TV SERIES

Weekend

Weekend was a television newsmagazine that ran on NBC from 1974 to 1979. It was originally aired once monthly on Saturday nights from 11:30 P.M. to 1 A.M. Eastern time, the same time slot as Saturday repeats of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during its first season, then to replace Saturday Night Live, once a month on those weekends when the SNL cast was not producing a show. The program was awarded a George Foster Peabody medal in 1975 and attracted a cult following. The program was hosted by Lloyd Dobyns, who also did much of the reporting. The show's creator and executive producer was past president of NBC News, Reuven Frank. Together, Dobyns and Frank were largely responsible for the distinctive writing and quirky style of the program. In 1978, after four years of critical success and moderately good ratings for that hour, NBC moved Weekend to prime time. After airing once a month in various time slots in September, October, and November, the network placed the program weekly on Saturday nights at 10 P.M. Eastern time starting in December of 1978. Linda Ellerbee was added as Dobyns' co-host and co-lead reporter. Placed against strong programs on ABC and CBS, the show eventually died of poor ratings. A few years later, Ellerbee and Dobyns reunited to anchor another late-night NBC news program, NBC News Overnight.