1952 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1952.

Events

edit
Date Event Ref.
January 14 The Today Show makes its debut on NBC. [1]
May 22 The first televised atomic bomb detonation, billed as "Operation Tumbler–Snapper", is broadcast on KTLA in Los Angeles, and fed to the three major networks via a 140 miles (230 km) microwave link.
September 20 KPTV in Portland, Oregon, begins broadcasting on channel 27 as the world"s first commercial Ultra High Frequency (UHF) television station.
October 7 In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bandstand, the predecessor to American Bandstand, debuts on WFIL-TV to change emphasis to teens dancing to popular music records.
November 16 Television City, at this time known as CBS Television City, opens on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood, California as the network's first television studio based on the west coast.
November 27 CBS broadcasts the first telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from New York City.

Other notable events in 1952

edit

Television programs

edit

Debuts

edit
Date Debut Network
January 1 Battle of the Ages DuMont
January 6[1]: 167  Claudia NBC
January 8[2] [3] My Friend Irma CBS
January 13 CBS Television Workshop CBS
January 14 Today NBC
January 18 Quick on the Draw DuMont
February Steve Randall DuMont
February 12[4] Life Is Worth Living DuMont
February 24 Meet the Masters NBC
February 25 Guide Right DuMont
March 1 Death Valley Days First-run syndication
March 5 The Unexpected First-run syndication
March 6 The Cases of Eddie Drake DuMont
March 16 The Week in Religion DuMont
March 19 It's a Business DuMont
March 20 Gang Busters NBC
March 22[5] Dagmar's Canteen NBC
April The Paul Dixon Show DuMont
April 14[6] Broadway Television Theatre WOR-TV
May Boxing From Eastern Parkway DuMont
May Monodrama Theater DuMont
June 1 China Smith First-run syndication
June 6 The Campbell Playhouse NBC
June 10 Meet the Boss DuMont
June 16 My Little Margie CBS
June 19[7] I've Got a Secret CBS
June 20[8] Curtain Call NBC
June 30[9][10] Guiding Light CBS
July Guess What? DuMont
July 1 The Power of Women DuMont
July 3 Mister Peepers NBC
July 17 Operation Information DuMont
August 14 Pick the Winner CBS/Dumont
August 24[11] The Doctor NBC
September The Abbott and Costello Show First-run syndication
September The Fisher Family DuMont
September 2 Where Was I? DuMont
September 6 Happy's Party DuMont
Golf Instruction with Phil Galvano DuMont
September 10 Stage a Number DuMont
September 13 Cowboy G-Men First-run syndication
September 14 New York Times Youth Forum DuMont
September 15 Famous Fights From Madison Square Garden DuMont
September 19[12] Adventures of Superman First-run syndication
September 20[13] The Jackie Gleason Show CBS
September 25 Four Star Playhouse CBS
September 29[14][15][16] Garfield Goose and Friends WBKB-TV/WBBM-TV
October 1 Cavalcade of America NBC
October 1 This Is Your Life NBC
October 1 Trash or Treasure DuMont
October 3 Dark of Night DuMont
October 3 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ABC
October 3[17] Gulf Playhouse NBC
October 3 Mr. and Mrs. North CBS
October 3 Our Miss Brooks CBS
October 6 Football Sidelines DuMont
October 6 One Man's Experience DuMont
October 6 One Woman's Experience DuMont
October 7 American Bandstand WFIL-TV
Life with Elizabeth First-run syndication
October 7 Ramar of the Jungle First-run syndication
October 13 Ladies' Date DuMont
October 14 Leave It to Larry CBS
October 14[18] The Red Buttons Show CBS
October 15 I Married Joan NBC
October 26[19] Victory at Sea NBC
November 6 Biff Baker, U.S.A. CBS
November 8 My Hero NBC
November 9 Omnibus CBS
November 13[20] Biff Baker, U.S.A. CBS
November 24 Ding Dong School NBC
December 1 The Abbott and Costello Show First-run syndication
December 1 Report Card for Parents DuMont
December 16 Wisdom of the Ages DuMont
December 30 The Ernie Kovacs Show CBS

Changes of network affiliation

edit
Show Moved from Moved to
Say It with Acting NBC ABC
The Arthur Murray Party CBS Dumont
Author Meets the Critics ABC Dumont
The Drew Pearson Show ABC Dumont
Youth on the March ABC Dumont
Rebound ABC Dumont
Charlie Wild, Private Detective ABC Dumont
Gruen Playhouse ABC Dumont
Life Begins at Eighty NBC Dumont

Ending this year

edit
Date Show Network Debut Notes
January 1 We the People NBC June 1, 1948 (on CBS)
January 13 Out There CBS October 28, 1951
February 22 Say It with Acting ABC January 8, 1951 (on NBC)
February 28 Public Prosecutor NBC February 1951
March 2 Major Dell Conway of the Flying Tigers DuMont April 7, 1951
March 2 Stage Entrance DuMont May 2, 1951
March 20 Shadow of the Cloak DuMont June 6, 1951
March 27 The Bill Goodwin Show NBC September 11, 1951
March 29 The Talent Shop DuMont October 13, 1951
April 13 CBS Television Workshop CBS January 13, 1952
April 19 Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town CBS June 16, 1951
April 24 Stop the Music ABC May 5, 1949
March 2 Major Dell Conway of the Flying Tigers DuMont April 7, 1951
May 21 It's a Business DuMont March 19, 1952
May 29 The Cases of Eddie Drake DuMont March 6, 1952
June 4 Pulitzer Prize Playhouse ABC October 6, 1950
June 5 Casey, Crime Photographer CBS April 19, 1951
June 14 Dagmar's Canteen NBC March 22, 1952
June 19 Charlie Wild, Private Detective DuMont December 22, 1950 (on CBS)
June 19 The Ruggles DuMont October 23, 1949
June 25 Celanese Theatre ABC October 2, 1951
June 26 DuMont Royal Theater DuMont April 12, 1951
June 27 The First Hundred Years CBS December 4, 1950
June 30 Claudia CBS January 6, 1952 (on NBC)
July 4 Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room DuMont January 17, 1949
August 26 Guess What DuMont July 8, 1952
September 12 The Magic Cottage DuMont July 18, 1949
September 18 Operation Information DuMont July 17, 1952
September 21 Celebrity Time CBS November 20, 1948
September 26 Curtain Call NBC June 20, 1952
November 11 The Power of Women DuMont July 1, 1952
November 13 The Frank Sinatra Show CBS October 7, 1950
November 24 Pentagon DuMont May 6, 1951
November 29 Battle of the Ages CBS January 1, 1952 (on DuMont)
December 9 Quick on the Draw DuMont January 18, 1952
December 10 The Unexpected DuMont March 5, 1952
December 22 Famous Fights from Madison Square Garden DuMont September 15, 1952
December 22 Football Sidelines DuMont October 6, 1952
December 23 Leave It to Larry CBS October 14, 1952
December 25 Gangbusters NBC March 20, 1952
Unknown date At Home with Billie Burke DuMont June 1951

Television stations

edit

Station launches

edit
Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref.
July 18 Denver, Colorado KFEL-TV 2 DuMont
September 20 Portland, Oregon KPTV 27 NBC (primary)
ABC/CBS/DuMont (secondary)
World's first commercial UHF television station; now a Fox affiliate on channel 12.
October 12 Denver, Colorado KBTV 9 CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)
November 1 Denver, Colorado KLZ-TV 7 CBS
November 13 Lubbock, Texas KDUB-TV 13 CBS (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
November 27 Austin, Texas KTBC-TV 7 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont/NBC (secondary)
Now a Fox O&O station
December 1 Honolulu, Hawaii KGMB 9 CBS (primary)
NBC (secondary)
December 7 Colorado Springs, Colorado KKTV 11 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary)
December 11 Roanoke, Virginia WSLS 10 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
December 14 El Paso, Texas KROD-TV 4 CBS (primary)
ABC/DuMont (secondary)
December 15 Honolulu, Hawaii KONA-TV 11 NBC (primary)
DuMont (secondary)
December 20 Spokane, Washington KHQ-TV 6 NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)
December 21 Atlantic City, New Jersey WFPG-TV 46 NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/DuMont (secondary)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania WSBA-TV 43 ABC
South Bend, Indiana WSBT-TV 22 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC/DuMont (secondary)
December 30 Mobile, Alabama WKAB-TV 48 Independent

Network affiliation changes

edit
Date City of license/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref.
December 15 Honolulu, Hawaii KGMB 9 CBS (primary)
ABC/NBC (secondary)
CBS (primary)
ABC (secondary)

Station closures

edit
Date City of license/Market Station Channel Affiliation First air date Notes/Ref.
August 23 Bridgeport, Connecticut KC2XAK 24 NBC World's first experimental UHF station; a rebroadcast station of WNBT/New York City

Births

edit

Deaths

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television. Penguin Books USA, Inc. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 579. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  3. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 700. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  4. ^ Weiner, Ed (1992). The "TV Guide" TV Book: 40 Years of the All-Time Greatest Television Facts, Fads, Hits, and History. New York: Harper Collins. p. 216. ISBN 0-06-096914-8.
  5. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 192. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  6. ^ Hawes, William (2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  7. ^ Weiner, Ed (1992). The TV Guide TV Book: 40 Years of the All-Time Greatest Television Facts, Fads, Hits, and History. New York: Harper Collins. p. 216. ISBN 0-06-096914-8.
  8. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 190. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  9. ^ "'General Hospital' is American Television's Longest-Running Drama Series". soapoperanetwork.com. November 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Longest Running TV Drama". Arts & Media. Guinness World Records. 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2011.
  11. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 223. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  12. ^ "Adventures of Superman". epguides.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  13. ^ Weiner, Ed (1992). The TV Guide TV Book: 40 Years of the All-Time Greatest Television Facts, Fads, Hits, and History. New York: Harper Collins. p. 217. ISBN 0-06-096914-8.
  14. ^ Okuda & Mulqueen 2004, pp. 51–66.
  15. ^ "Frazier Thomas". Chicago Television. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  16. ^ Hollis 2001, pp. 92–93.
  17. ^ Hawes, William (2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "This Week (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. October 12, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  19. ^ "Victory at Sea [Song Collection]", U.S. Library of Congress, 2005, webpage: LOC-VaS-23.
  20. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (24 June 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
edit

Sources

edit