ABC promos 1978-1984

[kennermike]

I dont know if I have posted these before? love them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydilj...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCqyN...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG_Rq...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_qAQ...eature=related
The Third one I have never seen before for ABC 1980-81 season

[Thor]

Man I miss the old days. ABC had a full line up I could get into back in the day. Nowadays I have to search through reality shows just to find one watchable show.

[kennermike]

Man I miss the old days. ABC had a full line up I could get into back in the day. Nowadays I have to search through reality shows just to find one watchable show.

amen Bro!

[kennermike]

no love for old school network tv????

[HardyGirl]

I'll check out those links, Mike, but I do watch A LOT of old ABC promos and previews. And I love my (psuedo) ABC Friday night, 1972. (Thanks to videos and YouTube). And sometimes I include ABC promos and old commercials in between the shows.

[megomania]

I always thought Diana Canova was cute...

-Chris

[bobws]

Can you image them trying to get the nerwork line up of stars to come together and sing for a network promo nowadays?

[samurainoir]

Why is the mere presence of Ted McGinley in anything automatically funny to me now, when it signaled the beginning of the end back then?

And Fonzie in a jacket and tie! Was that the season he became a teacher?

Very fascinating looking at the line-up of shows they had going into the eighties as they took the top network spot. Entering into the seventies, it was ABC who changed the game of the three Networks competing against each other directly for overall viewership, and the beginning of fragmentation of audience into demographics.

No wonder though... the seventies was when the concept of multiple televisions in the home really began, and just prior to cable becoming a standard fixture (and VCR's were not yet a staple).

ABC basically "invented" the youth marketing strategy with their slate of programming because they could not compete directly with NBC and CBS. So they created the idea (out of thin air, with no data) of the sexy malleable younger viewer who's spending habits could be molded for life by the advertisers of their particular programming.

Thus many of our favourite shows of the era (and our favourite toys) came out of this initiative... Happy Days, Six Million Dollar Man, Partridge Family, Three's Company, Welcome Back Kotter, Brady Bunch, Mod Squad, Mork and Mindy, Battlestar Galactica, Love Boat, etc.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I need to watch these later. I do remember Fonzie leading the ABC stars down the street in a season promo. Even though the later years of Happy Days weren't very good, I was still very loyal to the Fonz.

Chris

[Wee67]

As an employee of ABC, I REALLY miss the days when ABC dominated TV. As a kid, I even rooted for them in The Battle of the Network Stars!

[samurainoir]

ABC had my vote on Battle of the Network Stars because they had my favourite Charlie's Angel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZsnPiiBokE

[Earth 2 Chris]

In the last segment of the last link (1984) is that a pre-Blossom Miyam Bialik trying to kiss the young boy who is watching Dynasty? Sure looks like her.

Chris

[MEMEGO]

We all love and miss shows like these, they had smart writting, great plots and got points across. Shows like these are no longer made, and if they are, they get cancelled before the second episode airs or dumbed down, cause the executives think that the watchers are not that intelligent to get the story ideas.
maybe this is why ANTENNA TV which airs shows from the 50's,60's,70's and 80's is such a big hit with watchers.

[kennermike]

As an employee of ABC, I REALLY miss the days when ABC dominated TV. As a kid, I even rooted for them in The Battle of the Network Stars!

Wow !you worked for ABC during this time period awesome! my man

[Wee67]

Wow !you worked for ABC during this time period awesome! my man

I wish! Not to get too caught up in the "things were better then" line, but... Things were better then in TV anyway. Before cable and internet content, TV was king. It seems like it would have been a great industry to be in and ABC was at the top back in the late 70's. I still enjoy working for them now (and by now, realize that means the Walt Disney Co.) but it would be nice to be back on top.