Appointment Television

Back in the late paleolithic, when I was a kid, you watched TV when the TV stations told you to. The Beloved Specials - Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Frosty, etc - were on once a year. They played on the network's schedule, not yours.

You knew exactly what night they were on, and when they started (generally 8 PM, 7 Central). You made sure you were done with dinner and homework and were plopped down on the couch at the appointed moment.

And if for some reason you were out of the room, CBS would give you a final audible warning that the Annual Viewing was about to commence - whether you were ready or not:

Yup. That's how it was.