Rural purge

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The "Rural Purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations of still-popular rural-themed or senior citizen-skewing shows, instigated by CBS executive Fred Silverman in 1971, following research highlighting the greater attraction to advertisers of the more affluent younger urban viewer demographic and the institution of the Federal Communications Commission's Prime Time Access Rule, which lead to the loss of a half-hour of network programming each night.

Silverman, disturbed by CBS's reputation as the "Country Broadcasting System," decided not to renew a number of long-running and short-lived shows: The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, Hee Haw, The Jim Nabors Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, Family Affair, and Hogan's Heroes were all cancelled. The Jackie Gleason Show and Petticoat Junction had been cancelled in 1970 due to sagging ratings, while The Red Skelton Show was canceled in 1970 for disputed reasons. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. left the air in 1969 when star Jim Nabors decided to end production (episodes from the 1968-69 season were rerun by CBS in the summer of 1970, leading most reference works to show 1970 as the end date for the series). Pat Buttram, who played "Mr. Haney" on Green Acres, said at the time, "It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it."^[1]

When CBS axed Hee Haw in 1971, it immediately went into first run syndication, and ran for another twenty-one and a half years, ending in 1993.

Silverman replaced much of the canceled programming in 1971 and 1972 with such urban-oriented, "relevant" fare as All in the Family (and its many spinoffs), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which had premiered in September 1970), The Bob Newhart Show and M*A*S*H.

Many reference books and websites claim that the canceled shows were still enormously popular when they were axed in 1971; however, Nielsen ratings for the 1970-71 season show that most had actually fallen out of the Top 30 (though Mayberry RFD was still at a respectable #15).^{[citation needed]}

ABC was also looking for younger demographics, and in May 1971 canceled the long-running The Lawrence Welk Show which, like Hee-Haw, transitioned to first-run syndication where it ran until 1982. While younger audiences are favored by advertising agencies for their impulsive buying, syndicators are now less apt to write off older demographics, as they tend to have more money, and are usually less fickle/more loyal in the long run (see Too Close for Comfort, and Mama's Family, both syndicated after network cancellation).