Overview of the events of 1948 in television
The year 1948 in television involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events during 1948.
(undated) - The Ziv Company creates Ziv Television Programs as a subsidiary specializing in the production of original television programs for syndication.[ 1]
February 9 - WLWT , Cincinnati, Ohio, begins commercial broadcasting, changing its call letters from experimental station W8XCT.[ 2]
March 4 - First American television ratings are released by C. E. Hooper .[ 3] [ 4]
March 20 – Renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini makes his television debut, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. in a program featuring the works of Richard Wagner .
April 3 – Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is played on television in its entirety for the first time in a concert featuring Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The chorus is conducted by Robert Shaw .
May 3 – The first network nightly newscast, CBS Television News, debuts on CBS with Douglas Edwards as journalist.
June 21 - The first network telecasts of political conventions from Philadelphia .
July 29 – The BBC Television Service begins its coverage of the 1948 Olympic Games in London by broadcasting the opening ceremony. From now until the closing ceremony on August 14 the BBC will broadcast an average three and a half hours a day of live coverage from the games, using a special coaxial cable linking the main venue at Wembley Stadium to the television service's base at Alexandra Palace . This is the most ambitious sustained outside broadcast yet attempted by the BBC and is completed without serious problems.
August 10 - ABC establishes its first television station in New York.
August 25 – First-ever congressional hearing is televised: "Confrontation Day" between Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC )
November 4 - Moscow TV facility adopted a new 625 line PAL television standard.
November 25 - The earliest known national telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast by CBS.
November 29
December 18 — WDSU TV channel 6, NBC affiliate, Becomes the first station in the Deep South in New Orleans , Louisiana
CBS begins network programming.
Television manufacturing begins in Canada.
Telecasts of the NBC Symphony Orchestra , begin until 1954.
The number of homes in the U.S. that own a television set reaches one million.
January 5 – Television Newsreel (UK) is first shown on the BBC Television Service (1948–1954).
April 15 - For Your Pleasure debuts on NBC.[ 5]
April 18 - The ABC television network begins operation.[ 6]
April 22 - WTVR-TV , Richmond, Virginia, begins broadcasting on Channel 6.[ 7] WTVR is the first TV station south of Washington, D.C., giving it the nickname "The South's first Television Station."
April 27 - KSTP-TV , Saint Paul, Minnesota, signs on the air as an NBC affiliate, the first TV station in Minnesota .
June 8 – Milton Berle becomes the first United States television star with the debut of Texaco Star Theater (later The Milton Berle Show ) broadcast by NBC (1948–1953).
June 9 - WBZ-TV , Boston, Massachusetts, begins broadcasting on Channel 4.[ 8] WBZ is New England's first television station.
June 20 – Toast of the Town , a variety series hosted by Ed Sullivan , premieres on CBS, with guests Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (later renamed, The Ed Sullivan Show ) (1948–1971).
July 1 – Mark Goodson 's first game series Winner Take All premieres on CBS (1948–1952).
August 10 – Candid Microphone (renamed Candid Camera in 1949) debuts on ABC (1948 – present).
September 8 - Girl About Town debuts on NBC.
September 29 - WSB-TV , Atlanta, Georgia, begins broadcasting on Channel 8.[ 9]
October 12 - Vanity Fair debuts (1948-1951).[ 10]
November 15 - The Adventures of Oky Doky premieres (1948–1949).[ 11]
November - Super Circus premieres (1948-49 locally on WENR , 1949-1956 nationwide)[ 12]
Amanda (1948–1949).
The Bigelow Show premieres (1948–1949).
Champagne and Orchids (1948–1949).
Child's World debuts (1948–1949).
Actors Studio (1948–1950).
Cartoon Teletales (1948–1950).
The Alan Dale Show premieres (1948–1951).
Club Seven (1948–1951).
Television programs [ edit ]
Series
Debut
Ended
Network
The Original Amateur Hour
January 18, 1948
September 27, 1970
CBS
Court of Current Issues
February 9, 1948
June 26, 1951
Dumont
Stop Me If You've Heard This One
March 4, 1948
April 22, 1949
NBC
Author Meets the Critics
April 1948
October 10, 1954
NBC
Hollywood Screen Test
April 15, 1948
1953
ABC
Texaco Star Theater
June 8, 1948
1953
NBC
The Ed Sullivan Show
June 20, 1948
June 6, 1971
CBS
Candid Camera
August 10, 1948
2014
ABC
CBS Evening News
August 15, 1948
—
CBS
Foodini the Great
August 23, 1948
June 23, 1951
CBS
Actors Studio
September 1948
June 1950
ABC
Champagne and Orchids
September 6, 1948
January 10, 1949
Dumont
Ford Theatre
October 17, 1948
July 10, 1957
NBC
The Growing Paynes
October 20, 1948
August 3, 1949
Dumont
The Adventures of Oky Doky
November 4, 1948
May 26, 1949
Dumont
The Morey Amsterdam Show
December 17, 1948
October 12, 1950
CBS
The Alan Dale Show
1948
1951
Dumont
Amanda
1948
1949
Dumont
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
1948
January 1, 1958
CBS
The Bigelow Show
1948
1949
Break the Bank
1948
1957
ABC
Cartoon Teletales
1948
1950
ABC
Celebrity Time
1948
September 1952
CBS
Child's World
1948
1949
Club Seven
1948
1951
ABC
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
1955
NBC
Winner Take All
1948
1952
CBS
Programs ending during 1948 [ edit ]
January 2 - Judith Miller , American journalist
January 5 - Ted Lange , actor, director (The Love Boat )
January 12 - Martha Teichner , American television news correspondent
January 14 - Carl Weathers , actor (Tour of Duty , Arrested Development )
January 16 - John Carpenter , actor
January 18 - M. C. Gainey , actor (Against the Law , Lost )
January 22 - Velton Ray Bunch , composer
January 29
February 4 - Alice Cooper , actor and singer
February 5
February 14 - Pat O'Brien , American author and radio host
February 15 - Tino Insana , actor (died 2017)
February 18 - Peter Lance , American journalist
February 20 - Jennifer O'Neill , actress
February 22
February 24 - Dennis Waterman , actor (died 2022)
February 28
February 29
March 3 - Brian Cummings , actor
March 6 - Anna Maria Horsford , actress (Amen , The Wayans Bros. )
March 13 - Robert S. Woods , actor (One Life to Live )
March 14 - Billy Crystal , actor, comedian (Soap , Saturday Night Live )
March 20 - John de Lancie , actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation )
March 22 - Wolf Blitzer , American journalist
March 24 - Adrian Shergold , director
March 25 - Bonnie Bedelia , actress (Love of Life )
March 26 - Steven Tyler , actor
March 28 - Dianne Wiest , actress (Law & Order )
March 30 - Justin Deas , actor (As the World Turns , Santa Barbara , Guiding Light )
March 31
April 6 - Patrika Darbo , actress (Step by Step )
April 7 - Michael Hirsh , Canadian producer
April 12
April 13 - Bob Kur , American television journalist
April 19 - Andrew Scheinman , American film and television producer
April 20 - Gregory Itzin , actor (24 ) (died 2022)
April 25 - Freda Foh Shen , actress (Elementary , Silk Stalkings , Gideon's Crossing )
April 27
April 30
May 3
May 6 - Paul Linke , actor (CHiPs )
May 8
May 10 - Meg Foster , actress
May 11
May 12 - Lindsay Crouse , actress
May 14
May 17 - Jim Gardner , broadcaster
May 19 - Grace Jones , actress
May 21
May 23 - Gary McCord , golfer
May 26 - Stevie Nicks , singer
May 27 - Ken Lerner , actor
June 1 - Powers Boothe , actor (Philip Marlowe, Private Eye , Deadwood , 24 , Nashville , Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Justice League , Justice League Unlimited ), (died 2017)
June 2 - Jerry Mathers , actor (Leave It to Beaver )
June 11 - Stephen Schnetzer , actor (Another World )
June 19 - Phylicia Rashad , actress (The Cosby Show )
June 20 - Tina Sinatra , businesswoman
June 25 - Jesse Frederick , singer
June 28 - Kathy Bates , actress
June 29 - Fred Grandy , actor (The Love Boat )
July 2 - Saul Rubinek , actor
July 12
July 13 - Daphne Maxwell Reid , actress (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air )
July 15 - Anne Sinclair , French television and radio interviewer
July 16 - Rubén Blades , actor
July 19 - Beverly Archer , actress (Mama's Family , Major Dad )
July 22 - Neil Hardwick , British-born Finnish theatre and TV director
July 25 - Eren Ozker , American puppeteer (died 1993)
July 28 - Georgia Engel , actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show ) (died 2019)
July 30 - Jean Reno , actor
August 2 - Dennis Prager , talk show host
August 5 - Carole Laure , actress
August 13 - Merrill Markoe , writer
August 14 - Joseph Marcell , English actor (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air )
August 18
August 19 - Deana Martin , actress
August 20 - John Noble , Australian actor (Fringe , Sleepy Hollow )
August 23 - Steve Edwards , American talk show host
August 24 - John Beard , American news anchor
August 30 - Lewis Black , American actor
September 7
September 13
September 16 - Susan Ruttan , actress (L.A. Law )
September 17 - John Ritter , actor, comedian (Three's Company ) (died 2003)
September 19 - Jeremy Irons , actor
September 20
September 24
September 25 - Mimi Kennedy , actress (Homefront )
September 26 - Bruce Sudano , songwriter
September 27
September 29 - Bryant Gumbel , journalist and sportscaster
October 2 - Avery Brooks , actor (Spenser: For Hire , A Man Called Hawk , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )
October 5 - Sal Viscuso , actor (M*A*S*H )
October 6 - Frances Tomelty , actress
October 10 - Carol Marin , journalist
October 12 - Eli Danker , actor
October 17 - George Wendt , actor (Cheers )
October 19
October 21
October 23 - Brian Ross , journalist
October 24 - James Whitmore, Jr. , actor
October 28 - Telma Hopkins , singer, actress (Family Matters )
October 29 - Kate Jackson , actress (Charlie's Angels , Scarecrow and Mrs. King )
November 1 - Anna Stuart , actress
November 7 - James Houghton , actor (Knots Landing )
November 10 - Aaron Brown , journalist
November 11 - Vincent Schiavelli , actor (died 2005)
November 14 - Robert Ginty , actor (died 2009)
November 15 - Bob Beckel , commentator (died 2022)
November 17 - Howard Fineman , commentator (died 2024)
November 20
November 21 - Lonnie Jordan , singer
November 25 - Storm Field , American television meteorologist
November 30 - Larry Bishop , actor
December 3 - Ozzy Osbourne , English singer, songwriter and actor (The Osbournes )
December 6 - JoBeth Williams , actress
December 7 - Tony Thomas , producer
December 21
December 22
December 25 - Barbara Mandrell , singer
December 26 - Candy Crowley , American news anchor
December 31 - Donna Summer , singer-songwriter (died 2012)
^ Newcomb, Horace (2014). "Ziv Television Programs, Inc." . Encyclopedia of Television . Routledge. pp. 2626–2627. ISBN 9781135194796 . Retrieved January 10, 2017 .
^ "Cincinnati's T-Day Observed Feb. 15" (PDF) . Broadcasting. February 23, 1948. Retrieved November 8, 2014 .
^ (8 March 1948). [www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-03-08-BC.pdf TV 'Amateur Hour' Gets 46.8 Rating], Broadcasting , p. 42
^ Von Schilling, Jim. The Magic Window: American Television, 1939-53 , p. 100 (2013)
^ Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops . McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 9781476605159 . Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
^ "ABC TV Network" (PDF) . Broadcasting. April 19, 1948. Retrieved November 26, 2014 .
^ "WTVR (TV) to Start April 22, Channel 6" (PDF) . Broadcasting. April 19, 1948. Retrieved November 26, 2014 .
^ "WBZ-TV Formally Opened at Boston" (PDF) . Broadcasting. June 14, 1948. Retrieved December 18, 2014 .
^ "WSB-TV in Atlanta Opening on Sept. 29" (PDF) . Broadcasting. September 27, 1948. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015 .
^ 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. 883. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8 .
^ Hyatt, Wesley (2003). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops . McFarland. p. 9. ISBN 9780786414208 . Retrieved August 14, 2017 .
^ Hollis, Tim (October 29, 2001). Hi There, Boys and Girls! America's Local Children's TV Programs . Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578063963 .