Is there any way to see old cable schedules on the web for....

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Well if it's the 50th anniversary then you have to PRE-EMPT your DVD's

Thanks for reminding me. I'm putting this off until next year, to coincide with the anniversary. Hmmm, what day in history will I do this year instead?

[mets82]

Brad, thats a very good list!! Thanks for posting it!! Man, did USA Network have a lot of game shows or what? They showed more game shows than GSN.

[LUNCH]

I used to watch channels like TBS and WGN etc. quite often in the mid 1980s- the early 1990s,they were really good stations. These schedules show how good a number of cable channels used to be,and how far they have fallen.Older and obscure programs,movies etc. are really what originally put cable on the map.---Original programming,getting rid of classic shows etc. and of course relentless advertising is what ruined cable.

[TVFactFan]

So I wonder what was the reason for the sudden shift to original programming and reality shows which happened sometime around 2004

[LUNCH]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

So I wonder what was the reason for the sudden shift to original programming and reality shows which happened sometime around 2004

Probably for advertising reasons.You know,demographics and all that nonsense.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by LUNCH

I think they got into original programming/reality junk for advertising reasons.You know,demographics and all that nonsense.

Wonder what was the first cable channel to start the new programming trend that lead to so many cable networks doing the same

[AKA]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Wonder what was the first cable channel to start the new programming trend that lead to so many cable networks doing the same

Are you kidding, Sol? Cable has had original programming since at least the early '80s; probably earlier than that.

[AKA]

Here's Thursday, June 29, 1989:

The Disney Channel
5 am—Walt Disney Presents
6:00—You and Me, Kid
6:30—Mousercise
7:00—Good Morning, Mickey!
7:30—Welcome to Pooh Corner
8:00—Donald Duck Presents
8:30—Dumbo’s Circus
9:00—Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus
10:00—Videopolis Star Tracks
10:30—You and Me, Kid
11:00—Walt Disney Presents
12 pm—Zorro
12:30—The Wind in the Willows
1:00—MOVIE: “Gulliver’s Travels”
(1977) Richard Harris, Catherine Schell. A 17th-century English sailor, shipwrecked on an island, discovers a civilization of miniature people. Based on the Jonathan Swift classic.
2:30—Dumbo’s Circus
3:00—Welcome to Pooh Corner
3:30—Disney’s Wuzzles
4:00—The Raccoons
4:30—Donald Duck Presents
5:00—Kids Incorporated
5:30—The All-New Mickey Mouse Club
6:00—MOVIE: “Young Detectives on Wheels”
(1987) Josie Vendramini, Fraser Stephen-Smith. A girl, her brother and a computer hacker unmask the “Mr. Big” behind a jewel heist.
7:30—The Making of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
8:00—Walt Disney Presents
“Nature’s Better Built Homes.” Forest ranger J. Audobon Woodlore visits homes built by animal architects.
9:00—Loretta & Crystal: Going Home
Sisters Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle perform together for the first time on television. This video portrait includes interviews and taped concert footage.
10:00—Rick Nelson: A Brother Remembers
David Nelson pays tribute to his brother Rick, who died on New Year’s Eve, 1985, featuring home movies, concert footage and interviews with his mother Harriet and his children.
11:00—The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
A neighborhood kid wants David and Rick to show him the ropes of the law profession.
11:30—MOVIE: “Calgary ’88: 16 Days of Glory” (Part 2)
(TV, 1989) Sports filmmaker Bud Greenspan captures highlights of the 1988 Winter Olympics, including figure skating duels between USA’s Brian Boitano and Canada’s Brian Orser. (Part 2 of 2)
1:30 am—MOVIE: “Gulliver’s Travels”
(1977) Richard Harris, Catherine Schell.
3:00—Loretta & Crystal: Going Home
4:00—Rick Nelson: A Brother Remembers

The Family Channel [EST]
8 am—Father Knows Best
8:30—Hazel
9:00—Our House
10:00—The 700 Club
11:30—Scott Ross
12:30 pm—Cable Kitchen
1:00—Celebrity Chefs
1:30—Cooking Fat-Free
2:00—Here Come the Brides
3:00—The Campbells
3:30—Green Acres
4:00—Hazel
4:30—Father Knows Best
5:00—The Big Valley
6:00—Bonanza
7:00—Our House
8:00—MOVIE: “The Bible: In the Beginning” (Part 1)
Michael Parks, George C. Scott. Book of Genesis stories include Adam and Eve, Abraham and the Tower of Babel. Directed by John Huston, who plays Noah. (Part 1 of 2)
10:00—The 700 Club
11:00—Remington Steele
Laura must guard an art collection, and Remington, when an “old friend” of his hires the agency.
12 am—MOVIE: “The Bible: In the Beginning” (Part 1)
Michael Parks, George C. Scott. (Part 1 of 2)
2:00—The 700 Club
3:00—Religious Programming
[Until 8 am.]

Nickelodeon
6 am—The Mysterious Cities of Gold
6:30—The Adventures of the Little Prince
7:00—Mr. Wizard’s World
7:30—Dennis the Menace
8:00—Lassie
8:30—Belle and Sebastian
9:00—Today’s Special
9:30—The Adventures of the Little Prince
10:00—Maple Town
10:30—David the Gnome
11:00—Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show
11:30—Adventures of the Little Koala
12 pm—Pinwheel
12:30—Pinwheel
1:00—Doctor Snuggles
1:30—Maple Town
2:00—Today’s Special
2:30—Lassie
3:00—Count Duckula
3:30—Finders Keepers
4:00—Heathcliff
4:30—Dennis the Menace
5:00—You Can’t Do That on Television
5:30—Don’t Just Sit There
6:00—Think Fast!
6:30—Double Dare
7:00—Inspector Gadget
7:30—Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon
8:00—Mister Ed
Wilbur wins a horse in a contest.
8:30—The Patty Duke Show
Martin makes rules when the telephone seems to be in constant use.
9:00—My Three Sons
The Douglas family is scrutinized when they apply for membership to a country club.
9:30—The Donna Reed Show
A young man can’t cope with the rigors of college.
10:00—The Best of Saturday Night
10:30—SCTV
“The 25th Anniversary of Leave It to Beaver” with an alcoholic Mr. Cleaver (Joe Flaherty) and an unfaithful Mrs. Cleaver (Catherine O’Hara).
11:00—Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
11:30—Car 54, Where Are You?
Jealousy strikes Toody when Lucille becomes a blonde to be more enticing to him.
12 am—Make Room for Daddy
Charley Halper discovers he’s going to be a father.
12:30—Mister Ed
1:00—The Patty Duke Show
1:30—The Best of Saturday Night
2:00—SCTV
2:30—Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
3:00—Car 54, Where Are You?
3:30—Susie
4:00—MOVIE: “Angel on My Shoulder”
(1946) Paul Muni, Anne Baxter. Slain gangster Eddie breaks his part of the bargain with Nick the devil, who brought him back to Earth as an honest judge.

TBS [EST]
5:05 am—Green Acres
5:35—Gomer Pyle, USMC
6:05—CNN News
6:35—Tom & Jerry’s Funhouse
8:05—The Beverly Hillbillies
8:35—Bewitched
9:05—Little House on the Prairie
10:05—MOVIE: “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini”
(1965) Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman. A Navy man’s girlfriend has some competition. Director William Asher’s fifth beach movie.
12:05 pm—CHiPs
1:05—MOVIE: “McHale’s Navy”
(1964) Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn. McHale, Ensign Parker and the PT-boat crew take a horse to New Caledonia for a race.
3:05—Tom & Jerry’s Funhouse
3:35—The Flintstones
4:05—The Flintstones
4:35—Gilligan’s Island
5:05—The Addams Family
5:35—Leave It to Beaver
6:05—Alice
6:35—Carol Burnett & Friends
7:05—The Andy Griffith Show
7:35—The Andy Griffith Show
8:05—MOVIE: “Devil Dog: The Hounds of Hell”
(1978) Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux. Suburban homeowners and their family cannot escape from a demonic dog.
10:05—MOVIE: “Day of the Animals”
(1977) Christopher George, Lynda Day George. Animals attack a guide, a newswoman, an adman and other hikers because of aerosols in the ozonosphere.
12:05 am—MOVIE: “Frogs”
(1972) Ray Milland, Sam Elliott. Big frogs, turtles and lizards attack a Southern patriarch’s island manson on the Fourth of July.
2:05—MOVIE: Disaster on the Coastliner”
(1979) Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr. A vengeful computer expert puts two packed passenger trains on a collision course.
4:05—The Honeymooners
4:35—All in the Family

USA
5:30 am—Paid Programming
6:00—Paid Programming
6:30—Paid Programming
7:00—Cartoon Express
9:00—She-Ra: Princess of Power
9:30—The Partridge Family
10:00—Lost in Space
11:00—Land of the Giants
12 pm—Chain Reaction
12:30—Bumper Stumpers
1:00—Name That Tune
1:30—Face the Music
2:00—Press Your Luck
2:30—Tic Tac Dough
3:00—High Rollers
3:30—The $25,000 Pyramid
4:00—Throb
4:30—My Sister Sam
5:00—Dance Party USA
6:00—Cartoon Express
7:00—Miami Vice
8:00—Murder, She Wrote
Jessica investigates when Magnum (Tom Selleck), already framed for murder, becomes the prime suspect in a second murder.
9:00—Boxing
Art Serwano vs. Tomas Perez in a USBA Junior Middleweight Title fight from the San Jose Civic Center. (Live)
11:00—Miami Vice
Crockett and Tubbs are assigned to protect a politically outspoken Latin American author scheduled to address Congress.
12 am—The New Mike Hammer
1:00—Dragnet
1:30—The Feather and Father Gang
2:30—Today’s F.B.I.
3:30—MOVIE: “Neon Maniacs”
(1986) Allan Hayes, Leilani Sarelle. San Francisco police and teens fight water-soluble monsters with the only weapon that works.

WGN [CST]
5 am—Kenneth Copeland
5:30—Faith Twenty
6:00—Alice
6:30—Jem
7:00—Bozo’s Circus
8:00—Smurfs Adventures
8:30—Gumby
9:00—The Dukes of Hazzard
10:00—Charlie’s Angels
11:00—Geraldo
12 pm—WGN News at Noon
1:00—Hogan’s Heroes
1:30—One Day at a Time
2:00—Welcome Back, Kotter
2:30—The Yogi Bear Show
3:00—Bugs Bunny
3:30—G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
4:00—C.O.P.S.
4:30—Fun House
5:00—The Facts of Life
5:30—The Jeffersons
6:00—The Andy Griffith Show
6:30—Benson
7:00—MOVIE: “Rivkin: Bounty Hunter”
(1981) Ron Leibman, Harry Morgan. Bounty hunter Stanley Rivkin chases an armed drug dealer on the streets of New York.
9:00—WGN News at Nine
9:30—USA Tonight
10:00—Tales From the Darkside
The twin sister of a dead computer whiz tries to bring her brother back to life.
10:30—Magnum, P.I.
Magnum’s trapped in a dangerous current while on his surf ski.
11:30—MOVIE: “A Majority of One”
(1961) Rosalind Russell, Alec Guiness. A Jewish widow from Brooklyn falls for a charming Japanese businessman on a cruise.
2:30—USA Tonight
3:00—MOVIE: “Murder in Mind”
(1973) Richard Johnson, Zena Walker. A policeman tries to figure out the connection between his wife and a mystery writer.
4:30—Alice

[mets82]

Do you guys have any older schedules you can post? This is a really good list so far.

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by Brad

Here's Thursday, June 29, 1989:

The Disney Channel
5 am—Walt Disney Presents
6:00—You and Me, Kid
6:30—Mousercise
7:00—Good Morning, Mickey!
7:30—Welcome to Pooh Corner
8:00—Donald Duck Presents
8:30—Dumbo’s Circus
9:00—Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus
10:00—Videopolis Star Tracks
10:30—You and Me, Kid
11:00—Walt Disney Presents
12 pm—Zorro
12:30—The Wind in the Willows
1:00—MOVIE: “Gulliver’s Travels”
(1977) Richard Harris, Catherine Schell. A 17th-century English sailor, shipwrecked on an island, discovers a civilization of miniature people. Based on the Jonathan Swift classic.
2:30—Dumbo’s Circus
3:00—Welcome to Pooh Corner
3:30—Disney’s Wuzzles
4:00—The Raccoons
4:30—Donald Duck Presents
5:00—Kids Incorporated
5:30—The All-New Mickey Mouse Club
6:00—MOVIE: “Young Detectives on Wheels”
(1987) Josie Vendramini, Fraser Stephen-Smith. A girl, her brother and a computer hacker unmask the “Mr. Big” behind a jewel heist.
7:30—The Making of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
8:00—Walt Disney Presents
“Nature’s Better Built Homes.” Forest ranger J. Audobon Woodlore visits homes built by animal architects.
9:00—Loretta & Crystal: Going Home
Sisters Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle perform together for the first time on television. This video portrait includes interviews and taped concert footage.
10:00—Rick Nelson: A Brother Remembers
David Nelson pays tribute to his brother Rick, who died on New Year’s Eve, 1985, featuring home movies, concert footage and interviews with his mother Harriet and his children.
11:00—The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
A neighborhood kid wants David and Rick to show him the ropes of the law profession.
11:30—MOVIE: “Calgary ’88: 16 Days of Glory” (Part 2)
(TV, 1989) Sports filmmaker Bud Greenspan captures highlights of the 1988 Winter Olympics, including figure skating duels between USA’s Brian Boitano and Canada’s Brian Orser. (Part 2 of 2)
1:30 am—MOVIE: “Gulliver’s Travels”
(1977) Richard Harris, Catherine Schell.
3:00—Loretta & Crystal: Going Home
4:00—Rick Nelson: A Brother Remembers

The Family Channel [EST]
8 am—Father Knows Best
8:30—Hazel
9:00—Our House
10:00—The 700 Club
11:30—Scott Ross
12:30 pm—Cable Kitchen
1:00—Celebrity Chefs
1:30—Cooking Fat-Free
2:00—Here Come the Brides
3:00—The Campbells
3:30—Green Acres
4:00—Hazel
4:30—Father Knows Best
5:00—The Big Valley
6:00—Bonanza
7:00—Our House
8:00—MOVIE: “The Bible: In the Beginning” (Part 1)
Michael Parks, George C. Scott. Book of Genesis stories include Adam and Eve, Abraham and the Tower of Babel. Directed by John Huston, who plays Noah. (Part 1 of 2)
10:00—The 700 Club
11:00—Remington Steele
Laura must guard an art collection, and Remington, when an “old friend” of his hires the agency.
12 am—MOVIE: “The Bible: In the Beginning” (Part 1)
Michael Parks, George C. Scott. (Part 1 of 2)
2:00—The 700 Club
3:00—Religious Programming
[Until 8 am.]

Nickelodeon
6 am—The Mysterious Cities of Gold
6:30—The Adventures of the Little Prince
7:00—Mr. Wizard’s World
7:30—Dennis the Menace
8:00—Lassie
8:30—Belle and Sebastian
9:00—Today’s Special
9:30—The Adventures of the Little Prince
10:00—Maple Town
10:30—David the Gnome
11:00—Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show
11:30—Adventures of the Little Koala
12 pm—Pinwheel
12:30—Pinwheel
1:00—Doctor Snuggles
1:30—Maple Town
2:00—Today’s Special
2:30—Lassie
3:00—Count Duckula
3:30—Finders Keepers
4:00—Heathcliff
4:30—Dennis the Menace
5:00—You Can’t Do That on Television
5:30—Don’t Just Sit There
6:00—Think Fast!
6:30—Double Dare
7:00—Inspector Gadget
7:30—Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon
8:00—Mister Ed
Wilbur wins a horse in a contest.
8:30—The Patty Duke Show
Martin makes rules when the telephone seems to be in constant use.
9:00—My Three Sons
The Douglas family is scrutinized when they apply for membership to a country club.
9:30—The Donna Reed Show
A young man can’t cope with the rigors of college.
10:00—The Best of Saturday Night
10:30—SCTV
“The 25th Anniversary of Leave It to Beaver” with an alcoholic Mr. Cleaver (Joe Flaherty) and an unfaithful Mrs. Cleaver (Catherine O’Hara).
11:00—Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
11:30—Car 54, Where Are You?
Jealousy strikes Toody when Lucille becomes a blonde to be more enticing to him.
12 am—Make Room for Daddy
Charley Halper discovers he’s going to be a father.
12:30—Mister Ed
1:00—The Patty Duke Show
1:30—The Best of Saturday Night
2:00—SCTV
2:30—Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
3:00—Car 54, Where Are You?
3:30—Susie
4:00—MOVIE: “Angel on My Shoulder”
(1946) Paul Muni, Anne Baxter. Slain gangster Eddie breaks his part of the bargain with Nick the devil, who brought him back to Earth as an honest judge.

TBS [EST]
5:05 am—Green Acres
5:35—Gomer Pyle, USMC
6:05—CNN News
6:35—Tom & Jerry’s Funhouse
8:05—The Beverly Hillbillies
8:35—Bewitched
9:05—Little House on the Prairie
10:05—MOVIE: “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini”
(1965) Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman. A Navy man’s girlfriend has some competition. Director William Asher’s fifth beach movie.
12:05 pm—CHiPs
1:05—MOVIE: “McHale’s Navy”
(1964) Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn. McHale, Ensign Parker and the PT-boat crew take a horse to New Caledonia for a race.
3:05—Tom & Jerry’s Funhouse
3:35—The Flintstones
4:05—The Flintstones
4:35—Gilligan’s Island
5:05—The Addams Family
5:35—Leave It to Beaver
6:05—Alice
6:35—Carol Burnett & Friends
7:05—The Andy Griffith Show
7:35—The Andy Griffith Show
8:05—MOVIE: “Devil Dog: The Hounds of Hell”
(1978) Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux. Suburban homeowners and their family cannot escape from a demonic dog.
10:05—MOVIE: “Day of the Animals”
(1977) Christopher George, Lynda Day George. Animals attack a guide, a newswoman, an adman and other hikers because of aerosols in the ozonosphere.
12:05 am—MOVIE: “Frogs”
(1972) Ray Milland, Sam Elliott. Big frogs, turtles and lizards attack a Southern patriarch’s island manson on the Fourth of July.
2:05—MOVIE: Disaster on the Coastliner”
(1979) Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr. A vengeful computer expert puts two packed passenger trains on a collision course.
4:05—The Honeymooners
4:35—All in the Family

USA
5:30 am—Paid Programming
6:00—Paid Programming
6:30—Paid Programming
7:00—Cartoon Express
9:00—She-Ra: Princess of Power
9:30—The Partridge Family
10:00—Lost in Space
11:00—Land of the Giants
12 pm—Chain Reaction
12:30—Bumper Stumpers
1:00—Name That Tune
1:30—Face the Music
2:00—Press Your Luck
2:30—Tic Tac Dough
3:00—High Rollers
3:30—The $25,000 Pyramid
4:00—Throb
4:30—My Sister Sam
5:00—Dance Party USA
6:00—Cartoon Express
7:00—Miami Vice
8:00—Murder, She Wrote
Jessica investigates when Magnum (Tom Selleck), already framed for murder, becomes the prime suspect in a second murder.
9:00—Boxing
Art Serwano vs. Tomas Perez in a USBA Junior Middleweight Title fight from the San Jose Civic Center. (Live)
11:00—Miami Vice
Crockett and Tubbs are assigned to protect a politically outspoken Latin American author scheduled to address Congress.
12 am—The New Mike Hammer
1:00—Dragnet
1:30—The Feather and Father Gang
2:30—Today’s F.B.I.
3:30—MOVIE: “Neon Maniacs”
(1986) Allan Hayes, Leilani Sarelle. San Francisco police and teens fight water-soluble monsters with the only weapon that works.

WGN [CST]
5 am—Kenneth Copeland
5:30—Faith Twenty
6:00—Alice
6:30—Jem
7:00—Bozo’s Circus
8:00—Smurfs Adventures
8:30—Gumby
9:00—The Dukes of Hazzard
10:00—Charlie’s Angels
11:00—Geraldo
12 pm—WGN News at Noon
1:00—Hogan’s Heroes
1:30—One Day at a Time
2:00—Welcome Back, Kotter
2:30—The Yogi Bear Show
3:00—Bugs Bunny
3:30—G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
4:00—C.O.P.S.
4:30—Fun House
5:00—The Facts of Life
5:30—The Jeffersons
6:00—The Andy Griffith Show
6:30—Benson
7:00—MOVIE: “Rivkin: Bounty Hunter”
(1981) Ron Leibman, Harry Morgan. Bounty hunter Stanley Rivkin chases an armed drug dealer on the streets of New York.
9:00—WGN News at Nine
9:30—USA Tonight
10:00—Tales From the Darkside
The twin sister of a dead computer whiz tries to bring her brother back to life.
10:30—Magnum, P.I.
Magnum’s trapped in a dangerous current while on his surf ski.
11:30—MOVIE: “A Majority of One”
(1961) Rosalind Russell, Alec Guiness. A Jewish widow from Brooklyn falls for a charming Japanese businessman on a cruise.
2:30—USA Tonight
3:00—MOVIE: “Murder in Mind”
(1973) Richard Johnson, Zena Walker. A policeman tries to figure out the connection between his wife and a mystery writer.
4:30—Alice

Quite a contrast to what they show today.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Cable was so much better in the 90s. I wouldn't know about the 80s. Cause, I didn't come along till 87. And, I really don't remember anything pre-90.

All the channels either had a variety of programs. Or, they specialized in something. I remember when The Weather Channel was actually about nothing but weather forecasts, and A&E was Arts and Entertainment.