1947–48 United States Network Television Schedule

The 1947–48 United States network television schedule was nominally from September of 1947 to March of 1948, but scheduling ideas were still being worked out and did not follow modern standards. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1946–47 season.

Only NBC and DuMont had networks until CBS joined in May 1948, and coaxial cable connections were only available for a few cities on the East Coast. Most other parts of the United States created local shows or broadcast film programs.

Although fewer than twenty television stations were in operation at the end of 1947, more than 30 began broadcasting in 1948.

New series and those making their network debuts are highlighted in bold, while series that ended during the season are highlighted in ''italics''. However, as network programming was still in its infancy and in a state of flux, all the new fall series below for this season began in November and December. A midseason replacement, DuMont's ''The Original Amateur Hour'', first aired Sunday, January 18, 1948, was the most popular series of the 1947–48 television season.Jajkowski, S. (2001)
Chicago Television: And Then There Was… DuMont
Retrieved on September 25, 2009.

Although television was still in its infancy, several notable series debuted during this season, particularly ''Mary Kay and Johnny'' (first sitcom to be broadcast on network television in the US, and likely the world's second television sitcom after British series '' Pinwright's Progress''), '' Texaco Star Theatre'' (the variety show that made Milton Berle TV's first star) and ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (which would run until 1971, with performances by Elvis Presley and The Beatles being among the highest-viewed moments in American television history).

Few recordings of live television from this season were preserved. Among the surviving kinescopes are six episodes of ''Kraft Television Theatre'' from 1948 (March 3, March 17, March 24, March 31, April 21, and May 5) held by the Library of Congress, an episode of ''Eye Witness'' from February 26, 1948, and two episodes of ''The Swift Show'' from 1948 (May 13 and May 27) held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and an episode of ''NBC Symphony Orchestra'' with Arturo Toscanini from March 20, 1948, held by the Paley Center for Media.http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=nbc+symphony+orchestra+with+arturo+toscanini&p=3&item=T77:0540

One series that debuted during this season, ''Meet the Press'', continues to air on NBC celebrating its seventy years as of 2017.

Legend

Schedule

Sunday

Notes: The Original Amateur Hour ran Sundays on DuMont beginning on January 18, 1948.

CBS began broadcasting as a network in May 1948 and premiered Toast of the Town, better known as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', on June 20, 1948.

Monday

* '' The Walter Compton News'' aired on DuMont Monday through Friday from 6:45 to 7pm ET beginning on June 16 on WTTG and on August 25 on the DuMont network. In January 1948, Camera Headlines replaced ''The Walter Compton News'' and ''Look Upon a Star'', airing Monday through Friday at 7:30pm ET, with I.N.S. Telenews following at 7:45pm ET on Tuesdays only.

** During the winter of 1948, ''The Esso Newsreel'' was replaced by the NBC Television Newsreel, which ran from Monday to Friday at 7:50, soon becoming the ''Camel Newsreel Theatre''. America Song aired Mondays from 7:30 to 7:50 beginning in April.

*** During the late spring of 1948, CBS premiered the CBS Television News, running weekdays at 7:30, followed by Face the Music from 7:45 to 8:00.

**** Village Barn aired from 9:10 to 10:00 on NBC beginning in May.

Tuesday

Wednesday

* Winner Take All premiered on CBS in July.

Thursday

Notes: On CBS, To the Queen's Taste began airing during the late spring or early summer of 1948.

On DuMont, ''King Cole's Birthday Party'' also was known simply as ''Birthday Party''. It debuted on May 15, 1947, on DuMont's New York City station, WABD and by early 1948 was carried by the entire network. The date on which it switched from a New York-only broadcast to a network-wide one is unclear.

Friday

* Sportsman's Quiz and What's It Worth premiered on CBS during the late spring.

Saturday

By network

ABC

New Series
*'' Hollywood Screen Test''

CBS

New Series''
*'' CBS Television News'' *
*''Face the Music'' *
*''The Fred Waring Show'' *
*''Sportsman's Quiz'' *
*''To the Queen's Taste'' *
*''Toast of the Town'' *
*''We the People'' *
*''What's It Worth'' *
*'' Winner Take All'' *

DuMont

Returning series
*''The Adventures of Oky Doky''
*'' Boxing from Jamaica Arena''
*'' Camera Headlines''
*''Doorway to Fame''
*''Highway to the Stars''
*''The Jack Eigen Show''
*''Key to the Missing''
*''King Cole's Birthday Party''
*''The Original Amateur Hour''
*''Small Fry Club''
* Western movie

New series
*'' Camera Headlines'' *
*''Charade Quiz''
*''Court of Current Issues'' *
*''I.N.S. Telenews'' *
*''Look Upon a Star'' *
*''Mary Kay and Johnny''
*''The Original Amateur Hour'' *
*'' Playroom'' *
*'' The Walter Compton News'' *

NBC

Returning Series
*''America Song''
*'' Americana''
*''Author Meets the Critics''
*''The Bigelow Show''
*''Boxing from Madison Square Garden''
*'' Camel Newsreel Theatre''
*''Campus Hoopla''
*'' Duffy's Tavern''
*''Gillette Cavalcade of Sports''
*''Hour Glass''
*''Juvenile Jury''
*''Kraft Television Theatre''
*''Mary Kay and Johnny''
*''Meet the Press''
*''Musical Miniatures''
*''The Nature of Things''
*''Story of the Week''
*''The Swift Show''
*'' The Texaco Star Theater''
*''You Are an Artist''

New Series
*'' Admiral Presents Five Star Revue — Welcome Aboard''
*''The Black Robe''
*'' The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre''
*''Girl Anour Town''
*''Greatest Fight of the Century''
*'' The Gulf Road Show Starring Bob Smith''
*''Mary Margaret McBride''
*''NBC Presents''
*'' NBC Television Newsreel'' *
*'' The Philco Television Playhouse''
*'' Picture This''
*''Princess Sagaphi''
*''Stop Me If You've Heard This One'' *
*''The Swift Show'' *
*'' The Ted Steele Show''
*''Television Playhouse'' *
*''Village Barn'' *
*''Wrestling From St. Nicholas Arena''
*'' Your Show Time''

Not returning from 1946–47:
*''The Borden Show''
*''Bristol-Myers Tele-Varieties''
*''Broadway Previews''
*'' Face to Face''
*''Famous Fights''
*''Geographically Speaking''
*''Hour Glass''
*''I Love to Eat''
*''In Town Today''
*'' Let's Rhumba''
*''NBC Television Theatre''

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

* Bergmann, Ted; Skutch, Ira (2002). ''The DuMont Television Network: What Happened?''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. .
* Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). ''Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television''. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.

{{DEFAULTSORT:1947-48 United States network television schedule
United States primetime network television schedules
1947 in American television
1948 in American television