SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Day 16: WGA's Writers' Strike; RTN Adds Atlanta Station, RTN Honors Dick Wilson; Remembering Sigrid Valdis

It is now day 16 of the writers' strike. We are getting anxious to Monday when they go back to the negotiations table. With episodes running out of the current scripted shows, fans are sad and upset. But remember we have two current shows returning for second seasons this week. October Road returns this Thursday after Grey's Anatomy for a special preview timeslot before airing Mondays at 10 starting next Monday. Now since scripted programming will be a bit scarce and if you have never watched the show, then SOAPnet will give us a marathon of all six episodes plus this season's season premiere on Saturday from 12-7pm. Try to watch...it is good entertainment. Also, as we mentioned before, ABC will return Notes from the Underbelly also next Monday at 9:30pm. So we do have some scripted programming life! Even so, let's hope the strike can end next week.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will partner with COX Television to bring RTN programming to Atlanta, the nation's 8th largest television market. The new affiliate will launch on a digital stream of WSB-TV in January. WSB-TV is COX Television's flagship station that serves as the ABC affiliate in Atlanta. The station, which is the oldest television station in Georgia, began broadcasting in 1948 and is one of the premier ABC affiliates in the nation.
Viewers in Atlanta will soon enjoy RTN's 'Primetime All The Time' line-up, including Matlock, Hawaii 5-0, Magnum P.I., Mission: Impossible, Love American Style, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Love, American Style.
Yesterday we gave you the sad news that Dick Wilson had passed away. Today, RTN honored the passing of "Mr. Whipple" in a retromercial. We have gotten the clip from RTN and will share it with you. So here is a taste of RTN, if you don't have a RTN station yet. Click HERE to see RTN's retromercial of Dick "Mr. Whipple" Wilson.

Sigrid Valdis, who played Col. Klink's sexy blond secretary on Hogan's Heroes and married the show's star, Bob Crane, has died. Valdis died of lung cancer Oct. 14 at her daughter Ana Sarmiento's home in Anaheim, but was just recently announced. Valdis played Hilda for five seasons on Hogan's Heroes, the 1965-71 CBS situation comedy about Allied prisoners in a World War II German POW camp. She and Crane were married on the TV show's set in 1970. Crane was found bludgeoned to death in a Scottsdale, Ariz., apartment in 1978. You can catch Hogan's Heroes on TV Land starting next June. She didn't have many other credits, but she did guest star on Wild Wild West and Kraft Suspense Theatre. Ms. Valdis will be missed by her fans. She was 72.