1999 in American television

Television-related events in the US during 1999

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|

List of years in American television:

* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002

* * *

1998–99 United States network television schedule
1999–2000 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

In American television in 1999, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and re-brandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.

## Events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

4  | On an episode of WWF Raw is War which had been taped six days earlier on December 29th, Mick Foley wrestling as Mankind defeats The Rock to win the WWF Championship. Meanwhile, on WCW Monday Nitro, Hulk Hogan defeats Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the infamous Fingerpoke of Doom. Tony Schiavone on orders from Eric Bischoff gave away the results of Foley's championship victory. As a result, 600,000 viewers switch from Nitro to Raw. These incidents would mark the beginning of WCW's downfall until its closure in 2001.
6  | Bob Newhart receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
11  | Jon Stewart debuts as host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, replacing Craig Kilborn, who moves to CBS to succeed Tom Snyder as host of The Late Late Show.
23  | Gene Siskel hosts his final episode of Siskel & Ebert with Roger Ebert. On February 3, 1999, Siskel announced that he would take a leave of absence for the rest of the season but promised to be back the next fall. On February 20, 1999, Siskel died suddenly from complications from a second brain surgery. On that final episode, Siskel and Ebert reviewed At First Sight, Another Day in Paradise, The Hi-Lo Country, Playing by Heart, and The Theory of Flight
Paula Zahn leaves CBS News after 10 years.
31  | The Denver Broncos win their second consecutive Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons with a score of 34–19. The game is broadcast on Fox with the broadcast team of Pat Summerall and John Madden on the call.
Family Guy premieres on Fox immediately following the Super Bowl.

### February

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | Prevue Channel re-brands as The TV Guide Channel, an EPG-branded version of TV Guide magazine.
HBO Family, HBO's fourth multiplex channel, is rebranded and premieres four new shows; A Little Curious, George and Martha, Anthony Ant and Crashbox.
Disney Channel rebrands its preschool block as Playhouse Disney.
13  | Kids' WB acquired the rights to the anime, Pokémon after it debuted on first-run syndication in 1998; and Pokémon made Kids' WB a household name until 2006, and made it as a huge franchise.

### March

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

13  | A special live edition of All That airs on Nickelodeon.
15  | After three years of not being picked up by domestic distribution in the US, action series L.A. Heat finally airs on US television with the series airing on TNT.
24  | Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski is signed to the recently launched Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids network as a special host and sports correspondent.
26  | Tom Snyder's last show on CBS's The Late Late Show. The following Monday, Craig Kilborn, late of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, takes his place as the show's host.

### April

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

18  | Hockey great Wayne Gretzky plays his final game (a 2–1 overtime loss between his New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins), which is broadcast in the United States by Fox. Mike Emrick and John Davidson were on the call with Sam Rosen conducting interviews.
26  | NBC's The Tonight Show is broadcast in high-definition for the first time, making it the first late-night program to be broadcast in this format. Host Jay Leno's guests are: Salma Hayek, David Arquette, and Jewel.
29  | The pilot episode of WWF SmackDown! is broadcast on UPN as a single television special. (The show would officially premiere again on the network with a new stage on August 26.) The main event saw Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock team up to defeat the Corporate Ministry.

### May

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | Immediately following the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards, Nickelodeon airs the pilot episode of its newest series SpongeBob SquarePants. Tara Lipinski, Bill Bellamy and Robert Ri'chard appeared in interstitials during the sneak peek where they mentioned the series officially premiering in July. SpongeBob would go on to become the longest running Nickelodeon series in its history.
21  | Susan Lucci receives a Daytime Emmy Award for her role as Erica Kane on the ABC soap opera All My Children, after eighteen failed nominations during previous years. The ceremony is telecast live on CBS.
23  | World Wrestling Federation wrestler Owen Hart is killed after falling 70 ft (21 m) from the rafters at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, during a live pay-per-view broadcast of Over the Edge.
24  | During an in-ring promo on WCW Monday Nitro, WCW wrestler Bret Hart pays tribute to his brother Owen, who was killed in an in-ring accident the night before at Over the Edge.
25  | The series finale of Home Improvement is broadcast on ABC. Patricia Richardson (Jill Taylor) is offered $25 million to do a ninth season; Tim Allen (Tim Taylor) is offered $50 million. The two decline the offer and the series comes to an end as a result.[1] Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Randy Taylor) does not return to the show for the series finale (as he is busy with his education and filming the movie Speedway Junky, released in 2001), only appearing in archived footage. The series finale becomes the fifth highest-rated series finale television program of the 1990s and the ninth overall series finale ever presented on a single network in television history, watched by 35.5 percent of the households sampled in America, and 21.6 percent of television viewers.

### June

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

11  | Cartoon Network rebrands its Friday night block of original animated series as Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.
17  | The NHL on Fox airs for the final time.

### July

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

18  | The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria marries actress Helen Hunt. The couple would file for divorce over a year later.
31  | CBS This Morning co-anchor Russ Mitchell as a Saturday anchor of CBS Evening News along with Thalia Assuras as an alternate Saturday anchor starting in November.

### August

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

8  | The series finale of Mystery Science Theater 3000 airs on The Sci-Fi Channel, who had been broadcasting the past three seasons following its departure from Comedy Central in 1996. The last film to be featured in its original run is the 1968 film Danger: Diabolik. Mystery Science Theater 3000 would resume production in 2017, when new episodes begin airing on Netflix.
16  | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs its first episode on ABC with Regis Philbin as host. It would go on to become the television season's highest-rated series and one of ABC's most successful shows.
26  | WWF SmackDown! airs its first episode, live from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, on UPN. The main event saw Triple H defeating The Rock to retain the WWF Title thanks to interference from Shawn Michaels, who was the special guest referee.
30  | Countess Vaughn leaves the cast of Moesha to star in her own television spin-off The Parkers with Mo'Nique, making her the first female African-American comedian to receive a spin-off.

### September

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

6  | UPN replaces its UPN Kids block with a new E/I-compliant block airing weekdays and Sunday mornings named Disney's One Too, a spinoff of ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning.
In Schenectady, New York, PBS member station WMHQ is relaunched as WEWB-TV, a commercial broadcast station affiliated with The WB (the Capital District's first affiliate of that network).
PBS launches a 24-hour PBS Kids television network and new branding for its children's programming.
7  | Viacom announced that the company would acquire CBS and its company, CBS Corporation (after CBS spun off Viacom in 1971 after the FCC forbids broadcast networks to own syndication units or more TV stations) which would cause the two companies to merge into one mega media empire. Which the merger would bring CBS and Paramount close.
12  | The 51st Primetime Emmy Awards presentation is aired on Fox.
20  | After four years, WGN's superstation feed drops programming from The WB and Kids' WB at the request of the network. The network's programs are replaced by movie, sports from Chicago's sporting teams and other broadcasts.
24  | The WB begins airing programming on Friday nights.
26  | NBC airs a three-hour prime-time special in celebration of Saturday Night Live's 25th anniversary.
27  | The Rock garners the highest cable rating in WWF history with Mankind in a segment entitled "This is your life" on Raw Is War, which draws a record 8.4 rating.[2][3][4]

### October

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

4  | ABC affiliate WPTY, and sister station WLMT, both in the Memphis area, begin allowing The WB programming, most notably on WPTY for late nights, and some kids shows, like Pokémon, airing on WLMT.[5][6]
7  | Donald Trump announces his 2000 presidential campaign on an episode of Larry King Live.
10  | The professional wrestling pay-per-view event, Heroes of Wrestling is broadcast from the Casino Magic hotel and casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Although the event was heavily promoted, it was only purchased by 29,000 households. Additionally, the event itself was generally regarded to be of poor quality: Wrestling Observer rated it the worst major wrestling event of 1999,[7] with its editor Dave Meltzer giving a rating of "absolute zero" to a tag team match featuring Luke Williams and Butch Miller facing Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. Meltzer's colleague, Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly, has repeatedly referred to this match as the worst he has ever seen and rated it "minus more stars than there are in the universe"[8]
27  | The fourth and deciding game of the World Series airs on NBC. This is to date, NBC's 39th and final World Series. The New York Yankees defeat once again the Atlanta Braves, winning their second title in a row and 25th in franchise history.

### November

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

19  | John Carpenter becomes the first player on ABC's game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to win $1,000,000. Carpenter is also the first known contestant in the history of American game show to win $1,000,000.

### December

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | Richard Pryor appears in the cold open of the ABC sitcom Norm in what would prove to be his final television appearance. He would die in 2005, 6 years later.
15  | NASCAR strikes a deal with Fox Sports, FX, NBC, and TBS (later moved to TNT) worth $2.4 billion for a new six-year package,[9] covering the Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup) Series and Busch (now Xfinity) Series schedules. NASCAR wanted to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so the organization decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts. The old deal arrangement saw each track negotiate with the networks to broadcast their races. As a result, NASCAR had races on CBS, TNN, ESPN, ABC, NBC, and TBS. However, NBC, which had just entered the sport, showed only one race in 2000. NASCAR wanted to increase the number of races by each partner, and have as many races on broadcast networks as possible, to prevent fans from missing races.
31  | ABC participates in the global broadcast 2000 Today with ABC 2000 Today. Peter Jennings anchors ABC's broadcast of the special from New York City, joined later by Dick Clark who hosts the countdown in Times Square.

## Programs

[edit]

### Debuts

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Network

|
|

January 1  | The Blame Game | MTV
Cold Case Files | A&E
Scrapbook Memories | DIY Network
January 4  | Ed, Edd n Eddy | Cartoon Network
January 5  | Total Recall 2070 | Showtime
Mega Babies | Fox Family
January 8  | Providence | NBC
January 10  | Batman Beyond | Kids' WB
The Sopranos | HBO
The PJs | Fox
January 11  | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Comedy Central
January 13  | 60 Minutes II | CBS
January 17  | The Brothers Flub | Nickelodeon
Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane | The WB
January 18  | So Weird | Disney Channel
January 21  | Turks | CBS
January 25  | Dilbert | UPN
Zoboomafoo | PBS Kids
January 26  | A Little Curious | HBO Family
Crashbox
January 30  | The Jersey | Disney Channel
January 31  | Family Guy | Fox
February 1  | George and Martha | HBO Family
Anthony Ant
February 17  | The Planet's Funniest Animals | Animal Planet
March 8  | Station Zero | MTV
Strange World | ABC
March 9  | Family Rules | UPN
Sons of Thunder | CBS
March 15  | Payne
Rescue 77 | The WB
L.A. Heat | TNT
March 19  | Farscape | Sci-Fi Channel
March 24  | It's Like, You Know... | ABC
The Norm Show
March 28  | Futurama | Fox
March 29  | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | CBS
April 1  | Snap Judgment | Court TV
April 3  | The Big Moment | ABC
April 6  | Everything's Relative | NBC
April 7  | Strangers with Candy | Comedy Central
April 17  | Animals Are People Too | PAX TV
April 26  | Home Movies | UPN
May 1  | Mickey Mouse Works | ABC
SpongeBob SquarePants | Nickelodeon
May 8  | The New Woody Woodpecker Show | Fox Kids
June 7  | Where Are They Now? | VH1
June 10  | The Chimp Channel | TBS
June 14  | Power Play | UPN
June 15  | The Man Show | Comedy Central
June 19  | Beggars and Choosers | Showtime
July 5  | Passions | NBC
July 7  | Good Eats | Food Network
July 11  | Making the Video | MTV
Movie Stars | The WB
July 17  | Rotten Ralph | Fox Family
July 18  | G vs E | USA Network
July 26  | Undressed | MTV
Phred on Your Head Show | Noggin
August 1  | Grown Ups | UPN
August 3  | Downtown | MTV
August 9  | Independent Lens | PBS
Katie Joplin | The WB
Treasures in Your Home | PAX TV
August 14  | Destination Stardom |
August 16  | Rocket Power | Nickelodeon
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | ABC
August 17  | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Pax TV
August 19  | The Lot | AMC
August 26  | The Parkers | UPN
WWE SmackDown
August 30  | Sonic Underground | Syndication
September 4  | Battle Dome
WWF Jakked/Metal
September 6  | Dragon Tales | PBS Kids
Sabrina: The Animated Series | UPN
Storytime with Thomas | Fox Family
It's Itsy Bitsy Time
September 7  | Strip Poker | USA Network
September 8  | Get Real | Fox
September 9  | Early Today | NBC
Later Today
September 11  | Detention | Kids' WB
September 12  | Hope Island | Pax TV
September 13  | Blind Date | Syndication
The Dr. Joy Browne Show
The Martin Short Show
The Queen Latifah Show
Fox Report | Fox News Channel
Judge Mathis | Syndication
September 16  | Action | Fox
September 18  | Beast Machines: Transformers | Fox Kids
Rescue Heroes | CBS
September 19  | Judging Amy | CBS
September 20  | Family Law
Ladies Man
Richard Simmons' DreamMaker | Syndication
Relic Hunter
Cita's World | BET
Safe Harbor | The WB
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | NBC
September 21  | The Mike O'Malley Show
Mission Hill | The WB
Once and Again | ABC
September 22  | Oh, Grow Up
The West Wing | NBC
September 23  | Stark Raving Mad
Third Watch
September 24  | Cold Feet
Now and Again | CBS
Odd Man Out | ABC
September 25  | Freaks and Geeks | NBC
Peter Benchley's Amazon | Syndication
Xyber 9: New Dawn | Fox Kids
September 26  | Snoops | ABC
Jack & Jill | The WB
September 29  | Popular
Work with Me | CBS
September 30  | Curb Appeal | HGTV
October 2  | Archie's Weird Mysteries | Pax TV
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World | Syndication
Spider-Man Unlimited | Fox Kids
October 5  | Emma | VH1
Shasta McNasty | UPN
Angel | The WB
October 6  | Roswell
October 7  | House Hunters | HGTV
Wasteland | ABC
October 8  | Harsh Realm | Fox
Love & Money | CBS
Random Acts of Comedy | Fox Family
October 9  | Angela Anaconda
BeastMaster | Syndication
October 12  | The Strip | UPN
October 15  | Ryan Caulfield: Year One | Fox
October 16  | 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd | Nickelodeon
The Amanda Show
October 18  | Farmclub.com | USA Network
October 25  | Time of Your Life | Fox
October 30  | The Avengers: United They Stand | Fox Kids
November 1  | The Early Show | CBS
November 4  | Greed | Fox
November 12  | Mike, Lu & Og | Cartoon Network
Courage the Cowardly Dog
November 28  | Little Bill | Nickelodeon
November 29  | webRIOT | MTV

### Ending this year

[edit]

Date  | Title  | Debut

|
|

January 2  | Birdz | 1998
Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? | 1994
January 16  | The New Batman Adventures | 1997
January 18  | The Charlie Horse Music Pizza | 1998
Guys Like Us
Toonsylvania
January 20  | Brats of the Lost Nebula
Encore! Encore!
January 24  | Fantasy Island
January 25  | Working | 1997
February 3  | Maggie Winters | 1998
February 11  | Cupid
February 12  | Brimstone
February 14  | Going Wild with Jeff Corwin | 1997
February 21  | The Little Lulu Show | 1995
February 25  | Vengeance Unlimited | 1998
February 27  | Mad Jack the Pirate
The Mr. Potato Head Show
February 28  | Trinity
March 1  | DiResta
Hercules
March 2  | Between Brothers | 1997
March 8  | Hyperion Bay | 1998
March 11  | Jumanji | 1996
March 13  | Maggie | 1998
March 14  | Due South | 1994
March 16  | LateLine | 1998
March 17  | Tracey Takes On... | 1996
March 26  | The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder | 1995
March 27  | The Net | 1998
April 4  | Women: Stories of Passion | 1996
April 6  | Station Zero | 1999
April 10  | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | 1998
April 11  | Anthony Ant | 1999
April 13  | Family Rules
The Sifl and Olly Show | 1997
April 17  | Sons of Thunder | 1999
April 23  | Turks
April 26  | Caroline in the City | 1995
April 27  | Everything's Relative | 1999
April 28  | Payne
May 3  | Rescue 77
May 4  | NewsRadio | 1995
May 7  | Beast Wars: Transformers | 1996
May 10  | L.A. Doctors | 1998
May 14  | Brother's Keeper
Young Hercules
May 16  | Smart Guy | 1997
May 20  | The Wayans Bros. | 1995
Promised Land | 1996
May 21  | Millennium
Homicide: Life on the Street | 1993
Love Boat: The Next Wave | 1998
May 22  | Air America
Mortal Kombat: Conquest
Viper | 1994
May 23  | Sister, Sister
Unhappily Ever After | 1995
May 24  | Mad About You (returned in 2019)  | 1992
Melrose Place
Home Movies (returned in 2001)  | 1999
The Sentinel | 1996
May 25  | Clueless
Home Improvement | 1991
May 28  | Todd McFarlane's Spawn | 1997
June 2  | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | 1993
June 8  | Total Recall 2070 | 1999
June 11  | Unsolved Mysteries (returned in 2001)  | 1987
USA High | 1997
June 23  | The Nanny | 1993
Turning Point | 1994
June 25  | Another World | 1964
Love Connection (returned in 2017)  | 1983
June 26  | Doug | 1991
The Big Moment | 1999
July 6  | Amazing Animals | 1996
July 9  | Two of a Kind | 1998
July 15  | Mercy Point
July 25  | The Parent 'Hood | 1995
July 30  | Legacy | 1998
August 11  | In the House | 1995
August 13  | Cow and Chicken | 1997
August 21  | WWF Shotgun Saturday Night
August 28  | The New Addams Family | 1998
September 6  | NBC News at Sunrise | 1983
September 10  | Hard Copy | 1989
September 12  | Mystery Science Theater 3000 (returned in 2017)  | 1988
September 17  | Match Game (returned in 2016)  | 1962
September 24  | Timon & Pumbaa | 1995
September 28  | The Mike O'Malley Show | 1999
October 20  | Work with Me
October 21  | Wasteland
October 22  | Ryan Caulfield: Year One
Sonic Underground
October 29  | Cold Feet
CBS This Morning (returned in 2012)  | 1987
November 5  | Emma | 1999
November 8  | Downtown
November 12  | Poltergeist: The Legacy | 1996
November 19  | Sabrina: The Animated Series | 1999
November 22  | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | 1995
November 28  | Safe Harbor | 1999
December 1  | Viva Variety | 1997
December 2  | Action | 1999
December 10  | Dexter's Laboratory (returned in 2001)  | 1996
December 12  | Figure It Out (returned in 2012)  | 1997
December 16  | The Chimp Channel | 1999
December 17  | Little Men | 1998
December 18  | Power Rangers Lost Galaxy | 1999
Snoops
December 28  | Oh, Grow Up
December 31  | Sunset Beach | 1997

### Entering syndication this year

[edit]

Show | Seasons | In Production | Source

|
|
|

3rd Rock from the Sun | 4 | Yes | [10]
Caroline in the City | 4 | Yes | [11]
Clueless | 3 | No | [12]
The Drew Carey Show | 4 | Yes | [13]
In the House | 5 | No | [14]
The Parent 'Hood | 5 | No | [15]
Star Trek: Voyager | 5 | Yes | [16]
Unhappily Ever After | 5 | No |
The Wayans Bros. | 5 | No | [17]

### Resuming this year

[edit]

Title | Last aired | Previous network | New title | New network | Date of return

|
|
|
|
|

Timon and Pumbaa | 1996  | Syndication and CBS | Same  | Toon Disney | January 1
Zoom | 1978  | PBS  | PTV  | January 4
Are You Afraid of the Dark? | 1996  | Nickelodeon | Same  | February 6
ReBoot | Syndication and ABC | Toonami | March 15
Johnny Bravo | 1997  | Cartoon Network | Same  | July 2
Divorce Court | 1992  | Syndication  | September 7
Tales from the Cryptkeeper | 1994  | ABC  | The New Tales from the Cryptkeeper | CBS  | September 11
Family Feud | 1995  | Syndication | Same  | Same  | September 20
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | 1997  | CBS  | Nickelodeon  | October 29

### Changes of network affiliation

[edit]

Show  | Moved from  | Moved to

|
|

Timon and Pumbaa | Syndication and CBS | Toon Disney
Franklin | CBS Kidshow | Nick Jr.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | CBS | Nickelodeon
Tales from the Cryptkeeper | ABC | CBS
Recess | ABC/UPN
Pepper Ann
ReBoot (US terrestrial rights)  | Syndication | Toonami
National Geographic Explorer | TBS | CNBC
Leeza | NBC | Syndication
Between Brothers | Fox | UPN

### Made-for-TV movies and miniseries

[edit]

Title  | Channel  | Date of airing

|
|

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century | Disney Channel  | January 23
Deep in My Heart | CBS  | February 14
Alice in Wonderland | NBC  | February 28
Replacing Dad | CBS  | March 14
Great Expectations | PBS  | May 9
Joan of Arc | CBS  | May 15
Atomic Train | NBC  | May 16
A Lesson Before Dying | HBO  | May 22
Pirates of Silicon Valley | TNT  | June 20
Vendetta | HBO  | July 3
Johnny Tsunami | Disney Channel  | July 24
First Daughter | TBS  | August 15
Don't Look Under the Bed | Disney Channel  | October 9
RKO 281 | HBO  | November 20
Horse Sense | Disney Channel
Runaway Reptar | Nickelodeon  | November 27
Cinderelmo | FOX  | December 6
Ego Trip | Cartoon Network  | December 10
The Lady in Question | A&E  | December 12

## Networks and services

[edit]

### Network launches

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

Noggin | Cable and satellite  | February 2  | A joint venture between Nickelodeon and the Children's Television Workshop, airing educational programming for pre-schoolers and school-aged children from both parties. Dish Network and Americast carried the network at launch.  |
Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids | Cable and satellite  | March 1  | A channel broadcasting games shows and sports-related programs from Nickelodeon.  |
Starz Cinema
Starz Family  | Cable and satellite  | May 1  |  |
HBO Comedy
HBO Zone  | Cable and satellite  | May 6  | First announced in April 1998, HBO Comedy airs comedic films plus HBO comedy series and stand-up specials, while HBO Zone airs programs aimed at young adults.  |
TV Globo Internacional | Cable and satellite  | August 24  |  |
PBS Kids | Cable and satellite/over-the-air multicast  | September 6  | A 24-hour channel showing PBS' children's programs (notably excluding Sesame Street, whose pay TV rights were held by Noggin).  |
News 8 Austin | Cable television  | September 13  | A 24-hour news network serving the Greater Austin area.  |
DIY Network | Cable and satellite  | September 30  | An interactive spin-off of HGTV carrying instructional programs related to "do it yourself" activities.  |
Boyz Channel | Cable television  | October 31  | A spin-off of the Fox Family Channel airing programmes aimed towards a young male audience.  |
Girlz Channel | Cable television  | October 31  | A spin-off of the Fox Family Channel airing programmes aimed towards a young female audience.  |

### Conversions and rebrandings

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

Starz! 2 | Starz! Theater  | Cable television  | July  |  |

## Television stations

[edit]

### Station launches

[edit]

Date  | City of License/Market | Station | Channel  | Affiliation  | Notes/Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

January 1  | Seattle, Washington | KHCV | 45  | Independent |
January 5  | Tucson, Arizona | KWBA | 58  | The WB |
January 19  | Twin Falls, Idaho | K26EW  | 26  | TBN |
February 12  | Las Vegas, Nevada | KCNG-LP | 25  | UPN (primary)
America's Voice (secondary)  |
February 15  | Phoenix, Arizona | KPPX-TV | 51  | Pax TV |
February 19  | San Antonio, Texas | KPXL-TV | 26  | Pax TV |
March 5  | Santa Fe/Albuquerque, New Mexico | KWBQ | 19  | The WB |
March 12  | New York City | W36AD | 36  | Independent  |
April  | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KAPX | 41  | Pax TV |
May 3  | Lexington, Kentucky | W62CL | 62  | UPN | Originally an LPTV translator of WAOM/Morehead, Kentucky
May 5  | Worcester, Massachusetts | WYDN | 48  | Prime Time Christian Broadcasting  | Now a Daystar affiliate licensed in Lowell, Massachusetts
June 7  | Camden/Little Rock, Arkansas | KKYK-TV | 49  | The WB |
Williamson, West Virginia | W45AZ  | 45  | TBN |
June 17  | Batavia/Buffalo, New York | WPXJ-TV | 51  | Pax TV |
June 20  | Bemidji/Brainerd, Minnesota | KFTC | 26  | Fox | Satellite of WFTC/Minneapolis
July 6  | Filer/Twin Falls, Idaho | KBGH | 19  | Educational independent  |
July 9  | Honolulu, Hawaii | KAIE  | 38  | Religious independent  |
August  | Lincoln, Nebraska | K18CD | 18  | Fox | Translator of KSNB/Superior
August 1  | Rio Grande City, Texas
(Brownsville/McAllen, Texas, USA/Reynosa/Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico) | KTLM | 40  | Telemundo |
Spokane, Washington | KGPX-TV | 34  | Pax TV |
August 4  | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | W19AW | 19  | UPN |
August 5  | Wichita, Kansas | KWCV | 33  | The WB |
August 8  | Seattle, Washington | KBEH | 51  | ValueVision |
August 21  | St. George, Utah | KUSG | 12  | CBS | Satellite of KUTV/Salt Lake City, Utah
August 27  | Waterville/Portland, Maine | WMPX-TV | 23  | Pax TV |
August 30  | Iowa/Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KWKB | 20  | The WB |
September 12  | Muskogee/Tulsa, Oklahoma | KWBT | 19  | The WB |
September 17  | Tuskegee/Montgomery, Alabama | WBMM | 22  | Pax TV |
November 1  | Tecate/Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
(San Diego, California, United States) | KHUPN-TV | 49  | UPN |
November 5  | Colorado Springs, Colorado | KXTU-LD | 57  | UPN |
November 7  | Bismarck, North Dakota | KNDX | 26  | Fox  |
November 10  | Paducah, Kentucky | W52DC | 49  | UPN |
November 15  | Minot, North Dakota | KXND | 24  | Fox  |
December 1  | Wausau, Wisconsin | WFXS-DT | 55  | Fox |
December 22  | Flint, Michigan | WXON-LP | 54  | Independent  |
Unknown date  | Boca Raton, Florida | WPPB-TV | 63  | Educational independent  |
Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | WVXF | 17  | Fox |
Honolulu, Hawaii | KWBN | 44  | Daystar |
Laredo, Texas | K55HW | 55  | Mas Musica  |
McAllen/Brownsville, Texas | KZMC-LP | 35  | America's Store | Translator of KNWS-LP/Brownsville
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | W41CV | 41  | WebFN |
Victoria, Texas | K27EG | 27  | NBC |

### Network affiliation changes

[edit]

Date  | City of License/Market | Station | Channel  | Old affiliation  | New affiliation  | Notes/Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

June 12  | Lima, Ohio | WLQP-LP | 18  | Fox (as W18BP)  | UPN |

### Station closures

[edit]

Date  | Market  | Station  | Channel  | Affiliation

|
|
|
|

October 31  | Buffalo, New York | WFHW-LP | 58  | Independent

## Births

[edit]

Date | Name | Notability

|
|

January 1  | Diamond White | Actress (The Haunted Hathaways, The Lion Guard, Pinky Malinky) and singer
January 4  | Gage Munroe | Canadian voice actor (Stoked, PAW Patrol, Hotel Transylvania: The Series)
January 18  | Karan Brar | Actor (Jessie, Bunk'd)
Mateus Ward | Actor (Lab Rats, Hostages, Murder in the First)
January 22  | Ricky Garcia  | Actor (Best Friends Whenever)
January 30  | Mavrick Moreno  | Actor (Every Witch Way)
February 10  | Tiffany Espensen | Actress (Phineas and Ferb, Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, Kirby Buckets)
March 2  | Caleb Lee Hutchinson | Singer (American Idol)[18]
March 5  | Madison Beer | American singer
March 20  | Olivia Stuck  | Actress (Kirby Buckets)
March 21  | Lexi DiBenedetto  | Actress (Knight Squad, The Really Loud House)
March 22  | Gavin MacIntosh | Actor (The Fosters)
March 27  | Natasha Calis | Actress
April 2  | Sophie Reynolds | Actress (Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Youth & Consequences)
April 6  | Kwesi Boakye | Actor (Men of a Certain Age, The Looney Tunes Show, The Amazing World of Gumball)
April 7  | Conner Rayburn  | Actor (According to Jim)
April 9  | Isaac Hempstead-Wright | English actor (Game of Thrones)
May 1  | Tiffany Stratton | Pro wrestler (WWE)[19]
May 4  | Hook | Pro wrestler (AEW)[20]
May 5  | Jonny Gray | Canadian actor (Max & Shred)
May 11  | Madison Lintz | Actress (The Walking Dead, Bosch)
Sabrina Carpenter | Actress (Sofia the First, Girl Meets World, Milo Murphy's Law) and singer
May 22  | Camren Bicondova | Actress (Gotham)
May 25  | Brec Bassinger | Actress (The Haunted Hathaways, Bella and the Bulldogs, School of Rock, All Night, The Loud House, Stargirl)
May 26  | Kerry Ingram | English actress (Game of Thrones)
May 28  | Cameron Boyce | Actor (Jessie, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Descendants, Descendants: Wicked World) (d. 2019)
May 30  | Sean Giambrone | Actor (The Goldbergs, Clarence)
June 5  | Denisea Wilson  | Actress (Every Witch Way)
June 11  | Katelyn Nacon | Actress (The Walking Dead, T@gged)
Saxon Sharbino | Actress (Touch, Love)
June 18  | Willie Spence | Singer (American Idol) (d. 2022)
June 20  | Kayla Maisonet | Actress (Dog with a Blog, The Haunted Hathaways, Stuck in the Middle, Speechless)
June 21  | Natalie Alyn Lind | Actress (The Goldbergs, Gotham, The Gifted)
June 26  | Harley Quinn Smith | Actress
June 27  | Chandler Riggs | Actor (The Walking Dead)
July 5  | Gus Kamp  | Actor (Best Friends Whenever)
July 9  | Claire Corlett | Canadian voice actress (Sweetie Belle on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)
August 4  | Kelly Gould | Actress (Rita Rocks, Jessie)
August 13  | Corey Fogelmanis  | Actor (Girl Meets World)
Eli Brown | Actor (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, Gossip Girl)
August 14  | Alison Thornton | Actress
August 21  | Maxim Knight | Actor (Falling Skies)
August 22  | Ricardo Hurtado | Actor (School of Rock)
September 7  | Michelle Creber | Voice actress (Martha Speaks, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)
Cameron Ocasio | Actor (Sam & Cat)
September 9  | Ronni Hawk  | Actress (Stuck in the Middle, On My Block)
September 13  | Zoey Burger  | Actress (Every Witch Way)
September 14  | Emma Kenney | Actress (Shameless)
October 2  | Skye Blue | Pro wrestler (AEW)[21]
Nathaniel Potvin  | Actor (Mech-X4)
October 6  | Will Shadley  | Voice actor (Gorgonzola on Chowder)
October 13  | Nell Tiger Free | English actress (Game of Thrones)
October 15  | Bailee Madison | Actress (Wizards of Waverly Place, Once Upon a Time, Trophy Wife, The Fosters, Good Witch, Pretty Little Liars)
October 16  | Jadiel Dowlin  | Actor (Star Falls)
Joshua Hoffman  | Actor (Talia in the Kitchen)
November 1  | Buddy Handleson | Actor (Shake It Up, Wendell and Vinnie, Bella and the Bulldogs)
November 5  | Zachary S. Williams  | Actor (I Am Frankie)
November 10  | Kiernan Shipka | Actress (Mad Men, The Legend of Korra, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
Michael Cimino | Actor (Love, Victor)
November 28  | Lee Rodriguez | Actress (Never Have I Ever)
November 29  | Tim Johnson Jr.  | Actor (Saturdays)

## Deaths

[edit]

Date | Name | Age | Notability

|
|
|

January 4  | Iron Eyes Cody | 94  | Actor (well known for an anti-littering campaign ad of the 1970s)
January 25  | Herman Wedemeyer | 74  | Actor (Duke Lukela on Hawaii Five-O)
February 20  | Gene Siskel | 53  | Film critic (co-host of Siskel & Ebert)
March 22  | David Strickland | 29  | Actor (Todd Stities on Suddenly Susan)
March 28  | Freaky Tah | 27  | American rapper
March 30  | Gary Morton | 74  | Producer, second husband of Lucille Ball
April 10  | Jean Vander Pyl | 79  | Voice actress (Wilma Flintstone on The Flintstones and Rosie the Robot Maid on The Jetsons)
April 14  | Ellen Corby | 87  | Actress (Grandma Esther Walton on The Waltons)
May 8  | Dana Plato | 34  | Actress (Kimberly Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes)
May 21  | Sachiko Hirasawa  | 25  | Japanese R&B singer of the sister duo Double
May 23  | Owen Hart | 34  | Wrestler (Superstar on WWF RAW is WAR)
June 11  | DeForest Kelley | 79  | Actor (Bones McCoy on Star Trek)
July 16  | John F. Kennedy Jr. | 38  | American lawyer and son of President John F. Kennedy
July 20  | Sandra Gould | 82  | Actress (Gladys Kravitz #2 on Bewitched)
August 23  | Martha Rountree | 87  | Broadcast journalist (Meet the Press)
August 24  | Mary Jane Croft | 83  | Actress (I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy)
September 5  | Allen Funt | 84  | Creator and host of Candid Camera
October 6  | Gorilla Monsoon | 62  | Pro wrestler and WWF commentator[22]
November 9  | Mabel King | 66  | Actress (Mabel Thomas on What's Happening!!)
November 11  | Mary Kay Bergman | 38  | Voice actress (South Park)
November 18  | Beatrice Colen | 51  | Actress (Happy Days, Wonder Woman)
November 29  | Gene Rayburn | 81  | Host of (Match Game)
December 3  | Madeline Kahn | 57  | Actress (Oh Madeline)
December 10  | Shirley Hemphill | 52  | Comedian and actress (What's Happening!!)
December 14  | Walt Levinsky | 70  | Composer
December 28  | Clayton Moore | 85  | Actor (The Lone Ranger)

## See also

[edit]

* 1999 in the United States
* List of American films of 1999

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Cormier, Roger (September 17, 2016). "14 Sturdy Facts About 'Home Improvement'". Mental Floss. Retrieved September 21, 2018. "Richardson was offered $25 million to do a ninth season; Allen was offered double that. The two declined, and Home Improvement ended after eight seasons and 203 episodes."
2. ^ "The Rock: This is Your Life!".
3. ^ "Bill Banks Talks About the Highest Rated Wrestling Segment". Bleacher Report.
4. ^ "; RAW 27 September 1999". /Wrestling.
5. ^ "WPTY shuffles, moves the WB network to "free" TV late nights". The Commercial Appeal. 1999-09-23.
6. ^ "WB". The Commercial Appeal. 1999-09-23.
7. ^ "Heroes PPV a disappointment". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
8. ^ Heroes of Wrestling: Sucked Long Before Jake Used a Snake as a Penis[permanent dead link]
9. ^ "2001 TV Deal". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Quote: While many fans were upset that ESPN and CBS lost the rights, insiders say that their bids were close to $100 million annually under the winning bids from Fox and NBC.
10. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-06-23.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
11. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1998/BC-1998-05-11.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
12. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1998/BC-1998-12-14.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
13. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-06-30.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
14. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-08-25.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
15. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-03-17.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
16. ^ Star Trek: Voyager Syndication Promo - "Are You a Voyager?" - YouTube from YouTube
17. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1997/BC-1997-10-06.pdf from Broadcasting & Cable
18. ^ Cardoza, Riley (2017-05-22). "Caleb Lee Hutchinson". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
19. ^ "Tiffany Stratton WWE | News, Rumors, Pictures & Biography | Sportskeeda WWE". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
20. ^ "Hook AEW | News, Rumors & Updates". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
21. ^ "Skye Blue - Fights, Stats, Videos". TrillerTV. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
22. ^ Ali, Hamza (2023-04-18). "The Tragic Death & Legacy Of WWE Legend Gorilla Monsoon, Explained". TheSportster. Retrieved 2024-09-05.

## External links

[edit]

* List of 1999 American television series at IMDb

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