1949 in American television

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is a list of American television-related events in 1949.

Events

Date Event Ref.
January 11 All four American television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont) broadcast a two-hour special celebrating the linking of the eastern and mid-western networks via a coaxial cable.
January 31 The annual
Los Angeles
.
May Milton Berle hosts the first-ever telethon, which lasted 24 hours, to benefit the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund.
August 29 The development of RCA's compatible color television system was announced.
September The
primetime
programming schedule on Sunday nights.
The 1949-50 television season marks the first time all four networks offered at least some prime time programming on all seven nights of the week.
December 29 KC2XAK in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the first-ever experimental UHF television station to operate a daily schedule, begins operation.
Unknown The
Sears and Roebuck catalog offers television sets by mail order
for the first time.

Television programs

Debuts

Date Debut Network
January 3 NBC Presents NBC
January 6 Suspense CBS
January 12 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends CBS
January 17[1][2] Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room DuMont Television Network
January 18 The School House DuMont Television Network
January 21 Your Show Time NBC
January 28 Admiral Broadway Revue
NBC/DuMont
January 31[3] These Are My Children NBC
February 21[4] A Woman to Remember DuMont Television Network
February 28 Time for Beany Paramount Television Network
March 1 Believe It or Not! NBC
April 5 Fireside Theatre NBC
April 17 The Fred Waring Show CBS
May 5[5] Blind Date ABC
May 5 Crusade in Europe ABC
June 4 Cavalcade of Stars DuMont Television Network
June 27[6] Captain Video and His Video Rangers DuMont Television Network
June 28[7] Fireball Fun for All NBC
July 1[8] Mama CBS
July 18 The Magic Cottage DuMont Television Network
August 24 Hands of Murder DuMont Television Network
September Jim and Judy in Teleland First-run Syndication
September 1 Martin Kane, Private Eye NBC
September 11 The Magic Clown NBC
September 15[9] The Lone Ranger ABC
September 16 The Big Story NBC
September 17 Wrestling from Marigold DuMont Television Network
September 21 Starring Boris Karloff ABC
September 22 The Ed Wynn Show CBS
October Music & the Spoken Word First-run Syndication
October 2 The Aldrich Family NBC
October 4[10] The Life of Riley NBC
October 7 Man Against Crime CBS
October 12[11] The Plainclothesman DuMont Television Network
October 23 The Ruggles ABC
November The Herb Shriner Show CBS
November 2 Twenty Questions WWOR-TV
November 4[12] One Man's Family NBC
December 1[13] Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge NBC
December 14 Easy Aces Dumont Television Network
January TV Department Store Dumont Television Network
January 12 Photographic Horizons Dumont Television Network
January 17 Manhattan Spotlight Dumont Television Network
January 17 Café de Paris Dumont Television Network
January 17 Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room Dumont Television Network
January 20 Hotel Broadway Dumont Television Network
January 27 Window on the World Dumont Television Network
July 13 Talent Jackpot Dumont Television Network
July 4 Broadway to Hollywood Dumont Television Network
July 7 They're Off Dumont Television Network
June 22 Program Playhouse Dumont Television Network
June 4 Spin the Picture Dumont Television Network
March Feature Theatre Dumont Television Network
March 10 Flight to Rhythm Dumont Television Network
March 15 And Everything Nice Dumont Television Network
March 25 Front Row Center Dumont Television Network
March 7 Teen Time Tunes Dumont Television Network
March 7 The Vincent Lopez Show Dumont Television Network
October 12 Famous Jury Trials Dumont Television Network
October 7 Fishing and Hunting Club Dumont Television Network
September Amateur Boxing Fight Club Dumont Television Network
September Boxing From Sunnyside Gardens Dumont Television Network
September Cinema Varieties Dumont Television Network
September 11 They Stand Accused Dumont Television Network
September 17 Wrestling From Marigold Dumont Television Network
September 2 The Al Morgan Show Dumont Television Network
September 6 The O'Neills Dumont Television Network
September 9 The Family Genius Dumont Television Network
Wrestling From Sunnyside Gardens Dumont Television Network
Mystery Theater Dumont Television Network

Changes of network affiliation

Show Moved from Moved to
Candid Camera ABC NBC
Bowling Headliners ABC Dumont
The Wendy Barrie Show ABC Dumont
The Morey Amsterdam Show CBS Dumont
The Armed Forces Hour NBC Dumont
The Ted Steele Show NBC Dumont
Okay, Mother WABD Dumont

Ending this year

Date Show Network Debut Notes
January 10 Champagne and Orchids DuMont September 6, 1948
May 26 The Adventures of Oky Doky November 4, 1948
June 23 King Cole's Birthday Party May 15, 1947
Charade Quiz November 27, 1947
July 4 Americana NBC December 8, 1947
Doorway to Fame DuMont May 2, 1947
July 23 Television Screen Magazine NBC November 17, 1946
Unknown date Musical Merry-Go-Round NBC July 25, 1947
Amanda DuMont November 1, 1948
Missus Goes a Shopping CBS November 19, 1947

Television stations

Station launches

Date
Market
Station[14] Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref.
January 1
Houston, Texas
KLEE-TV 2 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
Los Angeles, California KTTV 11 CBS Now a FOX affiliate since 1986
January 11
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
WDTV 3
(now 2)
DuMont (primary)
NBC/ABC (secondary)
Eventually became CBS affiliate KDKA, now a CBS O&O station branded as CBS Pittsburgh
January 16 Los Angeles, California KNBH 4 NBC
Washington, D.C. WOIC 9 CBS
February 23 Dayton, Ohio WHIO-TV 7 CBS (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
March 8
Atlanta, Georgia
WAGA-TV 5 CBS
March 15 Dayton, Ohio WLWD 5 (now 2) NBC (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
Erie, Pennsylvania WICU-TV 12 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
March 18 Lancaster/Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
WGAL
8 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
March 21
Miami, Florida
WTVJ 4 CBS Now an NBC affiliate on channel 6
March 25 Wilmington, Delaware WVUE 12 NBC (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
First licensed television station in Delaware
April 3 Columbus, Ohio WLWC 4 NBC
April 4
Cincinnati, Ohio
WKRC-TV 11
(now 12)
CBS
May 5
San Francisco, California
KGO-TV 7 ABC
May 18
San Diego, California
KFMB-TV 8 CBS (primary)
NBC/DuMont (secondary)
May 29 Birmingham, Alabama
WAFM-TV
13 CBS
May 30
Indianapolis, Indiana
WFBM-TV 6 CBS (primary)
Paramount/DuMont (secondary)
June 1
Salt Lake City, Utah
KSL-TV 5 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
June 6
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
WKY-TV 4 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
June 11 Rochester, New York WHAM-TV 8 NBC (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
July 1 Birmingham, Alabama
WBRC-TV
4 (moved to 6 in 1953) NBC
Minneapolis, Minnesota
WTCN-TV 4 CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
July 10 Providence, Rhode Island WJAR 11 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
July 15 Charlotte, North Carolina WBTV 3 CBS (primary)
NBC/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
July 26 Cincinnati, Ohio WCPO-TV 7
(now 9)
ABC
August 15 Grand Rapids, Michigan WLAV-TV 8 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
August 29 Omaha, Nebraska
WOW-TV
6 CBS
September 1 Lincoln, Nebraska KMTV 3 NBC
September 15 Jacksonville, Florida WMBR-TV 4 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC (secondary)
Johnstown/Altoona, Pennsylvania WJAC-TV 13
(now 6)
NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
September 16 Los Angeles, California KECA-TV 7 ABC
September 17
Dallas, Texas
KBTV 8 DuMont
September 22 Greensboro, North Carolina WFMY-TV 2 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary)
September 29 Columbus, Ohio WTVN-TV 6 DuMont (primary)
ABC (secondary)
September 30
Indianapolis, Indiana
WFBM-TV 6 CBS (primary)
DuMont/Paramount (secondary)
October 5 Columbus, Ohio WBNS-TV 10 CBS
October 11 Secaucus, New Jersey/New York City, New York WOR-TV 9 Independent
October 16 Kansas City, MO/KS WDAF-TV 4 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
October 29 Tulsa, Oklahoma KOTV 6 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont/NBC/Paramount (secondary)
October 31
Bettendorf, IA/Moline/Rock Island, IL
)
WOC-TV 5
(now 6)
NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
November 11 Bloomington/Indianapolis, Indiana WTTV 10
(now 4)
NBC (primary)
ABC/DuMont (Secondary)
November 15 Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia
(Ashland, Kentucky)
WSAZ-TV 5
(now 3)
NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (Secondary)
San Francisco, California KRON-TV 4 NBC
December 1 Binghamton, New York WNBF-TV 12 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary)
Utica, New York WKTV 2 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
December 3
Dallas, Texas
KRLD-TV 4 CBS
December 4 Phoenix, Arizona
KPHO
5 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary)
December 11
San Antonio, Texas
WOAI-TV 4 NBC (primary)
CBS/DuMont/ABC (secondary)
December 19
Cleveland, Ohio
WXEL
9 (now 8) DuMont (primary)
ABC (secondary)
December 29 Bridgeport, Connecticut KC2XAK 24 NBC World's first-ever UHF experimental station, serving as a rebroadcaster of WNBT from New York City

Network affiliation changes

Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref.
January Buffalo, New York WBEN-TV 4 NBC (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary)
Retains secondary NBC affiliation until 1954, and secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations until 1956

Births

Deaths

References

External links