Did the 1987 series really start airing on Dec. 14, 1987?

[NickJ]

First let me just state that yes, I understand this probably seems ridiculous to most people. Who would care EXACTLY what date something aired like this? I'm just kind of interested in history and preservation, and saw something that seemed odd.

I've been doing a bit of research on the 1987 animated series and on this Wikipedia page (and others), it states that the first episode, Turtle Tracks, first aired on Monday, December 14, 1987, and there's a citation to this archived ninjaturtles.com webpage. Well, that citation states that the show originally aired on December 28, 1987. Uhh...ok...so is it the 14th or 28th?

So I started digging a little.

I have a subscription to the Detroit Free Press and am able to view old issues. Here's the TV listing for Monday, December 14, 1987. No Ninja Turtles. Here's Monday, December 28, 1987. It shows Ninja Turtles at 7:00 AM and 4:30 PM on WXON TV-20.

I also have a subscription to the New York Times and it's the same thing. Here's their TV Listings for Monday, December 14, 1987. No Ninja Turtles. Here's Monday, December 28, 1987. It shows Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at 9:00 AM on channel 9.

So where is Wikipedia getting December 14, 1987 from? Unless I'm missing something, I can't find any evidence that the show actually started airing on that date. It sounds to me like the show first started airing on December 28. I see that Wikipedia also cites the US Copyright Office, but that doesn't show December 14 either.