| List of years in television (table) |
|---|
| … 1939 . 1940 . 1941 . 1942 . 1943 . 1944 . 1945 … 1946 1947 1948 -1949- 1950 1951 1952 … 1953 . 1954 . 1955 . 1956 . 1957 . 1958 . 1959 … In radio: 1946 1947 1948 -1949- 1950 1951 1952 In film: 1946 1947 1948 -1949- 1950 1951 1952 |
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.
Events[]
- January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC.
- January 11 – A two-hour special on all American networks celebrates the linking of the eastern and midwestern networks via coaxial cable.
- January 21 - Your Show Time becomes the first filmed dramatic series on American network television.
- January 31 – The first Emmy Awards are presented and broadcast on television from Los Angeles.
- May – The first telethon, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, is hosted by Milton Berle and lasts for 24 hours.
- August 25 – RCA announces the development of a compatible color TV system.
- December 17 – The Sutton Coldfield television transmitter is opened in the English Midlands, making it the first part of the UK outside London to receive BBC Television.
- December 29 – KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule.
- First television broadcasts begin in Cuba.
- For the first time, the Sears & Roebuck catalog includes televisions.
Debuts[]
- January 17 – The Goldbergs, a sitcom, debuts on CBS (1949–1955).
- May 5 - Stop the Music, debuts on ABC for a five-year run over seven years.
- June 27 – Captain Video and His Video Rangers, apparently the first science fiction series on television, debuts.
- July 15 - This Is Show Business, panel discussion program, premieres on CBS (1949–1954; 1956).
- September 29 – Come Dancing, a ballroom dancing competition, is first broadcast by the BBC (1949–1995).
- Martin Kane, Private Eye premieres on NBC, becoming the first detective series on television (1949–1954).
- The Voice of Firestone premieres (1949–1963).
- Bozo the Clown premieres (1949–present).
- The Lone Ranger premieres (1949–1957).
Television shows[]
| Series | Debut | Ended |
|---|---|---|
| Picture Page (UK) | October 8, 1936 | 1939 |
| 1946 | 1952 | |
| Starlight (UK) | November 3, 1936 | 1939 |
| 1946 | 1949 | |
| For The Children (UK) | April 24, 1937 | 1939 |
| July 7, 1946 | 1950 | |
| The Voice of Firestone Televues | 1943 | 1947 |
| 1949 | 1963 | |
| Missus Goes A Shopping | August 1, 1944 | 1949 |
| Kaleidoscope (UK) | November 2, 1946 | 1953 |
| Gillette Cavalcade of Sports | November 8, 1946 | June 24, 1960 |
| Muffin the Mule (UK) | 1946 | 1955 |
| Television Screen Magazine | 1946 | 1949 |
| You Are an Artist | 1946 | 1950 |
| Doorway to Fame | May 2, 1947 | July 4, 1949 |
| Kraft Television Theater | May 7, 1947 | 1958 |
| Kukla, Fran and Ollie | October 13, 1947 | 1957 |
| Meet the Press | November 6, 1947 | |
| Mary Kay and Johnny | November 18, 1947 | March 11, 1950 |
| Howdy Doody | December 27, 1947 | September 24, 1960 |
| Americana | 1947 | 1949 |
| Birthday Party | 1947 | 1949 |
| Café Continental (UK) | 1947 | 1953 |
| Charade Quiz | 1947 | 1949 |
| Juvenile Jury | 1947 | 1954 |
| Musical Merry-Go-Round | 1947 | 1949 |
| Small Fry Club | 1947 | 1951 |
| Television Newsreel (UK) | January 5, 1948 | 1954 |
| The Original Amateur Hour | January 18, 1948 | September 27, 1970 |
| Court of Current Issues | February 9, 1948 | June 26, 1951 |
| Stop Me If You've Heard This One | March 4, 1948 | April 22, 1949 |
| Author Meets the Critics | April 1948 | October 10, 1954 |
| Hollywood Screen Test | April 15, 1948 | 1953 |
| Texaco Star Theater | June 8, 1948 | 1953 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | June 20, 1948 | June 6, 1971 |
| Candid Camera | August 10, 1948 | |
| CBS Evening News | August 15, 1948 | |
| Foodini the Great | August 23, 1948 | June 23, 1951 |
| Actors Studio | September 1948 | June 1950 |
| Champagne and Orchids | September 6, 1948 | January 10, 1949 |
| Stained Glass Windows | September 26, 1948 | October 16, 1949 |
| Ford Theatre | October 17, 1948 | July 10, 1957 |
| The Growing Paynes | October 20, 1948 | August 3, 1949 |
| The Adventures of Oky Doky | November 4, 1948 | May 26, 1949 |
| The Morey Amsterdam Show | December 17, 1948 | October 12, 1950 |
| The Alan Dale Show | 1948 | 1951 |
| Amanda | 1948 | 1949 |
| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts | 1948 | January 1, 1958 |
| The Bigelow Show | 1948 | 1949 |
| Break the Bank | 1948 | 1957 |
| Cartoon Teletales | 1948 | 1950 |
| Celebrity Time | 1948 | September 1952 |
| Child's World | 1948 | 1949 |
| Club Seven | 1948 | 1951 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | 1948 | 1955 |
| Winner Take All | 1948 | 1952 |
| The Goldbergs | January 17, 1949 | 1956 |
| These Are My Children | January 31, 1949 | February 25, 1949 |
| A Woman to Remember | February 21, 1949 | July 15, 1949 |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | March 1, 1949 | October 5, 1950 |
| Think Fast | March 26, 1949 | October 8, 1950 |
| Captain Video | June 27, 1949 | April 1, 1955 |
| Mama | July 1, 1949 | March 17, 1957 |
| Martin Kane, Private Eye | August 7, 1949 | June 17, 1954 |
| The Family Genius | September 1949 | September 1949 |
| The Little Revue | September 4, 1949 | April 21, 1950 |
| The Lone Ranger | September 15, 1949 | June 6, 1957 |
| Come Dancing (UK) | September 29, 1949 | 1995 |
| The Aldrich Family | October 2, 1949 | May 29, 1953 |
| The Life of Riley | October 4, 1949 | March 28, 1950 |
| January 2, 1953 | August 22, 1958 | |
| Let There Be Stars | October 6, 1949 | November 27, 1949 |
| The Ruggles | November 3, 1949 | June 19, 1952 |
| One Man's Family | November 4, 1949 | June 21, 1952 |
| March 1, 1954 | April 1, 1955 | |
| The Admiral Broadway Revue | 1949 | 1949 |
| Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | 1949 | 1959 |
| Easy Aces | 1949 | 1949 |
| Follow That Man | 1949 | 1956 |
Ending this year[]
- Missus Goes A-Shopping (1944–1949).
- Starlight (UK) (1936–1939; 1946–1949).
- Television Screen Magazine (1946–1949).
- Musical Merry-Go-Round (1947–1949).
- Americana (1947–1949).
- Birthday Party (1947–1949).
- Charade Quiz (1947–1949).
- Doorway to Fame (1947–1949).
- The Adventures of Oky Doky (1948–1949).
- Amanda (1948–1949).
- The Bigelow Show (1948–1949) with Paul Winchell.
- Champagne and Orchids (1948–1949).
- Child's World (1948–1949).
Changes of Network Affiliation[]
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Candid Camera | ABC | NBC |
Births[]
- January 16 - Caroline Munro, English actress and model
- January 17 – Andy Kaufman, actor and comedian (d. 1984)
- January 24 – John Belushi, actor, comedian, Saturday Night Live (d. 1982)
- February 2 – Brent Spiner, actor
- February 8 - Brooke Adams, actress
- February 9 – Judith Light, actress
- February 28 - Ilene Graff, actress and singer
- March 2 - Gates McFadden, actress and choreographer
- March 16 – Erik Estrada, actor, CHiPs
- Victor Garber, Canadian actor and singer
- March 17 – Patrick Duffy, actor, Dallas
- March 26 – Vicki Lawrence, actress, comedienne, The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, etc.
- April 14 - John Shea, actor
- April 20 - Veronica Cartwright, English-born actress
- April 23 - Joyce DeWitt, actress, Three's Company
- June 15 - Jim Varney, actor and comedian (d. 2000)
- July 3 – Jan Smithers, actress, WKRP in Cincinnati
- August 23 – Shelley Long, actress, Cheers
- Rick Springfield, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
- September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr., actor
- October 14 - Katy Manning, English actress
- November 6 – Nigel Havers, English actor
- December 4 - Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand actress and comedienne
- December 15 – Don Johnson, actor, Miami Vice
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