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TV Time Capsule
September 2026
Central Illinois' On-Line Broadcast Museum presents a Time Capsule from a TV Guide™ edition. This month, we open a Time Capsule from the September 13-19, 1986 edition. This edition includes many of the more popular cable networks.
The Week of September 13-19, 1986 40 Years Ago!
I can't believe that this was 40 years ago! Back then, the prospect of a new TV season excited me, with new shows filling the prime-time schedule each evening. Our favorite shows would change the opening credits with a new version of their theme songs; maybe even a cast member or two would be replaced with other actors, or a few more cast additions would create new situations, new stories, and added interest.
According to this edition of TV Guide and other sources, there were "major overhauls." The edition mentions "Family Ties" picking up a replacement actor for the youngest member of the Keaton family, Andrew. The original "babe in arms" was with a 4-year-old Brian Bonsall as a "speaking toddler." In "The Facts of Life," Charlotte Rae left the series and was replaced by Cloris Leachman
Other changes include adding Robert Vaughn to the cast of "The A-Team." "Hotel" would include former "77 Sunset Strip" and "FBI" agent Efram Zimbalist Jr. as a guest star along with Ralph Bellamy and Michelle Phillips.
New cast members would appear on "Hill Street Blues" and "St. Elsewhere." "Who's the Boss would bring a new situation to Angela as she becomes a small business owner. Kate Jackson on "The Scarecrow and Mrs. King" will become a full-time employee of "the agency."
Typical family changes would occur on "The Cosby Show" as Theo gets his driver's license, and Venessa turns 13 with the problems and issues of any girl that age. Meanwhile, Denise, played by Lisa Bonet, will leave for college.
"Knots Landing" would add the real-life son of William Devane in flashbacks featuring Devane's character as a young man. Other nighttime episodic dramas will see cast additions. "Falcon Crest" adds Kim Novak and others. "Dynasty" will lose Pamela Bellwood's character Claudia in a fire, while Catherine Oxenberg as Amanda is replaced by Karen Cellini. On "The Colby's," Barbara Stanwyck and Ken Howard leave the series after the first two episodes, and two new characters are added: two magazine reporters. "Dallas" returns with Patrick Duffy returning with an about-face explanation that the previous season was a dream! Remember that one?
In just a month, a new TV Network would be announced, launching its first nighttime series, "The Late Show," starring Joan Rivers.
Starting in March of 1987, what was called "FBC" would air original programming on weekends. The announced shows included "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," "Duet," and "Jump Street Chapel."
Changes in the Current Shows
A New TV Network is Coming Soon
Network New Shows for 1986-87
The channels listed in the 1986 Fall Preview edition of TV Guide that include the off-air channels as well as the most popular cable/satellite channels.
(TV Guide-Doug Quick Collection)
Some of the most popular and successful prime-time TV series that began in September 1986 included "Designing Women," "Alf," "Matlock," "Crime Story," "L.A. Law," and "Head of the Class." The complete schedule of shows is shown below. New shows are in bold.
First Appearances in 1986
Some notable events happened in 1986, including the first appearances of people who would become household words.
Among them was Oprah Winfrey, whose Chicago talk show would later be distributed nationally in syndication. Al Michaels became a play-by-play announcer for "Monday Night Football," replacing Frank Gifford. Also, the film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert made their first appearance on "Siskel and Ebert & The Movies."
On "Saturday Night Live," new cast members included Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon.
On Saturday morning, CBS added "Pee Wee's Playhouse" and "Teen Wolf" to its schedule.
New in Syndication
During the Summer of '86, "A Current Affair" began airing on local stations, but didn't appear in local listings until later. Maury Povich originally hosted it.
"Nightlife" began on September 8th, a late-night talk show hosted by David Brenner that aired weeknights. Motown Productions produced the series. Former part-time "Beatles" keyboardist Billy Preston served as musical director. The late-night talk show aired locally on WICS/WICD even later, at 12:30 am.
Network/Local TV Coop Ads
See the network and syndicators' coop ads with the local affiliates and channels below.
What was Life Like in 1986?
President of the U.S.: Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, former actor, born in Tampico, Illinois (near Rock Falls and Sterling, Illinois), graduated from Eureka College. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1937, transferred to the Army Air Forces as a public relations officer, and was assigned to a base unit in Culver City, California, where he continued to participate in various movie projects in Burbank at Warner Brothers Studios.
In the late 1940s, he was elected to the Screen Actors Guild. In an interview with the FBI, he provided the names of actors whom he believed to be communist sympathizers. Then, during a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing, he testified that some guild members were associated with the Communist Party, then denied doing so by calling the action "hearsay."
He was married to actress Jane Wyman, had two children, Maureen and Christine(who was born prematurely and died the next day), and an adopted son, Michael. He met and married Nancy Davis later in March 1952 and had two children, Patti in October 1952 and Ron in May 1958.
Reagan continued in entertainment, appearing in "The General Electric Theater" in the late 1950s and "Death Valley Days" in 1965. He began his political career as a Democrat but shifted right after Dwight D. Eisenhower won in 1952. In 1966, he campaigned for California governor and was elected in 1967, serving until 1975.
Median Family Income: $29,580 per year Full-Time Worker Income: $18.668 per year
Working Women Median Income: $6,230
Television Owners: 83,.5 million TV households with at least one TV in use
Cable TV subscribers: 37.5 million TV households had cable TV
Median Home Price: $78,900 for existing homes ($63,300 in the Midwest)
New Home Median Price: $93,000 for newly built homes Ave. Home Size: 1760 square feet
Mortgage payments: $667/month based on a home cost of $111,000 and an interest rate around 10%
Average Rent: $279/month average of home and apartment rent
New Car Prices: $12,593; compacts around $10, 400
Standard Used Car Prices: around $10,000
Average Family Size: 3.21 (a couple with 1 or 2 children)
The Average Family Size: was decreasing, part of a long-term steady decline
Gasoline Prices: $0.86/gallon Price of Milk: $1.96/gallon
Price of postage stamp: 22-cents.
The overall US economy was modest and steady, with exceptionally low inflation. A global collapse in oil prices kept gasoline prices low. Unemployment was around 6.8 to 7-percent. Also in September of 1986, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered a 4.6% drop of 86.61 points and was the largest single-day decline in history up to that time.
TV Guide Price per issue (each week): 60 cents
FIRST THINGS FIRST-
Here are just a few things that popped up in 1986
The IBM PC Convertible that was the first laptop computer
Apple's Macintosh Plus computer
The first PC virus called "Brain"
Fujifilm disposable cameras, Kodak wouldl reveal one later
The US release of the Nintendo Entertainment System
Portable CD players
Pop Secret microwave popcorn
All Fruii and Häagen-Dazs Bars
Swanson plastic microwave trays for frozen dinners
Kudos granola bars
Born in 1955:
Lady Gaga, Drake, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Kit Harington
Richard Madden, Megan Fox
The Most Famous Person on the Planet:
Michael Jackson
Hershey's Bar None Chocolate
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Cool Ranch Doritos
Fruit Roll-Ups
Teddy Ruxpin
Laser Tag systems
Pound Puppies
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Most Often Watched Movie Classics of 1986
ACTION and BLOCKBUSTERS
1. Top Gun
2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
3. Aliens
4. Crocodile Dundee
COMEDIES
1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
2. Big Trouble in Little China
3. Little Shop of Horrors
4. Back to School
5. Ruthless People
DRAMAS and COMING OF AGE
1. Stand By Me
2. The Color Purple
3. Platoon
4. The Karate Kid Part II
Top TV Shows from the 1986-87 Season
1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. Family Ties (NBC)
3. Cheers (NBC)
4. Murder She Wrote (CBS)
5. The Golden Girls (NBC)
6. 60 Minutes (CBS)
7. Night Court (NBC)
8. Growing Pains (ABC)
9. Moonlighting (ABC)
10. Who's the Boss (ABC)
11. Dallas (CBS)
12. Newhart (CBS)
13. Amen (NBC)
14. 227 (NBC)
15. (tie) Matlock (NBC)
(tie) CBS Sunday Night Movie
(tie) NBC Monday Night Movie
18. Monday Night Football (ABC)
19. Kate and Allie (CBS)
20. NBC Saturday Night Movie
Source: AC Nielsen Media Research
Number One Songs of 1986
All of the songs that reached number one on the charts in chronological order:
1. That's What Friends Are For-Dionne and Friends
2. How Will I Know-Whitney Houston
3. Kyrie-Mr. Mister
4. Sara-Fleetwood Mac
5. These Dreams-Heart
6. Rock Me Amadeus-Falco
7. Kiss-Prince and the Revolution
8. Addicted to Love-Robert Palmer
9. West End Girls-Pet Shop Boys
10. Greatest Love of All-Whitney Houston
11. Live to Tell-Madonna
12. On My Own-Patti LaBelle/Michael McDonald
13. There'll Be Sad Songs-Billy Ocean
14. Holding Back the Years-Simply Red
15. Invisible Touch-Genesis
16. Sledgehammer-Peter Gabriel
17. Glory of Love-Peter Cetera
18. Papa Don't Preach-Madonna
19. Higher Love-Steve Winwood
20. Venus-Bananarama
21. Take My Breath Away-Berlin
22. Stuck With You-Huey Lewis and the News
23. When I Think of You-Janet Jackson
24. True Colors-Cyndi Lauper
25. Amanda-Boston
26. Human-Human League
27. You Give Love a Bad Name-BonJovi
28. The Next Time I Fall-Peter Cetera/Amy Grant
29. the Way It Is-Bruce Hornsby and the Range
30. Walk Like an Egyptian-Bangles
The Top News Stories of 1986
The Challenger Disaster: Jan 28
The Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members.
Chornobyl Accident: April 26
A catastrophic explosion and fire erupted at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine, spreading a massive amount of radiation into the atmosphere that impacted global nuclear safety.
The Iran-Contra Affair: November
The Reagan administration faced a massive political scandal after it was determined that senior officials in the administration arranged arms sales to Iran and diverted the proceeds to Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Halley's Comet Returns: February
The famous comet returned to the solar system in February, gaining popularity for the occasional visitor to our skies
Hands Across America: May 25
An estimated 5 million people joined hands, forming a human chain across the continental US to raise money to fight hunger.
The Statue of Liberty Reopened: July
After refurbishment, Lady Liberty reopened to visitors with a fireworks celebration.
Oprah Winfrey Show Debut: September
Oprah became a national household word when her Chicago talk show went nationa in local TV syndication. Among those acquiring the show in Mid-Illinois were WCIA, WEEK, WGEM-TV, WTHI-TV, KMOV-TV, and WLS-TV.
"Phantom of the Opera" Premieres in London: October 9th
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical was the longest-running show ever on Broadway that celebrated it's 10-thousanth performance in February of 2012.
US Economic Sanctions Against Libya: January/April
President Reagan announced sanctions against Libya in response to terrorist attacks on Rome and Vienna airports. In April, the US launched air strikes against Libya in retaliation for its support of terrorism against US troops and citizens.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame First Inductees: January
The first group included Elvis, James Brown, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis
Super Bowl XX: January
On January 26th, the "big game" took place between the NFC champion Chicago Bears and the AFC champion New England Patriots. The Bears won 46-10. The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome.
Sources: Google, Media Fusion Technologies
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SATURDAY
Saturday notes:
WCIA and WCFN aired “The Mike White Show” at 11 am, with highlights of the previous week’s games between the Illini and Louisville.
WCIA, WCFN and WCEE aired the Iowa State at Iowa game at 11:30 am.
“American Bandstand” featured the group Big Country lip-syncing to “One Great Thing.”
WAND aired “At the Movies: with hosts Rex Reed and Bill Harris (before Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel took the reins). The duo discussed “The Exorcist” and “The Fly.”
NBC aired either the Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles game or the Boston vis. New York Yankees game. WICD, WICS, and WEEK aired the Boston-New York game at 2:15 pm. WTWO aired the Cincinnati vs. LA game.
WCIA and WCFN aired the Ohio State-Washington Huskies College Football game at 2:30 pm.
WAND, WHOI and WBAK aired the Michigan and Notre Dame College Football game at 2:30 pm.
WILL-TV aired “The Avengers” at 6 pm. That was the British TV series that aired on ABC in the mid-to-late 1960s.
“Solid Gold” with Marilyn McCoo begins its seventh season with Arsenio Hall and Nina Blackwood, with musical guests Belinda Carlisle, Julian Lennon, and Peter Cetera.
“Saturday Night Live” aired late, around 11:30 pm after the local news and a long-running “Miss America” pageant aired on NBC and shown on WICD, WICS, WEEK, and WTWO.NBC aired either the Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles game or the Boston vis. New York Yankees game. WICD, WICS, and WEEK aired the Boston-New York game at 2:15 pm. WTWO aired the Cincinnati vs. LA game.
SUNDAY
Sunday notes:
CBS News Sunday Morning was hosted by Charles Kuralt.
The 9:30 am Morning Movie on WICD/WICS was a former ABC Movie of the Week called “Second Chance” starring Brian Keith.
WHOI aired “This Week with David Brinkley” at 11:00 am, with WAND and WBAK airing it at 11:30 am.
CBS NFL Football aired Philadelphia at Chicago against the Bears at Noon and the San Francisco and Los Angeles Rams game at 3 pm. Those games aired on WCIA, WCFN, WMBD-TV, and WTHI-TV.
NBC NFL Football aired the Los Angeles Raiders at Washington Redskins game at Noon, airing on WICD, WICS, and WEEK. Then at 3 pm, WTWO aired the Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins at 3 pm.
WAND filled in two “dead” time slots with the off-network syndicated “One Day at a Time.” WICD/WICD aired the off-network series “The Guns of Will Sonnet” at 3 pm and “The Jeffersons” at 5 pm. WAND and WYZZ aired the first-run syndicated show ”Fame” at 5 pm.
WCIA and WCFN aired “Star Trek: The Original Series " at 10:30 pm.
WICD/WICS aired a TV movie, “Murder Can Hurt You,” at 10:30 pm.
MONDAY
Monday Notes:
NBC stations aired “Today,” ABC stations aired “Good Morning America,” and CBS stations aired “The CBS Morning News.”
WCIA, WCFN, and WEEK aired “Phil Donohue” at 9 am, followed by their respective network programming at 10 am.
WAND aired the off-network nighttime continuing drama “Falcon Crest” at 9 am.
Most network affiliates aired a selection of game, quiz, and daytime dramas for the rest of the day, although the CBS stations and WTWO aired a local newscast at Noon.
Most stations broke from the networks at 3 pm. WCIA, WCFN,, and WEEK aired “Oprah Winfrey,” WAND and WMBD-TV aired “Hour Magazine,” and WICD/WICS aired “Scooby Doo,” followed by “She-Ra.”
WCIA and WCFN aired the off-network syndicated “Quincy” at 4 pm. WICS/WICD aired the off-network syndicated “Diff’rent Strokes,” followed by “The Jeffersons,” and “Jeopardy.”
WAND aired “The Love Connection” at 4 pm, then “Entertainment Tonight” and “The People's Court.”
WEEK-TV aired “Facts of Life” at 4 pm, followed by “Too Close for Comfort.”
WHOI aired “Quincy” at 3 pm, then “The Dating Game,” “The Newlywed Game,” and “Jeopardy.”
WMBD-TV aired “Hour Magazine” at 3 pm, followed by “Magnum P.I.” and “People’s Court.” All of those shows led into the station’s news block at either 5 pm or 5:30 pm.
WTWO at 2:30 pm (CT) aired the NBC daytime drama “Santa Barbara,” followed by “Quincy,” then “Jeopardy,” and “The People’s Court.”
WTHI-TV at 3 pm (CT) aired “Press Your Luck,” classic episodes of “Leave it to Beaver,” “The Waltons,” and “The 1-Million Dollar Chance of a Lifetime.”
WBAK at 3 pm (CT) featured the animated “Superhawks,” “Thundercats,” and “The Wonderful World of Disney,” followed by “Entertainment Tonight.”
That was the schedule for each weekday.
TUESDAY
Tuesday Notes:
Late-night programming was highlighted by “The Tonight Show” at 10:30 pm, and “Late Night with David Letterman,” as you might expect, was carried by all NBC affiliates in the market: WICS, WICD, WEEK, and WTWO. WICD/WICS aired “Nightlife,” a new syndicated talker with David Brenner at 12:30 am. WEEK aired “Sally Jessy Raphael,” and WTWO aired a repeat of its 10 pm News.
WCIA had great success with “M*A*S*H” at 10:30 pm followed by “Hart to Hart” and paid religious programming at Midnight.
WAND aired “Three’s Company” followed by “The Dating Game,” “Superior Court,” ABC’s “Nightline” on a delay, then “One Day at a Time” and a rebroadcast of the 10 pm News.
WTHI-TV aired CBS Late Night programming, including off-network runs of crime dramas.
WBAK did not air a local newscast at 10 pm; instead, it aired “Too Close to Comfort,” followed by ABC’s “Nightline,” the classic “Marshall Dillon,” and paid religious programming with the notorious “Jim and Tammy Bakker.”
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday Notes:
Primetime access is the time slot between 6:30 and 7 pm (CT) between the local news and the network prime schedule. The FCC returned it to local stations by ruling that, beginning September 13, 1971, local television productions could benefit the communities served by the station and support public affairs programming. Instead, it became a boom for cheap-to-produce syndicated programming like first-run game shows and syndicated off-network reruns. It ended in 1996, but individual stations still program the half-hour locally.
Here is what local stations were filling that prime time access time slot with for the new 1986-87 Television season:
WCIA, WCFN-PM Magazine-syndicated features with a local wrap-around production with local hosts
WICD, WICS, WHOI, WTWO-” Wheel of Fortune”-game show
WAND-”Newlywed Game”-game show
WRSP-not applicable as the station was an independent with no network at the time.
WTHI-TV-”WKRP in Cincinnati” off-network sitcom
WEEK-” Entertainment Tonight”-first-run entertainment news and features
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Sources: TV Guide-Doug Quick Collection
Other TV Guide© Season Preview Editions
70 years ago-TV Guide Season Premier Edition-1956
60 years ago-TV Guide Season Premier Edition-1966
50 years ago-TV Guide Season Premier Edition-1976
30 years ago-TV Guide Season Premier Edition-1996
I have several Season Preview editions of TV Guide in my collection, but I don't have all of them. If you have any and would like to find a good home for any of them, please drop me a line, especially if it is a Central Illinois edition listing the local channels of Springfield, Peoria, Champaign, and Decatur.
I would be willing to scan and send the original back to you!
Thanks!
doug
Aired at 8 pm on WCIA and KWK-TV (CBS)
This series, "Meet Millie" aired on CBS from 1952 through 1956 and starred Elena Verdugo ("Marcus Welby MD"), Florence Halop, Ross Ford, and Marvin Kaplan ("Top Cat"). It took place in Texas; it was one of the first TV series that was produced live at CBS Television City.
(YouTube)