# 1956 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1956.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| January 28 | Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on the CBS program, Stage Show, the first of six appearances on the series. |
| January 30 | NBC swaps its Cleveland radio and TV stations to Westinghouse Broadcasting in exchange for Westinghouse's own Philadelphia radio and TV stations. The trade was eventually reversed in 1965. |
| February | U.M. & M. TV Corporation acquires the pre-October 1950 releases of Paramount Pictures cartoons and theatrical shorts, excluding the Popeye the Sailor cartoons (which were sold to Associated Artists Productions in June) and the Superman cartoons. This includes most Fleischer/Famous Studios-produced cartoons. Those assets would eventually be purchased by National Telefilm Associates about fourteen months later. |
| April | U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver holds congressional hearings on the rising rates of juvenile crime and publishes an article in Reader's Digest named "Let's Get Rid of Tele-Violence." |
| April | NBC owned-and-operated station WNBQ-TV (now WMAQ-TV) in Chicago, Illinois becomes the first television station to locally broadcast in color. |
| April 14 | The Ampex company demonstrates a videotape recorder at the 1956 NARTB (now National Association of Broadcasters) convention in Chicago. It was the demonstration of the first practical and commercially successful videotape format known as 2" Quadruplex. ABC, NBC, and CBS place orders for the recorders. |
| August 6 | The DuMont Television Network ends network operations, with a live broadcast of a boxing match being the network's final broadcast. |
| May 22 | NBC introduces a brightly-hued peacock logo to denote the network's first color broadcasts. An animated version of the peacock would air the following year. |
| October | National Telefilm Associates launches the ad-hoc NTA Film Network in the latest attempt to create a fourth television network two months after the demise of the DuMont network. |
| October 29 | CBS uses its Ampex VTR to record the evening news, anchored by Douglas Edwards, which was then fed to the West Coast stations three hours later. This event marks the first use of videotape in network television programming. |
| October 29 | Chet Huntley and David Brinkley take over anchor duties of NBC's evening newscast, which is renamed The Huntley-Brinkley Report. |
| November 3 | CBS televises the first-ever broadcast of the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release The Wizard of Oz. An estimated 45 million people viewed the broadcast. |
| November | Jonathan Winters uses videotape and superimposing techniques to be able to play two characters in the same skit for his NBC television show. This occasion marks the first use of videotape for a network television entertainment program. |
| December 31 | Bob Barker makes his national television debut on the game show Truth or Consequences. |
| December 31 | Guy Lombardo hosts his first televised New Year's Eve celebration on CBS. |
| Unknown date | Portable black-and-white television sets were marketed for the first time. |

### Other notable events

* The Paramount Television Network ends network operations after about eight years.

## Television programs
### Debuts

| Date | Debut | Network |
| January 3 | Queen for a Day | NBC |
| January 3 | Do You Trust Your Wife? | CBS |
| February 10 | My Friend Flicka | CBS |
| April 2 | As the World Turns | CBS |
| April 2 | The Edge of Night | CBS |
| April 8 | Telephone Time | CBS |
| May | The Open Mind | NET |
| May 12 | The Gabby Hayes Show | ABC |
| June 24 | The Steve Allen Show | NBC |
| July 3 | G.E. Summer Originals | ABC |
| July 3 | The Kaiser Aluminum Hour | NBC |
| July 3 | Sneak Preview | NBC |
| August 7 | The Golden Touch of Frankie Carle | NBC |
| September 3 | The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu | Broadcast syndication |
| September 18 | Conflict | ABC |
| September 7 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | ABC |
| September 7 | Treasure Hunt | ABC |
| September 8 | Hey, Jeannie! | CBS |
| September 12 | Twenty-One | NBC |
| September 18 | Conflict | ABC |
| September 21 | The Sheriff of Cochise | Broadcast syndication |
| September 21 | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Dumont |
| September 23 | Circus Boy | NBC |
| September 24 | Stanley | NBC |
| September 25 | Broken Arrow | ABC |
| September 25 | State Trooper | Broadcast syndication |
| September 29 | The Gale Storm Show | CBS |
| October 1 | Dr. Christian | Broadcast syndication |
| October 3 | The Adventures of Hiram Holliday | NBC |
| October 4 | The Ford Show | NBC |
| October 4 | Playhouse 90 | CBS |
| October 4 | Wire Service | ABC |
| October 5 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | CBS |
| October 5 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | NBC |
| October 5 | The West Point Story | CBS |
| October 14 | The Heckle and Jeckle Cartoon Show | CBS |
| October 21 | Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers | NBC |
| October 29 | The Huntley–Brinkley Report | NBC |
| November 11 | Air Power | CBS |
| November 26 | The Price Is Right | NBC |
| December 18 | To Tell the Truth | CBS |
| December 22 | You're On Your Own | CBS |
| Unknown | Bingo at Home | DuMont |

### Ending this year

| Date | Program | Network | First aired | Status |
| January 12 | Wanted | CBS | October 20, 1955 | Ended |
| January 21 | Captain Midnight | CBS | September 9, 1954 | Ended |
| February 25 | Life Begins at Eighty | ABC | January 13, 1950 (on NBC) | Ended |
| March 5 | Medical Horizons | ABC | September 12, 1955 | Canceled |
| March 14 | Brave Eagle | CBS | September 28, 1955 | Ended |
| March 19 | Jungle Jim | Syndication | September 26, 1955 | Canceled |
| March 22 | The Cisco Kid | Syndication | September 5, 1950 | Ended |
| March 25 | Justice | NBC | April 8, 1954 | Ended |
| April 24 | Casablanca | ABC | September 27, 1955 | Ended |
| April 28 | It's Always Jan | CBS | September 10, 1955 | Canceled |
| May 2 | MGM Parade | ABC | September 14, 1955 | Ended |
| May 11 | Our Miss Brooks | CBS | October 3, 1952 | Ended |
| May 22 | Warner Bros. Presents | ABC | September 20, 1955 | Ended |
| June 1 | Hollywood Preview | DuMont | September 14, 1955 | Ended |
| June 3 | It's a Great Life | NBC | September 7, 1954 | Ended |
| June 14 | Stop the Music | ABC | May 5, 1949 | Ended |
| June 23 | Chance of a Lifetime | Unknown | 1952 | Ended |
| June 23 | The Jimmy Durante Show | Unknown | 1954 | Ended |
| July 9 | TV Reader's Digest | ABC | January 17, 1955 | Ended |
| August 7 | The Gene Autry Show | CBS | July 23, 1950 | Ended |
| August 9 | Star Tonight | ABC | February 3, 1955 | Ended |
| August 14 | Sneak Preview | NBC | July 3, 1956 | Ended |
| August 27 | Medic | NBC | September 13, 1954 | Ended |
| August 31 | The Best in Mystery | NBC | 1954 | Ended |
| September 3 | The Dotty Mack Show | ABC | February 16, 1953 (on DuMont) | Canceled |
| September 8 | Down You Go | NBC | May 30, 1951 | Ended |
| September 11 | This Is Show Business | NBC | July 15, 1949 | Ended |
| September 18 | Stage Show | ABC | July 3, 1954 | Ended |
| September 18 | G.E. Summer Originals | ABC | July 3, 1956 | Ended |
| September 22 | The Honeymooners | CBS | October 1, 1955 | Canceled |
| September 25 | Joe and Mabel | CBS | September 20, 1955 | Ended |
| September 27 | Combat Sergeant | Syndication | June 29, 1956 | Ended |
| September 27 | Four Star Playhouse | CBS | September 25, 1952 | Ended |
| October 20 | The Golden Touch of Frankie Carle | NBC | August 7, 1956 | Ended |
| October 26 | Camel News Caravan | NBC | February 16, 1949 | Ended |
| November 2 | My Friend Flicka | CBS | February 10, 1956 | Ended |
| November 26 | The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu | Syndication | September 3, 1956 | Ended |
| December 21 | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | DuMont | September 21, 1956 | |
| December 28 | Ding Dong School | NBC | November 24, 1952 | Ended |
| Unknown date | Super Circus | ABC | 1949 | Ended |

## Networks and services
### Network launches

| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes |
| NTA Film Network | Broadcast | October | |
| Sports Network Incorporated | Cable television | Unknown | |

### Network closures

| Network | Type | End date | Notes |
| DuMont Television Network | Broadcast | August | |
| Paramount Television Network | Broadcast | Unknown date | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/References |
| January 1 | Hastings, Nebraska | KHAS-TV | 5 | NBC | |
| January 1 | Memphis, Tennessee | WREC-TV | 3 | CBS | |
| January 1 | Odessa, Texas | KOSA-TV | 7 | CBS | |
| January 7 | Laredo, Texas | KHAD-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
| January 15 | Big Spring, Texas (Odessa/Midland, Texas) | KBST-TV | 4 | ABC | |
| January 30 | Abilene, Texas | KPAR-TV | 12 | CBS | |
| January 30 | Denver, Colorado | KRMA-TV | 6 | NET | |
| February 1 | Savannah, Georgia | WSAV-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| February 9 | Hayes Center, Nebraska | KHPL-TV | | CBS | Satellite of KHOL-TV (now KHGI-TV) in Kearney |
| February 19 | Juneau, Alaska | KINY-TV | 8 | ABC | |
| February 20 | Columbus, Ohio | WOSU-TV | 34 | NET | |
| April 1 | Roseburg, Oregon | KPIC | 19 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
| April 13 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KETA-TV | 13 | NET | Flagship of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority |
| April 26 | Marquette, Michigan | WLUC-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| April 29 | Richmond, Virginia | WRVA-TV | 12 | CBS | |
| April 29 | Spartanburg, South Carolina | WSPA-TV | 7 | CBS | |
| May 4 | Las Vegas, Nevada | KSHO-TV | 13 | ABC | |
| May 6 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | WRGP-TV | 3 | NBC | |
| May 10 | Fresno, California | KFRE-TV | 12 | CBS | |
| May 21 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WITI-TV | 6 | Independent | |
| May 22 | Corpus Christi, Texas | KRIS-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| May 29 | Daytona Beach/Orlando, Florida | WESH-TV | 2 | NBC | |
| June 3 | Tucson, Arizona | KDWI-TV | 9 | ABC | |
| June 11 | Daytona Beach/Orlando, Florida | WESH-TV | 2 | Independent | |
| June 24 | Madison, Wisconsin | WISC-TV | 3 | CBS | |
| June 25 | Memphis, Tennessee | WKNO | 10 | NET | |
| July 13 | Columbus, Mississippi | WCBI-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| July 29 | Miami, Florida | WCKT | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| August 1 | Chico/Redding, California | KVIP-TV | 7 | NBC | |
| August 5 | Hagåtña, Guam | KUAM-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC (secondary) | |
| August 8 | Andalusia, Alabama | WAIQ | 2 | NET | Part of the Alabama Educational Television network; now Dozier, Alabama-licensed WDIQ |
| August 12 | Knoxville, Tennessee | WBIR-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) CBS (secondary) | |
| August 12 | Medford, Oregon | KOTI | 2 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| August 12 | Sherman, Texas (Ada, Oklahoma) | KVSO-TV | 12 | NBC | |
| August 13 | Bristol, Virginia (Bristol/Johnson City/Kingsport, Tennessee) | WCYB-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) ABC (Secondary) | |
| August 21 | Evansville, Indiana | WTVW | 7 | ABC | |
| August 24 | Carlsbad, New Mexico | KOCT | 6 | ABC | |
| September 1 | El Paso, Texas | KILT | 10 | ABC | |
| September 10 | Elmira, New York | WSYE-TV | 18 | NBC | |
| September 18 | Montrose, Colorado | KFXJ-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/NTA Film Network (secondary) | Now KREY-TV; calls previously used on a station in Grand Junction, Colorado |
| September 30 | Corpus Christi, Texas | KSIX-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 13 | Presque Isle, Maine | WAGM-TV | 8 | CBS | |
| October 15 | Dickenson, North Dakota | KDIX-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| December 15 | Portland, Oregon | KGW | 8 | ABC | |
| December 15 | Raleigh, North Carolina | WRAL-TV | 5 | NBC | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | References |
| January 1 | Waco, Texas | KWTX-TV | 10 | ABC | CBS | |
| March 1 | West Palm Beach, Florida | WIRK-TV | 21 | Independent | August 31, 1953 | |
| Unknown | Denver, Colorado | KOA-TV | 9 | DuMont (primary) ABC (secondary) | ABC (secondary) | |
| Unknown | Windsor, Ontario, Canada Detroit, Michigan, United States | CKLW-TV | 9 | CBC Television (primary) DuMont (secondary) | CBC Television (exclusive) | Would become a CBC owned-and-operated station in 1975. |

### Station closures

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | First air date |
| January 21 | Columbia, South Carolina | WCOS-TV | 25 | | April 25, 1953 |
| April 29 | Greenville, South Carolina | WGVL | 23 | | July 15, 1953 |
| April 30 | Wichita, Kansas | KEDD-TV | 16 | Independent | August 15, 1953 |
| June 16 | Ashtabula, Ohio | WICA-TV | 15 | Independent | August 25, 1953 |
| September 4 | Reading, Pennsylvania | WHUM-TV | 61 | CBS | February 22, 1953 |
| Unknown date | Des Moines, Iowa | KGTV | 17 | | 1953 |
| Unknown date | Sterling, Colorado | KDZA-TV | 3 | DuMont | 1955 |