The 1947–48 United States network television schedule was nominally from September 1947 to March 1948, but scheduling ideas were still being worked out and did not follow modern standards. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1946–47 season.
Only NBC and DuMont had networks until CBS joined in May 1948, and coaxial cable connections were only available for a few cities on the East Coast. Most other parts of the United States created local shows or broadcast film programs.
Although fewer than twenty television stations were in operation at the end of 1947, more than 30 began broadcasting in 1948.
New series and those making their network debuts are highlighted in bold, while series that ended during the season are highlighted in italics. However, as network programming was still in its infancy and in a state of flux, all the new fall series below for this season began in November and December. A midseason replacement, DuMont's The Original Amateur Hour, first aired Sunday, January 18, 1948, was the most popular series of the 1947–48 television season.[1]
Although television was still in its infancy, several notable series debuted during this season, particularly Mary Kay and Johnny (first sitcom to be broadcast on network television in the US, and likely the world's second television sitcom after British series Pinwright's Progress), Texaco Star Theatre (the variety show that made Milton Berle TV's first star) and The Ed Sullivan Show (which would run until 1971, with performances by Elvis Presley and The Beatles being among the highest-viewed moments in American television history).
Few recordings of live television from this season were preserved. Among the surviving kinescopes are six episodes of Kraft Television Theatre from 1948 (March 3, March 17, March 24, March 31, April 21, and May 5) held by the Library of Congress,[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] an episode of Eye Witness from February 26, 1948, two episodes of The Swift Show from 1948 (May 13 and May 27) held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive,[7] [8] [9] and an episode of NBC Symphony Orchestra with Arturo Toscanini from March 20, 1948, held by the Paley Center for Media.[10]
One series that debuted during this season, Meet the Press, continues to air on NBC celebrating its seventy years as of 2017.
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Spring | Local programming | Hollywood Screen Test | Local programming | ||||||
| CBS | Summer | Local programming | Toast of the Town | Local programming | ||||||
| DMN | Fall | Local programming | ||||||||
| Winter | The Original Amateur Hour | Local programming | ||||||||
| NBC | Local programming | Television Playhouse / Various specials | Local programming | |||||||
CBS began broadcasting as a network in May 1948 and premiered Toast of the Town, better known as The Ed Sullivan Show, on June 20, 1948.
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local Programming | Kiernan's Corner | Quizzing the News | Local Programming | ||||
| CBS | Late Spring | Local programming | (7:30) CBS Television News (7:45) Face the Music | Local Programming | |||||
| August | (7:00) Local programming (7:15) Places Please | ||||||||
| DMN | Fall | Small Fry Club | Doorway to Fame | Local programming | Boxing from Jamaica Arena | ||||
| Winter | (7:30) Camera Headlines (7:45) Local programming | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Local programming | (8:00) Local programming (8:10) Americana (8:40) Local programming | (9:00) The Esso Newsreel (9:10) Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena | |||||
| Spring | Local programming | America Song | |||||||
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local programming | Movieland Quiz | Local programming | |||||
| CBS | Late Spring | Local programming | (7:30) CBS Television News (7:45) Face the Music | Local programming | |||||
| Early Summer | Local programming | We the People | Local programming | ||||||
| August | People's Platform | Local programming | |||||||
| DMN | Fall | Small Fry Club | Highway to the Stars | Western movie | (9:00) Mary Kay and Johnny (9:15) Local programming | Local programming | |||
| October | Look Upon a Star | ||||||||
| Winter | (7:30) Camera Headlines (7:45) I.N.S. Telenews | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Local programming | |||||||
| Summer | MLB on NBC | Major League Baseball | |||||||
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local Programming | Critic at Large | The Gay Nineties Revue | (8:30) Candid Microphone (8:45) Three About Town | Local Programming | Wrestling From Washington, D.C. | |||
| CBS | Late Spring | Local programming | (7:30) CBS Television News (7:45) Face the Music | Local programming | ||||||
| July | Local programming | Winner Take All | Local programming | |||||||
| DMN | Fall | Small Fry Club | Local programming | |||||||
| Winter | Local programming | Court of Current Issues | Local programming | |||||||
| NBC | Local programming | Kraft Television Theatre | (8:30) In the Kelvinator Kitchen (8:45) Local programming | Local programming | ||||||
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local Programming | Local Programming | Club Seven | Local Programming | |||||
| CBS | Late Spring | Local programming | (7:30) CBS Television News (7:45) Face the Music | Local programming | ||||||
| Early Summer | To the Queen's Taste | Local programming | ||||||||
| DMN | Fall | Small Fry Club | King Cole's Birthday Party | Local programming | Charade Quiz | Local programming | ||||
| Winter | King Cole's Birthday Party | |||||||||
| NBC | Local programming | (7:30) Local programming (7:50) The Esso Newsreel | Meet the Press | Musical Merry-Go-Round | (9:00) You Are an Artist (9:15) Local programming | Juvenile Jury | Local programming | |||
On DuMont, King Cole's Birthday Party also was known simply as Birthday Party. It debuted on May 15, 1947, on DuMont's New York City station, WABD and by early 1948 was carried by the entire network. The date on which it switched from a New York-only broadcast to a network-wide one is unclear.
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local Programming | Local Programming | Teenage Book Club | That Reminds Me | Local Programming | ||||
| CBS | Late Spring | Local programming | (7:30) CBS Television News (7:45) Face the Music | (8:00) Sportsman's Quiz (8:05) What's It Worth | Local programming | |||||
| August | (7:00) Local Programming (7:15) Places Please | |||||||||
| DMN | Small Fry Club | Local programming | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Local programming | (8:00) Campus Hoopla (8:15) The World in Your Home | Local programming | Boxing from Madison Square Garden | |||||
| Spring | Stop Me If You've Heard This One | Local programming | ||||||||
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | August | (7:00) News and Views (7:15) Local programming | (7:30) Sports with Joe Hasel (7:45) Local programming | Local programming | ||||||
| NBC | Local programming | Television Screen Magazine | Local programming | |||||||
New Series
New Series
Returning series
New series
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1946–47:
Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.