1996 in American television

Television-related events in the US during 1996

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List of years in American television:

* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

* * *

1995–96 United States network television schedule
1996–97 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

In American television in 1996, notable events included television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.

## Notable events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

Date | Event

|

20  | Fox introduces its FoxTrax "glowing puck" during its telecast of the 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game.
28  | Chris Isaak and Brooke Shields make guest appearances on a post-Super Bowl episode of Friends on NBC.

### February

[edit]

Date | Event

|

8–9  | Peter Argyropolous and Deborah Cohen win a combined total of $146,529 cash prizes from two episodes (including the $10,000 wedge played with the Double Play token and two Ford Mustangs), making the couple the biggest winner in the history of Wheel of Fortune; They remain the biggest winners for a team, and will hold the record until Michelle Lowenstein wins $1,026,080 on October 14, 2008.
17  | Fred Rogers makes a guest appearance on the CBS Western drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. This is notably, the only time that Rogers portrayed a fictional character on television.
28  | Paxson Communications completes their $40 million purchase of ABC affiliate WAKC-TV in Akron, Ohio, from ValueVision.[1] Hours after the sale closed, Paxon president Dean Goodman arrives at WAKC-TV's studios and tells the staff, "news ceases at this moment", firing the entire news department and all station management.[2] This makes Akron (a part of the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton television market) the largest city in the United States without a commercial television newscast.[3]
29  | ABC affiliate KBAK-TV and CBS affiliate KERO-TV swap affiliations in Bakersfield.

### March

[edit]

Date | Event

|

1  | More than 1 billion households worldwide now own television sets.
4  | DISH Network, a Direct Broadcast Satellite service, begins as a service of EchoStar.
8  | The Joy of Painting host Bob Ross makes his final television appearance as a guest in the pilot episode of the children's series The Adventures of Elmer & Friends. Premiering over a year after his death, the episode includes a final message of thanks from Ross to his fans and viewers and a musical tribute.[4]
31  | WrestleMania XII from the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California is broadcast on pay-per-view. In the main event, Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man match to win the WWF Championship for the first time.

### April

[edit]

Date | Event

|

6  | The first ever Major League Soccer game is broadcast live on ESPN. The San Jose Clash hosted D.C. United at Spartan Stadium with San Jose winning on a goal by Eric Wynalda.

### May

[edit]

Date | Event

|

11  | The 1996 Kids' Choice Awards air on Nickelodeon, hosted by Whitney Houston and Rosie O'Donnell. Television winners included Home Improvement (for "Favorite TV Show"), Tim Allen (of Home Improvement for "Favorite TV Actor"), Tia and Tamera Mowry (of Sister, Sister for "Favorite TV Actress") and Rugrats (for "Favorite Cartoon").
14  | Fox airs a television film that serves as the first attempt to revive Doctor Who following its suspension in 1989. It was intended as a backdoor pilot for a new American-produced Doctor Who TV series. It introduced Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in his only televised appearance as the character until "The Night of the Doctor" in 2013. Although a ratings success in the United Kingdom, the film did not fare well on American television and no series was commissioned. The series was later relaunched on the BBC in 2005.
16  | More than 12 million Americans watch the final episode of Murder, She Wrote on CBS, "Death By Demographics". Through its 12-year run, the series had become the longest-running American murder mystery drama.
18  | Mystery Science Theater 3000 airs its final episode on Comedy Central. The final film to be featured is 1978's Laserblast. The series will eventually move to The Sci-Fi Channel, where it would run for three more seasons.

### June

[edit]

Date | Event

|

1  | Major League Baseball broadcasts debut on Fox.
3  | Zenith introduces the first HDTV-compatible front projection TV in the U.S.
CBS affiliate WCPO-TV and ABC affiliate WKRC-TV, both in Cincinnati, Ohio, switch network affiliations.
19  | CBS affiliate WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina is awarded the first experimental high-definition television license in the United States.
23  | At the World Wrestling Federation's pay-per-view event King of the Ring, wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Jake Roberts. After the match, Austin makes a certain victory speech in what would famously become as the "Austin 3:16" catchphrase.
30  | New York PBS member station WNYC-TV, owned by the city of New York, signs off for the final time; sold to a joint venture between Dow Jones & Co. and ITT Corp., it relaunches as commercial sports-oriented independent station WBIS-TV (while operating as a non-commercial educational station, WNYC-TV had been licensed with a commercial classification).

### July

[edit]

Date | Event

|

6  | When it becomes evident that Anna Stuart will be next to die in a serial killer storyline on the NBC soap opera Another World, many fans start letter-writing campaigns to save the actress; the NBC studios in New York City also report a great number of switchboard telephone calls regarding Stuart's imminent demise. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps decides that actress Alice Barrett will be killed off the show instead.
New World Communications sells NBC affiliates KNSD-TV in San Diego, California, and WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, their lone remaining stations that didn't switch to Fox, to NBC's owned-and-operated division.
7  | At the WCW produced pay-per-view event Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan turns heel for the first time in 15 years and announces the formation of the New World Order with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.
17  | News Corporation (the owners of 20th Century Fox and the FOX Television Network) announced that it would acquire New World in an all-stock transaction worth $2.48 billion. The purchase by News Corporation was finalized in early 1997, folding New World's ten Fox affiliates into the former's Fox Television Stations subsidiary and making all twelve stations affected by the 1994 agreement owned-and-operated stations of the network.

### August

[edit]

Date | Event

|

19  | NBC affiliate in Charleston, WCIV, and ABC affiliate WCBD-TV swap network affiliations.

### September

[edit]

Date | Event

|

7  | Paula Zahn is named a Saturday anchor of CBS Evening News.
Fox Kids airs for the final time on St. Louis affiliate KNLC, which is dropped due to KNLC owner Larry Rice's decision on putting ministry messages instead of ads. KTVI picks up the program block the following Monday.
8  | The 48th Primetime Emmy Awards are presented on ABC.
WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, becomes a Fox-owned station, a year after Fox had acquired it and WGHP-TV in High Point, North Carolina. This ended WBRC-TV's 47 year affiliation with ABC; in turn, ABC links up with low-power station WBMA-LP (supplemented with two full-power satellites, WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa and WJSU-TV in Anniston). Former Fox affiliate WTTO-TV becomes an independent before affiliating with The WB the next year, while former WTTO-TV satellite WNAL in Gadsden switches to CBS.
15  | USA Network ends its USA Cartoon Express block, expanding its newer USA Action Extreme Team block to weekdays.
16  | Wheel of Fortune introduced a gameplay round called Jackpot which contestants can win an accumulated pot based on the value spun throughout the round. The round would remain intact until 2013.
17  | The O. J. Simpson civil trial begins.
30  | A revival of the game show Shop 'til You Drop premieres on the Family Channel along with a new game show called Shopping Spree. Both shows would last on the channel until August 14th 1998, the final day of the Family Channel branding. Shop would get revived in 2000 on PAX.

### October

[edit]

Date | Event

|

2  | Seven newscasters were dismissed by WCBS-TV (channel 2) in New York.
6  | President Bill Clinton and Senator Bob Dole participate in the first 1996 presidential debate with Jim Lehrer of PBS moderating.[5]
7  | Nickelodeon adds an extra half-hour of programming, branded as "More Nickelodeon", on weekdays at 8:00pm Eastern/7:00pm Central. The "More Nickelodeon" block included new episodes of The Secret World of Alex Mack plus new series Hey Arnold!, KaBlam!, and The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. For the next two weeks, viewers were encouraged to "Spot the Dot" using game pieces found at Blockbuster Video stores and in Nintendo Power magazine for a chance to win a Nintendo 64.
9  | Vice President Al Gore and former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp participate in the 1996 vice presidential debate at Mahaffey Theater.[6]
10  | Turner Broadcasting System merged into Time Warner.
Greg Kinnear hosts his final episode of NBC's Later. The show would then revolve a set of rotating guest hosts for the next three years.
16  | Clinton and Dole participate in the final presidential debate at the University of San Diego.[7]
20–26  | Fox broadcasts its first ever World Series. The New York Yankees won their 23rd title (and first since 1978) against the Atlanta Braves in only six games.
30  | WBKP in Calumet, Michigan signs on the air, giving the Upper Peninsula both its first full-time ABC affiliate (WLUC-TV had dropped its primary ABC affiliation the previous year in favor of its secondary NBC affiliation) and full-time affiliates of the "Big Three" networks.

### November

[edit]

Date | Event

|

4  | In tribute to the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series, an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine features Captain Benjamin Sisko and the crew travel back in time to prevent the assassination of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise by a Klingon using a booby-trapped tribble. Its sister series Voyager produced a similar episode, "Flashback".
The infamous "Pillman's got a gun" angle with Brian Pillman and his former tag-team partner Stone Cold Steve Austin airs on USA Network's Monday Night RAW.
23  | Bob Hope's final television special, Bob Hope... Laughing with the Presidents, airs on NBC.

### December

[edit]

Date | Event

|

1  | The long-running 25 Days of Christmas event begins on The Family Channel.
8  | Paramount Television and Viacom purchased a 50% stake in UPN from Chris-Craft and United Television for approximately $160 million. It made UPN a joint partnership between Chris-Craft and Viacom (and later a Viacom property as a whole) at this point.
17  | 6 years after dropping the title, TBS resumes using the term Superstation.
31  | ABC affiliate WAKC-TV in Akron, Ohio, disaffiliates from the network after 53 years and drops all remaining entertainment programming to carry Paxson Communications' inTV infomercial network. The station's studios had previously relocated from Akron to the Cleveland suburb of Warrensville Heights.[8][9]

## Television programs

[edit]

### Debuts

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Network

|
|

January 3  | Matt Waters | CBS
January 6  | Campus Cops | USA Network
January 9  | 3rd Rock from the Sun | NBC
Champs | ABC
January 20  | The Lazarus Man | TNT
January 21  | Savannah | The WB
January 22  | Bzzz! | Syndication
January 23  | Moesha | UPN
January 24  | Tracey Takes On... | HBO
January 31  | The Louie Show | CBS
Remember WENN | AMC
February 1  | World's Funniest Videos | ABC
February 3  | C Bear and Jamal | Fox Kids
February 5  | Second Noah | ABC
February 6  | Street Signs | CNBC
February 20  | VH1 Storytellers | VH1
February 24  | The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | Fox Kids
March 1  | Gold Fever | Outdoor Channel
March 2  | Pacific Blue | USA Network
Space Cases | Nickelodeon
March 4  | Power Lunch | CNBC
Good Company | CBS
High Incident | ABC
March 5  | Buddies
March 8  | Muppets Tonight
March 9  | Malibu Shores | NBC
March 12  | The Paranormal Borderline | UPN
March 13  | The Faculty | ABC
Swift Justice | UPN
March 15  | Aliens in the Family | ABC
March 16  | The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo | Nickelodeon
March 17  | Local Heroes | Fox
The Show
March 20  | The Sentinel | UPN
March 21  | Boston Common | NBC
March 29  | E! True Hollywood Story | E!
Nash Bridges | CBS
April 1  | Home and Family | The Family Channel
April 3  | My Guys | CBS
April 8  | Profit | Fox
April 20  | Power Rangers Zeo | Fox Kids
April 21  | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Showtime
April 23  | Forensic Files | TLC
April 27  | Dexter's Laboratory | TNT
April 28  | Fox News Sunday | Fox
May 13  | Buzzkill | MTV
June 1  | The American Athlete | ABC
June 2  | Big Bag | Cartoon Network
June 3  | Debt | Lifetime
Kratts' Creatures | PBS
The Last Frontier | Fox
L.A. Firefighters
June 10  | Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends | ABC
The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Syndication
A Wedding Story | TLC
July 15  | The News with Brian Williams | MSNBC
The Site
Time and Again
July 22  | The Daily Show | Comedy Central
August 10  | Arliss | HBO
August 11  | The Big Easy | USA Network
August 12  | Fox After Breakfast | Fox
August 17  | Kenan & Kel | Nickelodeon
August 25  | The Steve Harvey Show | The WB
August 26  | 7th Heaven
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Cartoon Network
Goode Behavior | UPN
Malcolm & Eddie
Sparks
August 27  | Homeboys in Outer Space
August 28  | The Jamie Foxx Show | The WB
Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher
August 31  | Women: Stories of Passion | Showtime
September 1  | Big Deal | Fox
September 2  | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | PBS
September 3  | The Burning Zone | UPN
Quack Pack | Syndication
Imus in the Morning | MSNBC
September 6  | Dragon Flyz | Syndication
Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series | The Disney Channel and ABC
Superman: The Animated Series | Kids' WB
September 7  | Road Rovers
Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys | Syndication
Big Bad Beetleborgs | Fox Kids
September 8  | Blue's Clues | Nickelodeon
Bureau of Alien Detectors | UPN Kids
The Incredible Hulk
Jumanji
Life with Roger | The WB
September 9  | Lush Life | Fox
Party Girl
Grill Me | USA Network
Access Hollywood | Syndication
The Cape
Samurai Pizza Cats
F/X: The Series
Eagle Riders
In Person with Maureen O'Boyle
Real TV
Scoop with Sam & Dorothy
September 13  | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS
September 14  | Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.
Project G.e.e.K.e.R.
Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House
September 16  | Beast Wars: Transformers | UPN Kids
Judge Judy | Syndication
The Pat Bullard Show
Cosby | CBS
Pearl
September 17  | Promised Land
Something So Right | NBC
Spin City | ABC
September 18  | Townies
Men Behaving Badly | NBC
September 19  | The Pretender
Suddenly Susan
Moloney | CBS
September 20  | Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Clueless | ABC
September 21  | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | Syndication
Dark Skies | NBC
WWF LiveWire | USA Network
The Mouse and the Monster | UPN Kids
September 24  | Relativity | ABC
September 25  | Pulp Comics | Comedy Central
September 27  | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | ABC
September 28  | Early Edition | CBS
Common Law | ABC
Love and Marriage | Fox
The Adventures of Sinbad | Syndication
Psi Factor
Mr. Rhodes | NBC
September 29  | Profiler
September 30  | Pappyland | TLC
Shopping Spree | The Family Channel
Small Talk
Wait 'til You Have Kids
Dangerous Minds | ABC
October 5  | Jungle Cubs | ABC
October 7  | Fox News Now | Fox News Channel
Hannity & Colmes
The O'Reilly Factor
Your World with Neil Cavuto
Arthur | PBS
Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Hey Arnold! | Nickelodeon
October 11  | KaBlam!
October 12  | The RuPaul Show | VH1
October 13  | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | Nickelodeon
October 19  | Waynehead | Kids' WB
October 21  | Ink | CBS
October 25  | The Crocodile Hunter | Discovery Channel
Millennium | Fox
Remember This? | MSNBC
October 27  | Pop-Up Video | VH1
EZ Streets | CBS
October 30  | Public Morals
October 31  | The New Detectives | Discovery Channel
November 3  | Inspector Gadget's Field Trip | The History Channel
November 9  | The High Life | HBO
December 9  | Idiot Savants | MTV
December 24  | Edgewise | MSNBC
December 28  | For Your Home | PBS
Gardening by the Yard | HGTV
Naughty Amateur Home Videos | Playboy TV

### Returning this year

[edit]

Show | Last aired | Previous network | New title | New network | Returned

|
|
|
|
|

Doug | 1994  | Nickelodeon | Disney's Brand Spanking New! Doug | ABC | September 7
Gargoyles | 1996  | Syndication | Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles
The Dating Game | 1989  | Same  | Same  | September 9
The Newlywed Game
Shop 'til You Drop | 1994  | Lifetime | The New Shop 'til You Drop | The Family Channel | September 30
What A Cartoon! (World Premiere Toons) | 1996  | TBS/Cartoon Network | The What A Cartoon! Show | Cartoon Network | October 9

### Ending this year

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Debut

|
|

January 9  | Live Shot | 1995
January 11  | The Commish | 1991
January 14  | Nickelodeon Guts | 1992
February 3  | Are You Afraid of the Dark? (returned in 1999)
Dumb and Dumber | 1995
February 7  | Matt Waters | 1996
February 17  | Maybe This Time | 1995
February 21  | VR Troopers | 1994
February 23  | Carnie! | 1995
Strange Luck
February 24  | Iron Man | 1994
February 26  | High Society | 1995
March 1  | The Head | 1994
March 7  | The Mickey Mouse Club | 1955
March 27  | Dream On | 1990
March 29  | The Pink Panther | 1993
George & Alana | 1995
March 30  | Campus Cops | 1996
April 1  | Partners | 1995
May 4  | Sisters | 1991
May 11  | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | 1990
May 19  | Murder, She Wrote | 1984
May 20  | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | 1990
Nowhere Man | 1995
June 2  | Space: Above and Beyond
June 4  | Minor Adjustments
June 9  | seaQuest DSV | 1993
June 17  | Buzzkill | 1996
June 19  | Hudson Street | 1995
June 26  | Picket Fences | 1992
June 28  | Central Park West | 1995
July 11  | American Gothic
July 14  | Muppets Tonight | 1996
July 19  | Tales from the Crypt | 1989
August 8  | Kratts' Creatures | 1996
August 16  | The Client | 1995
August 17  | Santo Bugito
August 27  | Rescue 911 | 1989
August 30  | A Current Affair (returned in 2005)  | 1986
September 13  | The Phil Donahue Show | 1967
September 14  | WWF Mania | 1993
September 15  | USA Cartoon Express | 1982
September 30  | Lush Life | 1996
Party Girl
October 6  | Big Deal
October 10  | Later with Greg Kinnear | 1994
October 20  | The Ren & Stimpy Show | 1991
October 30  | Public Morals | 1996
The John Larroquette Show | 1993
November 2  | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1987
November 9  | The Lazarus Man | 1996
November 10  | Kirk | 1995
November 11  | Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales | 1996
November 20  | Masked Rider | 1995
November 24  | Rocko's Modern Life | 1993
The Tick | 1994
November 25  | Timon & Pumbaa (returned in 1999)  | 1995
November 27  | Power Rangers Zeo | 1996
November 28  | Quack Pack
December 4  | Townies
December 6  | Mr. & Mrs. Smith
December 7  | Project G.e.e.K.e.R.
December 8  | Allegra's Window | 1994
December 13  | Earthworm Jim | 1995
December 14  | Bailey Kipper's P.O.V. | 1996
California Dreams | 1992
December 18  | The High Life | 1996
December 24  | Roundhouse | 1992
December 28  | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | 1993
Unknown  | Top Rank Boxing (returned in 2017)  | 1980

### Made for TV movies

[edit]

Premiere date  | Title  | Channel

|
|

February 11  | Night of the Twisters | The Family Channel
April 9  | Face of Evil | CBS
May 14  | Doctor Who | Fox
June 9  | Lily Dale | Showtime[10]
September 24  | After Jimmy | CBS
November 15  | Dallas: J.R. Returns
December 15  | The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue | The Family Channel
December 17  | Unlikely Angel | CBS

### Miniseries

[edit]

Premiere date  | Title  | Channel

|
|

February 4  | Gulliver's Travels | NBC
February 24  | The Late Shift | HBO
April 28-29  | The Beast | NBC
November 17  | Titanic | CBS

### Entering syndication this year

[edit]

Show | Seasons | In production | Source

|
|
|

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | 4  | Yes  | [11]
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | 4  | Yes  | [12]
Mad About You | 4  | Yes  | [13]
Martin | 4  | Yes  | [14]

### Changes of network affiliation

[edit]

Show  | Moved from  | Moved to

|
|

Brotherly Love | NBC | The WB
In the House | UPN
Minor Adjustments
Candid Camera | Syndication | CBS
Gargoyles | ABC
Doug | Nickelodeon
TekWar | USA Network | Sci-Fi Channel
Major League Baseball Game of the Week | CBS | Fox
The Mask | CBS/Syndication
Shop 'til You Drop | Lifetime | The Family Channel

## Networks and services

[edit]

### Launches

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

BET on Jazz | Cable television  | January 15  |  |
Sundance Channel | Cable and satellite  | February 1  |  |
America's Health Network | Cable and satellite  | March  |  |
Starz! 2 | Cable and satellite  | March  |  |
Ovation | Cable television  | April 21  |  |
Nick at Nite's TV Land | Cable and satellite  | April 29  |  |
Animal Planet | Cable and satellite  | June 1  |  |
M2 | Cable and satellite  | August 1  |  |
Fox Sports Arizona | Cable and satellite  | September 7  |  |
Fox News Channel  | Cable and satellite  | October 7  |  |
Discovery Civilization Network
Discovery Travel & Living Network
Discovery Kids Channel
Discovery Science Network | Digital cable  | October 7  |  |
Research Channel | Cable television  | November  |  |
ESPNews | Cable and satellite  | November 1  |  |
HBO Family | Cable and satellite  | December 1  |  |
CN8, The Comcast Network | Cable television  | December 1  |  |
CNN/SI | Cable and satellite  | December 12  |  |

### Conversions and rebrandings

[edit]

Old network name  | New network name  | Type  | Conversion Date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|
|

America's Talking | MSNBC | Cable and satellite  | July 15  |  |
Prime Deportiva
Prime Sports Intermountain West
Prime Sports KBL
Prime Sports Midwest
Prime Sports Northwest
Prime Sports Rocky Mountain
Prime Sports Southwest
Prime Sports West  | Fox Sports Américas
Fox Sports Utah
Fox Sports Pittsburgh
Fox Sports Midwest
Fox Sports Northwest
Fox Sports Rocky Mountain
Fox Sports Southwest
Fox Sports West | Cable and satellite  | November 1  | Seven regional sports networks and a companion Spanish-language network operated by Prime Network relaunched as Fox Sports Net.  |

### Closures

[edit]

Network  | Type  | End date  | Notes  | Sources

|
|
|
|

WWOR EMI Service | Cable television  | December 31  | Advance Entertainment Corporation, which had acquired WWOR EMI Service in mid-1996, discontinued the channel on December 31. WWOR's satellite transponder slot was given to Discovery Communications' Animal Planet channel.  |
Intro Television  | Cable television  | December 31  | Intro Television, which showed sample programs from cable networks such as Cartoon Network, Sci-Fi Channel, The History Channel, and The Box, was replaced by Plex: Encore 1 on January 1.  |

## Television stations

[edit]

### Station launches

[edit]

Date | Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation

|
|
|
|

January  | Las Vegas, NV | KZIR | 15 | Univision
January 1  | Reno, NV | KRXI-TV | 11 | Fox
February 22  | Denver, CO | KTVJ | 14 | Independent
March 1  | Louisville, KY | W62BM | 62 | Independent
West Milford, NJ | WFME-TV | 66  | Independent
Ogden, UT | K21ET | 21 | Univision
March 16  | Oklahoma City, OK | KOPX-TV | 62 | inTV
March 22  | Merced–Fresno, CA | KNSO | 51 | Religious independent
March 30  | Albion, NE | KLKE | 24 | ABC (satellite of KLKN)
April 14  | Ceres–Sacramento, CA | KBSV-TV | 23 | Independent
April 25  | Binghamton, NY | W08DL | 8 | Independent
May 5  | Grand Junction, CO | KKCO | 11 | NBC
May 26  | Key West, FL | WWFD | 8 | Multicultural independent
May 28  | Lima, OH | W18BP | 18 | Fox (via WOHL-LP)
May 31  | Killeen–Waco, TX | KAKW | 62 | UPN/The WB
June  | El Centro, CA–Yuma, AZ | KVYE | 7 | Univision
June 23  | Fayetteville, NC | WUNU | 31 | PBS (UNC-TV)
July 2  | Fairbanks, AK | K22EY | 22 | Wireless cable
August 7  | Fairbanks, AK | K13XD | 13 | CBS
August 28  | Ellensburg, WA | K25FP | 25 | 3ABN
September 1  | Hagerstown, MD | WSHE-TV | 60 | inTV
September 14  | Kansas City, MO | KCWB | 29 | The WB
September 27  | Butte, MT | KWYB | 18 | ABC
October 7  | Flint, MI | W61DB | 61 | Independent
Kalamazoo, MI | WUHO-LP | 38 | Independent
October 11  | Grand Rapids, MI | WJUE | 43 | inTV
October 30  | Marquette, MI | WBKP | 5 | ABC
October 31  | Bozeman, MT | KCTZ | 7 | Fox
November 7  | Nashville, TN | W59AW | 59 | America One
December 3  | Oklahoma City, OK | News Now 53 | 53
(cable-only) | Independent (24/7 news)
December 12  | Traverse City, MI | W51CS | 51 | America One
December 21  | Arlington–Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | KPXD-TV | 68 | InTV
December 24  | Bluefield, West Virginia | WVSX | 59 | Fox
Unknown date  | Missoula, Montana | KUFM-TV | 11 | PBS (Montana PBS)

### Stations changing network affiliation

[edit]

Date  | Market | Station | Channel | Prior affiliation | New affiliation

|
|
|
|
|

January 1  | Honolulu, HI | KHON-TV | 2  | NBC | Fox
KHNL | 13  | Fox  | NBC
Idaho Falls–Pocatello, ID | KPVI | 6  | ABC | NBC
KIFI-TV | 8  | NBC  | ABC
Macon, GA | WGXA | 24  | ABC  | Fox
WPGA-TV | 58  | Fox  | ABC
Mobile, AL–Pensacola, FL | WALA-TV | 10  | NBC  | Fox
WPMI | 15  | Fox  | NBC
New Orleans, LA | WVUE-TV | 8  | ABC  | Fox
WGNO | 26  | The WB | ABC
WNOL-TV | 38  | Fox  | The WB
Twin Falls, ID | KKVI | 35  | ABC  | Fox
Reno, NV | KAME-TV | 21  | Fox  | UPN
March 1  | Bakersfield, CA | KERO-TV | 23  | CBS | ABC
KBAK-TV | 29  | ABC  | CBS
March 14  | Greensboro, NC | WBFX | 20 | CTN | The WB
April 1  | Fairbanks, AK | KTVF | 11  | CBS  | NBC
April 4  | Binghamton, NY | WICZ-TV | 40 | NBC | Fox
May 26  | South Bend, IN | W12BK | 12 | Independent | ABC
June 3  | Cincinnati, OH | WCPO-TV | 9 | CBS | ABC
WKRC-TV | 12 | ABC | CBS
June 19  | Greensboro, NC | WGGT-TV | 48 | ABC | UPN
July 1  | New York, NY | WNYC-TV/WBIS | 31 | PBS | Independent
August 19  | Charleston, SC | WCBD-TV | 2 | ABC | NBC
WCIV | 4 | NBC | ABC
September 1  | Birmingham–Tuscaloosa, AL | WBRC | 6 | ABC | Fox
WDBB/WTTO | 17/21 | Fox | Independent
WCFT-TV | 33 | CBS | ABC
WJSU-TV | 40  | CBS  | ABC
WNAL-TV | 44 | Fox | CBS
W58CK | 58 | Independent | ABC
Lincoln, NE | KSNB-TV | 4 | ABC | Fox
September 29  | Mobile, AL–Pensacola, FL | WFGX | 35 | Independent | The WB
December 31  | Akron–Cleveland, OH | WAKC-TV | 23 | ABC | inTV

### Station closures

[edit]

Date | Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation

|
|
|
|

May 5  | Bluefield, WV | WVGV-TV | 59 | The WB

## Births

[edit]

Date | Name | Notability

|
|

January 3  | Florence Pugh | Actress
January 9  | Oana Gregory | Actress (Crash and Bernstein)
January 15  | Dove Cameron | Actress (Liv and Maddie, Descendants, Descendants: Wicked World, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and singer
January 17  | Caitlin Sanchez | Voice actress (Dora on Dora the Explorer (2008–11))
January 18  | Sarah Gilman | Actress (I Didn't Do It)
January 22  | Sami Gayle | Actress (Blue Bloods, Milo Murphy's Law)
January 27  | Braeden Lemasters | Actor (Men of a Certain Age, Betrayal)
February 1  | Rahart Adams  | Actor (Every Witch Way)
February 6  | Dalton Rapattoni | Singer (American Idol)
February 7  | David Castro | Actor (Shadowhunters)
Jake Goldberg | Voice actor (Pablo on The Backyardigans (2006–10))
February 9  | Jimmy Bennett | Actor (No Ordinary Family)
Kelli Berglund | Actress (Lab Rats, Lab Rats: Elite Force)
February 17  | Sasha Pieterse | Actress (Pretty Little Liars) and singer
February 19  | Allen Alvarado  | Actor (Flight 29 Down)
February 21  | Sophie Turner | English actress (Game of Thrones)
February 28  | Bobb'e J. Thompson | Actor (That's So Raven, Tyler Perry's House of Payne)
March 15  | Maxwell Jacob Friedman | Pro wrestler[15]
March 22  | Gig Morton | Canadian actor (Mr. Young)
March 30  | Madeleine Peters  | Canadian voice actress (Martha Speaks, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)
March 31  | Liza Koshy | Actress
April 3  | Sarah Jeffery | Canadian actress (Descendants: Wicked World)
April 4  | Austin Mahone | American singer
April 6  | Miranda May  | Actress (Bunk'd)
April 10  | Audrey Whitby | Actress (The Thundermans)
April 14  | Abigail Breslin | Actress (Scream Queens)
April 17  | Dee Dee Davis | Actress (The Bernie Mac Show)
April 18  | Roy Woods | Singer
April 25  | Allisyn Ashley Arm | Actress (Sonny with a Chance, So Random!)
May 3  | Noah Munck | Actor (iCarly, The Goldbergs)
May 8  | Noah Centineo | Actor (The Fosters)
May 9  | Mary Mouser | Actress (Body of Proof, Scandal, Cobra Kai)
May 14  | McKaley Miller | Actress
May 17  | Ryan Ochoa | Actor (iCarly, Pair of Kings)
May 18  | Violett Beane | Actress
May 24  | Frank Dolce | Actor (Sons of Tucson)
June 2  | Jacy Jayne | Pro wrestler[16]
June 16  | Cody Lohan  | Actor (Living Lohan)
June 20  | Claudia Lee | Actress
June 25  | Lele Pons | Actress and youtuber[17]
July 16  | Nicky Jones | Voice actor (Chowder)
July 13  | Jena Irene | Singer (American Idol)[18]
July 16  | Chayce Beckham | Singer (American Idol)[19]
July 17  | Jermaine Harris  | Actor (Saturdays)
July 21  | Joey Bragg | Actor (Liv and Maddie)
July 22  | Skyler Gisondo | Actor
July 23  | Rachel G. Fox | Actress
July 24  | Herizen F. Guardiola | Actress
July 30  | Austin North | Actor (I Didn't Do It)
July 31  | Blake Michael | Actor (Dog With a Blog)
August 1  | Cymphonique Miller | Actress (How to Rock) and singer
August 7  | Liam James | Actor
August 12  | Torri Webster | Canadian actress (Life with Boys)
August 13  | Tessa Albertson | Actress
August 21  | Jamia Simone Nash | Actress (The Backyardigans, The Young and the Restless)
August 22  | Mickey Graue  | Actor (Lost)
August 25  | Naelee Rae | Actress (The Backyardigans, The Guiding Light)
September 1  | Zendaya | Actress (Shake It Up, K.C. Undercover, Euphoria) and singer
September 2  | Austin Abrams | Actor (Dash & Lily, Euphoria)
September 4  | Victoria Moroles | Actress (Liv and Maddie, Teen Wolf)
September 6  | Alex Christian Jones  | Actor (Kickin' It)
September 10  | Kamil McFadden  | Actor (K.C. Undercover)
September 12  | Colin Ford | Actor (Under the Dome, Jake on Jake and the Never Land Pirates)
September 13  | Lili Reinhart | Actress (Riverdale)
September 15  | Jake Cherry | Actor
September 18  | Kurt Doss | Actor (Ruby & the Rockits)
October 9  | Bella Hadid | American model and sister of Gigi Hadid
October 10  | Sarah Carpenter  | Actress (Girl Meets World)
October 16  | Tyler Perez  | Actor (WITS Academy)
October 28  | Sarah Carpenter  | Actress (Girl Meets World)
November 2  | Liam Obergfoll  | Actress (Talia in the Kitchen)
November 6  | Chelsea Zhang | Actress (Titans, Daybreak, Andi Mack)
November 14  | Mason Gooding | Actor (Love, Victor)
November 18  | Noah Ringer | Actor
November 19  | Gabrielle Elyse  | Actress (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, The Thundermans)
November 21  | Grace Van Patten | Actress
November 22  | Hailey Baldwin | American fashion model and daughter of Stephen Baldwin
Mackenzie Lintz | Actress (Under the Dome)
Madison Davenport | Actress (Shameless, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series) and singer
December 6  | Stefanie Scott | Actress (A.N.T. Farm)
December 8  | Teala Dunn | Actress (Wonder Pets, The Naked Brothers Band, Are We There Yet?, The Thundermans)
December 11  | Hailee Steinfeld | Actress and singer
Jack Griffo | Actor (The Thundermans) and singer
December 20  | Timothy McCartney  | Actor
December 21  | Kaitlyn Dever | Actress (Justified, Last Man Standing)
December 29  | Dylan Minnette | Actor (Lost, Awake, 13 Reasons Why)
December 30  | Raymond Cham  | Actor (Mech-X4)

## Deaths

[edit]

Date | Name | Age | Notability

|
|
|

February 3  | Audrey Meadows | 73  | Actress (Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners)
February 13  | Martin Balsam | 76  | Actor (Murray on Archie Bunker's Place)
February 15  | McLean Stevenson | 68  | Actor (Lt. Col. Henry Blake on M*A*S*H)
Tommy Rettig | 54  | Child actor (Jeff on Lassie)
March 4  | Minnie Pearl | 83  | Comedian
March 5  | Whit Bissell | 86  | Character actor
March 9  | George Burns | 100  | Comedian (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show)
March 11  | Vince Edwards | 67  | Actor (Ben Casey)
April 21  | Jimmy Snyder | 77  | Sports commentator (The NFL Today)
May 20  | Jon Pertwee | 76  | Actor (Third Doctor on Doctor Who)
June 2  | Ray Combs | 40  | Host of Family Feud
June 5  | Vito Scotti | 78  | Character actor, Gilligan's Island
June 16  | Mel Allen | 83  | Sports commentator
July 21  | Herb Edelman | 62  | Actor (Stanley Zbornak on The Golden Girls)
August 27  | Greg Morris | 62  | Actor (Mission: Impossible)
September 13  | Tupac Shakur | 25  | Actor and songwriter
October 6  | Ted Bessell | 61  | Actor and director (Donald on That Girl)
October 28  | Morey Amsterdam | 87  | Actor and comedian (Buddy on The Dick Van Dyke Show)
October 31  | Arthur Peterson Jr. | 83  | Actor (Soap)
November 13  | Alma Kitchell | 103  | Hostess (In the Kelvinator Kitchen)
December 8  | Howard Rollins | 46  | Actor (Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night)
December 12  | Larry Gates | 81  | Soap opera actor (Guiding Light)
December 14  | Edward K. Milkis  | 65  | Producer

## See also

[edit]

* 1996 in the United States
* List of American films of 1996

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Briefs: ValueVision International Inc". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. March 1, 1996. p. D3. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2020 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ Heldenfels, R.D.; Hoffman, Steve; Quinn, Jim; Hoiles, Robert (February 29, 1996). "WAKC Kills News: New owner pulls plug, fires at least 15, decision on resuming show is months away, ABC affiliation under review". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. A1. Retrieved February 3, 2022 - via NewsBank.
3. ^ "Our opinion: And now, the news (Editorial)". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. March 30, 2001. p. A14. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2020 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ The Adventures of Elmer & Friends, Episode 1, with Bob Ross: A Magical Musical
5. ^ Nagourney, Adam (October 6, 1996). "Dole Concludes Debate Preparation by Asking Bush for Advice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
6. ^ Gray, Jerry (October 9, 1996). "Gore and Kemp Practice Jabs for Tonight's Encounter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
7. ^ Nagourney, Adam (October 16, 1996). "Dole Accuses Clinton of Devaluing Presidency". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
8. ^ Feran, Tom (November 14, 1996). "Channel 23 will cancel affiliation with ABC-TV". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 11B. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022 - via NewsBank.
9. ^ Heldenfels, R.D. (November 14, 1996). "WAKC to change format, drop ABC shows: Infomercials, religious programs likely to replace network lineup at end of year. Florida firm's decision surprises Channel 23 manager, pleases Cleveland station". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. D4. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022 - via NewsBank.
10. ^ Watson, Charles S. (2003). Horton Foote: A Literary Biography. Austin, TX: The University of Texas Press. p. 170\. ISBN 0-292-79160-7. "Lily Dale is one of the Cycle plays that has been filmed. It appeared on Showtime on June 9, 1996, sponsored by Hallmark Entertainment. "
11. ^ [1] from Broadcasting & Cable
12. ^ [2] from Broadcasting & Cable
13. ^ [3] from Broadcasting & Cable
14. ^ [4] from Broadcasting & Cable
15. ^ "Inside the mind of AEW's Maxwell Jacob Friedman and why he is the most hated pro wrestler today | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. May 24, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
16. ^ "Jacy Jayne WWE: Latest news and updates @ Sportskeeda". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
17. ^ Berg, Madeline. "Meet Lele Pons: The Latina Star Taking Over The Digital World". Forbes. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
18. ^ Bronson, Fred (March 20, 2014). "'American Idol' Season 13: Jena Irene Stays Thankful for Middle School Breakups". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
19. ^ Cruz, Rene Ray De La. "'I'm here and I'm doing this': An interview with 'American Idol' hopeful Chayce Beckham". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved February 19, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* List of 1996 American television series at IMDb

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