List of years in American television: |
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1959–60 United States network television schedule |
1960–61 United States network television schedule |
List of American television programs currently in production |
This is a list of American television -related events in 1960.
Date | Event | Ref. |
---|---|---|
February 10 | Jack Paar temporarily quit his television program because his monologue had been edited the night before, in favor of a three-minute news update. Parr walked out to the audience at the beginning of the show, announced that he was quitting, said "There's got to be a better way to make a living," and then walked off the stage. After network executives apologized personally, Parr resumed hosting the program a month later. His first show back started with the words "As I was saying before I was interrupted..." | [1] [2] |
February 18–28 | On an exclusive basis for $60,000, CBS broadcasts coverage of the 1960 Winter Olympics from Squaw Valley, in Placer County, California, making these games the first Winter Olympics to be broadcast in the U.S. Hosted by future CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, the coverage provided 31 hours of coverage over 11 days, including a healthy mix of alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and ski jumping. | [3] [4] |
March 2 | Lucille Ball files for divorce from husband Desi Arnaz, ending a 20-year marriage, and the I Love Lucy franchise on CBS. The final installment of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour would air almost a month later. | |
August 25-September 11 | CBS broadcasts the 1960 Summer Olympics from Rome, Italy, hosted by a young Jim McKay, who would later host ABC's coverage of the 1964 Winter Olympics. These were the first Summer Olympics to be broadcast in the U.S. or any country in North America. | [3] [4] |
September 24 | After thirteen seasons of entertaining American children, the NBC children's show Howdy Doody ends. Clarabell the Clown says the final two words of the show ("Goodbye Kids"), after being assumed to only be mute throughout the show's run. | |
September 26 | 1960 United States presidential debates. American presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon debate live by television. The candidates' behavior and/or appearance during the debate may have altered the outcome of the election. In addition to being the first presidential debates to be televised, the debates also marked the first time "split screen" images were used by a network. | |
December 31 | Norma Zimmer officially becomes Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady" on The Lawrence Welk Show . | |
Date | Debut | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
January 1 [5] | The Deputy Dawg Show | CBS | |
January 9 | Home Run Derby | First-run syndication | |
January 25 | The Kate Smith Show | CBS | |
February 7 | Overland Trail | NBC | |
June 8 | Happy | NBC | |
Tate | |||
June 20 [6] [7] [8] | The Bozo Show | WGN-TV | |
June 28 | The Comedy Spot | CBS | Renamed Comedy Spotlight in 1961 |
August 1 | New Comedy Showcase | ||
September 17 | Checkmate | CBS | |
September 18 | The Tab Hunter Show | NBC | |
September 23 | Dan Raven | NBC | |
September 27 | The Tom Ewell Show | CBS | |
September 29 | My Three Sons | ABC | |
Outlaws | NBC | ||
September 30 | The Flintstones | ABC | |
October 1 | Popeye the Sailor | NBC | |
The Shari Lewis Show | |||
October 3 | The Andy Griffith Show | CBS | [9] |
October 4 | Stagecoach West | ABC | |
October 5 | My Sister Eileen | CBS | |
October 7 | Route 66 | CBS | |
October 10 | Bringing Up Buddy | CBS | |
Klondike | NBC | ||
October 11 | The Bugs Bunny Show | ABC | |
October 12 | Peter Loves Mary | NBC | |
Date | Show | Network | Debut | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
January 25 | Love and Marriage | NBC | September 21, 1959 | |
April 1 | The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour | CBS | November 6, 1957 | |
The Troubleshooters | NBC | September 11, 1959 | ||
June 10 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | CBS | June 10, 1960 | |
June 11 | The Man and the Challenge | NBC | September 12, 1959 | |
July 2 | Home Run Derby | First-run syndication | January 9, 1960 | |
September 7 | Men Into Space | CBS | September 30, 1959 | |
September 14 | Tate | NBC | June 8, 1960 | |
September 15 | Markham | CBS | May 2, 1959 | |
September 19 | New Comedy Showcase | CBS | August 1, 1960 | |
September 24 | Howdy Doody | December 27, 1947 | ||
Jubilee USA | ABC | January 22, 1955 | ||
Unknown date | This Man Dawson | First-run syndication | 1959 | |
Date | Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | Lead, South Dakota | KDSJ-TV | 11 | CBS | Satellite of KOTA-TV (now KHME) in Sioux Falls |
January 30 | Walla Walla, Washington | KNBS-TV | 22 | ABC | |
February 29 | Richardson/Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | KRET-TV | 23 | Educational independent | |
March 17 | Selma/Montgomery, Alabama | WSLA (original) | 8 | ABC | |
May | Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | WOLE-TV | 12 | Independent | |
May 15 | Hilo, Hawaii | KHVO | 4 | ABC | Satellite of KULA in Honolulu |
May 23 | Athens/Atlanta, Georgia | WGTV | 8 | NET | Flagship of Georgia Public Broadcasting |
June | Weston/Clarksburg, West Virginia | WDTV | 5 | ABC | Returned to the air after a five-year hiatus after broadcasting on UHF channel 35 as primary ABC/secondary NBC and DuMont affiliate WJPB-TV. |
June 12 | Mitchell/Sioux Falls, South Dakota | KORN-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
June 17 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | WPCA-TV | 17 | Independent | |
July 31 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | KSOO-TV | 13 | NBC | |
September 14 | Dallas, Texas | KERA | 13 | NET | |
September 20 | Tallahassee, Florida | WFSU-TV | 11 | NET | |
October 1 | Coos Bay, Oregon | KCBY-TV | 11 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
October 5 | Mankato, Minnesota | KEYC-TV | 12 | NBC | |
October 10 | Toledo, Ohio | WGTE | 30 | NET | |
October 19 | Ogden, Utah | KWCS-TV | 18 | Educational independent | |
November 7 | Pembina, North Dakota (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) | KCND-TV | 12 | Independent (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
November 15 | Youngstown, Ohio | WXTV | 45 | Independent | |
November 23 | Fort Pierce, Florida | WTVI | 19 | CBS | |
December 1 | Ogden, Utah | KVOG-TV | 9 | NTA Film Network | |
December 19 | Eugene, Oregon | KEZI-TV | 9 | ABC (primary) CBS (secondary) | |
Unknown date | Caguas, Puerto Rico | WKBM-TV | 11 | Independent | |
Date | Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 17 | Montgomery, Alabama | WCOV-TV | 20 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | Secondary ABC affiliations were lost when WSLA signed on the air to become a full-time ABC affiliate. |
WSFA-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | NBC (exclusive) | |||
December 19 | Eugene, Oregon Coos Bay, Oregon Roseburg, Oregon | KVAL-TV KCBY-TV KPIC | 13 11 19 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) | NBC (exclusive) | Lost CBS and ABC upon the launch of KEZI |
Unknown date | Columbus, Georgia | WRBL | 3 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (primary) NBC (secondary) | Switch occurred on same day WRBL moved from channel 4 to 3, and WTVM moved from UHF channel 28 to VHF channel 9. |
WTVM | 9 | NBC (primary) ABC/NTA (secondary) | ABC (primary) NBC/NTA (secondary) | |||
Hannibal, Missouri (Quincy, Illinois) | KHQA-TV | 7 | CBS (exclusive) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | ||
Kalamazoo, Michigan (Grand Rapids/Battle Creek, Michigan) | WKZO-TV | 3 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | WKZO previously cleared NBC programs not picked up by existing NBC affiliate WOOD-TV until WKZO expanded its signal coverage. This allowed WOOD-TV and WKZO-TV to become full-time affiliates of their respective networks, but they both shared ABC until WZZM's 1962 sign-on. | |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WXIX-TV | 18 | Independent | Independent (primary) ABC/CBS/NBC (secondary) | From 1960 to 1981, WVTV aired network programs rejected by all three of the primary network affiliates in the Milwaukee area. This is not to be confused with today's WXIX-TV in Newport, Kentucky. | |
Pueblo, Colorado | KRDO-TV | 13 | NBC | ABC | Became a full-time ABC affiliate after the Pueblo television market merged with that of Colorado Springs. | |
Richmond, Virginia | WWBT | 12 | CBS | ABC | ||
WTVR-TV | 6 | ABC | CBS | |||
Salt Lake City, Utah | KCPX-TV | 4 | ABC | NBC | ||
KUTV | 2 | NBC | ABC | |||
Tacoma/Seattle, Washington | KTNT-TV | 11 | Independent | CBS | ||
San Jose/Salinas/Monterey, California | KNTV | 11 | Independent | ABC | ||
San Luis Obispo/Santa Maria/Santa Barbara, California | KSBY-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC and CBS (secondary) | NBC (primary) CBS (secondary) | ||
Shreveport, Louisiana | KSLA | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | ||
KTBS-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | ABC (exclusive) | |||
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Florence, South Dakota Reliance/Pierre, South Dakota | KELO-TV KDLO-TV KPLO-TV | 11 3 6 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Lost the NBC affiliation upon the sign on of KSOO-TV | |
Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas Shreveport, Louisiana | KCMC-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | ||
Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | First air date | Notes/Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 13 | Provo, Utah | KLOR-TV | 11 | Independent | December 17, 1958 | |
March 21 | Sacramento, California | KVUE | 40 | Independent | November 1, 1959 | |
March 24 | Nampa, Idaho (Boise, Idaho) | KCIX-TV | 6 | Independent | November 9, 1958 | |
December 8 | Bridgeport, Connecticut | WICC-TV | 43 | ABC | March 29, 1953 | |
December 14 | Walla Walla, Washington | KNBS-TV | 22 | ABC | January 30, 1960 | |
The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned television network and is now a division of the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE. It is Canada's largest privately or commercially owned network consisting of 22 owned-and-operated stations nationwide and two privately owned affiliates, and has consistently been placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival Global Television Network in key markets.
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien (2009–2010), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present). Besides the main hosts, a number of regular "guest hosts" have been used, notably Ernie Kovacs, who hosted two nights per week during 1956–1957, and a number of guests used by Carson, who curtailed his own hosting duties back to three nights per week by the 1980s. Among Carson's regular guest hosts were Joey Bishop, McLean Stevenson, David Letterman, David Brenner, Joan Rivers, and Jay Leno, although the practice has been mostly abandoned since hosts currently prefer reruns to showcasing potential rivals.
The year 1964 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events which occurred in that year.
The year 1963 involved some significant events in television. Below are lists of notable TV-related events.
The year 1960 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1960.
The year 1957 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1957.
Jack Harold Paar was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962. Time magazine's obituary of Paar reported wryly, "His fans would remember him as the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar."
Bravo is an American basic cable television network, launched on December 8, 1980. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel originally focused on programming related to fine arts and film. Since the 2000s, its brand has focused heavily on reality series targeted at 25-to-54-year-old women and the LGBTQIA+ community at large.
Robert Lewis Bell, better known as Bob Bell, was an American actor and announcer famous for his alter-ego, Bozo the Clown. He was the original portrayer of the character for Chicago superstation WGN-TV.
Donald Ellis Wildmon was an American ordained United Methodist minister, author, radio host, and founder and chairman of the American Family Association and American Family Radio.
The first Golden Age of Television is an era of television in the United States marked by its large number of live productions. The period is generally recognized as beginning in 1947 with the first episode of the drama anthology Kraft Television Theater and ending in 1960 with the final episode of Playhouse 90. The Golden Age was followed by the network era, wherein television audiences and programming had shifted to less critically acclaimed fare, almost all of it taped or filmed.
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The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the American television industry, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The guidelines went into effect by January 1, 1997, on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns about increasing amounts of mature content in television programs. It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individual participating broadcast and cable networks.
The Bozo Show was a locally produced children's television program that aired on WGN-TV in Chicago and nationally on what is now NewsNation. It was based on a children's record-book series, Bozo the Clown by Capitol Records. The series is a local version of the internationally franchised Bozo the Clown format and is also the longest-running in the franchise. Recognized as the most popular and successful locally produced children's program in the history of television, it only aired under this title for 14 of its 40+ years: other titles were Bozo, Bozo's Circus, and The Bozo Super Sunday Show.
Roy Thomas Brown was an American television personality, puppeteer, clown and artist known for playing "Cooky the Cook" on Chicago's Bozo's Circus.
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