Radio Network Prime Time Programming, 1926–1967

Difficult as it is for some to imagine what people relied on for home entertainment in the evening before television—it was that equally big medium, radio. Its programs were the precursors to the popular television sitcoms and dramas of today.
This work provides two main kinds of information: month-by-month prime time (7pm to 11pm) schedules from January 1929 through July 1961, for all national broadcasting networks, and a detailed listing of all network programming moves (from July 1926 until August 1967), including series premieres, cancellations, and time slot moves, plus a yearly recap of key programming moves. Only regularly scheduled series are included. Single event or special programming is not included. The book is divided into seven chapters, one for each night of the week; each chapter consists of individual month-by-month prime time schedules for each network followed by a detailed chronological listing of each of that network’s series and programming moves.

Mitchell E. Shapiro, a professor in the School of Communication at the University of Miami (Florida), is currently the director of honors (and former academic associate dean). The author of six books, he has published numerous scholarly articles in various journals.

Mitchell E. Shapiro
Format: softcover (7 x 10 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 650
Bibliographic Info: tables, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [2002]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3109-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1093-1
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      vii

How to Use This Book      viii

How to Use the Schedule Grids      xi

Sunday Night      1

CBS Prime Time Schedule      2

Program Moves      17

NBC Prime Time Schedule      25

Program Moves      38

Blue* Prime Time Schedule      44

Program Moves      52

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      55

Program Moves      66

ABC Prime Time Schedule      70

Program Moves      77

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      80

Monday Night      89

CBS Prime Time Schedule      90

Program Moves      105

NBC Prime Time Schedule      112

Program Moves      127

Blue Prime Time Schedule      132

Program Moves      140

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      144

Program Moves      156

ABC Prime Time Schedule      160

Program Moves      166

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      168

Tuesday Night      177

CBS Prime Time Schedule      178

Program Moves      193

NBC Prime Time Schedule      201

Program Moves      216

Blue Prime Time Schedule      223

Program Moves      231

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      235

Program Moves      247

ABC Prime Time Schedule      251

Program Moves      257

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      259

Wednesday Night      267

CBS Prime Time Schedule      268

Program Moves      283

NBC Prime Time Schedule      291

Program Moves      306

Blue Prime Time Schedule      312

Program Moves      320

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      325

Program Moves      337

ABC Prime Time Schedule      340

Program Moves      346

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      349

*The NBC Blue Network

Thursday Night      357

CBS Prime Time Schedule      358

Program Moves      373

NBC Prime Time Schedule      381

Program Moves      396

Blue Prime Time Schedule      402

Program Moves      410

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      413

Program Moves      425

ABC Prime Time Schedule      429

Program Moves      435

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      438

Friday Night      445

CBS Prime Time Schedule      446

Program Moves      461

NBC Prime Time Schedule      470

Program Moves      485

Blue Prime Time Schedule      492

Program Moves      500

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      505

Program Moves      517

ABC Prime Time Schedule      520

Program Moves      526

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      528

Saturday Night      535

CBS Prime Time Schedule      536

Program Moves      549

NBC Prime Time Schedule      556

Program Moves      570

Blue Prime Time Schedule      576

Program Moves      584

Mutual Prime Time Schedule      587

Program Moves      598

ABC Prime Time Schedule      601

Program Moves      607

PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY      609

Index      617

“recommended”—Booklist; “I can’t put it down…exquisite…truly indispensable…comprehensive”—Big Reel; “lists every program ever to appear on network radio…most certainly should be on every OTR buff’s bookshelf”—The Illustrated Press; “detailed”—New Books in the Communications Library; “valuable”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly; “detailed”—Reference & Research Book News.