1949 in American television

List of years in American television:
1948–49 United States network television schedule
1949–50 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

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 Emmy Awards were presented and broadcast on television for the first time ever, from 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 ABC Television Network becomes the first television network to offer a four-hour 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 TV Department Store DuMont
January 3 Colgate Theatre NBC
NBC Presents
January 6 Suspense CBS
January 12 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends CBS
January 12 Photographic Horizons DuMont
January 16 ABC Television Players ABC
January 17 Café de Paris DuMont
January 17[1][2] Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room DuMont
January 17 Manhattan Spotlight DuMont
January 18 The School House DuMont
January 20 Hotel Broadway DuMont
January 21 Your Show Time NBC
January 27 Window on the World DuMont
January 28 Admiral Broadway Revue NBC/DuMont
January 31[3] These Are My Children NBC
February 16[4] Camel News Caravan NBC
February 21 ABC Barn Dance ABC
February 21[5] A Woman to Remember DuMont
February 28 Time for Beany Paramount Television Network
March 1 Believe It or Not! NBC
March 7 Teen Time Tunes DuMont
March 7 The Vincent Lopez Show DuMont
March Feature Theatre DuMont
March 10 Flight to Rhythm DuMont
March 15 And Everything Nice DuMont
March 25 Front Row Center DuMont
March 26 Think Fast ABC
April 5 Fireside Theatre NBC
April 17 The Fred Waring Show CBS
May 5[6] Blind Date ABC
May 5 Crusade in Europe ABC
May 8 Wesley CBS
June 4 Cavalcade of Stars DuMont
June 4 Spin the Picture DuMont
June 22 Program Playhouse DuMont
June 27[7] Captain Video and His Video Rangers DuMont
Time for Reflection DuMont
June 28[8] Fireball Fun for All NBC
July 1[9] Mama CBS
July 4 Broadway to Hollywood DuMont
July 7 They're Off DuMont
July 13 Talent Jackpot DuMont
July 18 The Magic Cottage DuMont
August 24 Hands of Murder DuMont
August 29 Versatile Varieties NBC
September Amateur Boxing Fight Club DuMont
September Boxing From Sunnyside Gardens DuMont
September Cinema Varieties DuMont
September Jim and Judy in Teleland First-run Syndication
September 1 Martin Kane, Private Eye NBC
September 2 The Al Morgan Show DuMont
September 6 The O'Neills DuMont
September 9 The Family Genius DuMont
Wrestling from Sunnyside Gardens DuMont
Mystery Theater DuMont
September 11 The Magic Clown NBC
September 11 Chicagoland Mystery Players DuMont
September 11 They Stand Accused DuMont
September 13 Uptown Jubilee DuMont
September 15[10] The Lone Ranger ABC
September 16 The Big Story NBC
September 17 Wrestling from Marigold DuMont
September 21 Starring Boris Karloff ABC
September 22 The Ed Wynn Show CBS
September 23 Oboler Comedy Theater ABC
September 28 Photocrime ABC
October Music & the Spoken Word First-run Syndication
October 2 The Aldrich Family NBC
October 4[11] The Life of Riley NBC
October 5 The Crisis NBC
October 7 Fishing and Hunting Club DuMont
October 7 Man Against Crime CBS
October 12 Famous Jury Trials DuMont
October 12[12] The Plainclothesman DuMont
October 16 Let There Be Stars ABC
October 23 The Ruggles ABC
November The Herb Shriner Show CBS
November 2 Twenty Questions WWOR-TV
November 3 Romance CBS
November 4[13] One Man's Family NBC
December 1[14] Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge NBC
December 14 Easy Aces DuMont

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
January 14 Tales of the Red Caboose DuMont October 29, 1948
March 4 Café de Paris DuMont January 17, 1949
March 4 These Are My Children NBC January 31, 1949
March 5 Quizzing the News ABC August 11, 1948
March 7 Photographic Horizons DuMont January 12, 1949
March 17 Hotel Broadway DuMont January 20, 1949
April 14 Window on the World DuMont January 27, 1949
April 19 The School House DuMont January 18, 1949
April 22 Stop Me If You've Heard This One NBC March 4, 1948
May 24 Places Please CBS August 16, 1948
May 26 The Adventures of Oky Doky DuMont November 4, 1948
June 3 Admiral Broadway Revue NBC/DuMont January 28, 1949
June 23 King Cole's Birthday Party DuMont May 15, 1947
Charade Quiz DuMont November 27, 1947
July 4 Americana NBC December 8, 1947
Doorway to Fame DuMont May 2, 1947
July 5 Teen Time Tunes DuMont March 7, 1949
July 15 A Woman to Remember DuMont February 21, 1949
July 15 Your Show Time NBC January 21, 1949
July 23 Television Screen Magazine NBC November 17, 1946
August 3 The Growing Paynes DuMont October 20, 1948
August 23 Talent Jackpot DuMont July 13, 1949
August 27 Stand By for Crime ABC January 11, 1949
August 30 Wesley CBS May 8, 1949
September 10 For Your Pleasure NBC April 15, 1948
September 12 Academy Theatre NBC July 25, 1949
September 14 Program Playhouse DuMont June 22, 1949
September 22 Flight to Rhythm DuMont March 10, 1949
September 23 Key to the Missing DuMont July 4, 1948
September 30 The Family Genius DuMont September 9, 1949
October 16 Stained Glass Windows ABC September 26, 1948
October 20 Uptown Jubilee CBS September 13, 1949
October 27 Crusade in Europe ABC May 5, 1949
October 27 Fireball Fun for All NBC June 28, 1949
October 30 ABC Television Players ABC January 16, 1949
November Cinema Varieties DuMont September
November 4 Oboler Comedy Theater ABC September 23, 1949
November 14 ABC Barn Dance ABC February 21, 1949
November 27 Let There Be Stars ABC October 16, 1949
December The Roar of the Rails CBS October 26, 1948
December 14 Photocrime ABC September 28, 1949
December 15 Starring Boris Karloff ABC September 21, 1949
December 15 Tonight on Broadway CBS April 6, 1948
December 28 The Crisis NBC October 5, 1949
December 29 Romance CBS November 3, 1949
Unknown date Boxing From Jamaica Arena DuMont 1946
See What You Know CBS 1946
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 City of License/Market Station[15] 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 Davenport, Iowa
(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

Main article: 1949 in television § Births

Deaths

Main article: 1949 in television § Deaths

References

  1. ^ IMDB entry
  2. ^ DuMont historical website
  3. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 829. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  4. ^ NBC: America's Network Michele Hilmes, Michael Lowell Henry; University of California Press, 2007 - Performing Arts - 362 pages, page 176.
  5. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 469. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4 ed.). Penguin Books. pp. 103, 936. ISBN 9780140267372. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
  7. ^ Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 106–110. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  8. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 285. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  9. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 278. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  10. ^ Goldstein, Richard (December 29, 1999). "Clayton Moore, Television's Lone Ranger And a Persistent Masked Man, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  11. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows – 1946–Present (Ninth ed.). p. 790. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  12. ^ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and TV Shows 1946 – Present, Ballantine Books, 1979, page 497
  13. ^ Schemering, Christopher (1987). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 176–178. ISBN 0-345-35344-7.
  14. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 172. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  15. ^ Postwar stations - EarlyTelevision.org. Archived July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2019.