Editing 1994 in American television (section)

== Notable events ==
=== January ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
! rowspan="2" |18
|The [[Peanuts]] special ''[[You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown]]'' is broadcast by [[NBC]]. It will prove to be the last new Peanuts special broadcast on television for eight years until ''[[A Charlie Brown Valentine]]'' airs on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. It was the last special in creator [[Charles Schulz]]'s lifetime to air on TV and the gang's first appearance on NBC in [[The Ford Show|over 25 years]].
|-
|[[CBS Olympic broadcasts|CBS]] wins the rights to broadcast the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] from [[Nagano (city)|Nagano, Japan]], after paying roughly [[United States dollar|$]]375 million.
|-
!22
|[[NHL on NBC|NBC]] broadcasts the [[1994 National Hockey League All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Game]] for the fifth consecutive year. This would also mark the last time that NBC would broadcast a [[National Hockey League]] game for [[2005–06 NHL season|12 years]].
|-
!23
|[[NFL on CBS|CBS]], which had broadcast [[National Football League]] games since [[1956 NFL season|1956]], broadcasts its final NFL telecast after 38 years, with the [[1993 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] defeating the [[1993 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] in the [[1993–94 NFL playoffs#NFC: Dallas Cowboys 38, San Francisco 49ers 21|NFC Championship Game]], 38–21. CBS had been outbid during December 1993 for rights to the [[National Football Conference|NFC]] package by the [[NFL on Fox|Fox Network]]. CBS, however, would eventually regain NFL rights (taking over the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] rights from [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]) in [[1998 NFL season|1998]].
|-
!24
|During a segment on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'', host [[Bryant Gumbel]] asks "What is the [[internet]], anyway?"
|-
!30
|[[NFL on NBC|NBC]] airs the [[Super Bowl XXVIII|Super Bowl]] for the second consecutive year. It's the first time that a network has aired two straight Super Bowls outright. While [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] did air the first two Super Bowls [[Super Bowl I|back]] to [[Super Bowl II|back]], the first ever Super Bowl was really a [[simulcast]] between CBS and NBC.  
|-
! rowspan="2" |31
|[[Bill Cosby]] returns to [[NBC]] for a two-hour movie, ''[[The Cosby Mysteries]]'', after ending production of ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' 21 months earlier.
|}

=== February ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!1
|American pay television channel [[Encore (TV channel)|Encore]] launches seven new themed multiplex channels (Westerns, True Stories, Love Stories, WAM!: America's Kidz Network, Action and Mystery), primarily on [[Tele-Communications Inc.|TCI]] cable systems, becoming the first premium service to offer a suite of thematic channels. [[Starz (TV channel)|Starz]], which features more recent movie fare than its parent channel, also debuts on this date as part of the Encore multiplex and would eventually become a rival to [[HBO]], [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]], [[Cinemax]] and [[The Movie Channel]].
|-
!12
|KTSP-TV in Phoenix changes its call letters to [[KSAZ-TV]], reflecting its newly adopted "Spirit of Arizona" slogan.<ref name="Ariz940213">{{Cite news |last=Shaffer |first=Mark |date=February 13, 1994 |title=Channel 10 catches spirit, changes name to KSAZ |page=B1 |work=Arizona Republic |location=Phoenix, Arizona |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28880055/channel-10-catches-spirit-changes-name/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215074827/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28880055/channel-10-catches-spirit-changes-name/ |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
|-
!19
|During the opening monologue on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', guest host [[Martin Lawrence]] makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine [[hygiene]], which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and ''SNL'' (for life).  In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer [[Jim Downey (comedian)|Jim Downey]]), saying that although ''SNL'' is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of ''SNL'' their jobs.
|-
!21
|[[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]] merged [[Columbia Pictures Television]] and [[TriStar Television]] into [[Columbia TriStar Television]]. Two of the Sony owned game shows (''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' and ''[[Jeopardy!]]'') will be produced by the new unit for Sony's then-new future programs. CPT and TriStar TV are still in-active until 1999 and the beginning of 2001, respectively.
|-
!23
|[[CBS Olympic broadcasts|CBS]]'s coverage of the short program in [[Figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Ladies' singles|women's]] [[Figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics|figure skating]] at the [[1994 Winter Olympics|Winter Olympics]] in [[Lillehammer]], [[Norway]] (fueled by the media frenzy from a scandal in which associates of figure skater [[Tonya Harding]] attacked [[Nancy Kerrigan]]) immediately becomes one of the highest rated prime time television programs in American history.
|-
!25
|[[Bob Costas]] hosts his final episode of ''[[Later (talk show)|Later]]'' on [[NBC]] with a one-hour retrospective titled "One Last Time".
|-
!28
|[[Greg Kinnear]] debuts as host of [[NBC]]'s ''[[Later (talk show)|Later]]''. 
|}

=== March ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!1
|The [[United States pay television content advisory system|Pay television content advisory system]], which describe the varying degrees of suggestive or explicit content in series and movies being broadcast by pay cable channels, are first implemented by [[HBO]], [[Cinemax]], [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] and [[The Movie Channel]]. A streamlined version of the system—a categorized, ten-point system of content labels and abbreviated codes—was implemented on June 10.
|-
!11
|[[Viacom (1971–2005)|Viacom]] assumes control of [[Paramount Pictures]], which includes [[Paramount Television]]. Later during the year Paramount/Viacom announces plans to initiate a new over-the-air television network, in conjunction with [[United Television]]. The new network, the United Paramount Network (or [[UPN]] for short), is initiated during January 1995.
|-
!15
|[[Major League Soccer]] with [[ESPN]] and [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]] announced the league's first television rights deal without any players, coaches, or teams in place.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Pro League Moves Along By Signing a Television Deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/16/sports/soccer-us-pro-league-moves-along-by-signing-a-television-deal.html|work=The New York Times|date=March 16, 1994|access-date=February 22, 2012}}</ref> The three-year agreement committed 10 games on ESPN, 25 on [[ESPN2]], and the [[MLS Cup]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The deal gave MLS no rights fees but split advertising revenue between the league and networks.
|-
!31
|[[Madonna]] appears on [[CBS]]'s ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' and makes headlines for going on a profanity-laden tirade—one of the most censored events of American TV talk-show history, swearing 13 times during the interview. Though infamous, it results in some of the highest ratings of Letterman's late-night career.  ([[Robin Williams]] would later describe the segment as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman.")
|}

=== April ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!3
|After 15 years, [[Charles Kuralt]] hosts ''[[CBS News Sunday Morning]]'' for the final time. He would be succeeded by [[Charles Osgood]].
|-
!6
|On the [[ESPN2]] talk show ''[[Talk2]]'' former [[Los Angeles Rams]] quarterback [[Jim Everett]] flips the table and attacks host [[Jim Rome]] in retaliation for Rome repeatedly calling Everett "Chris" in relation to female tennis player [[Chris Evert]]. 
|-
!10
|[[Pat Summerall]] makes his final assignment and on-camera appearance as a broadcaster for [[CBS Sports]], the final round of [[1994 Masters Tournament|the Masters]].
|-
!14
|[[Turner Classic Movies]], an extension of [[Turner Broadcasting System]], debuted on the 100th anniversary of the first public movie showing in New York City.
|-
!17
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KARD (TV)|KARD]] in [[Monroe, Louisiana]], which carried Fox on a secondary basis, switches to be a primary Fox affiliate.
|-
!18
|[[Arsenio Hall]] announces that he won't continue his [[The Arsenio Hall Show|late night talk show]], with the final episode of ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' ultimately airing on May 27, 1994.
|-
!27
|Major networks cover the [[Death and state funeral of Richard Nixon|state funeral of Richard Nixon]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |date=1994-04-27 |title=THE 37TH PRESIDENT: THE OVERVIEW; Rainy Prologue to Subdued Funeral for Nixon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/27/us/the-37th-president-the-overview-rainy-prologue-to-subdued-funeral-for-nixon.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|-
!28
|''[[The Simpsons]]'' broadcasts its [[Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song|100th episode]] on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].
|}

=== May ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!13
|[[Johnny Carson]] makes a surprise appearance on the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' to deliver [[David Letterman|Letterman]] his "Top Ten Lists". This would prove to be Carson's final television appearance.
|-
!14
|[[Phil Hartman]] along with [[Melanie Hutsell]], [[Rob Schneider]], [[Sarah Silverman]], and [[Julia Sweeney]] appear in their final ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' [[Saturday Night Live (season 19)|episode]] as [[List of Saturday Night Live cast members|cast members]]. Hartman is presented with a bronzed stick of glue, symbolizing how he had become "The Glue" of the show, a term coined by [[Adam Sandler]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.tv.com/saturday-night-live/heather-locklear-janet-jackson/episode/93024/trivia.html?tag=cast_summary;trivia#notes | title = Saturday Night Live > Season 19 > Episode 20: Heather Locklear/Janet Jackson | date = May 14, 1994 | publisher = TV.com}}</ref>
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! rowspan="2" |23
|[[New World Communications]] reaches a multi-year affiliation agreement with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] among their entire station group, seven of which were in the former [[Storer Broadcasting]] chain, along with four stations purchased from Argyle Television and four stations from [[Citicasters]].<ref name="b&c-foxnewworld">{{cite news |last=Foisie |first=Geoffrey |date=May 30, 1994 |title=Fox and the New World order |pages=6, [https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/94-OCR/BC-1994-05-30-Page-0008.pdf 8] |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/94-OCR/BC-1994-05-30-Page-0006.pdf |access-date=March 16, 2015 |via=World Radio History}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 6, 1994 |title=COMPANY NEWS; GREAT AMERICAN SELLING FOUR TELEVISION STATIONS |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/business/company-news-great-american-selling-four-television-stations.html |access-date=October 5, 2020}}</ref> In turn, Fox parent [[News Corporation]] purchased a 20 percent stake in New World. The terms of the agreement calls for all stations to switch to Fox after their existing contracts are up, initiating [[1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment|a wide-ranging realignment of television stations and network affiliations]].<ref name="nytbusinessdigest2">{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=May 24, 1994 |title=FOX WILL SIGN UP 12 NEW STATIONS; TAKES 8 FROM CBS |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/us/fox-will-sign-up-12-new-stations-takes-8-from-cbs.html?pagewanted=4 |url-status=live |access-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625021414/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/us/fox-will-sign-up-12-new-stations-takes-8-from-cbs.html?pagewanted=4 |archive-date=June 25, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' concludes its seven-year run with the series finale, "[[All Good Things... (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|All Good Things...]]" The two-hour finale was broadcast at 6 p.m. on most affiliates, rather than as part of the prime time lineup.
|-
!25
|[[Shannen Doherty]] makes her [[Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 4)|final appearance]] as [[Brenda Walsh (character)|Brenda Walsh]] on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''.
|}

=== June ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!11
|[[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] wrestler [[Hulk Hogan]] signs a deal with [[World Championship Wrestling]] on a live broadcast of ''[[WCW Saturday Night]]'' on [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]].
|-
!16
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[Scripps-Howard Broadcasting]] confirm a wide-ranging affiliation pact securing the network's links with [[WXYZ-TV]] in Detroit and [[WEWS-TV]] in Cleveland. At Scripps-Howard's insistence, it also calls for [[KNXV-TV]] in Phoenix, [[WFTS-TV]] in St. Petersburg/Tampa (both outgoing Fox affiliates) and [[WMAR-TV]] in Baltimore (the market's NBC affiliate) to switch to ABC.<ref name=":4" /> The deal comes at the expense of [[KTVK]] and [[WJZ-TV]], whose long tenures with ABC spanned 40 years and 47 years, respectively.<ref name="outmuscled">{{Cite news |last=Muller |first=Bill |date=June 30, 1994 |title=Family-owned Ch. 3 outmuscled for prize |pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33051088/no-ones-ready-to-panic-at-channel-3/ A7] |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33050928/eye-say-channel-5-called-up-to-majors/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630063726/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33050928/eye-say-channel-5-called-up-to-majors/ |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Zurawik |first=David |date=June 17, 1994 |title=ABC-TV to Switch from WJZ to WMAR |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/06/17/abc-tv-to-switch-from-wjz-to-wmar/ |access-date=September 4, 2018}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2" | 17
|With all major networks providing live coverage, former [[National Football League|NFL]] player [[O. J. Simpson]], suspected in the [[O. J. Simpson murder case|murder]] of his [[Nicole Brown Simpson|former wife]] and her [[Ron Goldman|acquaintance]], flees from police with his friend [[Al Cowlings]] in his white [[Ford Bronco]]; the low-speed chase ends with Simpson's surrender to police at his [[Brentwood, Los Angeles|Brentwood]] mansion. [[NBA on NBC|NBC]], who was broadcasting Game 5 of the [[1994 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] between [[1993–94 New York Knicks season|New York]] and [[1993–94 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] in the meantime, periodically covers the chase via a split-screen.
|-
|[[DirecTV]], a [[direct broadcast satellite]] service, begins broadcasting in [[Jackson, Mississippi]].
|-
!19
|The [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] holds the [[King of the Ring (1994)|second annual]] [[King of the Ring]] [[List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events|event]] on [[pay-per-view]]. The event in particular, is remembered among fans for featuring former [[National Football League]] player [[Art Donovan]] on commentary. Donovan seemingly had no familiarity with professional wrestling, and repeatedly asked the same questions throughout the event, notably, "How much does this guy weigh?"
|-
!20
|[[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' moves into [[NBC Studios (New York City)|Studio 1A]] at [[30 Rockefeller Plaza|Rockefeller Center]].
|-
!23
|The [[History of General Hospital|first ever]] Nurses Ball event airs on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[soap opera]] ''[[General Hospital]]''.
|}

=== July ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!9
|British vintage puppet action series ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' is introduced to the United States when the series goes to air on [[Fox Kids]] on Saturday mornings with brand new music and voices.
|-
!11
|[[PBS]] repackages their existing children's programs as a new block called [[PBS Kids|PTV]].
|-
!12
|The [[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] from [[Pittsburgh]] is broadcast on [[NBC]] (NBC's first [[Major League Baseball]] [[Major League Baseball on NBC|telecast]] since Game 5 of the [[1989 National League Championship Series]]). The game is the first production of [[The Baseball Network]], a joint venture between MLB, NBC, and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].  Hampered by its much-criticized regional policy for game broadcasts and a [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]] that cancels the 1994 postseason, the venture will be termed a failure even before it dissolves at the end of the [[1995 Major League Baseball season|1995 season]].
|-
!14
|[[Westinghouse Broadcasting]] agrees to affiliate all of their television stations with CBS, including long-tenured NBC affiliates [[WBZ-TV]] in Boston and [[KYW-TV]] in Philadelphia, along with outgoing ABC affiliate WJZ-TV in Baltimore.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bill Carter |date=July 15, 1994 |title=CBS to Add Three Affiliates in Deal With Westinghouse |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/15/business/the-media-business-cbs-to-add-three-affiliates-in-deal-with-westinghouse.html |access-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref> This deal consequently prompts CBS to sell [[WCAU|WCAU-TV]], owned by the network since 1957,<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Tom Jicha |date=November 22, 1994 |title=CBS, NBC changing channels. |work=[[Sun-Sentinel|South Florida Sun-Sentinel]] |publisher=Times Mirror Company |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1994-11-22/news/9411210600_1_wcix-nbc-programs-stations |url-status=dead |access-date=February 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703093638/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1994-11-22/news/9411210600_1_wcix-nbc-programs-stations |archive-date=July 3, 2011}}</ref> and precipitated Westinghouse's outright buyout of CBS the following year.<ref name="Westinghouse-CBS">{{Cite news |last=Sallie Hofmeister |date=August 2, 1995 |title=CBS Agrees to Buyout Bid by Westinghouse : Entertainment: $5.4-billion merger would create biggest TV, radio empire. But the deal faces obstacles. |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-02-mn-30646-story.html |access-date=June 22, 2012}}</ref>
|-
!16
|''[[The Baseball Network|Baseball Night in America]]'' premieres on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. This would mark the first time that [[Major League Baseball]] games would be broadcast on [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]] since the [[1989 World Series]].
|}

=== August ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
! rowspan="2" |12
|The [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[soap opera]] ''[[All My Children]]'' broadcasts a memorial episode for original cast member [[Frances Heflin]], who died during June. The memorial is in the form of a funeral service for Heflin's character, Mona Kane Tyler.
|-
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] broadcasts its first [[National Football League]] event, a pre-season game in [[Candlestick Park|San Francisco]] between the [[1994 San Francisco 49ers season|49ers]] and [[1994 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]].
|-
!21
|[[HBO]] broadcasts a concert appearance by [[Barbra Streisand]], the entertainer's first public concert in 27 years.
|-
!29
|Highlights from the [[NWA World Title Tournament]] from two days prior air on ''[[ECW Hardcore TV]]''. It was at that particular event that the tournament winner, [[Shane Douglas]] threw down the [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship]] belt and proclaimed the [[ECW Heavyweight Championship]] to be a world championship. Douglas' speech presaged the emergence of ECW - renamed from Eastern Championship Wrestling to [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] shortly after the event - as a nationally recognized promotion and the continued decline in the power and profile of the NWA.<ref name="DixonFurious2015">{{cite book|author1=James Dixon|author2=Arnold Furious|author3=Lee Maughan|title=The Complete WWE Guide Volume Six|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OfRDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA179|date=2015|publisher=[[Lulu (company)|Lulu.com]]|isbn=978-1-326-50746-6|pages=179}}</ref>
|}

=== September ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
! rowspan="2" |3
|[[WJW (TV)|WJW-TV]] in Cleveland is the first of the New World Communications stations to switch to Fox, ending a 40-year affiliation with CBS. Former Fox affiliate [[WOIO]], in turn, joins CBS and takes over operations of independent [[WUAB]] (owned by [[Stephen J. Cannell|Cannell Communications]]) via a [[local marketing agreement]]; this allows for WOIO to set up a news department using WUAB's personnel.<ref name="CPD19940902p1A">{{cite news |last=Feran |first=Tom |date=September 2, 1994 |title=Touch that dial! TV turnabout begins tomorrow on Channels 8, 19, 43 |page=1A |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=1082885C71926A79&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0F3413A60C43494E |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110034117/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F3413A60C43494E&f=basic |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref name="CPD19940708p1A">{{cite news |last=Feran |first=Tom |date=July 8, 1994 |title=CBS plans to join Channel 19 by Aug. 29 |page=1A |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=1082885C71926A79&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0F807D316A1C8DD3 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006020656/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F807D316A1C8DD3&f=basic |archive-date=October 6, 2022 |via=NewsBank}}</ref>
|-
|The [[Television film|made-for-television film]] ''[[Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights]]'' premieres in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]]. The film is notable for being the last film or television series in which [[Don Messick]] voices [[Scooby-Doo (character)|Scooby-Doo]] and [[Boo-Boo Bear]] before his retirement in 1996 (though he would voice Scooby-Doo one more time in the ''[[Scooby-Doo Mystery]]'' video game),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Don Messick Video Game Credits and Biography|url=https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,203871/|access-date=2021-09-28|website=MobyGames}}</ref> and the last in which [[Allan Melvin]] voices [[Magilla Gorilla]] (as well as his last film role overall). It is also the last ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' production to be produced entirely by [[Hanna-Barbera]]. Beginning with 1998's ''[[Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island]]'', ''Scooby-Doo'' related animated films and television series would at the very least, co-produced by [[Warner Bros. Animation]]. 
|-
!4
|[[Fox NFL|Fox]] [[National Football League on United States television|covers]] regular season [[National Football League]] games for the [[1994 NFL season|first time]] with the launch of their pre-game program, ''[[Fox NFL Sunday]]''.
|-
!9
|The [[National Hockey League]] reaches a five-year, US$155 million contract with [[NHL on Fox|Fox]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Daniel|first=Al|date=May 17, 2020|title=NHL on Fox established hockey's lasting U.S. network presence|url=https://fansided.com/2020/05/17/nhl-on-fox-established-hockeys-lasting-us-network-presence/|work=Fansided|location= |access-date=}}</ref> for the broadcast television rights to the league's games, beginning with the [[1994–95 NHL season|1994–95 season]].<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/10/sports/hockey-fox-outbids-cbs-for-nhl-games.html| title= HOCKEY; Fox Outbids CBS for N.H.L. Games| work=Richard Sandomir ([[New York Times]]) | date= September 10, 1994| access-date= March 20, 2008}}</ref>
|-
!11
|The [[46th Primetime Emmy Awards]] were presented on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
|-
! rowspan="4" |12
|New World station [[WDAF-TV]] in Kansas City ends a 45-year affiliation with NBC to join Fox, with former Fox affiliate [[KSHB-TV]] linking up with NBC.<ref name="Kans940524">{{Cite news |last=McTavish |first=Brian |date=May 24, 1994 |title=WDAF to leave NBC, join Fox |page=A-1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61708944/wdaf-to-drop-link-with-nbc/ A-8] |newspaper=The Kansas City Star |location=Kansas City, Missouri |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61708935/wdaf-to-leave-nbc-join-fox/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202004736/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61708935/wdaf-to-leave-nbc-join-fox/ |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Kans940811">{{Cite news |last=Garron |first=Barry |date=August 11, 1994 |title=TV network shift set for Sept. 12 |page=C-1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117708521/channels-4-41-set-network-shift-for-sep/ C-3] |newspaper=The Kansas City Star |location= |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117708498/tv-network-shift-set-for-sept-12/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202004730/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117708498/tv-network-shift-set-for-sept-12/ |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
|-
|New World station KSAZ-TV in Phoenix ends a 40-year connection to CBS, with former [[Independent station (North America)|independent]] [[KPHO-TV]] joining CBS.<ref name="Ariz940910">{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Dave |date=September 10, 1994 |title=TV switch: Channel 5 to carry CBS today |page=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89556043/channel-5-begins-carrying-cbs-today/ A20] |work=Arizona Republic |location=Phoenix, Arizona |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28879847/tv-switch-channel-5-to-carry-cbs-today/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126045400/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28879847/tv-switch-channel-5-to-carry-cbs-today/ |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Due to Fox affiliate KNXV-TV having a contract that ends three months later, KSAZ-TV operates as an independent for the interregnum.<ref name="CBSFoxstationsswitch">{{Cite news |last=Meisler |first=Andy |date=August 29, 1994 |title=Murdoch's Raid Brings a Shuffling of TV Stations in Phoenix |page=D1 |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/29/business/murdoch-s-raid-brings-a-shuffling-of-tv-stations-in-phoenix.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |access-date=October 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613154035/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/29/business/murdoch-s-raid-brings-a-shuffling-of-tv-stations-in-phoenix.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref> KNXV-TV begins taking ABC programming on a piecemeal basis from soon-to-be former affiliate KTVK, the market's new independent.<ref name="Ariz940616" />
|-
|Original ''[[Family Feud]]'' host [[Richard Dawson]] returns to the series after nine years, replacing his successor, [[Ray Combs]]; the show also [[Family Feud#1994–1995|expands from half-hour to full-hour episodes]].
|-
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WEWS-TV|WEWS]], who previously aired only the first hour of ''[[Good Morning America]]'', begins airing the full two-hour version of the show, and as a result, ''[[The Morning Exchange]]'' was shifted an hour back.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Heldenfels |first=R.J. |date=August 26, 1994 |title='Morning Exchange' moving |pages=72 |work=[[The Akron Beacon Journal]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-morning-exchan/66469184/ |access-date=November 24, 2023}}</ref>
|-
!14
|[[Gaylord Broadcasting]] agrees to affiliate both [[KTVT]] in Dallas and [[KSTW]] in Tacoma/Seattle with CBS.<ref name="KTVT-KSTW">{{Cite news |date=September 19, 1994 |title=Gaylord gets CBS affiliates in Seattle and Dallas |page=14 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/94-OCR/BC-1994-09-19-Page-0014.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628115014/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/94-OCR/BC-1994-09-19-Page-0014.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="3" |21
|The sitcom ''[[Daddy's Girls (1994 TV series)|Daddy's Girls]]'' debuts on [[CBS]]. Although it is abandoned after three episodes, it is notable as the first series in which a gay principal character is played by an openly gay actor, [[Harvey Fierstein]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-09-21-9409200450-story.html|title=Dudley Do Wrong: 'Daddy's Girls' A Sitcom Dud|first=Tom|last=Jincha|date=September 21, 1994|website=Sun-Sentinel}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sam Waterston]] makes his [[Law & Order (season 5)|first appearance]] on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Law & Order]]'' as Executive Assistant District Attorney [[Jack McCoy]].
|-
|''[[Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric]]'' is merged into ''[[Dateline NBC]]'', creating a Wednesday version of the series.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 11, 1994 |title='Dateline' Lifetime |pages=333 |work=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref>
|-
!22
|The [[The Pilot (Friends)|pilot episode]] for ''[[Friends]]'' airs on [[NBC]]. It will rank as being the fifteenth-most-watched television show of the week, scoring 14.7/23 [[Nielsen rating]] (each point represented 954,000 households) and nearly 22&nbsp; million viewers.<ref name="Lauer">{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Lauer|author-link=Matt Lauer|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4899445|title=Friends creators share story of show's beginnings|work=[[NBC News]]|date=May 5, 2004|access-date=December 23, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Carmody|title=The TV Column|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 26, 1994}}</ref>
|-
!23
|[[UWF Blackjack Brawl]] airs live on [[SportsChannel America]]. This is the first and only major live television [[Card (sports)#Supercard|supercard]] event produced by [[Herb Abrams]]' [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)|Universal Wrestling Federation]] (UWF). The event was a successor to UWF's only pay-per-view event, [[UWF Beach Brawl|Beach Brawl]].
|-
!24
|The ''[[Marvel Action Hour]]'', featuring animated adaptations of [[Iron Man (TV series)|Iron Man]] and the [[Fantastic Four (1994 TV series)|Fantastic Four]] introduced by [[Stan Lee]], debuts in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]].
|}

=== October ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!1
|Fox affiliate KITN-TV in [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] changes its name to [[WFTC|WFTC-TV]].
|-
!7
|[[NBC]] airs the two-hour [[Television film|television movie]], ''[[Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas]]'', which concerns the lead-up to [[Zack Morris (Saved by the Bell)|Zack]] and [[Kelly Kapowski|Kelly]]'s wedding. This particular film in effect, served as the [[series finale]] for ''[[Saved by the Bell: The College Years]]''. When aired in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]], it is commonly split into two double-length episodes.
|}

=== November ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!3
|Various [[NBC]] comedies feature storylines centered on blackout events. This included ''[[List of Mad About You episodes#Season 3 (1994–95)|Mad About You]]'', ''[[The One with the Blackout|Friends]]'', and ''[[Madman of the People]]''.
|-
!15
|[[Fox Television Stations|Fox]] sells [[KDAF]] in Dallas to [[Renaissance Broadcasting]] for $100 million as a consequence of the New World/Fox alliance ([[KDFW]] would take over as the market's Fox affiliate the following year). In turn, Renaissance sells [[KDVR]] in Denver to Fox for $70 million and agrees to switch KDAF to [[The WB]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1994 |title=Parent Firm Of WTIC-TV To Buy, Sell |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |url=https://www.courant.com/1994/11/16/parent-firm-of-wtic-tv-to-buy-sell/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040426/http://articles.courant.com/1994-11-16/business/9411160013_1_fox-affiliated-kdvr-renaissance |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Zier |first=Julie A. |date=November 21, 1994 |title=Fox, Renaissance trade markets |work=Broadcasting & Cable |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/94-OCR/BC-1994-11-21-Page-0059.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222103213/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15893350.html |archive-date=February 22, 2016 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>
|-
!21
|CBS sells [[WCAU|WCAU-TV]] in Philadelphia to NBC in a complex [[asset swap]]. In exchange for WCAU-TV, NBC agrees to sell to CBS [[KCNC-TV]] in Denver and [[KUTV]] in Salt Lake City, along with the channel 4 license and transmitter for [[WTVJ]] in Miami; in turn, NBC receives the channel 6 license and transmitter for [[WFOR-TV|WCIX]], also in Miami. The [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]] for both WTVJ and WCIX are retained.<ref name=":5" />
|}

=== December ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date || Event
|-
!3
|Roughly a month and a half after making his final [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] television appearance, [[Randy Savage]] makes his [[World Championship Wrestling]] TV debut on a live edition of ''[[WCW Saturday Night]]''.
|-
! rowspan="3" |11
|New World station [[WITI (TV)|WITI]] in Milwaukee ends a 27-year affiliation with CBS (it had also been with CBS from 1959 to 1961) to join Fox.<ref name=":0" /> Outgoing Fox affiliate [[WCGV-TV]] and independent [[WVTV]] turn down CBS as it didn't align with the existing philosophy of [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] (which operated both stations), with WCGV-TV choosing to join UPN.<ref name=":1" /> [[WVCY-TV]] refused to sell to the network,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flint |first=Joe |date=October 3, 1994 |title=Nay for Eye on affil buy |page=168 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |id={{ProQuest|1401389916}}}}</ref> while talks with independent [[WDJT-TV]] (channel 58), owned by [[Weigel Broadcasting]], broke down in late September. With CBS considering piping in [[Owned-and-operated station|network-owned]] [[WBBM-TV]] or [[WFRV-TV]] to area cable companies,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Battaglio |first=Stephen |date=December 2, 1994 |title=CBS ensures Milwaukee feed |pages=3, 50 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |id={{ProQuest|2362015453}}}}</ref> Weigel officials and CBS resume talks, inking a deal with WDJT-TV on December 5, five days prior.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="MBJ941210">{{Cite news |last=Kirchen |first=Rich |date=December 10, 1994 |title=Down-to-the-wire deal kept Milwaukee on CBS' map |page=2 |work=Milwaukee Business Journal |id={{Gale|A16541130}} {{ProQuest|222390177}}}}</ref>
|-
|New World station [[WJBK|WJBK-TV]] in Detroit ends a 44-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.<ref name="Detr940524">{{Cite news |last1=Duffy |first1=Mike |last2=Gunther |first2=Marc |date=May 24, 1994 |title=Channel 2 dumps CBS, joins with Fox |page=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93279283/ 2A] |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |location=Detroit, Michigan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31849514/channel-2-dumps-cbs-joins-with-fox/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123190302/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31849514/channel-2-dumps-cbs-joins-with-fox/ |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> With former Fox affiliate [[WKBD-TV|WKBD]] owned by [[Paramount Stations Group]] and committed to UPN, and no other station in the market willing to affiliate or be acquired by the network, CBS purchases independent [[WWJ-TV|WGPR-TV]] (channel 62)—the first [[Minority ownership of media outlets in the United States|Black-owned television station]] in the mainland United States—from the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons. CBS takes over operations the day of the switch via a [[local marketing agreement]].<ref name="Time941118">{{Cite news |date=November 18, 1994 |title=CBS, WGPR poised for Dec. 11 switch |page=3A |newspaper=The Times Herald |agency=Associated Press |location=Port Huron, Michigan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93464330/cbs-wgpr-poised-for-dec-11-switch/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126002751/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93464330/cbs-wgpr-poised-for-dec-11-switch/ |archive-date=January 26, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="jag">{{cite news |last=Roush |first=Matt |date=September 26, 1994 |title=WGPR sale means CBS spending jag: Network may spend millions on expansion, hiring |page=3 |work=Crain's Detroit Business}}</ref>
|-
|New World station [[WAGA-TV]] in Atlanta ends a 43-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.<ref name="Atla940524">{{Cite news |last=Kloer |first=Phil |date=May 24, 1994 |title=TV shake-up in Atlanta; Keep your remote control handy this fall |page=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107110959/fox-where-will-viewers-find-cbs/ A4] |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31849522/tv-shake-up-in-atlanta-keep-your/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807060608/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31849522/tv-shake-up-in-atlanta-keep-your/ |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Initially unable to find a replacement affiliate during the summer of 1994, CBS purchases [[WUPA|WVEU]] (channel 69) from local interests,<ref name="Atla940924">{{Cite news |last=Kloer |first=Phil |date=September 24, 1994 |title=Clearing up the local TV picture: Price was right: But will viewers follow CBS to Channel 69? |page=B1 |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107110760/clearing-up-the-local-tv-picture-price/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807060608/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107110760/clearing-up-the-local-tv-picture-price/ |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> but the startup process became [[Mootness|moot]] when [[WANF|WGNX]] agreed to a deal with the network. [[WATL|WATL-TV]] is sold by Fox to [[Qwest Broadcasting]] and joins [[The WB]].<ref name="Atla941209">{{Cite news |date=December 9, 1994 |title=Exchanging channels: Network switch mixes things up |page=P24 |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107250239/exchanging-channels-network-switch-mixe/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809081239/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107250239/exchanging-channels-network-switch/ |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite news |author=Tim Jones |author2=Mike Dorning |date=November 17, 1994 |title=Deal boosts minority TV presence |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-11-17-9411170368-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017001713/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-11-17-9411170368-story.html |archive-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2" |12
|New World station [[WTVT]] in St. Petersburg/Tampa ends a 39-year affiliation with CBS to join Fox.<ref name="SPTimes940524" /> Former ABC affiliate [[WTSP]] joins CBS, while outgoing Fox affiliate [[WFTS-TV]] joins ABC and launches local newscasts the same day.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="justin" />
|-
|KNXV-TV in Phoenix ends their affiliation with Fox, allowing KSAZ-TV (temporarily operating as an independent) to join the network. As part of KTVK's slow disaffiliation from ABC, KNXV-TV begins carrying all [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] programming, including ''[[ABC World News Tonight|World News Tonight]]'' and ''[[Nightline]]'', while KTVK continues to run ABC's daytime and primetime lineups through the end of the year.<ref name="Ariz941202" />
|}