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1948 in American television

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of American television-related events in 1948.

Events

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Date Event Ref.
March 4 The C. E. Hooper Company releases the first-ever American television ratings. [1][page needed]
April 3 The NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Shaw, is first telecast. In this broadcast, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is played in its entirety for the first time on television, and in concert.
April 18 The American Broadcasting Company begins operations as a television network, with its New York City-based station WJZ-TV serving as network flagship. [2][page needed]
May 3 CBS Television News premieres as the first network nightly newscast, hosted by journalist Douglas Edwards.
June 21 The 1948 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania becomes the first political convention to be telecast by the networks.
July 30 The DuMont Television Network becomes the first network to televise professional wrestling in prime time.
November Screen Gems was founded as the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Corporation.
November 25 CBS broadcasts its earliest known national telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
November 29 CBS telecasts the first broadcast of a roller derby match.
Unknown date Ziv Television Programs was created by Frederick Ziv as a subsidiary of the Ziv Company, in order to specialize in the production of original television programs for syndication [3]

Other television events in 1948

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  • CBS begins television network programming.
  • The number of homes in the United States with a television set reaches one million.

Television programs

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Debuts

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Date Debut Network
January Camera Hadlines Dumont Television Network
January I.N.S. Telenews
January 9 Playroom
January 18 The Original Amateur Hour
February 9 Court of Current Issues
February 16[4] Camel News Caravan NBC
March 4 Stop Me If You've Heard This One NBC
April 4 Author Meets the Critics
April 14 Scoreboard Dumont Television Network
April 15 For Your Pleasure[5] NBC
Hollywood Screen Test ABC
June 8[6] Texaco Star Theater NBC
June 20[7] The Ed Sullivan Show CBS
August 10 Candid Camera ABC
August 11 The Laytons Dumont Television Network
August 12 Club Seven ABC
August 15 CBS Television News CBS
August 23 Foodini the Great CBS
September 6 Champagne and Orchids DuMont
September 21 Operation Success Dumont Television Network
September 26[8] Actors Studio ABC
Stained Glass Windows unknown
September 27[9] The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre NBC
October 3[10] The Philco Television Playhouse NBC
October 17 The Ford Television Theatre CBS
October 19 Off the Record Dumont
October 20 The Growing Paynes DuMont
October 22 Break the Bank ABC
November 1[11] Okay, Mother WABD
Your Television Babysitter Dumont
TV Shopper
Amanda
November 4 The Adventures of Oky Doky
Fashions on Parade
November 7 Newsweek Views the News Dumont
Studio One CBS
November 21 Lamp Unto My Feet CBS
December 6 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts CBS
December 17 The Morey Amsterdam Show CBS
December 31 The Johns Hopkins Science Review CBS
Unknown date The Alan Dale Show Dumont
The Philco Television Playhouse NBC
The Stan Shaw Show Dumont
Your School Reporter
Boxing From Jamaica Arena
Wrestling From Columbia Park Arena
Wrestling From Jamaica Arena
The Needle Shop

Changes of network affiliation

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Show Moved from Moved to
Author Meets the Critics NBC ABC
Mary Kay and Johnny DuMont NBC

Ending this year

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Date Show Network Debut Notes
June 30 In the Kelvinator Kitchen NBC May 21, 1947
Unknown date The World in Your Home December 22, 1944

Networks and services

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Network launches

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Network Type Launch date Source
American Broadcasting Company Over-the-air broadcast April 18 [12]
CBS May

Television stations

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Station launches

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Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref.
February 9 Cincinnati, Ohio WLWT 5 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
Successor to experimental station W8XCT.[13]
March 11 Baltimore, Maryland WBAL-TV 11 NBC
April 5 Chicago, Illinois WGN-TV 9 Independent (primary)
CBS/DuMont (secondary)
April 19 Salt Lake City, Utah KDYL-TV 4 NBC
April 22 Richmond, Virginia WTVR-TV 6 NBC (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
[14]
April 27 Minneapolis, Minnesota KSTP-TV 5 NBC (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
May 6 Los Angeles, California KTSL 2 DuMont Now KCBS-TV, a CBS O&O station
May 14 Buffalo, New York WBEN-TV 4 NBC (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
Now a CBS affiliate since 1949
May 15 Newark, New Jersey
(New York City, New York)
WATV 13 Independent
May 23 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WCAU 10 CBS
June 9 Boston, Massachusetts WBZ-TV 4 NBC (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
[15]
June 15 New Haven/Hartford, Connecticut WTNH 6
(now 8)
DuMont (primary)
ABC (secondary)
New York City WPIX 11 Independent
June 21 Boston, Massachusetts WNAC-TV 7 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
Defunct May 22, 1982
July 21 Toledo, Ohio WSPD-TV 13 NBC
August 10 New York City WJZ-TV 7 ABC (O&O)
August 25 Los Angeles, California KFI-TV 9 Independent
September 16 Los Angeles, California KECA-TV 7 ABC (O&O)
September 17 Chicago, Illinois WENR-TV 7 ABC ((O&O)
Los Angeles, California KMTR-TV 13 Independent
September 29 Atlanta, Georgia WSB-TV 8 (now on 2) NBC [16]
Fort Worth/Dallas, Texas WBAP-TV 5 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
October 8 Chicago, Illinois WNBQ 5 NBC
October 9 Detroit, Michigan WXYZ-TV 7 ABC (O&O)
October 24 Detroit, Michigan WJBK 2 CBS (primary)
DuMont (Secondary)
October 31 Cleveland, Ohio WNBK 3 NBC
November 1 Baltimore, Maryland WAAM 13 ABC
November 24 Louisville, Kentucky WAVE-TV 5
(now 3)
NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
November 25 Seattle, Washington KRSC-TV 5 CBS (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
November 29 Albuquerque, New Mexico KOB-TV 4 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
December 1 Syracuse, New York WHEN-TV 5 CBS (primary)
NBC/DuMont (secondary)
December 11 Memphis, Tennessee WMCT 4
(now 5)
NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
December 18 New Orleans, Louisiana WDSU-TV 6 NBC (primary)
DuMont/CBS/ABC (secondary)
December 22 San Francisco, California KPIX-TV 5 CBS (primary)
NBC/DuMont/Paramount (secondary)

Network affiliation changes

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Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref.
October New Haven/Hartford, Connecticut WNHC-TV 6
(now 8)
DuMont CBS Retains DuMont affiliation on secondary basis until 1956

Births

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Deaths

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References

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  1. ^ "TV 'Amateur Hour' Gets 46.8 Rating". Broadcasting. 1948-03-08. p. 42.
  2. ^ "ABC TV Network". Broadcasting. 1948-04-19.
  3. ^ Newcomb, Horsce (2014). "Ziv Television Programs, Inc.". Encyclopedia of Television. Routledge. pp. 2626–2627. ISBN 9781135194796. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  4. ^ NBC: America's Network Michele Hilmes, Michael Lowell Henry; University of California Press, 2007 - Performing Arts - 362 pages, page 176.
  5. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 9781476605159. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #13".
  7. ^ "Ed Sullivan Biography | Ed Sullivan Show". Edsullivan.com. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  9. ^ Earle Marsh, Tim Brooks (1979). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-present". Ballantine Books. p. 145. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  10. ^ Hawes, William (2001). Live Television Drama, 1946-1951. McFarland. p. 245. ISBN 9781476608495. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  11. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 320. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  12. ^ "ABC TV Network" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 19, 1948. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "Cincinnati's T-Day Observed Feb. 15". Broadcasting. 1948-02-23.
  14. ^ "WTVR (TV) to Start April 22, Channel 6". Broadcasting. April 19, 1948. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "WBZ-TV Formally Opened at Boston". Broadcasting. June 14, 1948. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "WSB-TV in Atlanta Opening on Sept. 29". Broadcasting. September 27, 1948. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
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