1970 in television

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The year 1970 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of notable television-related events in that year.

Events[edit]

  • January 1 – WXTV becomes a full time Spanish-language station based in Paterson, New Jersey, which it remains into the 21st century, in this case, becomes an affiliate of 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 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, 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 made its debut on WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV, an ABC O&O)[1]
  • May 31 – WAPI-TV 13 in Birmingham, Alabama, ends nine years of dual affiliation with NBC and CBS, becoming an exclusive affiliate of NBC, and WBMG 42 in Birmingham, WCFT-33 in Tuscaloosa and WHMA-40 in 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 Report.
  • September 7 – Independent Television of Vietnam, as predecessor of Vietnam Television, begins broadcasts Hanoi, Vietnam.[citation needed]
  • 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 BBC1 in the United Kingdom, the first complete Mickey Mouse cartoon to be shown on television in colour, despite the colour strike causing Christmas programmes that 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 as anchor of CBC Television's The National.

Programs/programmes[edit]

Debuts[edit]

Ending this year[edit]

Date Show Debut
April 3 The Flying Nun 1967
Here Come the Brides 1968
April 4 Petticoat Junction 1963
May 7 Daniel Boone 1964
May 15 Get Smart 1965
May 26 I Dream of Jeannie
May 27 The Wednesday Play 1964
June 14 Spider-Man 1967
June 19 The Tim Conway Show 1970
October 31 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (returned in 1978) 1969
December 13 The Tim Conway Comedy Hour 1970
December 19 H.R. Puffnstuff (Returned in 1971) 1969

Births[edit]

Date Name Notability
January 1 Jeff Schaffer Writer
January 2 Nancy St. Alban Actress (Guiding Light)
January 6 Julie Chen Moonves TV host
January 13 Shonda Rhimes Producer and showrunner (Grey's Anatomy)
January 15 Shane McMahon Businessman and pro wrestler (WWE)
January 20 Skeet Ulrich Actor (Jericho)
January 21 Ken Leung Actor (Lost, The Night Shift)
January 26 Tracy Middendorf Actress (Scream)
January 27 Peter W. Klein Writer
January 29 Heather Graham Actress (Scrubs)
Janice Kawaye Voice actress (My Life as a Teenage Robot, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi)
January 30 Chris Jacobs Television host
January 31 Minnie Driver English actress (Speechless)
February 2 Jennifer Westfeldt American actress
February 4 Gabrielle Anwar English actress (The Tudors, Burn Notice, Once Upon a Time)
February 8 Alonzo Mourning NBA basketball player
February 10 Tyler Bunch Actor
February 15 Megan Dodds Actress (CSI: NY, House)
February 17 Dominic Purcell Australian-British actor (Prison Break, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow)
February 19 Bellamy Young Actress (Scandal)
February 22 Michael Rodrick Actor (Another World)
February 23 Paul Anthony Stewart Actor (Guiding Light)
Niecy Nash Actress
February 28 Tangi Miller Actress (Felicity)
March 2 Alexander Armstrong TV presenter
March 3 Julie Bowen Actress (Ed, Boston Legal, Modern Family)
Audrey Puente American meteorologist
March 4 Andrea Bendewald Actress (Suddenly Susan)
Christopher B. Duncan Actor (The Jamie Foxx Show, The First Family)
March 5 Lisa Robin Kelly Actress (That '70s Show) (died 2013)
March 7 Rachel Weisz Actress
March 8 Andrea Parker Actress (The Pretender, Less than Perfect, Pretty Little Liars)
March 10 Jim Sciutto News anchor
March 17 Yanic Truesdale Canadian-American actor (Gilmore Girls)
March 18 Queen Latifah Actress, talk show host (The Queen Latifah Show)
March 20 Michael Rapaport Actor (Prison Break)
March 24 Lara Flynn Boyle Actress (Twin Peaks, The Practice)
Jeff Lewis TV host
March 27 Elizabeth Mitchell Actress (Lost, V, Revolution)
March 28 Vince Vaughn Actor and producer
April 4 Greg Garcia Producer
April 5 Wendy Braun Actress (Lost)
April 11 Johnny Messner Actor
April 12 Retta Actress and comedian (Parks and Recreation)
April 13 Ricky Schroder Actor (Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue)
April 15 Flex Alexander Actor (Girlfriends, One on One)
April 20 Shemar Moore Actor (The Young and the Restless, Criminal Minds)
April 21 Rob Riggle Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live)
Nicole Sullivan Actress and comedian (Mad TV, Kim Possible, The Secret Saturdays)
April 25 Jason Lee Actor (Earl Hickey on My Name is Earl)
Jason Wiles Actor (Third Watch, Scream)
April 26 Melania Trump Businesswoman
Jacqueline Laurita American television personality
April 29 Uma Thurman Actress and singer
May 3 Bobby Cannavale Actor (Third Watch)
May 4 Will Arnett Actor (Arrested Development, 30 Rock)
May 11 Karen Kilgariff Actress
Harold Ford Jr. American financial managing director
May 12 Samantha Mathis Actress
May 17 Jordan Knight Singer (The Surreal Life: Fame Games)
May 18 Tina Fey Actress and comedian (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock)
May 19 Jason Gray-Stanford Canadian actor (Monk)
May 22 Naomi Campbell English model, actress and singer (Empire)
May 27 Mara Brock Akil American screenwriter and television producer
Joseph Fiennes American actor
May 28 Paul Sinha English quizzer, comedian, doctor and award-winning broadcaster
June 1 Paul Schrier Actor
June 2 Paula Cale Actress (Providence)
June 8 Gabby Giffords American retired politician and gun control advocate
Kelli Williams Actress (The Practice, Army Wives, Lie to Me)
June 12 Rick Hoffman Actor
June 15 Leah Remini Actress (The King of Queens, Kevin Can Wait)
Kit Pongetti Actress
June 16 Darlene Rodriguez American journalist
Clifton Collins Jr. American actor
June 17 Will Forte Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Last Man on Earth)
June 19 Chris Wragge American news anchor
June 26 Chris O'Donnell Actor (Grey's Anatomy, The Company, NCIS: Los Angeles)
Sean Hayes Actor, comedian and producer (Will & Grace)
Nick Offerman Actor (Parks and Recreation)
Matt Letscher Actor
June 28 Steve Burton Actor (General Hospital, The Young and the Restless)
Rio Hackford Actor (died 2022)
June 30 Brian Bloom Actor
July 1 Henry Simmons Actor (NYPD Blue, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
July 3 Audra McDonald Actress (Private Practice) and singer
July 11 Justin Chambers Actor (Cold Case, Grey's Anatomy)
July 13 Sharon Horgan English-born Irish comedy screenwriter and actress (Pulling, Catastrophe, Divorce)
July 23 Charisma Carpenter Actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
July 26 Cress Williams Actor (Prison Break, Hart of Dixie)
July 27 Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Actor
July 30 Dean Edwards Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Celebrity Deathmatch, The Sopranos)
Christopher Nolan Director
Andrea Stassou American television journalist
August 2 Kevin Smith Actor
August 4 Bret Baier Host
August 6 M. Night Shyamalan Actor
August 9 Thomas Lennon Actor (The State, Reno 911!)
Chris Cuomo Reporter
August 11 Teresa Pavlinek Actress
August 12 Charles Mesure English-Australian actor
August 15 Anthony Anderson Actor (All About the Andersons, Black-ish)
Ben Silverman American media executive
August 16 Seth Peterson Actor (Providence, Burn Notice)
Bonnie Bernstein Sportscaster
August 18 Malcolm-Jamal Warner Actor (The Cosby Show, Malcolm & Eddie)
August 19 Fat Joe Rapper and actor
August 22 Giada De Laurentiis Television personality and chef (Everyday Italian, Giada at Home)
August 23 Jay Mohr Actor and comedian (Ghost Whisperer, Gary Unmarried)
River Phoenix Actor (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) (died 1993)
August 24 David Gregory American television personality
August 26 Melissa McCarthy Actress and comedian (Gilmore Girls, Mike & Molly)
August 27 Leanna Creel Actress (Saved by the Bell)
August 31 Debbie Gibson Singer (Celebrity Apprentice)
September 3 Maria Bamford Actress and comedian (CatDog, Back at the Barnyard, Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, Adventure Time, Lady Dynamite)
September 6 Emily Maitlis Canadian-born English news presenter (NBC, BBC)
September 8 Rosearik Rikki Simons Voice actor (Invader Zim)
Latrell Sprewell NBA basketball player
September 11 Taraji P. Henson Actress (Empire)
Laura Wright Actress (Guiding Light, General Hospital)
September 12 Josh Hopkins Actor (Cougar Town)
Will Chase Actor
September 13 Louise Lombard English actress (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)
September 16 Tamron Hall Journalist and talk show host
September 18 Aisha Tyler Actress (Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Archer)
September 19 Victor Williams Actor (The King of Queens)
September 21 Rob Benedict Actor (Supernatural)
James Lesure Actor (For Your Love, Las Vegas)
September 27 Tamara Taylor Actress (Bones)
September 29 Emily Lloyd Actress
Russell Peters Actor
September 30 Tony Hale Actor (Arrested Development)
October 2 Kelly Ripa Actress, talk show host (All My Children, Hope & Faith)
Mark Immelman Sportscaster
October 3 Kirsten Nelson Actress (Psych)
October 5 Josie Bissett Actress (Melrose Place)
October 6 Amy Jo Johnson American-Canadian actress (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Felicity, Flashpoint) and singer
October 8 Matt Damon Actor (30 Rock)
October 11 Constance Zimmer Actress (Entourage, Boston Legal, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
October 12 Kirk Cameron Actor (Growing Pains)
October 13 Serena Altschul American broadcast journalist
October 14 Jon Seda Actor (Homicide: Life on the Street)
Paul Fitzgerald Actor
October 18 Mike Mitchell Director
October 19 Chris Kattan Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Middle)
October 22 Jason Moore Director
October 23 Grant Imahara American electrical engineer (died 2020)
October 24 Raúl Esparza Actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hannibal)
October 25 Adam Goldberg Actor
Adam Pascal Actor
October 28 Greg Eagles Voice actor (Grim on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy)
October 30 Billy Brown Actor (How to Get Away with Murder)
Nia Long Actress (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Third Watch)
November 1 Caprice Crane Producer
November 4 Anthony Ruivivar Actor (Third Watch)
Bethenny Frankel American television personality
November 7 Morgan Spurlock Producer
November 9 Chris Jericho Wrestler
November 11 Jon Wertheim Sports journalist
November 16 Martha Plimpton Actress (Raising Hope)
November 17 Mike Epps Actor
November 18 Megyn Kelly Talk show host
November 20 Sabrina Lloyd Actress (Sliders, Sports Night)
Melissa Disney Voice actress (As Told by Ginger)
November 24 Jonathan Ward Actor (Charles in Charge)
November 28 Richard Osman TV presenter
November 29 Larry Joe Campbell Actor (According to Jim)
November 30 Perrey Reeves Actress
December 1 Golden Brooks Actress (Girlfriends, Saturdays)
Sarah Silverman Actress, comedian and singer (Saturday Night Live, The Sarah Silverman Program)
December 2 Joe Lo Truglio Actor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
December 4 Kevin Sussman Actor (Ugly Betty, The Big Bang Theory)
Tamsen Fadal American journalist
Fat Pat American rapper
December 5 Walt Dohrn Actor
December 7 Meg Oliver Anchor
December 9 Kara DioGuardi Judge on American Idol
December 10 Susanna Reid Television presenter
December 12 Jennifer Connelly Actress (The $treet)
Mädchen Amick Actress (Twin Peaks)
December 13 Jesse Armstrong Screenwriter (Succession)
Evan Frankfort Television composer
December 15 Michael Shanks Canadian actor (Stargate SG-1, Saving Hope)
December 16 Daniel Cosgrove Actor
December 17 Sean Patrick Thomas Actor (The District)
December 18 DMX Rapper and actor (died 2021)
Victoria Pratt Actress (Mutant X, Day Break)
December 20 Nicole de Boer Actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Dead Zone)
December 21 Jamie Colby American TV host
December 23 Shannon Bream American journalist
December 24 Amaury Nolasco Puerto Rican actor (Prison Break)
December 28 Dolores Catania American television personality
December 29 Kevin Weisman Actor (Alias, The Blacklist, Scorpion)
December 31 Chandra West Canadian actress (The Gates)

Deaths[edit]

Date Name Age Notability
April 23 Herb Shriner 51 Actor, game show host (Two for the Money)
April 30 Inger Stevens 35 Actress (Katy on The Farmer's Daughter)
June 11 Frank Silvera 55 Actor (The High Chaparral)
August 30 Del Moore 54 Actor, comedian (Life with Elizabeth)
September 29 Edward Everett Horton 84 Actor, narrator (The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Action News debuts with innovative broadcast and personality". 19 June 2020.