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The year 1961 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1961.

For the American TV schedule, see: 1961-62 American network television schedule.

Events

• January 20 - John F. Kennedy is the first U.S. president to be sworn in, in a color telecast. NBC covers the inauguration in color.
• February 19 - CFTM-TV, future flagship of Quebec's TVA network, opens in Montreal.
• April 29 - Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, goes on air.
• July 1 - The soap opera The Brighter Day airs its first episode after moving taping locations from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are mysteriously written out of the show; the actors who played them didn't want to move.
• September 1 - Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, goes on air.
• September 30 - Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, goes on air.
• September - NBC begins its long-running NBC Saturday Night at the Movies participating, with an airing of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture How to Marry a Millionaire.
• 1 October - CTV is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
• November 4 - RAI's second television channel (now called Rai Due) first airs to 52% of the available households in Italy.
• December 31 - RTÉ starts television broadcasts, bringing television to the Republic of Ireland for the first time.
• January 25 - John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised Presidential press conference.
• Danger Man (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series would be revived and revamped in 1964.
• May 9 - Newton Minow uncovers a "vast wasteland".
• May 29 - Dave Garroway announces his decision to leave the Today show.
• November 19 - Lucille Ball marries Gary Morton.
• WBNB brings television to the Virgin Islands for the first time. (It will be destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.)

Debuts

• January 7 - The Avengers premieres on ITV (1961-1969).
• April 29 ABC's Wide World of Sports debuts (1961-2006).
• August 19 - Four Corners, Australia's first current affairs program, premieres (1961-present).
• September 23 - The Stairlit Starways premieres (1961-1968).
• October 2 - Ben Casey premieres on ABC (1961-1966). Password debuts on CBS (1961-1967). Robert Young's short-lived second series, Window on Main Street debuts on CBS (1961-1962).
• October 3 - The Dick Van Dyke Show premieres on CBS (1961-1966).
• October - Songs of Praise debuts on BBC (1961-present).

• CTV National News premieres (1961-present).
• It's Academic (1961-present).
• The Mike Douglas Show premieres (1961-1981).
• Mister Ed debuts (1961-1966).
• Reach for the Top premieres on CBC (1961-1984).

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
• Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).
• The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).

1950s

• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• What's My Line (1950-1967).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
• The Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Brighter Day (1954-1962).
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967).
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
• The Tonight Show (1954-present).
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
• Cheyenne (1955-1962).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956-1962).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-2007).
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966).
• The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958-1962).
• Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969).
• Bonanza (1959-1973).
• Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963).
• Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1968)
• The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).

1960s

• Bringing Up Buddy, 1960-1961
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• Danger Man (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966).
• Margie, 1961-1962.
• My Three Sons (1960-1972).
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
• The Flintstones (1960-1966).
• Window on Main Street (1961-1962).

Ending this year

• September - Peter Gunn (1958-1961).
• The Army Game (UK) (1957-1961).
• General Motors Presents (Can) (1953-1956, 1958-1961)
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961).
• Five Star Jubilee (1961).

Changes of network affiliation

• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color moves from ABC to NBC to take advantage of the latter network's color broadcasting abilities.

Births

• January 3 - Judy Flynn, actress.
• January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress
• January 19 - Paul McCrane, actor.
• February 2 - Lauren Lane, actress
• February 5 - Tim Meadows, actor.
• February 21 - Christopher Atkins, actor.
• February 23 - Trent Lehman, actor (d. 1982)
• March 3 - Mary Page Keller, actress.
• March 4 - Steven Weber, actor.
• March 8 - Camryn Manheim, actress.
• March 17 - Casey Siemaszko, actor.
• March 18 - Geoffrey Owens, actor.
• April 3 - Eddie Murphy, actor, comedian.
• April 6 - Gene Eugene Andrusco, actor, lead singer of Adam Again
• April 10 - Brian Morrison, actor.
• April 18 - Jane Leeves, actress.
• April 21 - Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor
• April 23 - George Lopez, comedian.
• April 30 - Isiah Thomas, former basketball player and coach.
• May 6 - George Clooney, actor.
• May 12 - Lar Park Lincoln, actress
• May 29 - Melissa Etheridge, singer
• May 30 - Ralph Carter, actor.
• May 31 - Lea Thompson, actress.
• June 9 - Michael J. Fox, actor
• June 25 - Ricky Gervais, actor, comedian.
• June 29 - Sharon Lawrence, actress.
• July 23 - Woody Harrelson, actor.
• July 27 - Gabrielle Glaister, actress
• August 4 - Lauren Tom, actress.
• August 13 - Dawnn Lewis, actress.
• August 14 - Susan Olsen, actress.
• September 15 - Dan Marino, football player.
• September 22 - Scott Baio, actor.
• September 23 - Chi McBride, actor.
• September 25 - Heather Locklear, actor.
• September 30 - Crystal Bernard, actress.
• October 4 - David W. Harper, actor.
• November 3 - Kari Michaelsen, actress
• November 4 - Jeff Probst, emcee.
• December 30 - Sean Hannity, talk show host.

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