1950 in television

The year 1950 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1950.

Events

• February – European Broadcasting Union (EBU) inaugurated.
• February 15
• KENS began transmissions as KEYL. It was the second television station to sign on in the San Antonio market.
• WSTM-TV began transmissions as WSYR-TV. It was Syracuse's second television station, signing on a year and three months after WHEN-TV (now WTVH).
• February 21 – WOI-TV signs on the air as Iowa's second television station (following WOC-TV, now KWQC-TV), and the first in the Des Moines area.
• February 23 – First televised report of general election results in the United Kingdom.
• March 27 – WHAS-TV signs on the air. It was the second television station to sign on in the Louisville market and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
• April 2 – WTKR began operations on channel 4 as WTAR-TV. It was Hampton Roads' first television station and the second television station in Virginia, after WTVR (channel 6) in Richmond.
• April 4 – The BBC Television (UK) aspect ratio changes from 5:4 to 4:3.
• May 1 – WLNS-TV began transmissions as WJIM-TV. It is Michigan's second-oldest television station outside Detroit.
• May – Desilu Productions formed by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in the United States.
• June 1 – WWMT signs on the air as WKZO-TV. It was West Michigan's second television station to debut after WLAV-TV (channel 7, now WOOD-TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids).
• June 17 – WAND (at this time called WTVP) goes on the air in Decatur, Illinois.
• July 1 – WHBF-TV signs on the air. It is the fifth-oldest surviving station in Illinois, and the oldest outside Chicago.
• July 26 – First television broadcast station in Mexico, XHTV, Mexico City on channel 4; Gonzalo Castellot Madrazo is the first announcer to appear.
• September 18 – First television network in South America launches, PRF-TV on channel 3 in São Paulo, Brazil.
• September 30
• First BBC television broadcast from an aircraft.
• WSMV-TV began transmissions as WSM-TV at 1:10 pm CT. It was Nashville's first television station and the second in Tennessee.
• October 10 – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approves CBS's color television system, effective November 20.
• October 25 - Cuba signs on to television as Havana's Union Radio TV signs on for the first time, the first television station in the Caribbean.

New shows

• January 4 – Abe Burrows' Almanac debuts on CBS (1950).
• January 11 - I Cover Times Square debuts on ABC (1950-1951).
• February 2 – What's My Line (1950) debuts on CBS (1950–1967).
• February 25 – Your Show of Shows premieres on NBC (1950–1954).
• March 23 – Beat the Clock premieres on CBS (1950–1961).
• June 17–October 12 – Hawkins Falls premieres on NBC (1951–1955).
• July 3 - The Hazel Scott Show on the DuMont Television Network (1950).
• July 3 - Menasha the Magnificent on NBC (1950).
• July 6 - Ford Star Revue premieres on NBC as the summer replacement for Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge.
• July 10 – Your Hit Parade premieres on NBC.
• July 11 – Andy Pandy premieres on the BBC (1950, 1970, 2002).
• September 5 – The Cisco Kid, starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, premieres (1950-1956).
• September 6 – Stars Over Hollywood premieres on NBC (1950-1951).
• September 7 – The game show Truth or Consequences debuts (1950–1988).
• September 10 – The Colgate Comedy Hour series debuts on NBC (1950-1955).
• September 18 – The Paul Winchell Show debuts on NBC with the title The Speidel Show.
• October 4 – Four Star Revue debuts on NBC (1950–1953).
• October 5 – The comedy quiz show You Bet Your Life, featuring Groucho Marx, premieres (1950–1961).
• October 12 – The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show debuts (1950–1958).
• October 28 – The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, premieres (1950–1965).

Television series

Programs ending during 1950

Births

Television debuts

• Richard Alexander – The Gene Autry Show
• Robert Armstrong – The Silver Theatre
• Madeleine Carroll – Robert Montgomery Presents
• Finlay Currie – Sunday Night Theatre
• Frank Darien – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
• Frances Dee – Fireside Theatre
• Stuart Erwin – The Stu Erwin Show
• Kay Francis – Prudential Family Playhouse
• Rex Harrison – The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
• Nancy Kelly – The Silver Theatre
• June Lang – Fireside Theatre
• Robert Montgomery – Robert Montgomery Presents
• Franklin Pangborn – The Ken Murray Show
• Gene Raymond – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
• Penny Singleton – Pulitzer Prize Playhouse

References