Television in 1983: When Five Channels Were Plenty
Saturday Morning TV in 1983
If you were a kid in 1983, Saturday mornings were something special. Long before streaming services and hundreds of channels, children across West Valley City would wake up early, pour a bowl of cereal, and turn on the television to watch their favorite cartoons.
At the time, most homes only received a handful of stations—Channels 2, 4, 5, 7, and 11—but that was plenty when Saturday morning rolled around.
The day sometimes started surprisingly early. Around 5:00 a.m., one station aired an old western B-movie called Return of the Lash starring Lash LaRue and Al “Fuzzy” St. John, while another carried the early broadcast of CNN Headline News.
But by 6:00 a.m., the cartoons began. Kids could watch favorites like The Flintstones, Super Friends, and Popeye.
As the morning continued, more classics appeared. Around 7:00 a.m., children tuned in for The Smurfs, while another channel aired Meatballs and Spaghetti.
By 7:30 a.m., many kids were glued to The Bugs Bunny and Road Runner Show, watching the endless antics of Bugs, Daffy, and Wile E. Coyote.
The lineup kept rolling through the morning. At 8:00 a.m., viewers could watch Scooby‑Doo and Scrappy‑Doo, followed by the Gary Coleman Show around 8:30.
By 9:00 a.m., the choices expanded even more. Kids could enjoy Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, and Fonzie cartoon hour, or watch another round of Bugs Bunny.
Later in the morning, more familiar favorites appeared, including The Jetsons, Gilligan's Planet, Flash Gordon, and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
By late morning, cartoons slowly gave way to other programming like American Bandstand, home improvement shows, gardening programs, and eventually sports—often college basketball games.
For many families, Saturday mornings meant pajamas, cereal, and a few precious hours of cartoons before the chores of the day began. It was a simple tradition, but one that many people still remember fondly today.
Sometimes the best childhood memories came from just a few TV channels, a comfortable couch, and a quiet Saturday morning.
After School Television in 1983
When the school bell rang in 1983, kids in West Valley City usually headed outdoors first. Bikes came out of garages, friends gathered in yards, and neighborhoods filled with the sounds of kids playing until the sun started to dip lower in the sky.
But eventually everyone wandered back inside for a snack and a little television.
Afternoons brought a different mix of programs than Saturday morning cartoons. Younger viewers might catch educational favorites like Sesame Street or Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, while cartoons such as Scooby-Doo, The Pink Panther Show, and Bugs Bunny often appeared in the lineup.
As the afternoon moved toward evening, the programming shifted to familiar sitcoms and family shows. Many households tuned in to reruns of Happy Days or Laverne & Shirley, while others enjoyed programs like The Waltons or All in the Family.
By early evening, television began transitioning to the nightly news and prime-time programming, signaling that the day of school, play, and afternoon shows was coming to an end.
For many families, those after-school hours were a comfortable routine—snacks on the table, backpacks set aside, and a few familiar shows playing in the background before the evening began.
