheel Of Fortune and CFMT presented Jeopardy!?

... when Bowling For Dollars was still on, on CKCO?

... when the Montreal Expos still had games on TV?

... when kids still saw Mr. Dressup, with Casey and Finnegan?

... when many Canadian stations, mostly CTV stations, carried The Flintstones at noon? At one point, it continued to air on CFCF and TQS in Montreal and did at the time of the text's original writing.

... when we enjoyed Royal Canadian Air Farce, only on the radio?

... when the Canadian Home Shopping Network (now The Shopping Channel) had video that looked more like slides flickering at about one picture per second? The CRTC mandated that CHSN, as well as all infomercials on Canadian channels, be shown this way, to get viewers annoyed in such a way, they wouldn't stay tuned too long. It didn't work, and the rule was repealed in 1994.

... when the Buffalo stations shown lots of infomercials? This was especially true of WIVB, who pre-emped CBS's Crimetime After Primetime and Up To The Minute for a solid 6-hour infomercial block, generally from Midnight to 6AM.

... when WIVB, a CBS station in a sizeable market, shown Hanna-Barbera cartoons weekday mornings, instead of news?

... when British ITV company Granada owned a chain of rent-to-own stores throughout Canada?

Commentary by SM

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