Editing 1956 in television (section)

==Events==
*January 1 – [[Belarus-1|Beleteleradio]] begins transmissions as the first television channel in [[Belarus]].
*January 25–February 5 – The [[1956 Winter Olympics]] staged at [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] in Italy are the first multi-sport event to be televised to an international audience,<ref name=T&V>{{cite book|title=The Olympic Games: A Social Science Perspective|last1=Toohey|first1=Kristine|last2=Veal|first2=A.J.|publisher=CAB International|year=2007|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=9781845933463|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywy9aslk3M8C&pg=PA148|page=148}}</ref> although the broadcasts are not monetized. [[Warsaw Pact]] countries have the technology to be able to broadcast coverage with a communist slant into Finland and parts of West Germany and Austria.<ref>{{cite book|title=Global TV New Media and the Cold War; 1946–69|last=Schwoch|first=James|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2009|location=Champaign|isbn=9780252033742|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bFCbAn5j6gIC&pg=PA39|pages=39–40}}</ref>
*January 28 – [[Elvis Presley]] makes his national television debut on CBS in the United States on the program ''[[Stage Show]]'', the first of six appearances on the series.
*January 30 – [[NBC]] swaps its Cleveland radio and TV stations to [[Westinghouse Broadcasting]] in exchange for Westinghouse's own Philadelphia radio and TV stations. The trade is eventually reversed in 1965.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/56-OCR/1956-01-30-BC-OCR-Page-0059.pdf "NBC, Westinghouse complete exchange."] {{webarchive|url=https://www.webcitation.org/6b1NvcJnI?url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/56-OCR/1956-01-30-BC-OCR-Page-0059.pdf |date=August 24, 2015 }} ''Broadcasting'', January 30, 1956, pg. 59.</ref><ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/65-OCR/1965-06-14-BC-OCR-Page-0083.pdf "The great swap takes place June 19; Westinghouse, NBC return to original properties."] ''Broadcasting'', June 14, 1965, pg. 83.</ref>
*February 14 – Television broadcasting begins in [[Azerbaijan]] ([[AzTV]]), at this time the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic]].
*February 17 – The [[English Midlands]] becomes the first part of the [[United Kingdom]] outside London to receive Independent Television ([[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]), when the [[Associated Television Network]] (as ATV Midlands) begins broadcasting their weekday franchise. The weekend franchise, [[ABC Weekend TV]], begins operation a day later.
*February – [[U.M. & M. TV Corporation]] acquires the pre-October 1950 [[Paramount Pictures]] cartoons and theatrical shorts, except for the [[Popeye]] and [[Superman]] cartoons.
*March 21 – [[Tesvisio|TES-TV]] begins regular broadcasting as the first television channel in [[Finland]].
*April 2 – ''[[As the World Turns]]'' and ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' premiere on [[CBS]] as the first half-hour [[United States|American]] [[soap opera]]s. Previously, all soap operas have been just fifteen minutes in length.
*April 3 – Elvis Presley appears on ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'' in the United States.
*April 14 – [[Ampex]] company demonstrates a videotape recorder at the 1956 NARTB (later [[National Association of Broadcasters]]) convention in [[Chicago, Illinois]], using the first practical and commercially successful videotape format known as [[2" Quadruplex]]. The three networks place orders for the recorders.
*April
**WNBQ (modern-day [[WMAQ-TV]]) in Chicago becomes the first TV station to broadcast all its local programming in color.
**United States Senator [[Estes Kefauver]] holds congressional hearings on the rising rates of juvenile crime and publishes an article in ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' named "Let's Get Rid of Tele-Violence."
*May 2 – Baghdad Television (BTV) goes on the air as the first television station in Iraq.
*May 3 – [[Granada Television]] begins broadcasting, extending ITV's coverage to [[Northern England]]. [[ABC Weekend TV]]'s weekend franchise begins operation two days later.
*May 6 – Elvis Presley again appears on ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]''.
*May 12 – [[Korean Broadcasting System|HLKZ-TV]] began transmissions in South Korea.
*May 21 – [[Estes Kefauver]] and [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] participate in the first televised US [[Democratic Party presidential debates|presidential primary debate]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Russell Baker Special To the New York |date=1956-05-22 |title=Stevenson, Kefauver Find Agreement in TV Debate; H-Bomb Tests Noted STEVENSON FACES KEFAUVER ON TV |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/05/22/archives/stevenson-kefauver-find-agreement-in-tv-debate-hbomb-tests-noted.html |access-date=2023-05-23 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and |date=2016-06-15 |title=Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver - First Televised Debate, 1956 |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/adlai-stevenson-and-estes-kefauver---first-televised-debate-1956/youtube_905b50fb-c7d2-53c6-9284-1c3bc6851881.html |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=STLtoday.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Terry |date=2016-06-15 |title=From 1956, the First Televised Presidential Debate, Adlai Stevenson vs Estes Kefauver {{!}} Illinois Channel |url=https://www.illinoischannel.org/2016/06/15/from-1956-the-first-televised-presidential-debate-adlai-stevenson-vs-estes-kefauver/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>
*May 24 – The [[Eurovision Song Contest 1956|first]] [[Eurovision Song Contest]] is held in Lugano, Switzerland. It is primarily a radio program at this stage, as few Europeans can afford TV sets.
*June 5 – [[Elvis Presley]] performs "[[Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog]]" on ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'', scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.
*July 1 – Elvis Presley appears on ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]''.
*July 3 – The first two American [[anthology series]] composed of unsold [[television pilot]]s, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC's]] ''[[G.E. Summer Originals]]'' and [[NBC]]'s ''[[Sneak Preview (TV series)|Sneak Preview]]'', premiere simultaneously at 9:00 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Daylight Time]]. 
*July – [[HSV (TV station)|HSV]] 7 [[Melbourne, Australia]] begins test transmissions.
*August 5 – [[KUAM-TV]] becomes the first television station in Guam.
*August 6 – Final telecast of the [[DuMont Television Network]]. The United States will not have a fourth major network until the launch of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network in [[1986 in American television|1986]].
*September – [[NBC]] introduces a still version of its ''peacock'' color logo.
*September 4 – Television broadcasting begins in [[Sweden]] as [[SVT1|Radiotjänst TV]] goes on the air.
*September 9 – Elvis Presley appears on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in the United States for the first time.
*September 15 – Gabriel J. Fontana wins a record US$64,000 from the Super Bonus Stunt on ''[[Beat the Clock]]''.
*September 16 – [[TCN-9]] [[Sydney]] becomes the first [[Australia]]n television station to begin regular transmission.
*October 1 – [[Ernie Kovacs]] becomes the host for NBC's ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' in the United States on Mondays and Tuesdays.
*October 8 – [[1956 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] pitcher [[Don Larsen]] throws the first (and to date only) [[Don Larsen's perfect game|perfect game]] in [[1956 World Series|World Series]] history. [[Mel Allen]] (representing the Yankees) and [[Vin Scully]] (representing the [[1956 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn Dodgers]]) [[List of World Series broadcasters|call]] the game for [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]].
*October 28 – La 1, the first TV channel for [[Television Espanola]] (TVE), signs on in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. It is the country's first TV station.<ref>[[:es:La 1#Inauguración de Televisión Española]] '''(Spanish language)''' Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref>  
* October 29
**First use of videotape in network television programming; CBS uses its [[Ampex]] VTR to record the evening news, anchored by [[Douglas Edwards]]. The tape is then fed to West Coast stations three hours later.
**[[Chet Huntley]] and [[David Brinkley]] take over anchor duties of the NBC evening newscast in the United States, which is renamed ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''.
*November 3 – The 1939 MGM movie ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' is shown on television for the first time in the United States, by CBS; the viewing audience is estimated at 45 million people.
*November 4 – HSV 7 officially inaugurates on the air in Melbourne, Australia, soon after the [[Australia Government]] starts issuing television licences. 
*November 5 – The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] makes its first television broadcast from its [[Sydney]] studios. It is inaugurated by Prime Minister [[Robert Menzies]].
*November 19 – The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] begins broadcast in [[Melbourne]]. Along with its [[Sydney]] counterpart, they air the [[1956 Summer Olympics]].
*November – The first use of videotape for a network television entertainment program. [[Jonathan Winters]] uses videotape and [[superimposing]] techniques to be able to play two characters in the same skit for his NBC television show.
*December 26 – [[Algeria]]'s [[TV1 (Algerian TV channel)|TV1]] broadcasts for the first time as RTF Television Algiers, making it the first television network in the country.
*December 31 – Game series host [[Bob Barker]] makes his national television debut in the United States on the program ''[[Truth or Consequences]]''.
*Portable TV sets (black and white) are first marketed.