# 1960 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1960.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| 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..." |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |

### Also occurring in 1960

* Frank and Doris Hursley start their soap opera writing career, taking the jobs of joint head writers for the series Search for Tomorrow.
* Nearly 90% of homes in the United States now have at least one television set.

## Television programs
### Debuts

| Date | Debut | Network | Notes |
| January 1 | 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 | |
| March 23 | Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby | ABC |
| June 8 | Happy | NBC | |
| June 8 | Tate | NBC | |
| June 20 | The Bozo Show | WGN-TV |
| June 28 | The Comedy Spot | CBS | Renamed Comedy Spotlight in 1961 |
| August 1 | New Comedy Showcase | CBS | |
| 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 | |
| September 29 | Outlaws | NBC | |
| September 30 | The Flintstones | ABC | |
| October 1 | Popeye the Sailor | First-run syndication | |
| October 1 | The Shari Lewis Show | NBC | |
| October 3 | The Andy Griffith Show | CBS | |
| October 4 | Stagecoach West | ABC | |
| October 5 | My Sister Eileen | CBS | |
| October 7 | Route 66 | CBS | |
| October 10 | Bringing Up Buddy | CBS | |
| October 10 | Klondike | NBC | |
| October 11 | The Bugs Bunny Show | ABC | |
| October 12 | Peter Loves Mary | NBC | |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Network | Debut |
| January 8 | Five Fingers | NBC | October 3, 1959 |
| January 18 | Whirlybirds | First-run syndication | February 4, 1957 |
| January 25 | Love and Marriage | NBC | September 21, 1959 |
| January 27 | The Lineup | CBS | October 1, 1954 |
| February 7 | Man with a Camera | ABC | October 10, 1958 |
| March 22 | Bucky and Pepito | Syndication | 1958 |
| March 24 | Johnny Staccato | NBC | September 10, 1959 |
| March 26 | Philip Marlowe | ABC | October 6, 1959 |
| April 1 | People Are Funny | NBC | September 19, 1954 |
| April 1 | The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour | CBS | November 6, 1957 |
| April 1 | The Troubleshooters | NBC | September 11, 1959 |
| April 2 | The Ruff and Reddy Show | NBC | December 14, 1957 |
| April 6 | Wichita Town | NBC | September 30, 1959 |
| May 6 | Black Saddle | NBC | January 10, 1959 (on NBC) |
| May 9 | Colonel Bleep | NBC | September 21, 1957 |
| May 12 | Rescue 8 | Syndication | September 23, 1958 |
| May 13 | Felix the Cat | Syndication | October 2, 1958 |
| May 18 | Playhouse 90 | CBS | October 4, 1956 |
| May 23 | Alcoa Theatre | CBS | September 30, 1957 |
| May 23 | Father Knows Best | NBC | October 3, 1954 (on CBS) |
| May 23 | Goodyear Theatre | NBC | September 30, 1957 |
| May 31 | Startime | NBC | October 6, 1959 |
| June 2 | Tales of the Vikings | Syndication | September 8, 1959 |
| June 3 | Hotel de Paree | CBS | October 2, 1959 |
| June 7 | The Millionaire | CBS | January 19, 1955 |
| June 10 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | CBS | June 10, 1960 |
| June 11 | The Man and the Challenge | NBC | September 12, 1959 |
| June 12 | The Alaskans | ABC | October 4, 1959 |
| June 18 | Mr. Lucky | CBS | October 24, 1959 |
| June 21 | M Squad | NBC | September 20, 1957 |
| June 24 | Gillette Cavalcade of Sports | NBC | November 8, 1946 |
| June 30 | Johnny Ringo | CBS | October 1, 1959 |
| June 30 | The Betty Hutton Show | CBS | October 1, 1959 |
| July 2 | Home Run Derby | First-run syndication | January 9, 1960 |
| July 2 | Overland Trail | NBC | February 7, 1960 |
| July 4 | Bourbon Street Beat | ABC | October 5, 1959 |
| July 8 | Tombstone Territory | Syndication | October 16, 1957 (on ABC) |
| September 6 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | NBC | July 1, 1957 (on CBS) |
| September 7 | Men Into Space | CBS | September 30, 1959 |
| September 10 | The Dick Clark Show | ABC | February 15, 1958 |
| September 13 | Tightrope! | CBS | September 8, 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 19 | The Texan | CBS | September 29, 1958 |
| September 22 | Law of the Plainsman | NBC | October 1, 1959 |
| September 22 | The Gale Storm Show | ABC | September 29, 1956 |
| September 23 | The Man from Blackhawk | ABC | October 9, 1959 |
| September 24 | Howdy Doody | NBC | December 27, 1947 |
| September 24 | Jubilee USA | ABC | January 22, 1955 |
| September 27 | Colt .45 | ABC | October 18, 1957 |
| December 20 | Dick Clark's World of Talent | ABC | September 27, 1959 |
| Unknown date | This Man Dawson | First-run syndication | 1959 |
| Unknown date | NBC Sunday Showcase | NBC | September 20, 1959 |
| Unknown date | Clutch Cargo | First-run syndication | March 9, 1959 |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| 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 | |

### Network affiliation changes

| 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. |
| March 17 | Montgomery, Alabama | WSFA-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | NBC (exclusive) | Secondary ABC affiliations were lost when WSLA signed on the air to become a full-time ABC affiliate. |
| 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. |
| Unknown date | Columbus, Georgia | WTVM | 9 | NBC (primary) ABC/NTA (secondary) | ABC (primary) NBC/NTA (secondary) | Switch occurred on same day WRBL moved from channel 4 to 3, and WTVM moved from UHF channel 28 to VHF channel 9. |
| Unknown date | Hannibal, Missouri (Quincy, Illinois) | KHQA-TV | 7 | CBS (exclusive) | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| Unknown date | 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. |
| Unknown date | 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. |
| Unknown date | Pueblo, Colorado | KRDO-TV | 13 | NBC | ABC | Became a full-time ABC affiliate after the Pueblo television market merged with that of Colorado Springs. |
| Unknown date | Richmond, Virginia | WWBT | 12 | CBS | ABC | |
| Unknown date | Richmond, Virginia | WTVR-TV | 6 | ABC | CBS | |
| Unknown date | Salt Lake City, Utah | KCPX-TV | 4 | ABC | NBC | |
| Unknown date | Salt Lake City, Utah | KUTV | 2 | NBC | ABC | |
| Unknown date | Tacoma/Seattle, Washington | KTNT-TV | 11 | Independent | CBS | |
| Unknown date | San Jose/Salinas/Monterey, California | KNTV | 11 | Independent | ABC | |
| Unknown date | San Luis Obispo/Santa Maria/Santa Barbara, California | KSBY-TV | 6 | NBC (primary) ABC and CBS (secondary) | NBC (primary) CBS (secondary) | |
| Unknown date | Shreveport, Louisiana | KSLA | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | |
| Unknown date | Shreveport, Louisiana | KTBS-TV | 3 | NBC (primary) ABC (secondary) | ABC (exclusive) |
| Unknown date | 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 |
| Unknown date | Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas Shreveport, Louisiana | KCMC-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | CBS (exclusive) | |

### Station closures

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | First air date |
| 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 |