Here’s audio from a September 26th, 1972 commercial break aired on independent television station WTTV (Channel 4) in Indianapolis, Indiana:
This particular commercial break aired following an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in off-network syndication on WTTV. I don’t know what time of day the episode aired, unfortunately. Included are three commercials and a local promotional spot for Banyon.
Here’s a transcript:
[Final Touch Fabric Softener Commercial] “‘You’re unbelievable.’ ‘What?’ ‘Got enough love in you for ten people.’ ‘Uh-huh.’ ‘No kidding. Two kids in diapers, you still find time to knit my sweaters. And how’d you get this diaper so white?’ ‘Final Touch Fabric Softener’ ‘I didn’t ask you how you got ’em soft. How’d you get ’em so white?’ ‘Final Touch. With bluing for extra whiteness.’ ‘She even finds a fabric softener that whitens, too. Hey, kid. Where’d you find a mom like that?'”
[Harvey American Commercial] “We sell for less because we are the smallest dealer with the smallest overhead in town. Harvey American, 2424 West 16th Street. It’s a fact.”
[Tidy-Ups Commercial] “Tidy-Ups are new small blessings for you and your baby. These pre-moistened washcloths take the trouble out of cleaning up baby. Each Tidy Up pre-moistened washcloth comes in a little foil packet. Tidy Up folds up big and strong and soft and gentle. Cleans up baby in a jiffy. Guards against [diaper?] irritation. New disposable Tidy-Ups from Curity. Curity always has something better for your baby.”
[WTTV Promotional Spot] “Robert Forster stars in Banyon. Sunday evening at 5.”
The promotional spot for Banyon is a bit of a mystery. Banyon debuted on NBC in September 1972, just a few weeks before this recording was made. A detective drama, it aired Fridays from 10-11PM ET. So what was it doing airing Sunday at 5PM on an independent station? Presumably, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis–WRTV–pre-empted Banyon and the network turned to WTTV.
This audio comes from a collection of reel-to-reel audio tapes used to record network and local TV programs between 1967 and 1972.
About This Recording
Source: Reel-to-reel audio tape
Date: Tuesday, September 26th, 1972
Network: N/A
Station: WTTV (Channel 4, Indianapolis)
An independent station carrying a network show on delay was not uncommon in the ’70’s. I remember watching “The Edge of Night” on WKBS after WPVI chose to run Merv Griffin. One time, they even included a report on Three Mile Island 2 weeks after it actually happened.
Since broadcast was the primary form of distribution, it’s likely that independents were able to air shows not available in the area by a regional network affiliate.
In Canada it was common for independents to carry US broadcast shows. There have also been a lot of CBC affiliates which would carry their own programming during the day and air CBC shows at night. Although pretty much all stations are owned by Rogers or Bell now.
I was able to look up Indianapolis programming from this time using the http://www.newspapers.com archive, where I found the ANDERSON HERALD for this date. WTTV carried THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW that day at 5:30 PM EST. I am confused about BANYON being carried on WTTV, since I looked at listings from the previous Friday, Sept. 22, and WRTV, NBC’s then-affiliate on channel 6, listed BANYON at 9 PM EST. (Indiana didn’t recognize DST in its ET portions at the time.). Maybe WRTV decided to carry some other program the next week, Sept. 29, for which there is no entry in the website for the Anderson paper.