# 1998 in American television

In American television in 1998, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.

## Events
### January

| Date | Event |
| 3 | Jim McKay announces that Wide World of Sports has been cancelled by ABC after 37 years. |
| 12 | CBS acquires the rights to the AFC of the NFL as part of a $4 billion, eight-year contract; Fox and ABC renew their agreements for the NFC and Monday Night Football, respectively (Super Bowl XXXII, broadcast on January 25, would be NBC's last NFL game until 2006). |
| 15 | Many of Sinclair's stations that were previously affiliated with UPN were converted to affiliates of The WB. |
| 30 | CBS affiliate in Orlando, WCPX-TV changes its name to WKMG-TV following its purchase by Post-Newsweek. |

### February

| Date | Event |
| 9 | Prevue Channel (now Pop) revamps its programming to include short-form segments. The revamp lasts until January 31, 1999, when the channel is renamed TV Guide Channel. |

### March

| Date | Event |
| 2 | The "Powerhouse" era begins on Cartoon Network. The animated bumpers were all done by Primal Screen, an Atlanta-based studio. The era's colorful backgrounds typically represent the time periods: Yellow (mornings), Green (afternoons), Blue (evenings/weekends), Black/Dark Blue (midnights) and Purple (action shows). Red was originally the color for midnights but this was later removed due to older TVs were struggling to display it. The era was named after Raymond Scott's instrumental song from 1937. |
| 18 | A wanted child molester named Matthew Fenwick appears as a contestant on the game show Wheel of Fortune and wins $4,400. At the time of the episode's airing, Matthew was on the run after being accused of molesting two underage girls, ages 8 and 10, who discovered Matthew on the game show after a warrant was issued for him in November 1997 by the police. He was arrested two days after his appearance on the game show and subsequently pled guilty in July 1998 for two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. |
| 29 | World Wrestling Federation wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels, winning his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIV. With this, it has been cited to be the full beginning of the "Attitude Era". |

### April

| Date | Event |
| 4 | CatDog premieres on Nickelodeon following the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards. The show did not air every day until October. |
| 6 | Long-running British children's television series Teletubbies begins its U.S. television debut on PBS Kids. |
| 9 | The Price Is Right's 5,000th episode is broadcast on CBS. On the show, every pricing game is played for a car (something Price had only done once before. It has been repeated only once since then). At the beginning of the show, CBS announces it has renamed Studio 33 (the studio at CBS Television City where The Price Is Right has taped since its 1972 return) the Bob Barker Studios in honor of the show's then-host and executive producer. |
| 11 | The National Cable Television Association announces they will discontinue the CableACE awards, due to the Emmy Awards recognizing cable programming. |
| 24 | A second special episode of Dallas, Dallas: War of the Ewings, airs on CBS seven years after the original series finished. |
| 30 | Seven television stations broadcast the suicide of maintenance worker Daniel V. Jones on live television. The incident causes many to criticize Los Angeles television stations' practice of airing police pursuits live and calls for proposed changes in the way live coverage of events are handled in the future. |

### May

| Date | Event |
| 7 | The infamous Seinfeld episode, "The Puerto Rican Day" is broadcast on NBC. In it, Cosmo Kramer accidentally burns and then stomps on the Puerto Rican flag. NBC was forced to apologize and had it banned from airing on the network again. Also, it was not initially part of the syndicated package. In the summer of 2002, the episode started to appear with the flag-burning sequence intact. |
| 14 | 76.3 million people tune in to The Finale of Seinfeld on NBC. |
| 28 | Former Saturday Night Live actor and comedian Phil Hartman, then featuring on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons, and announcer of Cartoon Network is shot and killed by his wife (who then kills herself). |

### June

| Date | Event |
| 11 | United Video Satellite Group, parent company of the Prevue Channel (now Pop), acquires TV Guide from News Corporation for $800 million and 60 million shares of stock worth an additional $1.2 billion. In recognition of this, Prevue Channel will rebrand to the TV Guide Channel on February 1, 1999. |
| 14 | Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz is broadcast on NBC. The game registered a 22.3 Nielsen rating and 38 share with average 35.9 million viewers. This made it the highest rated and most watched game in the history of the National Basketball Association. 72 million people in the US watched at least part of the game. The previous record was a 21.2 rating and 37 share for Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons on CBS. |

### August

| Date | Event |
| 3 | The feud between UPN and Sinclair Broadcast Group has been ended, with many of the Milwaukee, Birmingham, Raleigh and Charleston stations that were temporary independent stations went back to being UPN affiliates. |
| 15 | A pre-season football game in Vancouver, British Columbia between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks is CBS's first NFL football broadcast since January 1994. |
| 16 | KATH-LP in Juneau, Alaska signs on the air, giving the Juneau market its first full-time NBC affiliate. The sign-on was delayed for a month due to delays in receiving the equipment required to place the station on the local GCI cable system (Sister station KSCT-LP in Sitka, the market's former Fox affiliate, had already switched to NBC). |

### September

| Date | Event |
| 6 | CBS resumes its regular season coverage of the National Football League for the first time since 1993. |
| 8 | In front of a nationwide audience watching on Fox, Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run of the Major League Baseball season, breaking the 37 year old record held by Roger Maris. |
| 13 | The 50th Primetime Emmy Awards is broadcast on NBC. The NBC sitcom Frasier is announced as the winner of Outstanding Comedy Series, becoming the first show to win one of the two main series prizes for five consecutive years. Meanwhile, ABC's The Practice would win the award Outstanding Drama Series. This is to date, the last Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony where all the nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are from the broadcast networks. The following year, HBO's The Sopranos would become the first cable television series to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. |
| 17 | Frasier appears for the first time on Thursday nights in the 9:00 slot, NBC had been discussing in May, displacing Seinfeld, although Just Shoot Me! has been moved to Tuesdays two days earlier. The show produced new episodes in its slot next week. |

### October

| Date | Event |
| 4 | UPN adds two additional nights of programming to its schedule with primetime series added to Friday nights, including a movie block on Thursday nights. |
| 21 | Fox broadcasts the Game 4 of its second World Series. The New York Yankees defeat the San Diego Padres, winning their 24th championship and second since 1996. |
| 19 | Fox Family Channel debuts its new annual event 13 Nights of Halloween. |

### November

| Date | Event |
| 8 | The Milwaukee, Raleigh, Birmingham and Charleston stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group air many Star Trek: Voyager episodes viewers left out of the last season, with the permission of UPN and Paramount Television. |
| 17 | Barney & Friends airs its 100th episode on PBS Kids. |
| 18 | The Powerpuff Girls premieres on Cartoon Network. |
| 20 | The Rugrats Movie, based on Nickelodeon's hit series Rugrats is released in theaters. The movie introduces the character of Dil Pickles, who became a main character in Rugrats the following January. The Rugrats Movie was a commercial success, making a grand total of $100,494,675 domestically and another $40,400,000 in international markets. To promote the movie, Nickelodeon put all Rugrats episodes on hiatus for the week. It was the first time since 1994 that Rugrats was not part of Nick's daily schedule. |

### December

| Date | Event |

## Programs
### Debuts

| Date | Show | Network |
| January 1 | A Baby Story | TLC |
| January 3 | The Magnificent Seven | CBS |
| January 4 | Ask Harriet | Fox |
| January 5 | The Charlie Horse Music Pizza | PBS Kids |
| January 8 | Crime Stories | Court TV |
| January 8 | WCW Thunder | TBS |
| January 15 | Prey | ABC |
| January 15 | Style & Substance | CBS |
| January 20 | Dawson's Creek | The WB |
| January 24 | ABC News Saturday Night | ABC |
| January 26 | Special Report with Bret Baier | Fox News Channel |
| January 30 | Jep! | Game Show Network |
| February 1 | Fox & Friends | Fox News Channel |
| February 2 | Three | The WB |
| February 6 | Power Rangers in Space | Fox Kids |
| February 7 | Silver Surfer | Fox Kids |
| February 23 | The Closer | CBS |
| February 24 | Four Corners | CBS |
| February 28 | Bug Juice | Disney Channel |
| March 9 | House Rules | NBC |
| March 10 | That's Life | ABC |
| March 10 | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | ABC |
| March 10 | Weather Center | The Weather Channel |
| March 11 | Significant Others | Fox |
| March 14 | PB&J Otter | Playhouse Disney |
| March 17 | For Your Love | NBC |
| March 17 | LateLine | NBC |
| March 24 | True Life | MTV |
| April 2 | World's Wildest Police Videos | Fox |
| April 4 | CatDog | Nickelodeon |
| April 6 | Getting Personal | Fox |
| April 6 | Push | ABC |
| April 6 | Teletubbies | PBS Kids |
| April 9 | Mysteries and Scandals | E! |
| April 13 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | UPN |
| April 19 | You're the One | The WB |
| April 20 | Kelly Kelly | The WB |
| May 11 | Call for Help | ZDTV |
| May 11 | Internet Tonight | ZDTV |
| May 11 | The Screen Savers | ZDTV |
| May 11 | Silicon Spin | ZDTV |
| May 14 | Celebrity Deathmatch | MTV |
| May 25 | Say What? Karaoke | MTV |
| June 1 | The Challenge | MTV |
| June 3 | The Simple Life | CBS |
| June 6 | Sex and the City | HBO |
| June 6 | Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford | Syndication |
| June 8 | Invasion America | The WB |
| June 8 | Forgive or Forget | Syndication |
| June 22 | The Howie Mandel Show | Syndication |
| June 22 | Faux Pause | Game Show Network |
| July 4 | X-Play | ZDTV |
| July 13 | The Sifl and Olly Show | MTV |
| July 16 | Fox Files | Fox |
| July 18 | Bad Dog | Fox Family |
| July 18 | The Net | USA Network |
| July 19 | Sins of the City | USA Network |
| July 19 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Nickelodeon |
| August 1 | Linc's | Showtime |
| August 1 | You're On! | Nickelodeon |
| August 2 | WWE Heat | USA Network |
| August 5 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | ABC |
| August 15 | I Can't Believe You Said That | Fox Family |
| August 15 | Outrageous! | Fox Family |
| August 17 | Judge Mills Lane | Syndication |
| August 17 | Welcome to Paradox | Sci-Fi Channel |
| August 18 | Any Day Now | Lifetime |
| August 18 | Maggie | Lifetime |
| August 18 | Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents | Fox Family |
| August 22 | The Howard Stern Radio Show | CBS |
| August 23 | Holding the Baby | Fox |
| August 23 | That '70s Show | Fox |
| August 26 | Oh Baby | Lifetime |
| August 31 | Hercules | Disney Channel and ABC |
| August 31 | Great Day America | PAX TV |
| August 31 | The Reel to Reel Picture Show | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Woman's Day | PAX TV |
| September 1 | Book TV | C-SPAN2 |
| September 1 | NFL Live | ESPN2 |
| September 1 | Cousin Skeeter | Nickelodeon |
| September 1 | The Wild Thornberrys | Nickelodeon |
| September 5 | The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs | Fox Kids |
| September 6 | It's a Miracle | PAX TV |
| September 7 | The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog | Fox Kids |
| September 9 | First Wave | Sci-Fi Channel |
| September 11 | Living in Captivity | Fox |
| September 12 | Animorphs | Nickelodeon |
| September 12 | One World | NBC |
| September 12 | Godzilla: The Series | Fox Kids |
| September 12 | Mad Jack the Pirate | Fox Kids |
| September 12 | The Mr. Potato Head Show | Fox Kids |
| September 12 | Young Hercules | Fox Kids |
| September 13 | The Army Show | The WB |
| September 14 | Judge Joe Brown | Syndication |
| September 14 | The Roseanne Show | Syndication |
| September 14 | Total Request Live | MTV |
| September 14 | Histeria! | Kids' WB |
| September 15 | Costello | Fox |
| September 19 | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | Kids' WB |
| September 21 | The Brian Benben Show | CBS |
| September 21 | The King of Queens | CBS |
| September 21 | L.A. Doctors | CBS |
| September 21 | Change of Heart | Syndication |
| September 21 | Donny & Marie | Syndication |
| September 21 | Hyperion Bay | The WB |
| September 21 | Conrad Bloom | NBC |
| September 21 | Will & Grace | NBC |
| September 22 | Encore! Encore! | NBC |
| September 22 | The Hughleys | ABC |
| September 22 | Sports Night | ABC |
| September 24 | Jesse | NBC |
| September 25 | Buddy Faro | CBS |
| September 25 | Brother's Keeper | ABC |
| September 25 | Two of a Kind | ABC |
| September 26 | Cupid | ABC |
| September 26 | Fantasy Island | ABC |
| September 26 | Martial Law | CBS |
| September 26 | V.I.P. | Syndication |
| September 28 | The Cut | MTV |
| September 29 | Vengeance Unlimited | ABC |
| September 29 | Felicity | The WB |
| September 30 | The Secret Lives of Men | ABC |
| September 30 | Maggie Winters | CBS |
| September 30 | To Have & to Hold | CBS |
| October 2 | Friday Night Fights | ESPN2 |
| October 2 | Off the Wall | Disney Channel |
| October 3 | Birdz | CBS |
| October 3 | Flying Rhino Junior High | CBS |
| October 3 | Mortal Kombat: Konquest | Syndication |
| October 3 | Anatole | CBS |
| October 3 | Dumb Bunnies | CBS |
| October 4 | Air America | Syndication |
| October 4 | Rolie Polie Olie | Playhouse Disney |
| October 5 | Inquizition | Game Show Network |
| October 5 | Noddy | PBS Kids |
| October 5 | DiResta | UPN |
| October 5 | Guys Like Us | UPN |
| October 5 | The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer | UPN |
| October 6 | Mercy Point | UPN |
| October 7 | Charmed | The WB |
| October 7 | Out of the Box | Playhouse Disney |
| October 7 | Seven Days | UPN |
| October 9 | Legacy | UPN |
| October 10 | Brats of the Lost Nebula | Kids' WB |
| October 11 | Malibu, CA | Syndication |
| October 16 | Trinity | NBC |
| October 17 | Wind on Water | NBC |
| October 19 | The New Addams Family | Fox Family |
| October 20 | The FBI Files | Discovery Channel |
| October 23 | Brimstone | Fox |
| October 25 | The Famous Jett Jackson | Disney Channel |
| October 27 | America's Greatest Pets | UPN |
| October 27 | Reunited | UPN |
| November 2 | Becker | CBS |
| November 2 | Jay Jay the Jet Plane | TLC |
| November 7 | City Confidential | A&E |
| November 7 | Little Men | PAX TV |
| November 7 | Mythic Warriors | CBS |
| November 18 | The Powerpuff Girls | Cartoon Network |
| December 1 | Comedy Central Presents | Comedy Central |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| January 1 | 413 Hope St. | 1997 |
| January 1 | Living Single | 1993 |
| January 3 | Newton's Apple | 1983 |
| January 4 | Beakman's World | 1992 |
| January 4 | Inspector Gadget's Field Trip | 1996 |
| January 10 | Jungle Cubs | 1996 |
| January 12 | Jenny | 1997 |
| January 13 | Dellaventura | 1997 |
| January 15 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | 1994 |
| January 16 | The Visitor | 1997 |
| January 22 | Union Square | 1997 |
| January 24 | Cracker | 1997 |
| January 29 | Ask Harriet | 1998 |
| January 31 | Spider-Man | 1994 |
| February 5 | The Ink and Paint Club | 1997 |
| February 7 | Wheel 2000 | 1997 |
| February 8 | Muppets Tonight | 1996 |
| February 9 | Fired Up | 1997 |
| February 10 | Make Me Laugh | 1958 |
| February 13 | Teen Angel | 1997 |
| February 17 | Grace Under Fire | 1993 |
| February 20 | Channel Umptee-3 | 1997 |
| February 23 | Bobby's World | 1990 |
| February 27 | The Gregory Hines Show | 1997 |
| March 2 | Sparks | 1996 |
| March 2 | Big Bad Beetleborgs | 1996 |
| March 3 | Four Corners | 1998 |
| March 4 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | 1997 |
| March 6 | Hiller and Diller | 1997 |
| March 7 | Gadget Boy & Heather | 1995 |
| March 7 | USA Up All Night | 1989 |
| March 14 | Nothing Scared | 1997 |
| March 15 | The Tom Show | 1997 |
| March 16 | George & Leo | 1997 |
| March 20 | Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation | 1997 |
| March 21 | Fame L.A. | 1997 |
| March 25 | Significant Others | 1998 |
| March 27 | Big Bag | 1996 |
| April 17 | Players | 1997 |
| April 25 | The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police | 1997 |
| April 27 | Brooklyn South | 1997 |
| April 27 | Tots TV | 1993 |
| May 3 | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | 1996 |
| May 3 | You're the One | 1998 |
| May 4 | The Closer | 1998 |
| May 4 | Alright Already | 1997 |
| May 14 | Seinfeld | 1989 |
| May 15 | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | 1996 |
| May 16 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | 1993 |
| May 16 | Silver Surfer | 1998 |
| May 18 | Murphy Brown (returned in 2018) | 1988 |
| May 18 | Team Knight Rider | 1997 |
| May 19 | Good News | 1997 |
| May 22 | Singled Out | 1995 |
| May 25 | The Naked Truth | 1995 |
| May 26 | Soul Man | 1997 |
| May 31 | Sleepwalkers | 1997 |
| May 31 | The Larry Sanders Show | 1992 |
| June 7 | Kelly Kelly | 1998 |
| June 12 | Geraldo | 1987 |
| June 15 | Michael Hayes | 1997 |
| June 20 | Bill Nye the Science Guy | 1993 |
| June 23 | You Wish | 1997 |
| June 23 | Cartoon Sushi | 1997 |
| June 25 | New York Undercover | 1994 |
| June 26 | Step by Step | 1991 |
| July 2 | C-16: FBI | 1997 |
| July 7 | Invasion America | 1998 |
| July 8 | The Simple Life | 1998 |
| July 9 | Prey | 1998 |
| July 13 | Cybill | 1995 |
| July 17 | Family Matters | 1989 |
| July 18 | Timecop | 1997 |
| July 22 | Ellen | 1994 |
| July 25 | Weird Science | 1994 |
| August 6 | Push | 1998 |
| August 14 | Shop 'til You Drop (returned in 2000) | 1991 |
| August 14 | Debt | 1996 |
| August 14 | Shopping Spree | 1996 |
| August 25 | USA Tuesday Night Fights | 1982 |
| September 2 | Style & Substance | 1998 |
| September 3 | The Statler Brothers Show | 1991 |
| September 12 | Think CBS Kidz | 1997 |
| September 20 | NBC Nightside | 1991 |
| September 23 | The RuPaul Show | 1996 |
| October 2 | Wishbone | 1995 |
| October 2 | The Reel to Reel Picture Show | 1998 |
| October 4 | You're On! | 1998 |
| October 12 | The Brian Benben Show | 1998 |
| October 13 | Costello | 1998 |
| October 16 | Getting Personal | 1998 |
| October 16 | Living in Captivity | 1998 |
| October 17 | Sins of the City | 1998 |
| October 17 | The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | 1996 |
| October 28 | The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer | 1998 |
| November 6 | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | 1996 |
| November 7 | The Secret Lives of Men | 1998 |
| November 14 | Animaniacs (returned in 2020) | 1993 |
| November 14 | Pinky and the Brain | 1995 |
| November 16 | Goosebumps | 1995 |
| November 21 | Power Rangers in Space | 1998 |
| November 25 | Babylon 5 | 1994 |
| December 4 | The Puzzle Place | 1995 |
| December 4 | Buddy Faro | 1998 |
| December 9 | To Have & to Hold | 1998 |
| December 12 | The Cut | 1998 |
| December 12 | The New Adventures of Zorro | 1997 |
| December 13 | The Army Show | 1998 |
| December 13 | The New Adventures of Robin Hood | 1997 |
| December 15 | Holding the Baby | 1998 |
| December 20 | The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo | 1996 |
| December 21 | Conrad Bloom | 1998 |
| December 28 | Mr. Show with Bob and David | 1995 |
| December 29 | Reunited | 1998 |
| December 31 | This Week in Baseball | 1977 |

### Entering syndication this year

| Show | Seasons | In production |
| Chicago Hope | 4 | Yes |
| Dave's World | 4 | No |
| Doug | 6 | Yes |
| Diagnosis: Murder | 5 | Yes |
| ER | 4 | Yes |
| Friends | 4 | Yes |
| The Nanny | 5 | Yes |
| New York Undercover | 4 | No |
| Newsradio | 4 | Yes |
| Sister, Sister | 5 | Yes |
| This Old House | 19 | Yes |
| Touched by an Angel | 4 | Yes |

### Returning this year

| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New title | New network | Date of return |
| Kids Say the Darndest Things | 1995 | CBS | Same | Same | January 9 |
| The NFL Today | 1994 | CBS | Same | Same | September 6 |
| Disney's Brand Spanking New! Doug | 1997 | ABC | Disney's Doug | ABC/Syndication | September 12 |
| Hollywood Squares | 1989 | Syndication | Same | Same | September 14 |
| Love Connection | 1994 | Syndication | Same | Same | September 21 |
| Match Game | 1991 | ABC | Same | Syndication | September 21 |

### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| For Your Love | NBC | The WB |
| TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | NBC | ABC |
| Sliders | Fox | Sci-Fi Channel |
| Magic Adventures of Mumfie | Fox Kids | Fox Family Channel |
| Flipper | Syndication | PAX TV |
| All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | Syndication | Fox Family Channel |
| All New Captain Kangaroo | Syndication | Fox Family Channel |
| Match Game | ABC | Syndication |

### Made-for-TV movies

| Title | Network | Date of airing |
| Halloweentown | Disney Channel | October 17 |

### Miniseries

| Title | Network | Date of airing |
| The Last Don II | CBS | May 3 |
| Peter Benchley's Creature | ABC | May 17 |
| Thanks of a Grateful Nation | Showtime | May 31 |

## Networks and services
### Network launches

| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes |
| Zee TV | Cable television | Unknown | |
| Discovery en Espanol | Cable television | Unknown | |
| ESPN Classic | Cable television | January 1 | |
| Showtime Extreme | Cable and satellite | March 10 | Showtime Extreme, a multiplex channel from Showtime, airs action and adventure films, thrillers, gangster films and sporting events. The channel's launch coincided with Viacom's channels (excluding the Showtime networks) moving from USSB to DirecTV. |
| BBC America | Cable and satellite | March 29 | BBC Worldwide and Discovery Communications launched BBC America as part of a $565 million alliance to develop new channels and co-productions. The channel carried British drama, comedy, and documentary programs and live news broadcasts from BBC World. |
| Toon Disney | Cable and satellite | April 18 | Toon Disney, devoted to carrying animated series and movies 24 hours a day, was launched by The Walt Disney Company on Disney Channel's 15th anniversary. The first program to air was "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment from Fantasia. |
| ZDTV | Cable and satellite | May 11 | A channel launched by Ziff Davis airing technology-based programs. |
| CityVision | Cable television | June 8 | |
| Lifetime Movie Network | Cable and satellite | June 29 | A offshoot of Lifetime carrying made-for-TV movies aimed at women. |
| Discovery Health Channel | Cable and satellite | July 1 | Discovery Health Channel aired repeats of health-oriented programs from other Discovery networks, plus some original programming. |
| Discovery Wings Channel | Cable and satellite | July 15 | Named after the Discovery Channel series Wings, Discovery Wings Channel aired programs related to aircraft and aerospace. Discovery Wings also showed top-of-the-hour interstitials featuring aviation forecast data provided by the National Weather Service. |
| MTV S MTVX VH1 Country VH1 Smooth VH1 Soul | Digital cable | August 1 | MTV Networks launches "The Suite from MTV and VH1", five music channels initially exclusive to digital cable. |
| PAX | Over-the-air multicast | August 31 | Paxson Communications launches PAX TV (now named Ion Television), a family-oriented broadcast network. Paxson's stations previously carried a number of paid programming services (as well as the overnight Christian block The Worship Network), branded as the Infomall Television Network until at the time of PAX's launch. |
| The WB 100+ Station Group | Cable television | September 21 | The WB launches its programming service of cable-only networks, branded as the 100+ Station Group. It was originally known as The WeB, which was from its launch until March of next year. Several cable providers that carried The WB's programming on WGN Superstation feed (until it was dropped the following September) were replaced by its own service. |
| The Biography Channel | Cable and satellite | November 16 | First announced in June 1996, The Biography Channel aired episodes of A&E's profile series Biography and related series. |
| History Channel International | Cable and satellite | November 16 | History Channel International broadcast programs focusing on world history, plus a selection of programs in foreign languages for the Cable in the Classroom initiative. |

### Network conversions

| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes |
| CBS Eye on People | Eye on People | Cable television | Unknown | |
| Nostalgia Good TV | Goodlife TV Network | Cable television | Unknown | |
| The Family Channel | Fox Family Channel | Cable and satellite | August 15 | More than a year after its acquisition by News Corporation's Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc., The Family Channel is re-initiated as Fox Family Channel, with the network now targeting a younger family-oriented audience than that of its predecessor. |
| HBO2 | HBO Plus | Cable and satellite | October 1 | |
| HBO3 | HBO Signature | Cable and satellite | October 1 | |
| Q2 | Style Network | Cable and satellite | October 1 | QVC shut down its Q2 network on October 1 and sold its satellite capacity to E!, who used the space to launch Style Network. |

### Closures

| Network | Type | Closure date | Notes | Source |
| American Sports Classics | Cable and satellite | Unknown | | |
| Sega Channel | Online service | July 31 | | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation |
| January | Lake Worth/West Palm Beach, Florida | WPXP-TV | 68 | inTV |
| January 12 | Laredo, Texas | K68FU | 68 | Vida Communications |
| February 2 | Rochester, New York | WBGT-LP | 40 | UPN |
| March | Garden City, Kansas | KDCK | 21 | PBS Smoky Hills PTV |
| April 21 | Provo, Utah | KUPX-TV | 16 | inTV |
| May 18 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | WSWB-TV | 64 | inTV |
| May 28 | Clarksville, Tennessee | W69EC | 69 | Independent |
| June 1 | Morehead/Lexington, Kentucky (now licensed in Richmond, Kentucky) | WAOM | 67 | UPN |
| June 15 | Live Oak, Florida | WFXU | 57 | Fox |
| June 16 | Wichita, Kansas | K53EO | 53 | America's Voice/ZDTV |
| July 10 | Walla Walla, Washington | K33EJ | 33 | 3ABN |
| July 15 | Palo Alto/San Francisco, California | KTLN | 68 | Total Living Network |
| July 16 | Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho | KFXP | 31 | Fox |
| August 15 | Helena, Montana | KMTF | 10 | Fox |
| August 17 | Juneau, Alaska | K05JR | 5 | NBC |
| August 27 | Albany, New York | WVBG-LP | 25 | Independent |
| August 31 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | K52CQ | 52 | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Charlottesville, Virginia | WADA-LP | 55 | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Newton/Des Moines, Iowa | KFPX-TV | 39 | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Kaneoche/Honolulu, Hawaii | KPXO-TV | 66 | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia | WLPX-TV | 29 | PAX TV |
| August 31 | Shreveport, Louisiana | KPXJ | 21 | PAX TV |
| September 8 | Mitchell, South Dakota | KDLV-TV | 5 | NBC |
| September 22 | Lima, Ohio | W65DP | 65 | Fox (via WOHL-LP) |
| October 5 | Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia | WHCP | 30 | The WB |
| October 5 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota | K35CY | 35 | HSN |
| October 8 | Huntington, West Virginia | W53BJ | 53 | The WB (as a translator of WHCP) |
| October 19 | Toledo, Ohio | WLMB | 40 | Religious independent |
| November 6 | Bakersfield, California | K24EJ | 24 | Fox |
| November 24 | Syracuse, New York | WSPX-TV | 56 | Pax TV |
| December 3 | Nashville, Tennessee | W68CG | 68 | The Box |
| December 6 | Salt Lake City, Utah | KAZG | 24 | Independent |
| December 4 | Crandon/Wausau, Wisconsin | WBIJ-TV | 4 | FamilyNet |
| December 10 | Monroe, Louisiana (El Dorado, Arkansas) | KAQY | 11 | ABC |
| December 15 | Steubenville, Ohio | W28AS | 28 | Independent |
| Unknown date | Atlanta, Georgia | W20AI | 20 | ShopNBC |
| Unknown date | Mercer, Pennsylvania | WPXI-LP | 17 | Fox |
| Unknown date | Payette, Idaho | K17ED | 17 | 3ABN |
| Unknown date | Scottsville, Kentucky | W48BM | 48 | Religious independent (primary) FamilyNet (secondary) |
| Unknown date | Winnemucca, Nevada | KWNV | 7 | NBC (satellite of KRNV/Reno) |
| Unknown date | Youngstown, Ohio | WYFX-LP | 62 (now on 19) | Fox |

### Stations changing network affiliation

| Market | Date | Station | Channel | Prior affiliation | New affiliation |
| Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California | January 5 | KPWB/KMAX-TV | 31 | The WB | UPN |
| Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California | January 5 | KQCA | 58 | UPN | The WB |
| Baltimore, Maryland | January 15 | WNUV | 54 | UPN | The WB |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | January 15 | WBQC-LP | 25 | The WB | Independent |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | January 15 | WSTR-TV | 64 | UPN | The WB |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | January 15 | WTTV/WTTK | 4/29 | UPN | Independent |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | January 15 | KOCB | 34 | UPN | The WB |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | January 15 | WNPA | 19 | The WB | UPN |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | January 15 | WCWB | 22 | UPN | The WB |
| Kansas City, Missouri | January 21 | KSMO-TV | 62 | UPN | The WB |
| Baltimore, Maryland | January 20 | WUTB | 24 | HSN | UPN |
| San Antonio, Texas | January 25 | KRRT | 35 | UPN | The WB |
| Provo, Utah | August 31 | KUPX-TV | 16 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | March 1 | KUPN | 21 | UPN | The WB |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | March 1 | KFBT | 33 | The WB | Independent |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | April 6 | WTTV/WTTK | 4/29 | Independent | The WB |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | April 6 | WNDY-TV | 23 | The WB | UPN |
| Lake Worth/West Palm Beach, Florida | August 31 | WPXP-TV | 68 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | June 15 | KPSG | 43 | PBS | UPN |
| Norfolk, Virginia | August 1 | WTVZ-TV | 33 | Fox | The WB |
| Norfolk, Virginia | August 1 | WVBT | 43 | The WB | Fox |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | August 1 | WLFL | 22 | Fox | The WB |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | August 1 | WRAZ | 50 | The WB | Fox |
| Akron/Cleveland, Ohio | August 31 | WVPX-TV | 23 | inTV | PAX TV |
| Arlington/Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | August 31 | KPXD-TV | 68 | inTV | PAX TV |
| Detroit, Michigan | Unknown date | WLPC-LP | 26 | America One (primary) FamilyNet (secondary) | FamilyNet (exclusive) |
| Norwell/Boston, Massachusetts | August 31 | WBPX-TV | 46 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Champaign/Decatur/Urbana, Illinois | August 31 | WPXU-TV | 23 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Chicago, Illinois | August 31 | WCFC/WCPX-TV | 38 | Christian independent | Pax TV |
| Hagerstown, Maryland (Washington, D.C.) | August 31 | WWPX-TV | 60 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Kenosha/Milwaukee, Wisconsin | August 31 | WHKE/WPXE-TV | 55 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Los Angeles, California | August 31 | KPXN-TV | 30 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida | August 31 | WPXM-TV | 35 | inTV | Pax TV |
| New York, New York | August 31 | WPXN-TV | 31 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Melbourne/Orlando, Florida | August 31 | WOPX-TV | 56 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wilmington, Delaware) | August 31 | WPPX-TV | 61 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Rome/Atlanta, Georgia | August 31 | WTLK/WPXA-TV | 14 | inTV | Pax TV |
| San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California | August 31 | KKPX-TV | 65 | inTV | Pax TV |
| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | August 31 | WQPX-TV | 64 | inTV (as WSWB-TV) | Pax TV |
| Seattle-Tacoma, Washington | August 31 | KBGE/KWPX-TV | 33 | ValueVision | Pax TV |
| Albany, New York | October 5 | WVBG-LP | 25 | Independent | UPN |
| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | November 1 | WSWB WILF | 38 53 | Fox | The WB |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 4 | Coco Jones | Actress (So Random!, Good Luck Charlie) and singer |
| January 9 | Kerris Dorsey | Actress (Brothers & Sisters, Ray Donovan) |
| January 12 | Nathan Gamble | Actor (Runaway, Hank) |
| January 22 | Joe Serafini | Actor (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) |
| January 23 | Rachel Crow | Actress (Fred: The Show, Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh) and singer |
| January 28 | Ariel Winter | Actress (Modern Family, Sofia the First) |
| February 9 | Isabella Gomez | Actress |
| February 15 | Zachary Gordon | Actor (Bubble Guppies, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) |
| February 20 | Matt Hunter | Colombian-American singer and voice actor (Go, Diego, Go!) |
| March 5 | Micah Fowler | Actor (Speechless) |
| March 22 | Paola Andino | Actress (Every Witch Way) |
| April 6 | Peyton List | Actress (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jessie, Bunk'd, Light as a Feather, Cobra Kai) |
| April 6 | Spencer List | Actor |
| April 9 | Elle Fanning | Actress and sister of Dakota Fanning |
| April 11 | Oliver Dillon | English actor (Lumpy on My Friends Tigger & Pooh) |
| April 12 | Larry Saperstein | Actor (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) |
| April 24 | Ryan Newman | Actress (Zeke and Luther, See Dad Run, The Thundermans) |
| April 27 | Froy Gutierrez | Actor (Teen Wolf) |
| June 11 | Charlie Tahan | Actor (Wayward Pines) |
| June 16 | Lauren Taylor | Actress (Best Friends Whenever) and singer |
| June 19 | Atticus Shaffer | Actor (The Middle, Fish Hooks, Steven Universe, The Lion Guard) |
| June 24 | Coy Stewart | Actor (Are We There Yet?, Bella and the Bulldogs) |
| July 7 | Dylan Sprayberry | Actor (Teen Wolf) |
| July 8 | Jaden Smith | Actor (All of Us, The Get Down), rapper and son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith |
| July 9 | Robert Capron | Actor (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) |
| July 10 | Haley Pullos | Actress (General Hospital) |
| July 10 | Angus Cloud | Actor (Euphoria) (d. 2023) |
| July 17 | Kennedy Lea Slocum | Actress (WITS Academy) |
| July 22 | Madison Pettis | Actress (Cory in the House, Phineas and Ferb, Life with Boys, Lab Rats, The Fosters) |
| July 24 | Bindi Irwin | Australian actress (Dancing with the Stars season 21 [winner]) |
| July 24 | Logan Grove | Voice actor (Gumball on The Amazing World of Gumball (2011–14)) |
| July 25 | Kyson Facer | Actor (I Am Frankie) |
| July 31 | Rico Rodriguez | Actor (Modern Family) |
| August 1 | Khamani Griffin | Actor (All of Us, Carpoolers, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan) |
| August 3 | Cozi Zuehlsdorff | Actress and singer |
| August 8 | Shawn Mendes | Canadian singer |
| August 13 | Devan Leos | Actor (Mighty Med) |
| August 25 | China Anne McClain | Actress (Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Jonas, A.N.T. Farm, Descendants: Wicked World, Descendants, Black Lightning) and singer |
| September 4 | Elizabeth Elias | Actress (Every Witch Way) |
| October 1 | Danika Yarosh | Actress (See Dad Run, Shameless, Heroes Reborn) |
| October 6 | Matt Cornett | Actor (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) |
| October 28 | Nolan Gould | Actor (Modern Family) |
| November 4 | Darcy Rose Byrnes | Actress (The Young and the Restless, Desperate Housewives, The Legend of Korra, Sofia the First, Spirit Riding Free) |
| November 17 | Kara Hayward | Actress |
| November 22 | Eric Unger | Actor |
| November 23 | Samantha Diaz | Singer (American Idol) |
| November 23 | Bradley Steven Perry | Actor (Good Luck Charlie, Mighty Med, Descendants: Wicked World, Lab Rats: Elite Force) |
| November 24 | Peyton Meyer | Actor (Girl Meets World) |
| December 2 | Annalise Basso | Actress |
| December 2 | Amber Frank | Actress (The Haunted Hathaways, Spirit Riding Free) |
| December 8 | Tanner Buchanan | Actor (Designated Survivor, Cobra Kai) |
| December 16 | Kiara Muhammad | Voice actress (Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First) |
| December 17 | Jasmine Armfield | English actress (EastEnders) |
| December 22 | G Hannelius | Actress (Surviving Suburbia, Sonny with a Chance, Good Luck Charlie, Dog with a Blog) and singer |
| December 23 | Jackie Radinsky | Actor (Bella and the Bulldogs) |
| December 29 | Paris Berelc | Actress (Mighty Med, Lab Rats: Elite Force, Alexa & Katie) |
| December 31 | Hunter Schafer | Actress (Euphoria) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 4 | Mae Questel | 89 | Actress (voice of Olive Oyl in Popeye the Sailor) |
| January 5 | Sonny Bono | 62 | Singer and entertainer (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour) |
| January 21 | Jack Lord | 77 | Actor (Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O) |
| February 3 | Fat Pat | 27 | American rapper |
| February 6 | Carl Wilson | 51 | Singer-songwriter (The Beach Boys) and brother of Brian Wilson |
| February 19 | Grandpa Jones | 84 | Comedian and musician (Hee Haw) |
| February 23 | Philip Abbott | 74 | Actor (The F.B.I.) |
| March 10 | Lloyd Bridges | 85 | Actor (Mike Nelson on Sea Hunt) |
| April 17 | Linda McCartney | 56 | Musician (guest star on The Simpsons) (Paul McCartney's wife) |
| May 14 | Frank Sinatra | 82 | Singer, actor, and producer |
| May 28 | Phil Hartman | 49 | Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, NewsRadio) |
| May 29 | Barry Goldwater | 89 | Politician and Republican nominee for president in 1964 |
| July 6 | Roy Rogers | 86 | Singer and actor (The Roy Rogers Show) |
| July 21 | Robert Young | 91 | Actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.) |
| July 30 | Buffalo Bob Smith | 80 | Children's show host (Howdy Doody) |
| August 2 | Shari Lewis | 65 | Puppeteer (Lamb Chop's Play-Along) |
| September 23 | Mary Frann | 55 | Actress (Joanna on Newhart) |
| October 2 | Gene Autry | 91 | Musical performer (The Gene Autry Show) |
| October 3 | Roddy McDowall | 70 | Actor (Tales of the Gold Monkey) |
| November 17 | Dick O'Neill | 70 | Actor (Family Matters, Home Improvement) |
| November 17 | Esther Rolle | 78 | Actress (Florida on Maude and Good Times) |
| December 6 | Michael Zaslow | 56 | Actor (Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light) |
| December 14 | Norman Fell | 74 | Actor (Stanley Roper on Three's Company) |
| December 23 | Michelle Thomas | 30 | Actress (Myra on Family Matters, Justine on The Cosby Show) |
| December 25 | Richard Paul | 58 | Actor (Carter Country, Match Game) |