1959 in television

The year 1959 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during that year.

Events

• January 15 – Tyne Tees Television, the Independent Television (ITV) franchise for North East England, begins broadcasting.
• March 1 – Fuji Television, as known well for television station in Japan, officially broadcast service start in Tokyo.^[1]
• May 24 – Television Ecuatoriana, a first television station in Ecuador, a regular broadcasting service to start in Quito and Guayaquil.
• May 28 – Initiation of Lebanon's first television station, Télé Liban.
• July 13–17 – The Hate That Hate Produced introduces the Nation of Islam to most Americans.
• July 24 – The Kitchen Debate occurs in Moscow, recorded on color videotape.
• October 16 - OBXY-TV, as predecessor for Panamericana Television, Peru, a first officially regular broadcasting service to start in Lima.^[2]
• October 22 - Take a Good Look, an innovative comedy series created by Ernie Kovacs, premiered on ABC.
• October 27 – Anglia Television, the ITV franchise for Eastern England, begins broadcasting.
• October 31 – Ulster Television, the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland, begins broadcasting.^[3]
• November 22 – Sandmännchen premieres on East German television channel Deutscher Fernsehfunk. The series would continue airing today on Rundfunk Berlin–Brandenburg.
• November 29 – The Grammy Awards are first televised as part of NBC's Sunday Showcase.
• December 26 - BNT 1, a member of Bulgarian National Television, a first television station in Bulgaria, an officially regular broadcasting service start in Sofia.^[4]

Programs/programmes

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)
• American Bandstand (1952–1989)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
• As the World Turns (1956–2010)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
• Bozo the Clown (1949–2001)
• Candid Camera (1948–present)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
• Cheyenne (1955–1962)
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
• Face the Nation (1954–present)
• General Motors Presents (Can) (1953–1956, 1958–1961)
• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946–1960)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
• Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1962)
• Howdy Doody (1947–1960)
• I Love Lucy (1951–1960)
• Jubilee USA (1955–1960)
• KPIX Dance Party (1959–1963)
• Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
• Love of Life (1951–1980)
• Man with a Camera (1959–1960)
• Meet the Press (1947–present)
• Men Into Space (1959–1960)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
• Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
• Perry Mason (1957–1966)
• Peter Gunn (1958–1961)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
• Take a Good Look (1959-1961)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
• The Army Game (UK) (1957–1961)
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1968)
• The Brighter Day (1954–1962)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
• The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (1956–1961)
• The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956–1960)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
• The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
• The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958–1962)
• The Jack Benny Program (1950–1965)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
• The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom (1957–1960)
• The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
• The Real McCoys (1957–1963)
• The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
• The Steve Allen Show (1956–1960)
• The Texan (1958–1960)
• The Today Show (1952–present)
• The Tonight Show (1954–present)
• The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952–1961)
• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
• Walt Disney Presents (1958–1961)
• Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958–1960)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–2008)
• What's My Line (1950–1967)
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964)

Debuts

• January 9 – Rawhide, CBS (1959–1966)
• January 12 – The Bell Telephone Hour on NBC (1959–1968)
• February 4 – Face to Face on BBC Television (1959–1962)
• February 16 – Emergency (1959) (Australia), one of the earliest Australian dramatic TV series
• April 4 – Shell Presents (1959–1960) (Sydney and Melbourne Australia), Australian dramatic anthology series
• May 2 – Markham, featuring Ray Milland, on CBS (1959–1960)
• June 1 – Juke Box Jury on BBC Television (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
• September 12 – Bonanza on NBC, the first weekly television series broadcast completely in color (1959–1973)
• September 15 – Laramie on NBC (1959–1963)
• September 20 – NBC Sunday Showcase on NBC (1959–1960)
• September 30 – Men Into Space on CBS (1959–1960)
• October 2 – Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone debuts on CBS (1959–1964)
• October 4
  • Dennis the Menace on CBS (1959–1963)
  • The Rebel on ABC (1959–1961)
• October 5 – Bourbon Street Beat on ABC (1959–1960)
• October 7 – Hawaiian Eye on ABC (1959–1963)
• October 15
  • The Untouchables on ABC (1959–1963)
  • Adelaide Tonight – 1959–1973 (Adelaide, Australia)
  • Bandwagon (1959–1960) (Melbourne, Australia, on HSV-7)
  • The Bert Newton Show (1959–1960) (Melbourne, Australia, on GTV-9)
  • The Bobby Limb Show (1959–1964) (Australia) (changed title in 1961 to The Mobil-Limb Show)
  • Club Seven (1959–1961) (Melbourne, Australia)
  • Tales of the Riverbank premieres (1959–1963).
  • Rocky And His Friends Jay Ward's Second series (1959-1964).
  • The Quick Draw McGraw Show on Syndication (1959-1962)

Ending this year

Births

Deaths

References