Editing 1940 in television

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The year '''1940 in television''' involved some significant events.
Below is a list of [[television]]-related events during 1940.

__TOC__ <!--force Table of Contents-->

==Events==
*January – The [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] has public hearings concerning [[television]].
*January 12 - The first network telecast, a play entitled "Meet The Wife," is televised by NBC over [[WNBC|W2XBS]] ([[NBC]]) and [[WRGB|W2XB]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/east_midwest_connection/|title=Early Networks and the East-Midwest Connection - TVObscurities|date=November 12, 2009|website=Television Obscurities}}</ref>
*February 25 – The first [[ice hockey]] game is televised in the United States, the [[New York Rangers]] vs [[Montreal Canadiens]], from [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] on W2XBS-TV.
*February 28 – The first basketball game is televised, from [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]]: [[Fordham University]] vs the [[University of Pittsburgh]].
*March 10 – The [[Metropolitan Opera]] broadcast for the first time from NBC studios at [[Rockefeller Center]] an abridged performance of the first act of ''[[Pagliacci]]'', along with excerpts from four other operas.
*March 15 – [[RCA]] reduces the price of television sets.
*May 21 – [[Bell Telephone Laboratories]] transmits a 441-line video signal, with a bandwidth of 2.7 MHz, by coaxial cable from New York to Philadelphia and back.
*June – [[WNBC-TV|W2XBS]] in New York ([[NBC]]) covers the [[1940 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] from [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania for 33 hours, during a five-day period. The signal is transmitted via [[coaxial cable]].
*August 1 – [[W2XBS]] goes out of commission from 1 August 1940 until the 27th of October 1940 while the transmitter is adjusted from 441-line picture to 525-line picture. <ref>Television Station to be shut-down; station to be remodelled. New York, NY: New York Times. Sunday, 21 July 1940. Page 10X, col. 8.</ref><ref>Television Station to Reopen.  New York, NY: New York Times.  Wednesday, 23 October 1940. Page L25, col 8. </ref>
*August 29 – [[Peter Carl Goldmark]] of [[CBS]] announces his invention of a [[color television]] system.
*September 3 – [[CBS]] resumes its television transmissions with the first demonstration of high definition color TV, by W2XAB, transmitting from the [[Chrysler Building]].
*November 5 - First televised Presidential election coverage is carried by [[WNBC|W2XBS]] ([[NBC]]) and [[WNYW|W2XWV]] ([[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]). 

== Debuts ==

* February 3 - ''[[Art for Your Sake]]'', an art discussion program hosted by Dr. Bernard Myers, debuts on [[WNBC|W2XBS]] (NBC) (1940).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/03/w2xbs-schedule-week-of-january-28th-1940/|title=W2XBS Schedule, Week of January 28th, 1940|first=Robert|last=Jay|date=March 17, 2009|website=Television Obscurities}}</ref>
* February 21 - ''[[NBC News|NBC News with Lowell Thomas]]'', a simulcast of [[Lowell Thomas]]’ daily radio newscast, debuts on [[W2XBS]] (NBC) (1940).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eyesofageneration.com/televisions-first-news-man-lowell-thomasalthough-lowell-thomass-news-progr/|title=Television's First News Man...Lowell Thomas}}</ref>
* March 27- ''The Esso Television Reporter'' debuts on [[W2XBS]] (NBC) (1940).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VKkQP6b6IDsC&dq=Esso+Television+Reporter&pg=PA133|title=The Origins of Television News in America: The Visualizers of CBS in the 1940s}}</ref>
*July 8 - ''Boxing from Jamaica Arena'' debuts on [[W2XBS]] (NBC) (1940-42).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/09/wx2bs-schedule-week-of-july-7th-1940/|title=W2XBS Schedule, Week of July 7th, 1940|last=Jay|first=Robert|date=2009-09-19|website=Television Obscurities|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref>

== Television shows ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Series
!Debut
!Ended
!Network
|-
|''Art for Your Sake''
|February 3, 1940
|March 30, 1940
|NBC
|-
|''[[NBC News|NBC News with Lowell Thomas]]''
|February 21, 1940
|July 30, 1940
|NBC
|-
|''The Esso Television Reporter''
|March 27, 1940
|May 31, 1940
|NBC
|-
|''Boxing from Jamaica Arena''
|July 8, 1940
|May 18, 1942
|NBC
|}

== Programs ending during 1940 ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Series
!Debut
|-
|May 31
|''The Esso Television Reporter''
|March 27, 1940
|-
|July 30
|''NBC'' ''News'' ''with'' ''Lowell Thomas''
|February 21, 1940
|}

==Births==
*January 5 – [[Michael O'Donoghue]], writer (died 1994)
*January 14 – [[Trevor Nunn]], British theatre director
*January 19 – [[Mike Reid (actor)|Mike Reid]], English actor and comedian (died 2007)
*January 22 – [[John Hurt]], English actor (died 2017)
*January 27 – [[James Cromwell]], actor
*January 29 – [[Katharine Ross]], actress
*January 31 – [[Stuart Margolin]], actor, ''[[The Rockford Files]]'' (died 2022)
*February 2 – [[David Jason]], English actor, ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''
*February 3 – [[Jim Hartz]], television personality (died 2022)
*February 6
**[[Tom Brokaw]], American journalist
**[[Jimmy Tarbuck]], English comedian
*February 8 – [[Ted Koppel]], journalist
*February 10 – [[Kathryn Mullen]], puppeteer
*February 12 – [[Ralph Bates]], English actor (died 1991)
*February 17 – [[John Lewis]], politician (died 2020)
*February 20 – [[Smokey Robinson]], singer 
*February 22 
**[[Don Cannon (news anchor)|Don Cannon]], American news anchor
**[[Judy Cornwell]], English actress
*February 23 – [[Peter Fonda]], actor (died 2019)
*February 24 – [[James Sloyan]], actor
*February 27 – [[Howard Hesseman]], actor, ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', ''[[Head of the Class]]'' (died 2022)
*February 29 
**[[Sonja Barend]], talk show host
**[[Margit Carstensen]], actress (died 2023)
**[[Yoshio Harada]], actor (died 2011)
**[[Harvey Jason]], actor
**[[Monte Kiffin]], coach
*March 7 – [[Daniel J. Travanti]], actor, ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''
*March 10 – [[Chuck Norris]], actor, ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]''
*March 15 – [[Phil Lesh]], musician
*March 26
**[[James Caan]], actor, ''[[Las Vegas (TV series)|Las Vegas]]'' (died 2022)
**[[Nancy Pelosi]], politician
*March 28 – [[Tony Barber]], host
*April 2 – [[Penelope Keith]], English actress, ''[[To The Manor Born]]''
*April 12 
**[[John Hagee]], pastor
**[[Herbie Hancock]], jazz pianist
*April 15 – [[Thea White]], American voice actress (died 2021)
*April 17 – [[Chuck Menville]], American television animator and writer (died 1992)
*April 25 – [[Al Pacino]], actor
*April 30 – [[Burt Young]], actor (died 2023)
*May 5 – [[Lance Henriksen]], actor
*May 6 – [[Rick Husky]], producer
*May 8
**[[Emilio Delgado]], actor (died 2022)
**[[Ricky Nelson]], actor (died 1985)
*May 9 – [[James L. Brooks]], producer
*May 10 – [[Taurean Blacque]], actor, ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' (died 2022)
*May 15 
**[[Roger Ailes]], American television executive (died 2017)
**[[Lainie Kazan]], American actress
*May 17 – [[Peter Gerety]], actor
*May 22 
**[[Michael Sarrazin]], actor (died 2011)
**[[Bernard Shaw (journalist)|Bernard Shaw]], journalist (died 2022)
*May 24 – [[Arvin Brown]], American theatre and television director
*June 1 – [[René Auberjonois]], actor, ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' (died 2019)
*June 2 – [[Maree Cheatham]], actress (''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'', ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'')
*June 6 – [[Richard Paul]], actor (died 1998)
*June 11 – [[Daniel J. Sullivan]], film director
*June 14 – [[Jack Bannon (American actor)|Jack Bannon]], actor, ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]'' (died 2017)
*June 20 – [[John Mahoney]], English-born actor, ''[[Frasier]]'' (died 2018)
*June 21 – [[Mariette Hartley]], actress
*June 22 – [[Esther Rantzen]], English consumer affairs presenter, ''[[That's Life!]]''
*June 26 – [[Mel White]], author
*July 3 – [[Michael Cole (actor)|Michael Cole]], actor, ''[[The Mod Squad]]''
*July 6 – [[Jeannie Seely]], singer
*July 7 – [[Ringo Starr]], English rock drummer, [[The Beatles]]
*July 13 – [[Patrick Stewart]], English actor, ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''
*July 17
**[[Tim Brooke-Taylor]], English comedy performer, ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' (died 2020)
**[[Verne Lundquist]], American sportscaster
*July 18 – [[James Brolin]], actor, ''[[Marcus Welby, M.D.]]''
*July 22 – [[Alex Trebek]], game show host, ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' (died 2020)
*July 23 – [[Don Imus]], American radio/television host, ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' (died 2019)
*July 24 – [[Dan Hedaya]], American actor
*July 31 – [[Roy Walker (comedian)|Roy Walker]], television host
*August 3 – [[Martin Sheen]], actor, ''[[The West Wing]]''
*August 19
** [[Jill St. John]], actress
** [[Lou Wagner]], actor
*August 22 – [[Judy Nugent]], actress (died 2023)
*August 23 – [[Richard Sanders (actor)|Richard Sanders]], actor, ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]''
*August 26 – [[Don LaFontaine]], voice actor (died 2008)
*August 28
**[[Ken Jenkins]], actor, ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]''
**[[Bonnie Turner]], producer
*September 1 – [[Gary Bender]], sportscaster
*September 5 – [[Raquel Welch]], actress (died 2023)
*September 11 – [[Brian De Palma]], screenwriter
*September 12 – [[Linda Gray]], actress, ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]''
*September 21 – [[Bill Kurtis]], news anchor
*October 4 – [[Christopher Stone (actor)|Christopher Stone]], actor (''[[The Interns (TV series)|The Interns]]'') (died 1995)
*October 9 – [[John Lennon]], English singer-songwriter, [[The Beatles]] (killed 1980)
*October 16 – [[Barry Corbin]], American actor
*October 19 – [[Michael Gambon]], Irish-born British actor, ''[[The Singing Detective]]'' (died 2023)
*October 28 – [[Susan Harris]], writer
*November 9 – [[Reynaldo Villalobos]], director
*November 13 – [[Daniel Pilon]], Cuban-born actor, ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' (died 2018)
*November 15 – [[Sam Waterston]], actor, ''[[Law & Order]]''
*November 20 – [[Tony Butala]], singer
*November 21 – [[Freddy Beras-Goico]], TV host
*November 22 – [[Terry Gilliam]], actor
*November 27 – [[Bruce Lee]], actor (died 1973)
*December 2 – [[Connie Booth]], actress, ''[[Fawlty Towers]]''
*December 7 – [[Carole Simpson]], broadcast journalist
*December 11 – [[Donna Mills]], actress, ''[[Knots Landing]]''
*December 12 – [[Dionne Warwick]], singer
*December 21 
**[[Arvi Lind]], Finnish newsreader
**[[Don Phillips (casting director)|Don Phillips]], American casting director (died 2021)
*December 30 – [[James Burrows]], director

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Years in TV by country|1940}}
{{Years in television}}

[[Category:1940 in television]]