Pennsylvania

Doctor Who made its US debut in this state in 1972. It aired in these cities, on these channels:

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 21 August 1972

WPHL

Channel 17 (Independent)

• 21 August 1972: Doctor Who made its television DEBUT in the United States on 21 August 1972 on this independent channel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This was only two months after the completion of season nine in the UK (with part six of The Time Monster on 24 June 1972), which suggests that the offer, sale and conversion to NTSC of the 13 Jon Pertwee stories sold to the US market was finalised much earlier in the year.

• WPHL did not purchase the full package, instead only taking the first nine stories (50 episodes), up to and including Day of the Daleks. Some of the stories were repeated. (WPHL's decision to take only part of the package might have been down to them simply wanting to only purchase 50 episodes, which played weekly allowed for a full years worth of screenings, although they ultimately aired the episodes on a daily basis.)

Philadelphia Inquirer billing, 21 August 1972	Philadelphia Inquirer billing, Dr Who (Premiere), 21 August 1972
Philadelphia Inquirer billing	Philadelphia Inquirer billing, TV Highlights, 21 August 1972

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WHYY Logo

Tom Baker premieres, June 15, 1979

Incorrect listing for Robot episode 2, June 22, 1979 (this synopsis appears to be for The Ambassadors of Death!)

WHYY

Channel 12 (PBS)

• 15 June 1979: The Tom Baker stories commence, Friday nights, 10:30pm. This run ends 10 August.
• 16 July 1979: A second airing is added, weeknights at 7pm. Poor planning leads to the different episodes of the same story airing twice on the same night.
• 1 October 1979: The weeknight airings move to 5:30.
• 12 November 1979: The weeknight airings move to 6:30.
• 26 January 1980: The series switches from weeknights to Saturday omnibus airings.
• 4 December 1982: The series had screened regularly on channel 12 for three years but was suddenly dropped, with Logopolis, featuring the "death" of the Doctor...
• Channel 12 cited the reasons for dropping the series was because it had insufficient funds to purchase the show. Fans raised and donated $32,000 to assist the station.

• 11 March 1983: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that:

Partly because of a flood of cards, letters and calls, "Dr. Who" will live again on Channel 12.

Tomorrow at 6:15 p.m. the public TV station will air a 90-minute "Dr. Who Challenge" that will feature the last show of the series that ended with Who's apparent death and the first installment of a new series in which he is resurrected as a new character. It will not be the same Who, however. Tom Baker has been replaced in the title role by Peter Davison.

Channel 12 is negotiating for broadcasting rights to the new series, as well as two old ones, which will cost a reported $50,000. Mike Quattrone, the station's program consultant, said many fans were upset when the British sci-fi series went off the air last year.

• 4 July 1983: Following the protests from viewers and Channel 12's promise to bring back the series (see above), Doctor Who finally returns (Monday through Saturday), starting with the Peter Davison stories.
• 9 August 1983: The Jon Pertwee stories begin.
• 23 November 1983: The Five Doctors airs.
• 7 May 1984: The weeknight airings move to 7:30pm, Monday-Thursday. The Saturday airings continue at 4:00pm.
• 11 January 1985: The weeknight airings are abandoned in favor of a complete story every Friday night at 11:30, possibly to piggy-back off WLVT's 11pm airings.
• 1 March 1985: The Jon Pertwee stories air again, but only episodes from the 1983 package.
• 1 June 1985: Back to Tom Baker.
• 7 September 1985: The Saturday airings move to 3:30.
• 25 October 1985: The William Hartnell era begins with The Daleks.
• Spring 1986: The Jon Pertwee stories air.
• 6 February 1987: Back to Tom Baker.
• 16 October 1987: Destiny of the Daleks airs at 11.30pm. (See image below...)
• 15 January 1988: The Friday night episodes move to midnight, although many airings are moved to later in the evening.
• 9 April 1988: The Saturday airings move to 3:00.
• 17 June 1988: The Colin Baker stories premiere.
• 7 October 1988: An Unearthly Child and the rest of the William Hartnell stories air.
• 28 April 1989: The Patrick Troughton stories air.
• 16 June 1989: The Jon Pertwee stories air.
• 8 July 1989: The Saturday afternoon broadcasts move to 10am.
• 30 December 1989: The series ends.

Media

• PROMOS / PLEDGES: 1982 promos
• INTERVIEWS: Ian Marter

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Scranton / Wilkes Barre

WVIA

Variety, 16 August 1978

WVIA was one of the first stations to purchase the Tom Baker stories

Channel 44 (PBS)

• 6 July 1977: Began screening the Jon Pertwee stories.
• 1978: Begins airing the Tom Baker stories.
• 23 November 1983: The Five Doctors airs.
• 1987: The 24 repackaged Jon Pertwee stories airs, with a repeat in late 1988.

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WNEP

Channel 16 (ABC)

• 24 December 1986: Both Peter Cushing Dalek movies aired on Christmas Eve.

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Pittsburgh

WPTT

Variety, 16 August 1978

WPTT was one of the first stations to purchase the Tom Baker stories

Channel 22 (PBS)

• In the 16 August 1978 issue of Variety magazine (see United States--1978), "PITTSBURGH" is named as one of 17 cities to have bought the series. WPTT is therefore one of the very first US stations to screen the Tom Baker stories. (The station itself first went to air on 26 or 29 September 1978; Doctor Who would have aired some time after that date.)

• 1987: Screened the 24 repackaged Jon Pertwee stories.

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WQEX

Channel 16 (PBS)

• 1987: Screened the 17 repackaged William Hartnell stories.

• 1987: Screened the 24 repackaged Jon Pertwee stories.

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Clearfield

WPSX

Channel 3 (PBS)

• 23 November 1983: The Five Doctors airs.
• 2 January 1986: Began airing the 24 repackaged Jon Pertwee stories.

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Lehigh Valley

Double listing for WLVT Channel 39 for "The Claw of Axos" for 16 October 1987. Note also WPHL Channel 12 listing for "Destiny of the Daleks" omnibus

WLVT

Channel 39 (PBS)

• 1 October 1984: The Tom Baker stories begin, weekdays at 6pm with a midnight repeat.
• 5 November 1984: The two airings are combined into one, at 11pm.
• 1 December 1984: A Saturday noon airing is added.
• 30 May 1985: The Peter Davison stories begin.
• 15 June 1985: The Saturday broadcasts end.
• September 1985: The repackaged Jon Pertwee stories begin.
• 6 March 1986: Tom Baker returns.
• 3 November 1986: Peter Davison returns.
• April 1987: The William Hartnell stories premiere.
• August 1987: Back to Jon Pertwee. (See image)
• 16 February 1988: Back to Tom Baker.
• 13 October 1988: Peter Davison returns.
• January 1989: Colin Baker premieres.
• 7 March 1989: The series ends suddenly, on a Tuesday.

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Harrisburg / Hershey

WITF

Channel 33 (PBS)

• 1980: According to Starlog magazine (issue 39, cover date October 1980), WITE (sic) in Hershey, PA, was one of the latest stations to buy the series.
• 1988: Screened the 24 repackaged Jon Pertwee stories.

• 1992: WIFT rests the series (replacing it with "Survivors"), resulting in a letter-writing campaign to get the series reinstated.