# 1953 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1953.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| January 15 | Harry Truman becomes the first U.S. president to broadcast his farewell address on both radio and television. |
| February 18 | Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign an $8,000,000 contract to continue the I Love Lucy television series through at least 1955. |
| March 25 | CBS conceded victory to RCA in the war over color television standards. |
| April 3 | TV Guide is published for the first time, with 10 editions and a circulation of 1,562,000. |
| May 25 | KUHT, the first non-commercial educational television station signs on the air in Houston, Texas. This launch preceded the launch of National Educational Television by almost a year. |

## Television programs
### Debuts

| Date | Program | Network |
| February 10 | Romper Room | First-run syndication |
| February 16 | The Dotty Mack Show | DuMont |
| March 21 | Johnny Jupiter | DuMont |
| May 8 | Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop | DuMont |
| May 10 | The Roy Doty Show | DuMont |
| May 19 | The Music Show | DuMont |
| May 27 | The Strawhatters | DuMont |
| June 20 | Bank on the Stars | CBS |
| June 21 | Washington Exclusive | DuMont |
| June 26 | Terry and the Pirates | First-run syndication |
| June 27 | It's a Small World | DuMont |
| July 5 | Old American Barn Dance | DuMont |
| July 7 | Summer Night Theater | DuMont |
| July 9 | Drama at Eight | DuMont |
| July 11 | Medallion Theatre | CBS |
| August 18 | Judge for Yourself | NBC |
| September 5 | The Secret Files of Captain Video | DuMont |
| September 9 | On Your Way | DuMont |
| September 9 | NBA on DuMont | DuMont |
| September 12 | Bonino | NBC |
| September 13 | The George Jessel Show | ABC |
| September 15 | Pulse of the City | DuMont |
| September 20 | Dollar a Second | DuMont |
| September 21 | Marge and Jeff | DuMont |
| September 25 | Melody Street | DuMont |
| September 29 | Make Room For Daddy | ABC |
| October 2 | The Comeback Story | ABC |
| October 2 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse | ABC |
| October 2 | The Price of the Family | ABC |
| October 5 | Of Many Things | ABC |
| October 7 | Colonel Humphrey Flack | DuMont |
| October 7 | Life with Elizabeth | First-run syndication |
| October 8 | Where's Raymond? | ABC |
| October 11 | The Man Behind the Badge | CBS |
| October 16 | Nine Thirty Curtain | DuMont |
| October 25 | The Igor Cassini Show | DuMont |
| October 28 | Joseph Schildkraut Presents | DuMont |
| November 4 | Stars on Parade | DuMont |
| November 8 | Opera Cameos | DuMont |
| November 11 | Answers for Americans | ABC |
| December 30 | Concert Tonight | DuMont |
| Unknown date | Place the Face | CBS |
| Unknown date | All About Baby | DuMont |

### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| My Little Margie | CBS | NBC |
| The Ernie Kovacs Show | NBC | CBS |
| Chance of a Lifetime | ABC | Dumont |
| What's Your Bid? | ABC | Dumont |
| Man Against Crime | CBS | Dumont / NBC |
| Pantomime Quiz | NBC | Dumont |
| Meet Your Congress | NBC | Dumont |
| Blind Date | NBC | Dumont |
| Tom Corbett, Space Cadet | NBC | Dumont |

### Ending this year

| Date | Program | Network | First aired | Notes |
| February 2 | Report Card for Parents | DuMont | December 1, 1952 | |
| March 14 | The Pet Shop | DuMont | December 1, 1951 | |
| March 23 | Hollywood Opening Night | NBC | July 13, 1951 (on CBS) | |
| March 26 | Biff Baker, U.S.A. | CBS | November 13, 1952 | |
| April | The Amos 'n' Andy Show | CBS | 1951 | |
| April 3 | One Woman's Experience | DuMont | October 6, 1952 | |
| April 10 | One Man's Experience | DuMont | October 6, 1952 | |
| May 1 | Dark of Night | DuMont | October 3, 1952 | |
| May 1 | Hollywood Screen Test | ABC | April 15, 1948 | |
| May 2 | Kids and Company | DuMont | September 1, 1951 | |
| May 3 | Victory at Sea | NBC | October 26, 1952 | |
| May 6 | Happy's Party | DuMont | September 6, 1952 | |
| May 12 | Meet the Boss | DuMont | June 10, 1952 | |
| May 20 | Stage a Number | DuMont | September 10, 1952 | |
| June 7 | Youth on the March | DuMont | October 9, 1949 (on ABC) | |
| June 12 | Tales of Tomorrow | ABC | August 3, 1951 | |
| June 13 | Cowboy G-Men | Syndication | September 13, 1952 | |
| June 14 | New York Times Youth Forum | DuMont | September 14, 1952 | |
| June 20 | My Hero | NBC | November 8, 1952 | |
| June 21 | The Alan Young Show | CBS | April 6, 1950 | |
| June 21 | The Ken Murray Show | CBS | January 7, 1950 | |
| June 28 | The Doctor | NBC | August 24, 1952 | |
| June 30 | Wisdom of the Ages | DuMont | December 16, 1952 | |
| July 3 | Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop | DuMont | May 8, 1953 | |
| July 27 | It's a Small World | DuMont | June 27, 1953 | |
| July 28 | Summer Night Theater | DuMont | July 7, 1953 | |
| July 30 | Drama at Eight | DuMont | July 9, 1953 | |
| July 31 | Ladies' Date | DuMont | October 13, 1952 | |
| September 1 | The Range Rider | Syndication | April 5, 1951 | |
| September 11 | Gulf Playhouse | NBC | October 3, 1952 | |
| September 12 | The Aldrich Family | NBC | October 2, 1949 | |
| September 13 | The Old American Barn Dance | DuMont | July 5, 1953 | |
| September 15 | Blind Date | DuMont | May 5, 1949 (on ABC) | |
| September 22 | Beulah | ABC | October 3, 1950 | |
| September 27 | Trash or Treasure | DuMont | October 1, 1952 | |
| September 28 | Shadow of the Cloak | CBS | June 7, 1951 | |
| September 30 | A Date with Judy | ABC | July 10, 1952 | Second version; first version aired in daytime from 1951 to 1952 |
| October 1 | City Hospital | CBS | November 3, 1951 (on ABC) | |
| October 4 | The Roy Doty Show | DuMont | May 10, 1953 | |
| October 6 | Where Was I? | DuMont | September 2, 1952 | |
| October 11 | Georgetown University Forum | DuMont | July 3, 1951 | |
| October 11 | What's It Worth | CBS | May 21, 1948 |
| November 13 | Front Page Detective | DuMont | July 6, 1951 | |
| November 21 | Terry and the Pirates | Syndication | June 26, 1953 | |
| December 7 | Monodrama Theater | DuMont | May 1952 | |
| December 26 | Bonino | NBC | September 12, 1953 | |
| December 26 | Four Star Revue | NBC | October 4, 1950 | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 1 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania | WBRE-TV | 28 | NBC | |
| January 4 | El Paso, Texas | KTSM-TV | 9 | NBC | |
| January 11 | Youngstown, Ohio | WKBN-TV | 27 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 13 | Tucson, Arizona | KOPO-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 14 | Mobile, Alabama | WALA | 10 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 20 | Jackson, Mississippi | WJTV | 25 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 25 | Bangor, Maine | WABI-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| February 1 | Peoria, Illinois | WEEK-TV | 25 | NBC | |
| February 8 | Lynchburg, Virginia | WLVA-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| February 13 | New Britain, Connecticut (Hartford) | WKNB-TV | 30 | NBC (primary) CBS (secondary) | |
| February 15 | Roanoke, Virginia | WROV-TV | 27 | Independent | |
| February 18 | Lincoln, Nebraska | KOLN-TV | 12 | ABC | now on channel 10 |
| February 22 | Reading, Pennsylvania | WHUM-TV | 61 | CBS | |
| February 22 | Spokane, Washington | KXLY-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| February 23 | Spokane, Washington | KXLY-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 1 | Johnstown/Altoona, Pennsylvania | WFBG-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 1 | Tacoma/Seattle, Washington | KTNT-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 1 | Wichita Falls, Texas | KWFT-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 8 | Lawton, Oklahoma (Wichita Falls, Texas) | KSWO-TV | 7 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 8 | Youngstown, Ohio | WFMJ-TV | 21 | NBC | |
| March 9 | Sioux City, Iowa/South Dakota | KVTV | 9 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 13 | Rome, Georgia | WROM-TV | 9 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | Moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to become that area's ABC affiliate in 1958 |
| March 14 | Springfield, Missouri | KTTS-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 16 | Pueblo, Colorado | KDZA-TV | 3 | DuMont | |
| March 17 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WBAY-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 17 | Springfield, Massachusetts | WWLP | 61 | NBC | |
| March 18 | Amarillo, Texas | KGNC-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 23 | Galveston/Houston, Texas | KGUL-TV | 11 | CBS | City of license was changed to Houston in 1960. |
| March 29 | Bridgeport, Connecticut | WICC-TV | 43 | DuMont/ABC | |
| April 3 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | WPAG-TV | 20 | Independent (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 3 | Minot, North Dakota | KCJB-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| April 4 | Amarillo, Texas | KFDA-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| April 4 | New Castle, Pennsylvania (Youngstown, Ohio) | WKST-TV | 45 | ABC | Now on channel 33 |
| April 5 | Flint, Michigan | WKNX-TV | 57 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Now NBC affiliate WEYI-TV on channel 25 |
| April 5 | Little Rock, Arkansas | KRTV | 17 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 7 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | WFTL-TV | 23 | NBC | |
| April 9 | Reading, Pennsylvania | WEEU-TV | 33 | NBC | |
| April 12 | Wichita Falls, Texas | KFDX-TV | 3 | NBC | |
| April 14 | Springfield, Massachusetts | WHYN-TV | 55 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 17 | Montgomery, Alabama | WCOV-TV | 20 | CBS | |
| April 18 | Lima, Ohio | WLOK-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) DuMont/ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
| April 19 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | WAFB-TV | 9 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| April 21 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | WLEV-TV | 51 | NBC | |
| April 29 | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico (San Diego, California, United States) | XETV-TV | 6 | Bilingual independent | Licensed to Tijuana, but is considered a border blaster serving the San Diego area; Now an affiliate of Mexico's Canal 5. |
| May 1 | Columbia, South Carolina | WCOS-TV | 25 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS (secondary) | |
| May 2 | Mesa–Phoenix, Arizona | KTYL-TV | 12 | NBC | |
| May 3 | Rockford, Illinois | WTVO | 17 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 5 | Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Florida | WFTL-TV | 23 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 5 | St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida | WSUN-TV | 38 | Independent (primary) CBS/ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary, select programs) | |
| May 10 | Lubbock, Texas | KCBD | 11 | NBC | |
| May 19 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | KELO-TV | 11 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 23 | Zanesville, Ohio | WHIZ-TV | 18 | NBC (primary) DuMont/CBS/ABC (secondary) | |
| May 25 | Houston, Texas | KUHT | 8 | Educational Independent | |
| May 25 | San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara, California | KVEC-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 31 | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 31 | Lincoln, Nebraska | KFOR-TV | 10 | CBS | |
| May 31 | St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida | WSUN-TV | 38 | ABC | |
| June 1 | Fargo, North Dakota | WDAY-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| June 1 | Fresno, California | KMJ-TV | 24 | NBC | |
| June 3 | Bellingham, Washington | KVOS-TV | 12 | DuMont | |
| June 6 | Kansas City, Missouri | KCTY | 25 | DuMont | |
| June 7 | Akron, Ohio | WAKR-TV | 23 | ABC | |
| June 7 | Scranton, Pennsylvania | WDAU | 22 | CBS | |
| June 14 | Muncie, Indiana | WLBC-TV | 49 | ABC/CBS/NBC | |
| June 15 | Elmira, New York | WTVE | 24 | CBS and NBC (joint-primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 15 | Lafayette, Indiana | WFAM-TV | 18 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 17 | Decatur, Illinois | WTVP | 17 | ABC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 18 | Nampa, Idaho | KFXD-TV | 6 | Independent | First station in Idaho, but lasted less than two months |
| June 19 | Charleston, South Carolina | WCSC-TV | 5 | CBS | |
| June 24 | Roswell, New Mexico | KSWS-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) DuMont/CBS/ABC (secondary) |
| June 26 | Easton, Pennsylvania | WGLV | 57 | ABC/DuMont | |
| June 26 | San Angelo, Texas | KXTL-TV | 8 | CBS | |
| June 29 | Pueblo, Colorado | KCSJ-TV | 5 | NBC | |
| June 30 | Madison, Wisconsin | WKOW-TV | 27 | CBS | |
| July 1 | Hutchinson/Wichita, Kansas | KTVH | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 4 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | WHP-TV | 55 | DuMont | |
| July 5 | Quincy, Illinois (Hannibal, Missouri/Keokuk, Iowa) | WGEM-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| July 6 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | WTPA | 71 | NBC | |
| July 8 | Las Vegas, Nevada | KLAS-TV | 8 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| July 8 | Madison, Wisconsin | WMTV | 15 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 8 | Warrensburg/Sedalia, Missouri (Columbia/Jefferson City) | KDRO-TV | 6 | Independent | |
| July 9 | Fort Smith, Arkansas | KFSA-TV | 22 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 12 | Boise, Idaho | KIDO-TV | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 12 | Raleigh, North Carolina | WNAO-TV | 28 | CBS (primary) NBC/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 14 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WKJF-TV | 53 | Independent | |
| July 14 | Rochester, Minnesota | KROC-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) DuMont/CBS/ABC |
| July 19 | Yakima, Washington | KIMA-TV | 29 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 24 | Santa Barbara, California | KEYT-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 1 | Greenville, South Carolina | WGVL | 23 | ABC | |
| August 1 | Kansas City, Missouri | KMBC-TV | 9 | CBS | Shared time with WHB-TV |
| August 1 | Medford, Oregon | KBES-TV | 5 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 2 | Kansas City, MO/KS | WHB-TV | 9 | CBS | |
| August 2 | Tacoma/Seattle, Washington | KMO-TV | 13 | NBC | |
| August 10 | St. Louis, Missouri | WTVI | 54 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Now Fox network affiliate KTVI channel 2 (was a Fox O&O from 1997 to 2008) |
| August 11 | Monroe, Louisiana | KFAZ-TV | 43 | Independent | |
| August 14 | Butte, Montana | KXLF-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 15 | Richmond, Virginia | WXEX-TV | 8 | NBC | |
| August 15 | Wichita, Kansas | KEDD-TV | 16 | Independent | |
| August 16 | Texarkana, Texas-Arkansas (Shreveport, Louisiana) | KCMC-TV | 6 | CBS | |
| August 17 | Austin/Rochester, Minnesota | KMMT | 6 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 17 | Buffalo, New York | WBUF-TV | 17 | CBS/ABC/DuMont | |
| August 17 | Monterey, California | KMBY-TV | 8 | ABC/CBS/DuMont/NBC | Shared time with KSBW-TV |
| August 23 | Butte, Montana | KOPR-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| August 24 | Abilene, Texas | KRBC-TV | 9 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont/ABC (secondary) | |
| August 24 | Tyler, Texas | KETX | 19 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 25 | Ashtabula, Ohio | WICA-TV | 15 | Independent | |
| August 25 | Macon, Georgia | WETV | 47 | Independent | |
| August 25 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WENS | 16 | Independent | |
| August 27 | Portland, Maine | WPMT | 53 | DuMont | |
| August 29 | Chico/Redding, California | KHSL-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (Secondary) | |
| August 29 | Providence, Rhode Island | WSTG | 64 | DuMont/ABC | |
| August 29 | Winston-Salem/Greensboro, North Carolina | WTOB-TV | 26 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 31 | Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts | WTAO-TV | 56 | DuMont | |
| August 31 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WENS | 16 | ABC | |
| August 31 | West Palm Beach, Florida | WIRK-TV | 21 | Independent | |
| September | Sacramento, California | KCCC-TV | 40 | ABC | |
| September 1 | Columbia, South Carolina | WNOK-TV | 19 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 1 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | WTCN-TV | 11 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 1 | St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota | WMIN-TV | 11 | ABC/DuMont | Shared time with KARE (now WTCN-TV) |
| September 5 | Anderson, South Carolina (Greenville/Spartanburg, SC/Asheville, NC) | WAIM-TV | 40 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 6 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WCAN-TV | 25 | CBS | |
| September 7 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania | WILK-TV | 34 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 10 | Hartford, Connecticut | WATR-TV | 53 | ABC/DuMont | |
| September 11 | Salinas/Monterey, California | KSBW-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 13 | San Diego, California | KFSD-TV | 10 | NBC | |
| September 15 | Tucson, Arizona | KVOA-TV | 4 | NBC | |
| September 16 | Scranton, Pennsylvania | WILK-TV | 34 | ABC | |
| September 17 | Charleston, West Virginia | WKNA-TV | 49 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 17 | Springfield, Illinois | WICS | 20 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 19 | Hampton Roads, Virginia | WVEC | 13 | NBC | |
| September 20 | Fresno, California | KJEO | 47 | ABC (primary) CBS (secondary) | |
| September 21 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | KRDO-TV | 13 | NBC | |
| September 23 | Hannibal, Missouri (Keokuk, Iowa/Quincy, Illinois) | KHQA-TV | 7 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 23 | Reno, Nevada | KZTV | 8 | CBS (primary) DuMont/NBC (secondary) | |
| September 26 | Meridian, Mississippi | WTOK-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 27 | Evansville, Indiana | WEHT | 50 | ABC | Originally licensed to Henderson, Kentucky at the time of sign-on |
| September 27 | Kansas City, MO/KS | KCMO-TV | 5 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 27 | Macon, Georgia | WMAZ-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) DuMont/NBC/ABC (secondary) | |
| September 27 | Memphis, Tennessee | WHBQ-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 27 | Monroe, Louisiana (El Dorado, Arkansas) | KNOE-TV | 8 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 27 | St. Joseph, Missouri | KFEQ-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 28 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KOAT-TV | 7 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 29 | Buffalo, New York | WBES-TV | 59 | Independent | |
| September 30 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | WMT-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 30 | Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina | WSJS-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 30 | Sacramento, California | KCCC-TV | 40 | Independent | |
| October | Harrisonburg, Virginia | WHSV-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 1 | Knoxville, Tennessee | WROL-TV | 6 | NBC | |
| October 1 | Rockford, Illinois | WREX-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 1 | Springfield, Missouri | KYTV | 3 | NBC | |
| October 3 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WOKY-TV | 19 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 4 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KGGM-TV | 13 | CBS | |
| October 4 | Harlingen, Texas (Brownsville/McAllen, Texas) | KGBT-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 6 | Columbus, Georgia | WDAK-TV | 28 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 8 | Newport News/Norfolk, Virginia | WACH-TV | 33 | Independent | |
| October 8 | Yuma, Arizona/El Centro, California | KIVA | 11 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 9 | Harrisonburg, Virginia | WHSV-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 12 | Huntington, West Virginia | WKNA-TV | 49 | ABC/DuMont | |
| October 14 | Albany, New York | WROW-TV | 10 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 14 | Winston-Salem/Greensboro, North Carolina | WSJS-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 15 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KCRI-TV | 9 | ABC | |
| October 15 | Johnstown/Altoona, Pennsylvania | WARD-TV | 56 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | This station moved to Jeannette, Pennsylvania, in 1997; now on channel 19. |
| October 15 | Portland, Oregon | KOIN-TV | 6 | CBS | |
| October 16 | Pensacola, Florida | WPFA-TV | 15 | DuMont | |
| October 18 | Knoxville, Tennessee | WTVK | 26 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 18 | Louisville, Kentucky | WKLO-TV | 21 | ABC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 20 | Peoria, Illinois | WTVH | 19 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 20 | St. Louis, Missouri | KSTM-TV | 36 | DuMont | |
| October 22 | Norfolk, Virginia | WTOV-TV | 27 | ABC | |
| October 23 | Houston, Texas | KNUZ-TV | 40 | DuMont | |
| October 24 | Phoenix, Arizona | KOOL-TV and KOY-TV | 10 | ABC | Shared-time stations |
| October 24 | Wheeling, West Virginia | WTRF-TV | 7 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| October 25 | Eureka, California | KIEM-TV | 3 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 25 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | WLBR-TV | 15 | Independent | |
| October 26 | Johnson City, Tennessee | WJHL-TV | 11 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 31 | Festus/St. Louis, Missouri | KACY | 14 | Independent | |
| November 1 | New Orleans, Louisiana | WJMR-TV | 61 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| November 1 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KTVQ | 25 | ABC (primary) NBC (secondary) | |
| November 1 | Rochester, New York | WHEC-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| November 1 | Rochester, New York | WVET-TV | 10 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Shared time with WHEC-TV |
| November 1 | Temple, Texas (Waco/Killeen, Texas) | KCEN-TV | 6 | NBC | |
| November 2 | Lake Charles, Louisiana | KTAG-TV | 25 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 7 | Columbia, South Carolina | WIS-TV | 10 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| November 8 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KMPT | 19 | Independent | |
| November 9 | Billings, Montana | KOOK-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 9 | York, Pennsylvania (Harrisburg/Lebanon) | WNOW-TV | 49 | DuMont | |
| November 11 | Parkersburg, West Virginia/Marietta, Ohio | WTAP-TV | 15 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 14 | Champaign, Illinois | WCIA-TV | 3 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary) | |
| November 14 | Des Moines, Iowa | KGTV | 17 | Independent | |
| November 15 | Columbus, Georgia | WRBL | 4 | ABC | |
| November 15 | Evansville, Indiana | WFIE-TV | 61 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 15 | Lake Charles, Louisiana | KTAG-TV | 25 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 15 | Topeka, Kansas | WIBW-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary) | |
| November 16 | Tulare/Fresno, California | KVVG | 27 | Independent | |
| November 21 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | WKJG-TV | 33 | NBC | |
| November 22 | Lewiston, Maine | WLAM-TV | 17 | DuMont | |
| November 22 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KLPR | 19 | ABC | |
| November 23 | Augusta, Georgia | WJBF-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 23 | Fort Dodge, Iowa | KQTV | 21 | NBC | |
| November 25 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | WITV | 17 | ABC/DuMont | |
| November 26 | Boise, Idaho | KBCI-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 26 | Flint, Michigan | WTAC-TV | 16 | ABC.(primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 29 | Nashville, Tennessee | WSIX-TV | 8 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | Now an exclusive ABC affiliate on channel 2 |
| November 29 | Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KWWL-TV | 7 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 1 | Bloomington, Illinois (Champaign/Decatur/Springfield, Illinois) | WBLN | 15 | |
| December 1 | Harrisburg, Illinois | WSIL-TV | 3 | ABC | |
| December 1 | Panama City, Florida | WJDM-TV | 7 | Independent | Later became a primary NBC/secondary CBS and ABC affiliate before end of the year |
| December 1 | Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts | WWOR-TV | 14 | Independent | Not to be confused with today's WWOR-TV in Seacaucus, New Jersey |
| December 6 | Portsmouth, Virginia | WTOV-TV | 27 | DuMont | |
| December 6 | Princeton, Indiana | WRAY-TV | 52 | unknown | |
| December 7 | Charlotte, North Carolina | WAYS-TV | 36 | ABC (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 10 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WFRV-TV | 5 | ABC | |
| December 10 | Seattle, Washington | KOMO-TV | 4 | ABC | |
| December 11 | Anchorage, Alaska | KTVA | 11 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 13 | Jacksonville, Florida | WJHP-TV | 36 | Independent | |
| December 13 | Pittsburg, Kansas (Joplin, Missouri) | KOAM-TV | 7 | NBC | |
| December 14 | Asbury Park, New Jersey | WRTV | 58 | Independent | |
| December 14 | Anchorage, Alaska | KFIA | 2 | NBC/ABC (joint primary) | |
| December 15 | Stockton, California | KTVU | 36 | NBC | |
| December 17 | Eau Claire/La Crosse, Wisconsin | WEAU | 13 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 18 | Midland, Texas | KMID-TV | 2 | NBC | |
| December 19 | Bismarck, North Dakota | KFYR-TV | 5 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 19 | Danville, Illinois | WICD | 24 | ABC | |
| December 19 | Jackson, Mississippi | WJBT | 3 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| December 19 | Little Rock, Arkansas | KATV | 7 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| December 20 | Idaho Falls, Idaho | KID-TV | 3 | CBS (primary) DuMont/NBC/ABC (secondary) | |
| December 20 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KWTV | 9 | CBS (primary) Paramount (secondary) | |
| December 20 | Portland, Maine | WCSH-TV | 6 | NBC | |
| December 21 | Columbia, Missouri | KOMU-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 22 | Greenville/New Bern/Washington, North Carolina | WNCT-TV | 9 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 24 | Denver, Colorado | KOA-TV | 4 | NBC | |
| December 24 | Kearney, Nebraska | KHOL-TV | 13 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 24 | Steubenville, Ohio (Wheeling, West Virginia) | WSTV-TV | 9 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| December 31 | Charlotte, North Carolina | WAYS-TV | 18 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| December 31 | Greenville, South Carolina | WFBC-TV | 4 | NBC | |
| Unknown date | Des Moines, Iowa | KGTV | 17 | Independent | |
| Unknown date | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | CBS/NBC | |
| Unknown date | Elmira/Corning, New York | WTVE | 24 | DuMont | |
| Unknown date | Meridian, Mississippi | WCOC-TV | 30 | Independent | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation |
| September 28 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KOB-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) |
| October 4 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KOB-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) |
| November 29 | Nashville, Tennessee | WSM-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) |
| Unknown | Denver, Colorado | KBTV | 9 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | DuMont (primary) ABC (secondary) |
| Unknown | Duluth, Minnesota | WFTV | 38 | CBS/NBC (joint primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |

### Station closures

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | First air date | Notes/Ref. |
| July 13 | Roanoke, Virginia | WROV-TV | 27 | Independent | February 15, 1953 | First commercial station in the United States to permanently go off the air. In this case, it closed due to financial distress |
| August 12 | Nampa, Idaho | KFXD-TV | 6 | Independent | June 18, 1953 | |
| December 15 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KTVQ | 25 | ABC (primary) NBC (secondary) | November 1, 1953 | |
| December 18 | Buffalo, New York | WBES-TV | 59 | Independent | September 29, 1953 | |