1949 in television

Events

January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC.
January 11 – A 2 hour special on all networks celebrates the linking of the eastern and midwestern networks via coaxial cable.
January 22 – The first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, KTLA, begins operation in Hollywood, California.
January 31 – The first Emmy Awards are presented and broadcasted 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 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.

January 17 – The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, debuts (1949-1955).
September 29 – BBC Television first broadcasts Come Dancing, a TV ballroom dancing competition show (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).

Categories: 1949