1961 in television

The year 1961 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1961.

"For the American TV schedule, see: 1961-62 American network television schedule."__TOC__

Events

*January 20 - John F. Kennedy is the first U.S. president to be sworn in, in a color telecast. NBC covers the inauguration in color.
*February 19 - CFTM-TV, future flagship of Quebec's TVA network, opens in Montreal.
*March 17 - "Five Star Jubilee" becomes the first color television program to originate outside of New York City or Hollywood, debuting on NBC-TV from Springfield, Missouri.
*April 29 - Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, goes on air.
*July 1 - The soap opera "The Brighter Day" airs its first episode after moving taping locations from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are mysteriously written out of the show; the actors who played them didn't want to move.
*September 1 - Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, goes on air.
*September 30 - Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, goes on air.
*September - NBC begins its long-running NBC Saturday Night at the Movies participating, with an airing of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture "How to Marry a Millionaire".
*1 October - CTV is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
*November 4 - RAI's second television channel (now called Rai Due) first airs to 52% of the available households in Italy.
*December 31 - RTÉ starts television broadcasts, bringing television to the Republic of Ireland for the first time.
*January 25 - John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised Presidential press conference.
*"Danger Man" (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series would be revived and revamped in 1964.
*May 9 - Newton Minow uncovers a "vast wasteland".
*May 29 - Dave Garroway announces his decision to leave the Today show.
*November 19 - Lucille Ball marries Gary Morton.
*WBNB brings television to the Virgin Islands for the first time. (It will be destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.)

Debuts

*January 7 - "The Avengers" premieres on ITV (1961-1969).
*March 17 - "Five Star Jubilee" premieres on ABC (29 weeks)
* April 29 ABC's Wide World of Sports debuts (1961-2006).
*August 19 - "Four Corners", Australia's first current affairs program, premieres (1961-present).
*September 23 - "The Stairlit Starways" premieres (1961-1968).
*October 2 - "Ben Casey" premieres on ABC (1961-1966). "Password" debuts on CBS (1961-1967). Robert Young's short-lived second series, "Window on Main Street" debuts on CBS (1961-1962).
*October 3 - "The Dick Van Dyke Show" premieres on CBS (1961-1966).
*October - "Songs of Praise" debuts on BBC (1961-present).

*"CTV National News" premieres (1961-present).
*"It's Academic" (1961-present).
*"The Mike Douglas Show" premieres (1961-1981).
*"Mister Ed" debuts (1961-1966).
*"Reach for the Top" premieres on CBC (1961-1984).

Television shows

1940s

*"Meet the Press" (1947-present).
*"Candid Camera" (1948-present).
*"The Ed Sullivan Show" (1948-1971).
*"Bozo the Clown" (1949-present).
*"Come Dancing" (UK) (1949-1995).
*"The Voice of Firestone" (1949-1963).

1950s

*"The Jack Benny Show" (1950-1965).
*"Truth or Consequences" (1950-1988).
*"What's My Line" (1950-1967).
*"Love of Life" (1951-1980).
*"Search for Tomorrow" (1951-1986).
*"Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951-present).
*"American Bandstand" (1952-1989).
*"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (1952-1966).
*"The Guiding Light" (1952-present).
*"The Today Show" (1952-present).
*"Panorama" (UK) (1953-present).
*"The Good Old Days" (UK) (1953-1983).
*"Face the Nation" (1954-present).
*"The Brighter Day" (1954-1962).
*"The Milton Berle Show" (1954-1967).
*"The Secret Storm" (1954-1974).
*"The Tonight Show" (1954-present).
*"Zoo Quest" (UK) (1954-1964).
*"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955-1962).
*"Captain Kangaroo" (1955-1984).
*"Cheyenne" (1955-1962).
*"Dixon of Dock Green" (UK) (1955-1976).
*"Gunsmoke" (1955-1975).
*"The Lawrence Welk Show" (1955-1982).
*"This Is Your Life" (UK) (1955-2003).
*"Armchair Theatre" (UK) (1956-1968).
*"As the World Turns" (1956-present).
*"Hancock's Half Hour" (1956-1962).
*"Opportunity Knocks" (UK) (1956-1978).
*"The Edge of Night" (1956-1984).
*"The Price Is Right" (1956-1965).
*"What the Papers Say" (UK) (1956-present).
*"Leave It to Beaver" (1957-1963).
*"The Sky at Night" (UK) (1957-present).
*"Blue Peter" (UK) (1958-present).
*"Grandstand" (UK) (1958-2007).
*"The Donna Reed Show" (1958-1966).
*"The Huckleberry Hound Show" (1958-1962).
*"Walt Disney Presents" (1958-1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" (1961-1969).
*"Bonanza" (1959-1973).
*"Hawaiian Eye" (1959-1963).
*"Juke Box Jury" (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
*"The Bell Telephone Hour" (1959-1968)
*"The Twilight Zone" (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).

1960s

*"Bringing Up Buddy", 1960-1961
*"Coronation Street" (UK) (1960-present).
*"Danger Man" (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966).
*"Margie", 1961-1962.
*"My Three Sons" (1960-1972).
*"The Andy Griffith Show" (1960-1968).
*"The Flintstones" (1960-1966).
*"Window on Main Street" (1961-1962).

Ending this year

*September - "Peter Gunn" (1958-1961).
*"The Army Game" (UK) (1957-1961).
*"General Motors Presents" (Can) (1953-1956, 1958-1961)
*"This Is Your Life" (US) (1952-1961).
*"Five Star Jubilee" (1961).

Changes of network affiliation

*"Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" moves from ABC to NBC to take advantage of the latter network's color broadcasting abilities.

Births

*January 3 - Judy Flynn, actress.
*January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress
*January 19 - Paul McCrane, actor.
*February 2 - Lauren Lane, actress
*February 5 - Tim Meadows, actor.
*February 21 - Christopher Atkins, actor.
*February 23 - Trent Lehman, actor (d. 1982)
*March 3 - Mary Page Keller, actress.
*March 4 - Steven Weber, actor.
*March 8 - Camryn Manheim, actress.
*March 17 - Casey Siemaszko, actor.
*March 18 - Geoffrey Owens, actor.
*April 3 - Eddie Murphy, actor, comedian.
*April 6 - Gene Eugene Andrusco, actor, lead singer of Adam Again
*April 10 - Brian Morrison, actor.
*April 18 - Jane Leeves, actress.
*April 21 - Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor
*April 23 - George Lopez, comedian.
*May 6 - George Clooney, actor.
*May 12 - Lar Park Lincoln, actress
*May 29 - Melissa Etheridge, singer
*May 30 - Ralph Carter, actor.
*May 31 - Lea Thompson, actress.
*June 9 - Michael J. Fox, actor
*June 25 - Ricky Gervais, actor, comedian.
*June 29 - Sharon Lawrence, actress.
*July 23 - Woody Harrelson, actor.
*July 27 - Gabrielle Glaister, actress
*August 4 - Lauren Tom, actress.
*August 13 - Dawnn Lewis, actress.
*August 14 - Susan Olsen, actress.
*September 22 - Scott Baio, actor.
*September 23 - Chi McBride, actor.
*September 25 - Heather Locklear, actor.
*September 30 - Crystal Bernard, actress.
*October 4 - David W. Harper, actor.
*November 3 - Kari Michaelsen, actress
*November 4 - Jeff Probst, emcee.
*December 30 - Sean Hannity, talk show host.