Events
Date | Event |
---|---|
January 1 | Speedvision, a cable channel devoted to motor sports, commences programming. The network will be rechristened Speed Channel in 2002. |
January 20 | Fox introduces its FoxTrax "glowing puck" during its telecast of the 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game. |
January 28 | Chris Isaak and Brooke Shields make guest appearances on a post-Super Bowl episode of Friends. |
March 1 | Over 1 billion households worldwide now own television sets. |
March 4 | DISH Network, a Direct Broadcast Satellite service, is launched in the United States by EchoStar. |
April 29 | TV Land, an offshoot of Nick at Nite devoted to round-the-clock airings of classic television shows, launches in the United States. |
May 16 | Over 12 million Americans tune in to watch the final episode of Murder, She Wrote on CBS, "Death By Demographics" then through its 12-year run, the series becomes the longest-running American Murder Mystery Drama. |
May 19 | Sundance Channel is launched. |
June 1 | Major League Baseball broadcasts air for the first time on Fox, where it remains to this day. |
June 3 | Zenith introduces the first HDTV-compatible front projection TV in the U.S. |
June 19 | WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC is awarded the first experimental high-definition television license in the United States. |
June 30 | After 33 years of Public broadcasting in New York, WNYC-TV, signs off for the final time. |
July 6 | When it becomes evident that Anna Stuart will be next to die in a serial killer storyline on Another World, many fans start letter-writing campaigns to save the actress; the NBC studios in New York City also report a high number of switchboard calls regarding Stuart's imminent demise. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps decides that actress Alice Barrett will be killed off the show instead. |
July 15 | The talk-oriented cable network America's Talking ceases broadcasting and is replaced by MSNBC, an all-news joint venture between NBC (AT's owner) and Microsoft. |
August 2 | MTV's sister channel, M2 (now known as MTV2), is launched. |
August 23 | The Price is Right celebrates its 25th Anniversary Special and it was broadcast on CBS. |
September 8 | The 48th Primetime Emmy Awards are handed out by ABC. |
September 13 | The dubbed version of the Japanese series Dragonball Z premieres in the U.S. |
September 15 | The children's programming block USA Cartoon Express was shown for the last time by USA Network. |
September 17 | The O.J. Simpson civil trial begins. |
October 1 | Animal Planet (known as Discovery's Animal Planet), is launched. |
Discovery Civilization is launched. | |
October 2 | Seven newscasters were fired for WCBS-TV in New York following after the massacre of its 6pm newscast, most notably known as The 1996 Massacre. |
October 4 | Discovery Science is launched. |
October 7 | News Corporation gets into the cable news fray with the launch of Fox News Channel. |
November 1 | ESPNNEWS, a sports news channel from ESPN, debuts. |
November 2 | The original animated series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs its final episode, "Divide and Conquer". |
November 11 | Discovery Kids begins broadcasting. |
December 1 | The 25 Days of Christmas Special started on The Family Channel, starting one of the longest running Christmas Specials. |
December 9 | Broadcasters, TV & PC manufacturers set industry standards for digital HDTV. |
December 12 | Sports publisher Sports Illustrated and CNN debuted as a 24-hour sporting news channel CNN/SI. |
December 15 | Five years after its series finale, a one-off movie of Dallas, entitled Dallas: J.R. Returns, airs on CBS. |
December 17 | TBS returned to its Superstation name. After 6 years when it was no longer used. |
Read more about this topic: 1996 In American Television
Famous quotes containing the word events:
“When the course of events shall have removed you to distant scenes of action where laurels not nurtured with the blood of my country may be gathered, I shall urge sincere prayers for your obtaining every honor and preferment which may gladden the heart of a soldier.”
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