1952 in television

Events

• February 15 - The funeral of King George VI is televised in the U.K.
• September – The first UHF television station, KLOR begins broadcasting in Portland, Oregon.
• The first political advertisements appear on U.S. television. Democrats buy a 30 minute slot for their candidate, Adlai Stevenson. Stevenson is bombarded with hate mail for interfering with a broadcast of I Love Lucy. Dwight Eisenhower buys 20 second commercial spots and wins the election.
• The first telecast of an atomic bomb detonation (KTLA)
• The FCC sets aside channels for non-commercial, public broadcasting.

Debuts

• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on ABC (1952-1966)
• The Guiding Light on CBS (1952-present)

Popular Television Shows

• American Bandstand premieres. (1952-1989)
• January 14 - The Today show premieres on NBC.
• The Ernie Kovacs Show premieres. Kovacs pushes the limits of television technology with his use of camera tricks and special effects.
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)
• See It Now premieres, hosted by Edward R. Murrow

Births

• February 17 - Lisa Eichhorn, actress, All My Children
• March 2 - Laraine Newman, actress, comedian, Saturday Night Live
• March 22 - Bob Costas, sports announcer
• May 21 - Mr. T, American actor, is born Laurence Tureaud, in Chicago
• June 18 - Carol Kane, actress
• July 1 - Dan Aykroyd, actor, comedian, Saturday Night Live

Deaths

Referenced By