# 1954 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1954.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| January 1 | The Rose Parade was broadcast in NTSC color for the first time ever. The NBC broadcast, possibly one of the earliest color broadcasts in American television history, used a new mobile color television studio truck, and the program is carried across the continent on 21 television stations. Color TV sets were placed in public viewing areas (e.g. hotel lobbies, etc.) by RCA as the first color sets wouldn't become available to the public for another few months. |
| February 28 | The Westinghouse H840CK15 is first offered for sale, the second consumer all-electronic color television set. The set was discontinued about six months after its introduction. |
| March 28 | Television arrives in the U.S. insular territory of Puerto Rico with the launch of WKAQ-TV in San Juan. |
| April | The American Broadcasting Company broadcasts the Army–McCarthy hearings live and in their entirety. |
| April | The RCA CT-100 15-inch color sets hit the market. The CT-100 wasn't the world's first color TV, but it was the first to be mass-produced, with 4400 having been made. |
| May 16 | National Educational Television launches as the nation's first non-commercial, educational broadcast television network. |
| September 11 | Lee Ann Meriwether wins the Miss America 1955 Beauty Contest, which is broadcast on national television for the first time. About 27 million viewers watched the future television actress win the crown in the pageant. |

## Television programs
### Debuts

| Date | Debut | Network |
| January 2 | The Spike Jones Show | NBC |
| January 3 | Look Up and Live | CBS |
| January 4 | The Brighter Day | CBS |
| January 9 | Annie Oakley | First-run syndication |
| January 23 | Stories of the Century | First-run syndication |
| February 1 | The Secret Storm | CBS |
| February 23 | Rocky Jones, Space Ranger | First-run syndication |
| March 11 | The Public Defender | CBS |
| March 14 | Night Editor | DuMont |
| April 1 | The Wallace and Ladmo Show | KPHO-TV |
| April 2 | Meet Corliss Archer | First-run syndication |
| April 8 | Justice | NBC |
| April 18 | The Martha Wright Show | ABC |
| April 20 | Love Story | DuMont |
| April 26 | The Tony Martin Show | NBC |
| April 30 | The Vampira Show | KABC-TV |
| June 25 | The Stranger | DuMont |
| July 3 | Stage Show | CBS |
| July 5 | Concerning Miss Marlowe | NBC |
| July 6 | One Minute Please | DuMont |
| July 6 | Summer Playhouse | NBC |
| July 16 | Gamble on Love | DuMont |
| July 16 | The Best in Mystery | NBC |
| August 5 | So You Want to Lead a Band | ABC |
| August 21 | Waterfront | First-run syndication |
| August 27 | Time Will Tell | DuMont |
| August 28 | The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan | NBC |
| September | DuMont Evening News | DuMont |
| September 7 | It's a Great Life | NBC |
| September 7 | Stop the Music | ABC |
| September 9 | Captain Midnight | CBS |
| September 10 | Dear Phoebe | NBC |
| September 12 | Lassie | CBS |
| September 13 | Medic | NBC |
| September 15 | The Best of Broadway | CBS |
| September 18 | Willy | CBS |
| September 19 | People Are Funny | NBC |
| September 21 | Studio 57 | DuMont |
| September 27 | Caesar's Hour | NBC |
| September 27 | The Tonight Show | NBC |
| September 30 | Shower of Stars | CBS |
| October 1 | Flash Gordon | DuMont |
| October 1 | The Lineup | CBS |
| October 2 | The Imogene Coca Show | NBC |
| October 2 | The Jimmy Durante Show | NBC |
| October 3 | Father Knows Best | CBS |
| October 4 | December Bride | CBS |
| October 5 | The Elgin Hour | ABC |
| October 7 | The Mail Story | ABC |
| October 7 | Climax! | CBS |
| October 9 | The Donald O'Connor Show | NBC |
| October 15 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin | ABC |
| October 18 | Producers' Showcase | NBC |
| October 18 | Sherlock Holmes | First-run syndication |
| October 19 | The Halls of Ivy | CBS |
| October 22 | The Jack Carson Show | NBC |
| October 27 | Walt Disney's Disneyland | ABC |
| November 1 | The Ilona Massey Show | DuMont |
| November 7 | Face the Nation | CBS |
| Unknown date | The Jo Stafford Show | CBS |
| Unknown date | That's My Boy | CBS |

### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| The Ernie Kovacs Show | CBS | DuMont |
| Better Living TV Theater | ABC | Dumont |
| The Goldbergs | CBS | Dumont |
| Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena | NBC | Dumont |

### Ending this year

| Date | Program | Network | First aired | Notes |
| January 1 | Nine Thirty Curtain | DuMont | October 16, 1953 | |
| January 11 | Of Many Things | ABC | October 5, 1953 | |
| January 18 | Broadway Television Theatre | WOR-TV | April 14, 1952 | |
| January 18 | Keep Posted | DuMont | October 9, 1951 | |
| January 21 | Joseph Schildkraut Presents | DuMont | October 28, 1953 | |
| February 5 | Guide Right | DuMont | February 25, 1952 | |
| February 2 | Melody Street | DuMont | September 25, 1953 | |
| February 24 | Answers for Americans | ABC | November 11, 1953 | |
| February 28 | The Igor Cassini Show | DuMont | October 25, 1953 | |
| March 9 | Pulse of the City | DuMont | September 15, 1953 | |
| April 3 | Medallion Theatre | DuMont | July 11, 1953 | |
| April 10 | NBA on DuMont | DuMont | September 9, 1953 | |
| April 11 | The George Jessel Show | ABC | September 13, 1953 | |
| April 17 | On Your Way | DuMont | September 9, 1953 | |
| May | Boxing from Eastern Parkway | DuMont | May 1952 | |
| May | The Abbott and Costello Show | syndication | September 1952 | |
| May 29 | Johnny Jupiter | ABC | March 21, 1953 (on DuMont) | |
| May 29 | The Secret Files of Captain Video | DuMont | September 5, 1953 | |
| May 28 | The Campbell Playhouse | DuMont | June 6, 1952 | |
| May 30 | The Fred Waring Show | CBS | April 17, 1949 | |
| June | ABC Mystery Theater | ABC | October 5, 1951 | |
| June 5 | Your Show of Shows | NBC | February 25, 1950 | |
| June 17 | Martin Kane, Private Eye | NBC | 1949 | |
| June 25 | My Friend Irma | CBS | January 8, 1952 | |
| June 27 | Man Against Crime | NBC | October 7, 1949 (on CBS) | |
| June 29 | Love Story | DuMont | April 20, 1954 | |
| June 30 | Stars on Parade | DuMont | November 4, 1953 | |
| July 2 | The Pride of the Family | ABC | October 2, 1953 | |
| July 15 | Broadway to Hollywood | DuMont | July 4, 1949 | |
| August 1 | Juvenile Jury | NBC | April 3, 1947 | |
| August 2 | The Dennis Day Show | NBC | November 23, 1951 (as The RCA Victor Show) | |
| August 17 | Suspense | CBS | January 6, 1949 | |
| August 20 | Gamble on Love | DuMont | July 16, 1954 | |
| August 21 | Bank on the Stars | NBC | June 20, 1953 (on CBS) | |
| August 24 | Summer Playhouse | NBC | July 6, 1954 | Returned in 1957 |
| September 3 | The Best in Mystery | NBC | July 16, 1954 | |
| September 8 | Night Editor | DuMont | March 14, 1954 | |
| September 8 | The Strawhatters | DuMont | May 27, 1953 | |
| September 12 | The Plainclothesman | DuMont | October 12, 1949 | |
| September 24 | Marge and Jeff | DuMont | September 21, 1953 | |
| September 26 | The Web | CBS | July 11, 1950 | |
| October 3 | The Man Behind the Badge | CBS | October 11, 1953 | |
| October 10 | Author Meets the Critics | DuMont | April 4, 1948 (on NBC) | |
| October 15 | Time Will Tell | DuMont | August 27, 1954 | |
| October 17 | The Music Show | DuMont | May 19, 1953 | |
| October 18 | The Week in Religion | DuMont | March 16, 1952 | |
| November 16 | Rocky Jones, Space Ranger | Syndication | February 23, 1954 | |
| December 5 | The Martha Wright Show | ABC | April 18, 1954 | |
| December 24 | Meet Corliss Archer | DuMont | April 2, 1954 | |
| December 26 | Rocky King Detective | DuMont | January 7, 1950 | |
| December 30 | They Stand Accused | DuMont | September 11, 1949 | |
| Unknown date | Ramar of the Jungle | Syndication | October 7, 1952 | |

### Television films and specials

* December 25 - The Walt Disney Christmas Show on CBS

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 1 | Shreveport, Louisiana | KSLA | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 1 | Traverse City/Cadillac, Michigan | WWTV | 9 | CBS (primary) DuMont/ABC (secondary) | |
| January 6 | Danville, Virginia | WBTM-TV | 24 | ABC | |
| January 13 | Mobile, Alabama | WEAR-TV | 3 | CBS | |
| January 15 | Lansing, Michigan | WMSB | 60 | NET | Now WMSB on channel 23 |
| February 5 | Adams, Massachusetts | WCDC-TV | 19 | ABC | Satellite station of WTEN/Albany, New York |
| February 8 | Augusta, Georgia | WRDW-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| February 8 | Fresno, California | KBID-TV | 53 | Independent | |
| February 14 | Savannah, Georgia | WTOC-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| February 16 | Bay City/Flint, Michigan | WNEM-TV | 5 | NBC | |
| February 17 | Albany, New York | WTRI | 13 | CBS | |
| March 1 | Superior, Wisconsin/Duluth, Minnesota | WDSM-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) |
| March 9 | San Francisco | KSAN-TV | 32 | Independent | |
| March 13 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | KCEB | 23 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 17 | Clarksburg, West Virginia | WJPB-TV | 15 | NBC | |
| March 17 | Fairmont, West Virginia | WJPB-TV | 35 | ABC (primary) NBC and DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 20 | South Bend, Indiana | WSJV | 28 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| March 21 | Great Falls, Montana | KFBB-TV | 5 | CBS (primary) NBC, ABC, and DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 22 | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KFBC-TV | 5 | ABC (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 23 | Fort Myers, Florida | WINK-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 23 | Providence, Rhode Island | WNET | 16 | ABC (primary) DuMont (Secondary) | |
| March 27 | Jackson, Mississippi | WSLI | 12 | ABC | |
| March 28 | Manchester, New Hampshire | WMUR-TV | 8 | ABC | |
| March 28 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | WKAQ-TV | 2 | Independent | |
| April 1 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WQED | 13 | NET | |
| April 5 | San Francisco, California | KQED | 9 | NET | |
| April 6 | San Francisco, California | KSAN | 32 | Independent | |
| April 7 | Albany, Georgia | WALB-TV | 10 | NBC | |
| April 8 | Eau Claire/La Crosse, Wisconsin | WKBT | 8 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary) | |
| April 9 | Wilmington, North Carolina | WMFD-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) DuMont/ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
| April 10 | Weslaco, Texas (Brownsville/McAllen, Texas) | KRGV-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| April 15 | Des Moines, Iowa | WHO-TV | 13 | NBC | |
| April 15 | Eugene, Oregon | KVAL | 13 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 15 | Little Rock, Arkansas | KARK-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 16 | Honolulu, Hawaii | KULA-TV | 4 | ABC | |
| April 24 | Erie, Pennsylvania | WSEE | | CBS | |
| April 25 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | WDEF-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 1 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | WAPA-TV | 4 | Independent | |
| May 3 | Madison, Wisconsin | WHA-TV | 21 | NET | |
| May 15 | Mason City, Iowa/Rochester, Minnesota | KGLO-TV | 3 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 16 | Portland, Maine | WGAN-TV | 13 | CBS | |
| May 22 | Grand Junction, Colorado | KFXJ-TV | 5 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 1 | Ada, Oklahoma (Sherman, Texas) | KTEN | 10 | ABC | |
| July 1 | Missoula, Montana | KGVO-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| July 1 | Indianapolis, Indiana | WISH-TV | 8 | ABC (primary) DuMont and NBC (secondary) | |
| July 1 | Orlando, Florida | WDBO-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) DuMont/ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| July 2 | Enid/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KGEO-TV | 5 | ABC | License moved to Oklahoma City in 1963 |
| July 4 | Huntsville, Alabama | WMSL-TV | 48 | NBC | |
| July 8 | St. Louis, Missouri | KWK-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Later a CBS O&O station (as KMOX-TV) from 1958 to 1986; now CBS affiliate KMOV |
| July 8 | Warrensburg/Sedalia, Missouri (Columbia/Jefferson City, Missouri) | KDRO-TV | 6 | Independent | |
| July 12 | Fargo, North Dakota | KXJB-TV | 4 | CBS | |
| July 15 | Salisbury, Maryland | WBOC-TV | 16 | DuMont | |
| July 22 | Terre Haute, Indiana | WTHI-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 26 | Cincinnati, Ohio | WCET | 48 | NET | |
| August 6 | Nashville, Tennessee | WLAC-TV | 5 | CBS | |
| August 14 | Buffalo, New York | WGR-TV | 2 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 15 | Charleston, West Virginia | WCHS-TV | 8 | CBS | |
| August 22 | West Palm Beach, Florida | WJNO-TV | 5 | NBC | |
| September 2 | Durham/Raleigh, North Carolina | WTVD | 11 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC (secondary) | |
| September 6 | Stockton/Sacramento, California | KOVR | 13 | Independent | |
| September 8 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | WCMB-TV | 27 | DuMont | |
| September 10 | Salt Lake City, Utah | KUTV | 2 | ABC | |
| September 11 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WMBV-TV | 11 | NBC | |
| September 12 | Bangor, Maine | WTWO | 2 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 13 | Traverse City/Cadillac, Michigan | WPBN-TV | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 16 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Detroit, Michigan, United States) | CKLW-TV | 9 | CBC Television (primary) DuMont (secondary) | Licensed in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, but serves both sides of the Canada–United States border as per RKO General ownership at time of sign-on |
| September 18 | Asheville, North Carolina | WLOS-TV | 13 | ABC | |
| September 18 | Muskogee/Tulsa, Oklahoma | KTVX | 8 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 20 | St. Louis, Missouri | KETC | 9 | NET | |
| September 25 | Charleston, South Carolina | WUSN-TV | 2 | NBC | |
| September 25 | Poland Spring/Portland, Maine | WMTW-TV | 8 | ABC | |
| September 26 | Burlington, Vermont (Plattsburgh, New York) | WCAX-TV | 3 | CBS | |
| September 26 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | WINT | 15 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 26 | Joplin, Missouri | KODE-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 29 | Alexandria, Louisiana | KALB-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont/ABC (secondary) | |
| September 29 | Lake Charles, Louisiana | KPLC | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 2 | Hartford, Connecticut | WGTH-TV | 18 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 3 | Cape Girardeau, Missouri | KFVS-TV | 12 | CBS | |
| October 10 | Sioux City, Iowa | KTIV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) |
| October 13 | Atlanta, Georgia | WQXI-TV | 36 | Independent | |
| October 14 | Tyler, Texas | KLTV | 7 | ABC (primary) CBS/NBC (joint primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 18 | Florence, South Carolina | WBTW | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 19 | Wichita, Kansas | KAKE-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 22 | Watertown, New York | WCNY-TV | 7 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| October 23 | Wausau, Wisconsin | WSAW-TV | 7 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 27 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WISN-TV | 12 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 29 | Spokane, Washington | KREM | 2 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 1 | Lincoln, Nebraska | KUON-TV | 12 | NET | Flagship of Nebraska ETV |
| November 20 | Houston, Texas | KTRK-TV | 13 | ABC | |
| November 28 | Great Bend/Hays, Kansas (Salina, Kansas) | KCKT | 2 | NBC | |
| December | Miami, Florida | WGBS-TV | 27 | Independent | |
| December 5 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | KVOO-TV | 2 | NBC | |
| December 7 | Seattle, Washington | KCTS-TV | 9 | NET | |
| December 8 | Plattsburgh, New York | WIRI | 5 | NBC (primary) DuMont/ABC (secondary) | |
| December 14 | Oak Hill/Bluefield/Beckley, West Virginia | WOAY-TV | 4 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 18 | Atlanta, Georgia | WQXI-TV | 36 | Independent | |
| December 24 | Miami, Florida | WGBS-TV | 23 | Independent | |
| December 25 | Montgomery, Alabama | WSFA-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) |
| December 28 | Pasco, Washington | KEPR | 19 | CBS (primary) NBC/ABC (secondary) | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| March | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | CBS (primary) NBC (secondary) | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 15 | Austin/Rochester, Minnesota | KMMT | 6 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 15 | Rochester, Minnesota | KROC-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) DuMont/CBS/ABC (primary) | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 16 | Houston, Texas | KUHT | 8 | Educational independent | NET | |
| August 6 | Nashville, Tennessee | WSIX-TV | 8 (now on 2) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | ABC (exclusive) | |
| August 6 | Nashville, Tennessee | WSM-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | Became an exclusive NBC affiliate upon the closure of DuMont in 1956. |
| Unknown date | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KMPT (recalled from KLPR) | 19 | ABC | DuMont | |

### Station closures

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | First air date | Notes/Ref. |
| February 28 | Kansas City, Missouri | KCTY | 25 | DuMont | June 6, 1953 | |
| March 13 | Lincoln, Nebraska | KFOR-TV | 10 | CBS | May 31, 1953 | Merged with KOLN-TV |
| March 31 | Little Rock, Arkansas | KRTV | 17 | CBS (primary) NBC/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | April 5, 1953 | Studio purchased by KATV |
| April | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | NBC/CBS (joint primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | 1953 | |
| April 2 | Festus/St. Louis, Missouri | KACY | 14 | Independent | October 31, 1953 | |
| April 21 | Pueblo, Colorado | KDZA-TV | 3 | DuMont | March 16, 1953 | |
| April 29 | Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico (Brownsville/McAllen, Texas, United States) | XELD-TV | 7 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | September 15, 1951 | |
| April 30 | Flint, Michigan | WTAC-TV | 16 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 1 | Monroe, Louisiana | KFAZ | 43 | Independent | August 11, 1953 | |
| May 5 | Phoenix, Arizona | KOY-TV | 10 | ABC | October 19, 1953 | Merged with time-sharing station KOOL-TV, which went full-time on channel |
| May 17 | Atlantic City, New Jersey | WFPG-TV | 46 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | December 21, 1954 | |
| June 9 | Kansas City, Missouri | WHB-TV | 9 | CBS | August 2, 1953 | Merged with time-sharing station KMBC-TV, which went full-time on channel |
| July 2 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WKJF-TV | 53 | Independent | July 14, 1953 | Returned to the air in 1969 as WPGH-TV |
| July 11 | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | May 31, 1953 | |
| July 15 | Fresno, California | KBID-TV | 53 | Independent | February 8, 1954 | |
| July 17 | Princeton, Indiana | WRAY-TV | 52 | Independent | December 6, 1953 | |
| August 1 | Mobile, Alabama | WKAB-TV | 48 | CBS, DuMont | December 30, 1952 | |
| August 3 | St. Louis, Missouri | KSTM-TV | 36 | DuMont | October 20, 1953 | |
| September 19 | Butte, Montana | KOPR-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | August 23, 1953 | |
| October 15 | Elmira, New York | WTVE | 24 | DuMont, CBS, ABC | June 15, 1953 | Tower collapse in Hurricane Hazel. Returned May 6, 1956 – February 13, 1957 |
| October 23 | Tyler, Texas | KETX | 19 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | August 24, 1953 | |
| December 16 | Portland, Maine | WPMT | 53 | DuMont | August 27, 1953 | |
| December 25 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | KCEB | 23 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | March 13, 1954 | |
| December 31 | Danville, Virginia | WBTM-TV | 24 | ABC | January 6, 1954 | |
| Unknown date | Flint, Michigan | WTAC-TV | 16 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | 1953 | |