1963 IN TELEVISION

The year '1963 in television' involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.
''For the American TV schedule, see: 1963-64 American network television schedule.''

Contents

Events

Debuts

Television shows

1940s

1950s

1960s

Ending this year

Births

Events

★ January 13 - BBC Television broadcasts the play ''The Madhouse on Castle Street'' in the ''Sunday-Night Theatre'' strand. The play co-stars a young American folk music singer named Bob Dylan.

★ April 1 - German terrestrial channel ZDF (pronounced ''tseh-deh-ehf'') began broadcasting.

★ May 15 - First television pictures transmitted from a US manned space capsule ("Faith 7"). Due to the poor picture quality, only NBC carries the transmission, and on tape-delay, not live.

★ September 2 - ''CBS Evening News'' becomes network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.

★ September 9 - NBC also expands its evening network news program to 30 minutes.

★ September 30 - BBC Television begins using a globe as their symbol. They would continue to use it in varying forms until 2002.

★ November 22 - All three major U.S. networks start pre-emptions for a week following the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination. The pre-emptions unofficially begin a few minutes after Kennedy was shot; on the top-rated American soap opera ''As the World Turns'', Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner) was in the middle of a discussion with Grandpa (Santos Ortega) about Bob's (Don Hastings) decision to invite Lisa (Eileen Fulton) to Thanksgiving dinner. Walter Cronkite interrupted Wagner mid-speech to deliver the bulletin. ''As the World Turns'' continued for one more scene (at that time, the show was transmitted live) before Cronkite cut in permanently.

★ November 23 - ''That Was the Week That Was'' broadcasts its famous, non-satirical Kennedy tribute episode on the BBC.

★ November 24 - Jack Ruby murders John F. Kennedy's suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald live on television.

★ For the first time, most Americans say that they get more of their news from television than newspapers.

★ The television remote control is authorized by the FCC.

Debuts

★ January 1 - ''Astro Boy'' (known as ''Mighty Atom'' in Japanese), Japan's first anime, was launched.

★ January 6 - ''Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'' premieres on NBC (1963-1988, 2002-present).

★ April 1 - ''General Hospital'' (created by Frank and Doris Hursley) and ''The Doctors'' premiere on the same day, the former on ABC (1963-present) and later on NBC (1963-1982).

★ September 16 - ''The Outer Limits'' premieres on ABC (1963-1965).

★ September 24 - ''Petticoat Junction'' premieres on CBS (1963-1970).

★ September 29 - ''The Judy Garland Show'' premieres on CBS (1963-1964).

★ August 9 - ''Ready Steady Go!'' premieres on ITV (1963-1966).

★ November 23 - ''Doctor Who'' premieres on BBC Television (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).

★ ''The Littlest Hobo'' premieres in Canada (1963-1965; 1979-1985).

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).

1950s

★ ''The Jack Benny Show'' (1950-1965).

★ ''Truth or Consequences'' (1950-1988).

★ ''What's My Line'' (1950-1967).

★ ''I Love Lucy'' (1951-1957)

★ ''Adventures of Superman'' (1951-1957)

★ ''Love of Life'' (1951-1980).

★ ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (1951-present).

★ ''Search for Tomorrow'' (1951-1986).

★ ''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).

★ ''Lassie'' (1954-1974)

★ ''The Milton Berle Show'' (1954-1967).

★ ''Rin Tin Tin'' (1954-1959)

★ ''The Secret Storm'' (1954-1974).

★ ''The Tonight Show'' (Steve Allen, 1954-1957; Jack Paar, 1957-1962).

★ ''Zoo Quest'' (UK) (1954-1964).

★ ''Captain Kangaroo'' (1955-1984).

★ ''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'' (1956-1968).

★ ''As the World Turns'' (1956-present).

★ ''Opportunity Knocks'' (UK) (1956-1978).

★ ''The Edge of Night'' (1956-1984).

★ ''The Price Is Right'' (1956-1965).

★ ''What the Papers Say'' (UK) (1956-present).

★ ''The Lucille Ball/Desi Arnez Show (The Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour)'' (1957-1960)

★ ''The Sky at Night'' (UK) (1957-present).

★ ''Blue Peter'' (UK) (1958-present).

★ ''Grandstand'' (UK) (1958-2007).

★ ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958-1966).

★ ''Bonanza'' (1959-1973).

★ ''Juke Box Jury'' (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).

★ ''The Bell Telephone Hour'' (1959-1968).

★ ''The Twilight Zone'' (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).

1960s

★ ''Coronation Street'' (UK) (1960-present).

★ ''My Three Sons'' (1960-1972).

★ ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960-1968).

★ ''The Flintstones'' (1960-1966).

★ ''Ben Casey'' (1961-1966).

★ ''Four Corners'' (Australia) (1961-present).

★ ''It's Academic'' (1961-present).

★ ''Mister Ed'' (1961-1966).

★ ''The Avengers'' (UK) (1961-1969).

★ ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961-1966).

★ ''The Fulton Sheen Program'' (1961-1968).

★ ''The Mike Douglas Show'' (1961-1981).

★ ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (1961-1969).

★ ''Match Game'' (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).

★ ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (1962-1971).

★ ''The Jetsons'' (1962-1963, 1984-1985, 1987).

★ ''The Late Late Show'' (Ireland) (1962-present).

★ ''The Lucy Show'' (1962-1968).

★ ''The Saint'' (UK) (1962-1969).

★ ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962-1992).

★ ''Z-Cars'' (UK) (1962-1978).

Ending this year

★ May - ''Empire'' (1962-1963).

★ May - ''The Voice of Firestone'' (1949-1963).

★ June 20 - ''Leave It to Beaver'' (1957-1963).

★ September 10 - ''Hawaiian Eye'' (1959-1963).

Births

★ May 8 - Stella Gonet, actress.

★ May 28 - Michelle Collins, actress.

★ May 29 - Lisa Whelchel, actress.

★ June 15 - Helen Hunt, actress.

★ July 30 - Lisa Kudrow, actress, ''Friends''.

★ November 21 - Nicollette Sheridan, actress.

★ November 24 - Lisa Maxwell, actress.