The year
1972 in television involved some
significant events.Below is a list of
television-related events in
1972.
For
the American
TV schedule,
see: 1972-73 American
network television schedule.
Events
- January 21 - The first convention of
Star Trek fans is held in New York's
Statler-Hilton hotel.
- Mid-February - John Lennon and
Yoko Ono cohost an entire week on
The Mike Douglas
Show.
- February 19 - Sammy Davis Jr. makes a guest appearance on
All in the Family.
- March 18 - After
losing a 15-year court battle over the legality of its business
relationship with The Herald-Traveler, CBS' Boston,
Massachusetts
affiliate WHDH-TV
Channel 5
signs off the air. At 3 a.m. on March 19,
WCVB
takes over the Channel 5 frequency, simultaneously
switching affiliations to the ABC network following CBS' loss of
interest in the channel during the long legal wrangle.
- April 4 - After a
three-year courtship, Emily Nugent
married Ernest Bishop on Coronation
Street
.
- July 21 - Victoria Wyndham makes her first appearance
as vixen (and later, good girl) Rachel Davis on the soap opera Another World.
- August 26 - Effective with this issue,
TV Guide discontinues the practice
of using a "C" to indicate color programs, and instead starts using
a "BW" for monochrome, saving a lot of printer's ink in the
process. At the time about half of the TV households in the U.S.
had color sets.
- September 9 -
The Lawrence Welk
Show opens its 18th season on location in Hawaii
.
- October 27 - The 5000th episode of
Captain Kangaroo airs.
- November 8 - Home
Box Office (HBO) is launched, in Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania
.
- November 21 - In the second part of
a two-part story which began the previous week, Beatrice Arthur's character, Maude Findlay,
on the television sitcom Maude, decides to go through with an
abortion, in a move that shocked CBS executives and Maude advertisers.
- December 31 -
ORTF 3ème Chaîne launches in France
for the
first time.
Debuts
- January 4 -
Des chiffres et des
lettres premieres on ORTF 2ème
Chaîne in France
(1972-present).
- January 14 - Sanford and Son premieres on NBC (1972-1977).
- January 15 - Emergency! premieres on NBC
(1972-1977).
- March 13 - Number 96 premieres on Australia's 0-10
Network (1972-1977)
- April 4 - John
Craven's Newsround premieres (1972-present, now titled
Newsround) on BBC1.
- April 7 - Ultraman Ace premieres on TBS
in Japan (1972-1973).
- June 22 - The first
Tattslotto draw on HSV-7
Melbourne
- July 8 - Android Kikaider premieres on TV
Asahi (formerly NET) (1972-1973)
- September 4 - The Price Is Right
(1972-present), The Joker's
Wild (1972-1975, 1977-1986), and Gambit (1972-1976) all premiere on
CBS. Any Number, Bonus Game, and Double Prices were the three games played on
the first episode of The (New) Price Is Right.
- September 8 - Are You Being Served? premieres
(1972-1985) on BBC1.
- September 9 - Fat Albert and the Cosby
Kids premieres on CBS (1972-1984).
- September 11 - Mastermind
(1972-97, 2002-present) premieres on BBC1.
- September 12 - Maude, a spinoff of All in the Family premieres on CBS
(1972-1978).
- September 14 - The Waltons premieres on CBS (1972-1981).
- September 16 - The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978)
and Bridget Loves
Bernie (1972-1973) premiere on CBS.
- September 17 M*A*S*H premieres on CBS
(1972-1983).
- October 3 -
4 Country Reporter
premieres on CBS affiliate KDFW
Channel 4;
in 1986, the show moves into
first-run syndication under the new name Texas Country
Reporter, eventually airing nationally on the RFD-TV satellite/cable channel. As of October
2007, the show will mark 35 years on television.
- October 14 - Kung Fu premieres on ABC
(1972-1975).
- October 16 -
Emmerdale
Farm
starts transmissions in the daytime on
ITV (1972-present).
- October 19 - Prisoner-of-war drama
Colditz debuts on BBC1.
Television shows
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Ending this year
Births
- January 1 - Felicity Montagu, actress.
- January 11 - Amanda Peet, actress.
- January 13 - Nicole Eggert, actress.
- March 6 - Shaquille O'Neal, basketball player, actor,
and rapper.
- April 3 - Jennie
Garth, actress.
- April 6 - Jason
Hervey, actor.
- April 20 - Carmen Electra, actress.
- May 2 - Dwayne
Johnson, Professional wrestler and actor ("The Rock").
- May 20 - Busta
Rhymes, rapper.
- May 21 - The Notorious B.I.G., rapper (d.
1997)
- June 2 - Wayne
Brady, comedian.
- June 23 - Selma
Blair, actress
- July 23 - Marlon Wayans, actor
- July 27 - Nic
Testoni, actor
- July 28 - Elizabeth Berkley, actress.
- July 29 - Wil
Wheaton, actor.
- August 9 - Liz
Vassey, actress.
- August 30 - Cameron Diaz, actress
- October 5- Grant
Hill, basketball player
- November 14 - Josh Duhamel, actor.
- December 19 - Alyssa Milano, actress.
Deaths