The year 1941 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1941.

List of years in television (table)
In radio
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
+...

Events

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  • April 30 – In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standards of 525 lines and 30 frames per second, and authorizes commercial television broadcasting to begin on July 1.
  • May 2 – In the United States, 10 television stations are granted commercial TV licenses (effective July 1). These stations are required to broadcast 15 hours per week. Bulova Watch Co., Sun Oil Co., Lever Bros. Co. and Procter & Gamble sponsor the first commercial telecasts from WNBT (now WNBC-TV) in New York.
  • July 1
    • Commercial television is authorized by the FCC.
    • NBC television begins commercial operation by its affiliate WNBT New York using channel 1. The world's first legal television commercial advertisement,[1] for Bulova watches, airs at 2:29 PM on WNBT before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. An announcement for Bulova watches, for which the company pays anywhere from $4.00 to $9.00 (reports vary), displays a WNBT test pattern modified to look like a clock with the hands showing the time, and the Bulova logo, with the phrase "Bulova Watch Time" shown in the lower right-hand quadrant of the test pattern while the second hand sweeps around the dial for one minute [2][3] On July 1, Ray Forrest reads the first formal on-camera TV announcement, followed on July 4 by the first live commercial, for Adam Hats.
    • As a one-off special, the first quiz show called "Uncle Bee" is telecast on WNBT's inaugural broadcast day, followed later the same day by Ralph Edwards hosting the second game show broadcast on United States television, Truth or Consequences, as simulcast by radio and TV and sponsored by Ivory soap. Weekly broadcasts of the show commence during 1956, with Bob Barker.
    • CBS television begins commercial operation on New York station WCBW (now WCBS-TV) using channel 2.
  • September 1 — WPTZ (now KYW-TV) signs on in Philadelphia, the third television station in America.
  • October 21 - Professional wrestling premieres during prime-time on NBC.
  • December 7 – Ray Forrest of WNBT broadcasts special news bulletin regarding the Pearl Harbor attack, interrupting regular programming, the film Millionaire Playboy. WNBT later broadcasts special news reports through the evening, pre-empting a scheduled New York Rangers hockey telecast. WCBW also broadcasts a special that evening, from their Grand Central Terminal studios to the few thousand television set owners in the New York area.

Debuts

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  • July 1 - CBS Television News, debuts on CBS (1941-1943, 1944–Present).[4][5][6]
  • July 1 - Girl About Town with Joan Edwards debuts on CBS (1941-1942).[7][8]
  • July 1 - Sports with Bob Edge debuts on CBS (1941-1942).[9]
  • July 2 - CBS Television Quiz premieres as television's first regular game show (1941–1943). .
  • July 2 - Table Talk with Helen Sioussat, the first televised talk show, debuts on CBS (1941-1942).[10][11]
  • July 7 - Men At Work, an early variety show, debuts on CBS (1941-1942).[12]
  • July 8 - The Boys in the Back Room, a half-hour series that took a behind-the-scenes look at the WCBW television studios, equipment, and staff, debuts on CBS (1941).[13][14]
  • July 16 - Stars of Tomorrow debuts on NBC (1941-1942).[15]
  • July 18 - The Face of the War, an early news show hosted by Sam Cuff, debuts on NBC (1941-1945).[16][17]
  • July 18 - Songs by Harvey Harding debuts on NBC (1941-1942).[18]
  • August 27 - Thrills and Chills Everywhere debuts on NBC (1941-1946).[19]
  • September 4 - Radio City Matinee debuts on NBC (1941-1942).[20]
  • September 18 - Fashion Discoveries in Television debuts on NBC (1941).[21]
  • October 18 - Saturday Night Jamboree debuts on NBC (1941).[22]
  • October 21 - The Adam Hats Sports Parade: Wrestling at Ridgewood Grove, debuts on NBC (1941–42).[23][24]
  • December 19 - America's Town Meeting of the Air, a simulcast of the NBC Blue Network public affairs discussion program, debuts on NBC (1941–42).[25][26]
  • December 22 - War Backgrounds debuts on CBS (1941–42).[27]

Television shows

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Series Debut Ended Network
CBS Television News July 1, 1941 December 25, 1942 CBS
Girl About Town with Joan Edwards July 1, 1941 May 1942 CBS
Sports with Bob Edge July 1, 1941 May 1942 CBS
CBS Television Quiz July 2, 1941 January 7, 1943 CBS
Table Talk with Helen Sioussat July 2, 1941 July 31, 1942 CBS
Men At Work July 7, 1941 May 1942 CBS
The Boys in the Back Room July 8, 1941 December 1, 1941 CBS
Stars of Tomorrow July 16, 1941 May 1942 NBC
The Face of the War July 18, 1941 1945 NBC
Songs by Harvey Harding July 18, 1941 May 1942 NBC
Thrills and Chills from Everywere August 27, 1941 June 4, 1946 NBC
Radio City Matinee September 4, 1941 May 1942 NBC
Fashion Discoveries in Television September 18, 1941 October 9, 1941 NBC
Saturday Night Jamboree October 18, 1941 November 22, 1941 NBC
The Adam Hats Sports Parade: Wrestling at Ridgewood Grove October 21, 1941 May 12, 1942 NBC
America's Town Meeting of the Air December 19, 1941 February 19, 1942 NBC
War Backgrounds December 22, 1941 January 19, 1942 CBS

Programs ending during 1941

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Date Show Debut
October 9 Fashion Discoveries in Television September 18, 1941
November 22 Saturday Night Jamboree October 18, 1941
December 1 The Boys in the Back Room July 8, 1941

Births

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References

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  1. ^ "Why TV is still the most effective advertising medium". CNBC Cnbccatalyst. July 18, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. ^ "Imagery For Profit" R.W. Stewart, New York Times, July 6, 1941.
  3. ^ "WNBT/Bulova test pattern". www.earlytelevision.org.
  4. ^ "WCBW Schedule, Week of June 29th, 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Mike, Conway (October 1, 2006). "The Birth of CBS-TV News: An Ambitious Experiment at the Advent of U.S. Commercial Television". Journalism History. 32 (3). ISSN 0094-7679.
  6. ^ Conway, Mike (2009). The Origins of Television News in America: The Visualizers of CBS in the 1940s. Peter Lang. ISBN 9781433106026.
  7. ^ "WCBW Schedule, Week of June 29th, 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Television Programs in 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Jay, Robert (January 5, 2016). "WCBW Schedule, Week of June 29th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "WCBW Schedule, Week of June 29th, 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Helen Sioussat | Women in Broadcasting History". www.lib.umd.edu. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Television Programs in 1941 - Television Obscurities". www.tvobscurities.com.
  13. ^ "Television Programs in 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Jay, Robert (January 19, 2016). "WCBW Schedule, Week of July 13th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  15. ^ Jay, Robert (July 15, 2013). "WNBT Schedule, Week of July 13th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "My Favorite Obscurities: The 1940s - Television Obscurities". www.tvobscurities.com. June 22, 2015.
  17. ^ Jay, Robert (July 15, 2013). "WNBT Schedule, Week of July 13th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  18. ^ "WNBT Schedule, Week of July 20th, 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. July 22, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  19. ^ "72nd Anniversary of Thrills and Chills Everywhere - Television Obscurities". www.tvobscurities.com. August 27, 2013.
  20. ^ "WNBT Schedule, Week of August 31st, 1941 - Television Obscurities". Television Obscurities. September 2, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  21. ^ "Television Programs in 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  22. ^ Jay, Robert (October 14, 2013). "WNBT Schedule, Week of October 12th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  23. ^ Jay, Robert (October 21, 2013). "WNBT Schedule, Week of October 19th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia". www.broadcastpioneers.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  25. ^ Jay, Robert (December 17, 2013). "WNBT Schedule, Week of December 14th, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "19 Feb 1942, 563 - Daily News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  27. ^ Jay, Robert (June 28, 2016). "WCBW Schedule, Week of December 21st, 1941". Television Obscurities. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  28. ^ Pak, Nataly; Palaniappan, Sruthi (April 8, 2020). "Bernie Sanders: Everything you need to know about the 2020 presidential candidate". ABC News. Retrieved September 24, 2024.