WKRP in Cincinnati
Season 1
22 listed hours · 1978–1982 · CBS
From the desk
How this season is filed
A Cincinnati station flips to rock and becomes a zoo of DJs, sales pirates, and management disasters — Howard Hesseman's Johnny Fever, Loni Anderson's Jennifer, turkeys away. Hugh Wilson workplace sitcom with a playlist, then syndication music-rights grief. Cult-to-classic radio comedy.
TV Flash files Season 1 of WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982) on CBS as the first listed season of 4 — 22 listed hours, 1978-09-18–1979-06-04 from “Pilot (1)” (S01E01) to “Preacher” (S01E22). Titles, dates, and synopses on file — no invented recaps.
Desk essentials in this season
- S01E01 Pilot (1)
Pilot (1) flips the Cincinnati station to rock. Hesseman's Johnny Fever, Anderson's Jennifer, management disaster already the weather: Hugh Wilson workplace sitcom with a playlist.
- S01E07 Turkeys Away
Turkeys Away is the watercooler hour the group chat still files. Promotional catastrophe as workplace liturgy: the zoo of DJs proving the station is funnier than the format change.
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S01E01 Pilot (1)
A new program director arrives at WKRP and pushes for a switch to rock 'n' roll.
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S01E02 Pilot (2)
While Andy tries to come up with a publicity stunt to advertise the format change, a group of elderly listeners invades the station protesting the removal of their favorite music.
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S01E03 Les on a Ledge
When an athlete accuses him of being gay, Les climbs out on the ledge of WKRP's building and threatens to jump.
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S01E04 Hoodlum Rock
Andy takes a lot of heat for arranging to sponsor a British punk rock group's concert.
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S01E05 Hold-Up
A stereo store is held up while Johnny is there doing a live remote broadcast.
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S01E06 Bailey's Show
In spite of Bailey's lack of experience, Andy lets her produce a public affairs program.
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S01E07 Turkeys Away
When Arthur feels threatened by Andy's success and useless in general, he decides to have a turkey giveaway on Thanksgiving with disastrous results.
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S01E08 Love Returns
Andy has to choose between love and work when his ex-girlfriend offers him the chance to go on the road with her.
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S01E09 Mama's Review
In a clip show, Andy and Mr. Carlson recount to Mama Carlson what has been happening at the station since it switched to a rock format. This episode was designed to reintroduce audiences to the show after the two-month hiatus.
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S01E10 A Date with Jennifer
When Les wins the coveted Silver Sow Award, he asks Jennifer to be his date for the banquet, and she says yes. A jealous Herb tries to get Mr. Carlson to institute a policy against employee dating.
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S01E11 The Contest Nobody Could Win
Johnny accidentally announces the prize in a promotional contest as $5,000 instead of the proposed $50.
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S01E12 Tornado
A tornado hits Cincinnati and catches the staff unprepared.
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S01E13 Goodbye, Johnny (1)
Johnny is offered a job in California at three times his present salary.
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S01E14 Johnny Comes Back (2)
Johnny returns and finds that his old job has already been filled.
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S01E15 Never Leave Me, Lucille
Herb anticipates a swinging bachelor life after separating from his wife.
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S01E16 I Want to Keep My Baby
A baby is left in a basket on the doorstep of the radio station.
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S01E17 A Commercial Break
The staff tries to create an appealing advertising campaign for a mortician.
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S01E18 Who is Gordon Sims?
Venus mysteriously refuses to let a photo of himself appear in a newspaper ad.
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S01E19 I Do, I Do... For Now
Jennifer's childhood sweetheart arrives to make her keep her vow to marry him.
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S01E20 Young Master Carlson
When Arthur Carlson Jr. is kicked out of military school, his grandmother decides he should learn the radio business.
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S01E21 Fish Story
On the day Carlson and Travis are being interviewed by a newspaper, everything around them goes wrong in the silliest way possible.
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S01E22 Preacher
A 300-pound wrestler-turned-preacher causes problems by selling fake religious artifacts on his Sunday morning broadcast.
More from the 1970s.