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The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2002. Events listed include television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.
KRON-TV/San Francisco ends its affiliation with NBC after 52 years and becomes an independent station after Young Broadcasting, which purchased the station for $823 million in November 1999 from the deYoung family (who also sold the San Francisco Chronicle to the Hearst Corporation), refuses to agree to demands made by NBC to manage KRON under the conventions of a network-owned station (which included rebranding from "KRON 4" to "NBC 4", and airing the entire network schedule in pattern with pre-emptions reduced to those necessitated due to extended breaking news coverage). San Jose-based WB affiliate KNTV (which served as the ABC affiliate for the South Bay from 1960 until 2000, when it agreed to disaffiliate at the request of the Bay Area's primary ABC station, O&O KGO-TV) assumes the NBC affiliation and soon afterward is sold to the network by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, whose remaining Bay Area station, KBWB-TV (now independent station KOFY-TV), consequently became the market's sole WB affiliate.
5
Soul Train airs its 1000th episode.
14
TeleFutura, Univision's second Spanish-language channel was launched.
17
The Price Is Right tapes its 30th Anniversary Special broadcast in Las Vegas, and it was broadcast by CBS January 31.
19
After being out of production for over a year, NickelodeonrelaunchesAll That with an entirely brand new cast. This particular incarnation would last for four seasons.
Pat Summerall calls his 26th and final Super Bowl overall for television and radio. This was also the eighth final Super Bowl telecast (and final NFL telecast of any kind) to be called by Summerall and John Madden. The duo called five for CBS and three for Fox. The New England Patriots win their first championship ever against the St. Louis Rams, leading a start of their dynasty.
6
TheElmo's World episode "Sleep" premiered on PBS during Season 33 of Sesame Street.
8
The opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics are televised by NBC.
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, WNBC in New York City revives the We're 4 New York campaign.
13
The UPN series Special Unit 2 airs its 19th and final episode. One of the guest stars in this episode was a then-19-year old Canadian actress by the name of Cobie Smulders, who would go on to star in the CBS series How I Met Your Mother with Josh Radnor and Jason Segel3 years later. (ironically enough, both UPN and CBS were Viacom properties at that time).
14
CBS buys KCAL (channel 9) in Los Angeles, California from Young Broadcasting for $650 million, making it a sister station to KCBS channel 2.
The final Family Guy episode airs after Fox announces its cancellation (however, record DVD sales and high ratings in syndication convince Fox to bring it back in 2005).
18-22
Wheel of Fortune introduces $30,000-$50,000 (in increments of $5,000) on the Bonus Round as part of the Big Money theme week. These envelopes were made permanent in gameplay starting on the next season on September 2 until Season 31. From season 32 onwards, cash envelopes of $1,000 multiplied by the season number was introduced (in place next higher cash envelope was removed).
March[]
Date
Event
1
Sesame Street broadcasts its 4,000th episode.
10
CBS broadcasts its first commercial-free 9/11documentary TV movie, about the Sept 11 attacks. It is aired without edits to content or language.
25
The first WWF draft lottery is broadcast live on the show Raw, causing a split between the two brands Raw and SmackDown.
April[]
Date
Event
1
The N, a digital cable and satellite channel intended for teenagers, is launched, sharing the channel frequency of Noggin.
15
The 63rd and final episode of Once and Again is broadcast by ABC. This would mark Evan Rachel Wood's last appearance as a main cast member on a TV series until Westworld premieres on HBO in 2016.
17
The ABC soap opera General Hospital broadcasts its milestone 10,000th episode.
19
Tribune Broadcasting buys WB affiliate WTTV (channel 4) in Bloomington, Indiana and its translator WTTK (channel 29) in Kokomo, Indiana from Sinclair for $125 million.
22
The Discovery Science Channel becomes the first Discovery Networks-owned cable network to drop the Discovery branding from its name, rebranding as the Science Channel.
Jeopardy! hosted a Million Dollar Masters Tournament held at Radio City Music Hall in commemoration of host Alex Trebek's 4,000th episode. Brad Rutter won the tournament aired May 14 and the $1,000,000 grand prize. The day after the finals, Jeopardy! celebrates the airing of Trebek's 4,000th episode in syndication.[1]
1
Nicktoons TV (renamed Nicktoons in 2003, then in 2009) launches in the United States.
All of the MTV themed channels begin broadcasting on digital cable services as well as the VH1 affiliated network, VH1 Country (now known as CMT Pure Country).
6
One Life to Live broadcasts a full week of episodes broadcast live from the ABC New York studios.
The first Monday Night Raw episode under the World Wrestling Entertainment name is broadcast after following a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund for the initials "WWF".
12
CNN Sports Illustrated (known as CNN/SI) ceases operations.
The X-Files' two-hour series finale is broadcast on Fox.
In CBS, Vecepia Towery was named the Sole Survivor in Survivor: Marquesas. That episode was also panned with criticism over the infamous tiebreaker dubbed "Purple Rock" leading to the elimination of frontrunner Paschal English. As of today, this is the last reunion special hosted by someone other than the host Jeff Probst, Rosie O'Donnell hosted the special.
The very first HD cable channel, Discovery HD Theater (now known as Motor Trend), begins broadcasting.
The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Chocolate with Nuts", airs on Nickelodeon.
3
Sailor Moon returns to Cartoon Network after a one-year hiatus, airing at 3:30pm EST/PST. That same day Cartoon Network also premieres Hamtaro.
7
Kim Possible has its first three episodes broadcast by Disney Channel.
12
NBC broadcasts its lastNBA game after 12 years with the league.
16
The Dead Zone premieres on USA Network, with the highest ratings of a cable series debut in history.
18
FX broadcasts a "lost episode" of Married...with Children entitled "I'll See You in Court". Produced during the show's third season (1988–89), the episode was pulled from Fox's schedule due conflicts between the show's producers and the network over its content.
ABC broadcasts a three-hour primetime news special, entitled In Search of America: Celebration.
5
After seven years on the air Cartoon Network pulls the plug on the popular anime series Sailor Moon.
13
Fox News Channel overtakes CNN as the #1-rated news channel.
15
After negotiations concerning a new affiliation agreement with CBS fail, WJXT (channel 4) in Jacksonville, Florida becomes an independent station on this date, with former UPN affiliate WTEV-TV (channel 47) assuming the market's CBS affiliation. This also results in an affiliation change in nearby Gainesville (where WJXT had long been the market's default CBS affiliate), as WB/UPN affiliate WGFL joins CBS (giving the Gainesville market its first-ever CBS affiliate).[2]
August[]
Date
Event
21
Fine Living Network debuted.
September[]
Date
Event
1
Clear Channel reverts the KMOL-TV branding in San Antonio back to the WOAI-TV branding, since Clear Channel traded WFTC to Fox in return for two network-based affiliates originally by Chris Craft, KTVX, and KMOL.
2
Disney Channel stops broadcasting its afternoon and late night programming blocks "Zoog Disney" and "Vault Disney".
In Portland, Oregon, the Meredith Corporation's duopoly of UPN affiliate KPTV and Fox affiliate KPDX (which Fox had sold to Meredith on June 17 in exchange for WOFL in Orlando, Florida and its semi-satellite in Gainesville, WOGX) swap affiliations.
KPSP-LP in Palm Springs, California signs-on the air, giving the Coachella Valley its first-ever CBS affiliate.
Wheel of Fortune introduced a round, entitled Mystery Round, in which contestants are offered a $500 cash buyout per consonant to risk their current winnings for a bigger prize (a car or $10,000). The cash buyout was raised to $1,000 starting Season 22.
4
Kelly Clarkson wins the first season of Fox's reality series American Idol.
The Price Is Right celebrates its 30th anniversary.
6
The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Graveyard Shift", airs on Nickelodeon.
8
In Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, FoxO&OWFTC swaps affiliations with sister station and UPN affiliate KMSP-TV, due to Fox's desire to place their programming on a stronger station (in addition to being on VHF, KMSP-TV has higher ratings, a stronger signal, and a well-established news department).[3]
7
The Fox Network's Fox Kids block (which had been on the air since 1990) airs for the final time. It was replaced the following week (on September 14) by the 4Kids-programmed FoxBox.[4]
14
Major upheavals take place on Saturday mornings, as the four major networks change their programming on this day. Fox, having sold Fox Kids Worldwide to The Walt Disney Company the previous year, ends Fox Kids and sells its airtime to 4Kids Entertainment, who begin programming a new children's programming block as the Fox Box. Disney, meanwhile, having acquired the Fox Kids brand, ends Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and renamed ABC Kids. CBS, whose then-corporate sibling Nickelodeon programs its lineup, rebrands its Nick Jr. on CBS block as Nick on CBS and refocuses it on children 2–11 years old, while NBC signs a contract with Discovery Networks to air a programming strand called Discovery Kids on NBC (a spinoff of a former digital cable channel Discovery Kids), which replaces the teen-oriented block TNBC.[4][5]
Cartoon Network shows Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie again; this is the last time Sailor Moon was featured in the United States, until 2009.
17
Release date of Kelly Clarkson's debut single, the double-A side CD "A Moment Like This"/"Before Your Love".
20
The SpongeBob SquarePants episodes "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" air on Nickelodeon.
Lisa Donahue is the winner of CBS's contest Big Brother 3 and wins the $500,000 prize; runner-up Danielle Reyes wins $50,000.
30
American Movie Classics is revamped to become a commercial general movie channel.
The ill-fated All News Channel ceases broadcasting.
October[]
Date
Event
1
Cartoon Network celebrates its 10th anniversary.
7
Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney unveil their new logo and graphics. Toon Disney also launches their new graphics, but still keeps their same logo.
14
Nickelodeon debuts its weekly programming variety block U-Pick Live.
15
The PBS children animated series Arthur airs its 100th episode: Elwood City Turns 100!
17
Four television stations debut in Guam carrying programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network: K28HS, K30HB, K32GB, and K36GJ. All four stations will become translators of NBC affiliate KUAM-TV in 2007.
25
CBS News weatherman Mark McEwen leaves after 15 years.
27
Game 7 of the World Series is broadcast on Fox. The Anaheim Angels win their first championship by defeating the San Francisco Giants.
30
Warren Zevon is featured on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour, performing several songs and talking about being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.
Longtime cast member Hunter Tylo's character, Dr. Taylor Hamilton Forrester, is killed in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which is seen worldwide.
^"Jeopardy!'streak". Associated Press. Brad Rutter of Lancaster, Penn., earned a total of $1,155,102 after winning a Million Dollar Masters Tournament.