The year 1940 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television -related events during 1940.
January – The FCC has public hearings concerning television . January 12 - The first network telecast, a play entitled "Meet The Wife," is televised by NBC over W2XBS (NBC ) and W2XB .[1] February 25 – The first ice hockey game is televised in the United States, the New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens , from Madison Square Garden on W2XBS-TV. February 28 – The first basketball game is televised, from 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 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 – W2XBS in New York (NBC ) covers the 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. [2] [3] 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 W2XBS (NBC ) and W2XWV (DuMont ).
Series Debut Ended Network Art for Your Sake February 3, 1940 March 30, 1940 NBC 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 edit Date Series Debut May 31 The Esso Television Reporter March 27, 1940 July 30 NBC News with Lowell Thomas February 21, 1940
January 5 – Michael O'Donoghue , writer (died 1994) January 14 – Trevor Nunn , British theatre director January 19 – 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 February 2 – David Jason , English actor, Only Fools and Horses February 3 – Jim Hartz , television personality (died 2022) February 6 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 February 23 – Peter Fonda , actor (died 2019) February 24 – James Sloyan , actor February 27 – Howard Hesseman , actor, WKRP in Cincinnati Head of the Class February 29 March 7 – Daniel J. Travanti , actor, Hill Street Blues March 10 – Chuck Norris , actor, Walker, Texas Ranger March 15 – Phil Lesh , musician March 26 March 28 – Tony Barber , host April 2 – Penelope Keith , English actress, To The Manor Born April 12 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 May 9 – James L. Brooks , producer May 10 – Taurean Blacque , actor, Hill Street Blues May 15 May 17 – Peter Gerety , actor May 22 May 24 – Arvin Brown , American theatre and television director June 1 – René Auberjonois , actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 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 , actor, Lou Grant June 20 – John Mahoney , English-born actor, Frasier 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, 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 July 18 – James Brolin , actor, Marcus Welby, M.D. July 22 – Alex Trebek , game show host, Jeopardy! July 23 – Don Imus , American radio/television host, Imus in the Morning July 24 – Dan Hedaya , American actor July 31 – Roy Walker , television host August 3 – Martin Sheen , actor, The West Wing August 19 – Jill St. John , actress August 22 – Judy Nugent , actress August 23 – Richard Sanders , actor, WKRP in Cincinnati August 26 – Don LaFontaine , voice actor (died 2008) August 28 September 1 – Gary Bender , sportscaster September 5 – Raquel Welch , actress (died 2023) September 11 – Brian De Palma , screenwriter September 12 – Linda Gray , actress, Dallas September 21 – Bill Kurtis , news anchor October 4 – Christopher Stone , actor (The Interns 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 October 28 – Susan Harris , writer November 9 – Reynaldo Villalobos , director November 13 – Daniel Pilon , Cuban-born actor, Dallas 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 December 30 – James Burrows , director ^ "Early Networks and the East-Midwest Connection - TVObscurities" . Television Obscurities . November 12, 2009.^ Television Station to be shut-down; station to be remodelled. New York, NY: New York Times. Sunday, 21 July 1940. Page 10X, col. 8. ^ Television Station to Reopen. New York, NY: New York Times. Wednesday, 23 October 1940. Page L25, col 8. ^ Jay, Robert (March 17, 2009). "W2XBS Schedule, Week of January 28th, 1940" . Television Obscurities . ^ "Television's First News Man...Lowell Thomas" .^ "The Origins of Television News in America: The Visualizers of CBS in the 1940s" .^ Jay, Robert (2009-09-19). "W2XBS Schedule, Week of July 7th, 1940" . Television Obscurities . Retrieved 2019-07-22 .
