Editing 1970 in television (section)

==Events==
*January 1 – [[WXTV-DT|WXTV]] becomes a full time Spanish-language station based in [[Paterson, New Jersey]], which it remains into the 21st century. It becomes an affiliate of [[Univision|SIN]], the network's first affiliate east of the Mississippi River.
*January 3 – [[Jon Pertwee]] makes his first appearance as the [[Third Doctor]] in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Spearhead from Space]]''. It also marks the first time that the series is broadcast in colour.
*January 19 – [[CBS]] in the United States launches ''Operation 100'', a plan to beat [[NBC]]'s ratings in the last 100 days of the season, using the slogan "The man can't bust our network."
*February 7 – ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' variety series airs its 192nd and final hour-long episode on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], with [[Bing Crosby]] in his 31st appearance as guest host.
*March 7 – The "[[eclipse]] of the century" is covered by all three American networks.
*March 16 – The FCC's "Miami channel 10 case" comes to a definite end as the station becomes [[WPLG]].
*March 26 – The first privately owned television station in Thailand, [[Channel 3 (Thailand)|Channel 3]], opens in Bangkok.
*April 1 – President [[Richard Nixon]] signs the [[Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act]] into law, banning [[cigarette]] television advertisements in the United States, starting on January 1, 1971.
*April 6 - The [[Action News]] format makes its debut on [[WPVI-TV|WFIL-TV]] (later WPVI-TV, an ABC O&O).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://6abc.com/action-news-jum-gardner-philadlephia-debut/6255220/|title = Action News debuts with innovative broadcast and personality|date = 19 June 2020}}</ref>
*May 31 – [[WVTM-TV|WAPI-TV 13]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], ends nine years of dual affiliation with [[NBC]] and [[CBS]], becoming an exclusive affiliate of NBC, and [[WIAT|WBMG 42]] in Birmingham, [[WSES|WCFT-33]] in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]] and [[WGWW|WHMA-40]] in [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]] affiliate exclusively with CBS. Previously, Channels 33, 40 and 42 aired programming from NBC and CBS that was not aired on Channel 13.
*July 31 – [[Chet Huntley]] anchors his final newscast with [[David Brinkley]] and retires, bringing down the curtain on a 14-year career at [[NBC News]] in the United States and, thus, as chief anchor of ''[[The Huntley–Brinkley Report]]''. The next Monday, August 3, the program is renamed ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', the title it retains for at least 40 years.
*August 2 – NBC expands full-service newscasts to seven nights a week with ''NBC Sunday News;'' it replaces ''The [[Frank McGee (journalism)|Frank McGee]] Report.''
*September 7 &ndash; Independent Television of Vietnam, as predecessor of [[Vietnam Television]], begins broadcasts [[Hanoi]], Vietnam.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}   
*October 5 – The [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS) in the United States begins broadcasting and [[National Educational Television]] is shut down.
*December 25 – ''Pluto's Christmas Tree'' is broadcast on [[BBC One|BBC1]] in the United Kingdom, the first complete [[Mickey Mouse]] cartoon to be shown on television in colour. By contrast, the [[Colour Strike]] by technicians causes [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] Christmas programmes this year to air in black & white.
*In a cliffhanger on the American soap opera ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'', businessman Sam Reynolds is believed to be dead after perishing in Africa. One of the first "exotic" deaths for a soap opera character, it is in tune with actor [[Robert Mandan]]'s wish to leave the show.
*"Country" comedian and [[Grand Ole Opry]] star [[Minnie Pearl]] makes her first appearance on ''[[Hee Haw]]''.
*[[Lloyd Robertson]] replaces [[Warren Davis (Canadian journalist)|Warren Davis]] as anchor of [[CBC Television]]'s ''[[The National (CBC)|The National]]''.