# 1949 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1949.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| January 11 | All four American television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont) broadcast a two-hour special celebrating the linking of the eastern and mid-western networks via a coaxial cable. |
| January 31 | The annual Emmy Awards were presented and broadcast on television for the first time ever, from Los Angeles. |
| May | Milton Berle hosts the first-ever telethon, which lasted 24 hours, to benefit the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. |
| August 29 | The development of RCA's compatible color television system was announced. |
| September | The ABC Television Network becomes the first television network to offer a four-hour primetime programming schedule on Sunday nights. |
| September | The 1949-50 television season marks the first time all four networks offered at least some prime time programming on all seven nights of the week. |
| December 29 | KC2XAK in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the first-ever experimental UHF television station to operate a daily schedule, begins operation. |
| Unknown | The Sears and Roebuck catalog offers television sets by mail order for the first time. |

## Television programs
### Debuts

| Date | Debut | Network |
| January | TV Department Store | DuMont |
| January 3 | Colgate Theatre | NBC |
| January 3 | NBC Presents | NBC |
| January 6 | Suspense | CBS |
| January 12 | Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | CBS |
| January 12 | Photographic Horizons | DuMont |
| January 16 | ABC Television Players | ABC |
| January 17 | Café de Paris | DuMont |
| January 17 | Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room | DuMont |
| January 17 | Manhattan Spotlight | DuMont |
| January 18 | The School House | DuMont |
| January 20 | Hotel Broadway | DuMont |
| January 21 | Your Show Time | NBC |
| January 27 | Window on the World | DuMont |
| January 28 | Admiral Broadway Revue | NBC/DuMont |
| January 31 | These Are My Children | NBC |
| February 16 | Camel News Caravan | NBC |
| February 21 | ABC Barn Dance | ABC |
| February 21 | A Woman to Remember | DuMont |
| February 28 | Time for Beany | Paramount Television Network |
| March 1 | Believe It or Not! | NBC |
| March 7 | Teen Time Tunes | DuMont |
| March 7 | The Vincent Lopez Show | DuMont |
| March | Feature Theatre | DuMont |
| March 10 | Flight to Rhythm | DuMont |
| March 15 | And Everything Nice | DuMont |
| March 25 | Front Row Center | DuMont |
| March 26 | Think Fast | ABC |
| April 5 | Fireside Theatre | NBC |
| April 17 | The Fred Waring Show | CBS |
| May 5 | Blind Date | ABC |
| May 5 | Crusade in Europe | ABC |
| May 8 | Wesley | CBS |
| June 4 | Cavalcade of Stars | DuMont |
| June 4 | Spin the Picture | DuMont |
| June 22 | Program Playhouse | DuMont |
| June 27 | Captain Video and His Video Rangers | DuMont |
| June 27 | Time for Reflection | DuMont |
| June 28 | Fireball Fun for All | NBC |
| July 1 | Mama | CBS |
| July 4 | Broadway to Hollywood | DuMont |
| July 7 | They're Off | DuMont |
| July 13 | Talent Jackpot | DuMont |
| July 18 | The Magic Cottage | DuMont |
| August 24 | Hands of Murder | DuMont |
| August 29 | Versatile Varieties | NBC |
| September | Amateur Boxing Fight Club | DuMont |
| September | Boxing From Sunnyside Gardens | DuMont |
| September | Cinema Varieties | DuMont |
| September | Jim and Judy in Teleland | First-run Syndication |
| September 1 | Martin Kane, Private Eye | NBC |
| September 2 | The Al Morgan Show | DuMont |
| September 6 | The O'Neills | DuMont |
| September 9 | The Family Genius | DuMont |
| September 9 | Wrestling from Sunnyside Gardens | DuMont |
| September 9 | Mystery Theater | DuMont |
| September 11 | The Magic Clown | NBC |
| September 11 | Chicagoland Mystery Players | DuMont |
| September 11 | They Stand Accused | DuMont |
| September 13 | Uptown Jubilee | DuMont |
| September 15 | The Lone Ranger | ABC |
| September 16 | The Big Story | NBC |
| September 17 | Wrestling from Marigold | DuMont |
| September 21 | Starring Boris Karloff | ABC |
| September 22 | The Ed Wynn Show | CBS |
| September 23 | Oboler Comedy Theater | ABC |
| September 28 | Photocrime | ABC |
| October | Music & the Spoken Word | First-run Syndication |
| October 2 | The Aldrich Family | NBC |
| October 4 | The Life of Riley | NBC |
| October 5 | The Crisis | NBC |
| October 7 | Fishing and Hunting Club | DuMont |
| October 7 | Man Against Crime | CBS |
| October 12 | Famous Jury Trials | DuMont |
| October 12 | The Plainclothesman | DuMont |
| October 16 | Let There Be Stars | ABC |
| October 23 | The Ruggles | ABC |
| November | The Herb Shriner Show | CBS |
| November 2 | Twenty Questions | WWOR-TV |
| November 3 | Romance | CBS |
| November 4 | One Man's Family | NBC |
| December 1 | Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge | NBC |
| December 14 | Easy Aces | DuMont |

### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| Candid Camera | ABC | NBC |
| Bowling Headliners | ABC | Dumont |
| The Wendy Barrie Show | ABC | Dumont |
| The Morey Amsterdam Show | CBS | Dumont |
| The Armed Forces Hour | NBC | Dumont |
| The Ted Steele Show | NBC | Dumont |
| Okay, Mother | WABD | Dumont |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Network | Debut |
| January 10 | Champagne and Orchids | DuMont | September 6, 1948 |
| January 14 | Tales of the Red Caboose | DuMont | October 29, 1948 |
| March 4 | Café de Paris | DuMont | January 17, 1949 |
| March 4 | These Are My Children | NBC | January 31, 1949 |
| March 5 | Quizzing the News | ABC | August 11, 1948 |
| March 7 | Photographic Horizons | DuMont | January 12, 1949 |
| March 17 | Hotel Broadway | DuMont | January 20, 1949 |
| April 14 | Window on the World | DuMont | January 27, 1949 |
| April 19 | The School House | DuMont | January 18, 1949 |
| April 22 | Stop Me If You've Heard This One | NBC | March 4, 1948 |
| May 24 | Places Please | CBS | August 16, 1948 |
| May 26 | The Adventures of Oky Doky | DuMont | November 4, 1948 |
| June 3 | Admiral Broadway Revue | NBC/DuMont | January 28, 1949 |
| June 23 | King Cole's Birthday Party | DuMont | May 15, 1947 |
| June 23 | Charade Quiz | DuMont | November 27, 1947 |
| July 4 | Americana | NBC | December 8, 1947 |
| July 4 | Doorway to Fame | DuMont | May 2, 1947 |
| July 5 | Teen Time Tunes | DuMont | March 7, 1949 |
| July 15 | A Woman to Remember | DuMont | February 21, 1949 |
| July 15 | Your Show Time | NBC | January 21, 1949 |
| July 23 | Television Screen Magazine | NBC | November 17, 1946 |
| August 3 | The Growing Paynes | DuMont | October 20, 1948 |
| August 23 | Talent Jackpot | DuMont | July 13, 1949 |
| August 27 | Stand By for Crime | ABC | January 11, 1949 |
| August 30 | Wesley | CBS | May 8, 1949 |
| September 10 | For Your Pleasure | NBC | April 15, 1948 |
| September 12 | Academy Theatre | NBC | July 25, 1949 |
| September 14 | Program Playhouse | DuMont | June 22, 1949 |
| September 22 | Flight to Rhythm | DuMont | March 10, 1949 |
| September 23 | Key to the Missing | DuMont | July 4, 1948 |
| September 30 | The Family Genius | DuMont | September 9, 1949 |
| October 16 | Stained Glass Windows | ABC | September 26, 1948 |
| October 20 | Uptown Jubilee | CBS | September 13, 1949 |
| October 27 | Crusade in Europe | ABC | May 5, 1949 |
| October 27 | Fireball Fun for All | NBC | June 28, 1949 |
| October 30 | ABC Television Players | ABC | January 16, 1949 |
| November | Cinema Varieties | DuMont | September |
| November 4 | Oboler Comedy Theater | ABC | September 23, 1949 |
| November 14 | ABC Barn Dance | ABC | February 21, 1949 |
| November 27 | Let There Be Stars | ABC | October 16, 1949 |
| December | The Roar of the Rails | CBS | October 26, 1948 |
| December 14 | Photocrime | ABC | September 28, 1949 |
| December 15 | Starring Boris Karloff | ABC | September 21, 1949 |
| December 15 | Tonight on Broadway | CBS | April 6, 1948 |
| December 28 | The Crisis | NBC | October 5, 1949 |
| December 29 | Romance | CBS | November 3, 1949 |
| Unknown date | Boxing From Jamaica Arena | DuMont | 1946 |
| Unknown date | See What You Know | CBS | 1946 |
| Unknown date | Musical Merry-Go-Round | NBC | July 25, 1947 |
| Unknown date | Amanda | DuMont | November 1, 1948 |
| Unknown date | Missus Goes a Shopping | CBS | November 19, 1947 |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 1 | Houston, Texas | KLEE-TV | 2 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| January 1 | Los Angeles, California | KTTV | 11 | CBS | Now a FOX affiliate since 1986 |
| January 11 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | WDTV | 3 (now 2) | DuMont (primary) NBC/ABC (secondary) | Eventually became CBS affiliate KDKA, now a CBS O&O station branded as CBS Pittsburgh |
| January 16 | Los Angeles, California | KNBH | 4 | NBC | |
| January 16 | Washington, D.C. | WOIC | 9 | CBS | |
| February 23 | Dayton, Ohio | WHIO-TV | 7 | CBS (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 8 | Atlanta, Georgia | WAGA-TV | 5 | CBS | |
| March 15 | Dayton, Ohio | WLWD | 5 (now 2) | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 15 | Erie, Pennsylvania | WICU-TV | 12 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 18 | Lancaster/Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | WGAL | 8 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| March 21 | Miami, Florida | WTVJ | 4 | CBS | Now an NBC affiliate on channel 6 |
| March 25 | Wilmington, Delaware | WVUE | 12 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | First licensed television station in Delaware |
| April 3 | Columbus, Ohio | WLWC | 4 | NBC | |
| April 4 | Cincinnati, Ohio | WKRC-TV | 11 (now 12) | CBS | |
| May 5 | San Francisco, California | KGO-TV | 7 | ABC | |
| May 18 | San Diego, California | KFMB-TV | 8 | CBS (primary) NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| May 29 | Birmingham, Alabama | WAFM-TV | 13 | CBS | |
| May 30 | Indianapolis, Indiana | WFBM-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) Paramount/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 1 | Salt Lake City, Utah | KSL-TV | 5 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 6 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | WKY-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| June 11 | Rochester, New York | WHAM-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 1 | Birmingham, Alabama | WBRC-TV | 4 (moved to 6 in 1953) | NBC | |
| July 1 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | WTCN-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| July 10 | Providence, Rhode Island | WJAR | 11 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 15 | Charlotte, North Carolina | WBTV | 3 | CBS (primary) NBC/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| July 26 | Cincinnati, Ohio | WCPO-TV | 7 (now 9) | ABC | |
| August 15 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | WLAV-TV | 8 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| August 29 | Omaha, Nebraska | WOW-TV | 6 | CBS | |
| September 1 | Lincoln, Nebraska | KMTV | 3 | NBC | |
| September 15 | Jacksonville, Florida | WMBR-TV | 4 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC (secondary) | |
| September 15 | Johnstown/Altoona, Pennsylvania | WJAC-TV | 13 (now 6) | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 16 | Los Angeles, California | KECA-TV | 7 | ABC | |
| September 17 | Dallas, Texas | KBTV | 8 | DuMont | |
| September 22 | Greensboro, North Carolina | WFMY-TV | 2 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| September 29 | Columbus, Ohio | WTVN-TV | 6 | DuMont (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| September 30 | Indianapolis, Indiana | WFBM-TV | 6 | CBS (primary) DuMont/Paramount (secondary) | |
| October 5 | Columbus, Ohio | WBNS-TV | 10 | CBS | |
| October 11 | Secaucus, New Jersey/New York City, New York | WOR-TV | 9 | Independent | |
| October 16 | Kansas City, MO/KS | WDAF-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| October 29 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | KOTV | 6 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC/Paramount (secondary) | |
| October 31 | Davenport, Iowa (Bettendorf, IA/Moline/Rock Island, IL) | WOC-TV | 5 (now 6) | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| November 11 | Bloomington/Indianapolis, Indiana | WTTV | 10 (now 4) | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (Secondary) | |
| November 15 | Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia (Ashland, Kentucky) | WSAZ-TV | 5 (now 3) | NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/DuMont (Secondary) | |
| November 15 | San Francisco, California | KRON-TV | 4 | NBC | |
| December 1 | Binghamton, New York | WNBF-TV | 12 | CBS (primary) ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 1 | Utica, New York | WKTV | 2 | NBC (primary) ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary) | |
| December 3 | Dallas, Texas | KRLD-TV | 4 | CBS | |
| December 4 | Phoenix, Arizona | KPHO | 5 | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary) | |
| December 11 | San Antonio, Texas | WOAI-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) CBS/DuMont/ABC (secondary) | |
| December 19 | Cleveland, Ohio | WXEL | 9 (now 8) | DuMont (primary) ABC (secondary) | |
| December 29 | Bridgeport, Connecticut | KC2XAK | 24 | NBC | World's first-ever UHF experimental station, serving as a rebroadcaster of WNBT from New York City |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January | Buffalo, New York | WBEN-TV | 4 | NBC (primary) ABC/DuMont (secondary) | CBS (primary) ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary) | Retains secondary NBC affiliation until 1954, and secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations until 1956 |