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List of years in television

(table)

In radio: 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945

In film: 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945

In music: 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; 1945

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The year 1942 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1942.

Events

February 26 — WRGB Signs on in Albany New York.
April 1 – The U.S. War Production Board halts the manufacture of television and radio equipment for consumer use. The ban is lifted October 1, 1945.
April 13 – The Federal Communications Commission minimum programming time required of U.S. television stations is reduced from 15 to 4 hours a week during the war.

Debuts

February 23 - Air Raid Warden’s Basic Course debuts on NBC (1942-43)^[1]

February 27 - World This Week, an early news program hosted by Linton Wells, debuts on CBS (1942)

March 6 - America At War debuts on CBS (1942)

Television shows

Series	Debut	Ended	Network
Air Raid Warden’s Basic Course	February 23, 1942	November 29, 1943	NBC
World This Week	February 26, 1942	April 10, 1942	CBS
America At War	March 6, 1942	May 20, 1942	CBS
The Face of the War	1941	1945	Dumont
Thrills and Chills from Everywhere	1941	1946	Dumont

Programs ending during 1942

Date	Show	Debut
February 19, 1942	America's Town Meeting of the Air	December 19, 1941
April 10, 1942	World This Week	February 27, 1942
May 18, 1942	Boxing from Jamaica Arena	July 8, 1940
May 1942	Girl About Town with Joan Edwards	July 1, 1941
May 1942	Sports with Bob Edge	July 1, 1941
May 1942	Men At Work	July 7, 1941
May 1942	Stars of Tomorrow	July 16, 1941
May 1942	Songs by Harvey Harding	July 18, 1941
May 1942	Radio City Matinee	September 4, 1941
May 12, 1942	The Adam Hats Sports Parade: Wrestling at Ridgewood Grove	October 21, 1941
May 20, 1942	America At War	March 6, 1942
January 19, 1942	War Backgrounds	December 22, 1941

Births

January 3 – John Thaw, English actor (Inspector Morse) (died 2002)
January 5 – Charlie Rose, journalist
January 8
- Yvette Mimieux, actress (died 2022)
- Stephen Hawking, scientist (died 2018)
January 10 – Walter Hill, director
January 11 – Joel Zwick, director
January 17 – Muhammad Ali, boxer (died 2016)
January 21 – Edwin Starr, singer (died 2003)
January 23 - Brian Croucher, actor
January 27 - John Witherspoon, actor and comedian (Wayans Brothers) (died 2019)
January 30 - Heidi Brühl, actress
February 1
- Terry Jones, Welsh comedic actor and writer (Monty Python's Flying Circus) (died 2020)
- Bibi Besch, actress (died 1996)
February 12 – George Schenck, screenwriter
February 13 – Peter Tork, musician and actor (The Monkees) (died 2019)
February 14 – Michael Bloomberg, namesake of Bloomberg TV
February 16 – Patricia Maynard, actress
February 17 – Dieter Laser, actor (died 2020)
February 22 – Geoffrey Scott, actor (Dynasty) (died 2021)
February 23 – Joop van den Ende, Dutch theatrical producer
February 25 – Karen Grassle, actress (Little House on the Prairie)
February 28 – Frank Bonner, actor and director (WKRP in Cincinnati) (died 2021)
March 3 – David Jacobs, gymnast
March 4 – Lynn Sherr, broadcast journalist
March 6 – Ben Murphy, actor (Alias Smith and Jones)
March 14 – Nickolas Davatzes, television executive (died 2021)
March 15 – The Iron Sheik, pro wrestler (died 2023)
March 25 – Aretha Franklin, singer (died 2018)
March 29 – Scott Wilson, American actor (died 2018)
March 31 – Michael Savage, American host
April 3
- Marsha Mason, actress and director
- Wayne Newton, actor and singer
April 7 – Gabrielle Beaumont, director
April 17 – David Bradley, actor
April 23
- Sandra Dee, actress (died 2005)
- Sheila Gish, actress (died 2005)
April 24 – Barbra Streisand, singer
April 26 – Bobby Rydell, singer (died 2022)
May 1 – Thomas Del Ruth, American cinematographer
May 3 – Dave Marash, American television journalist
May 5 – Marc Alaimo, American television actor
May 6 – David Friesen, American jazz bassist
May 12 – Marya Carter, actress
May 20
- David Proval, actor (The Sopranos)
- Nancy Fleming, American beauty pageant titleholder
May 22 – Barbara Parkins, actress (Peyton Place)
May 23 – Alex Henteloff, actor (Barney Miller)
May 27 – Sue Simmons, retired news anchor
May 29 – Kevin Conway, actor (died 2020)
June 16 – Suzan Farmer, actress (died 2017)
June 18
- Paul McCartney, English singer-songwriter (The Beatles)
- Nick Tate, Australian actor (Space: 1999)
- Roger Ebert, American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author (died 2013)
June 19 – Ned Schmidtke, actor
June 24 – Michele Lee, actress, dancer and singer (Knots Landing)
July 6 – Judith Barcroft, actress (Another World)
July 7 – Chris Stamp, British music producer (died 2012)
July 9 – Richard Roundtree, actor (died 2023)
July 13 – Harrison Ford, actor
July 22 – Toyohiro Akiyama, TV journalist
July 23 – Madeline Bell, singer
July 29 – Tony Sirico, actor (The Sopranos) (died 2022)
August 7 – Tobin Bell, actor
August 9 – David Steinberg, actor
August 18 – Judith Keppel, quiz show contestant
August 20 – Isaac Hayes, singer and actor (South Park) (died 2008)
August 28 – Peter Bartlett, actor (One Life to Live)
September 6 – Carol Wayne, actress (died 1985)
September 17 – Lupe Ontiveros, actress (died 2012)
September 20 – William F. Baker, broadcaster
September 21 – Tracy Reed, actress (died 2012)
September 23 – Carol Ann Abrams, American television and film producer (died 2012)
September 26 – Kent McCord, actor (Adam-12)
September 29
- Ian McShane, English actor (Lovejoy, Deadwood)
- Donna Corcoran, actress
October 3 – Alan Rachins, actor (L.A. Law, Dharma & Greg)
October 6 – Britt Ekland, Swedish actress
October 7 – Joy Behar, American comedian
October 12 – Petronella Barker, actress
October 14
- Cyrus Yavneh, producer (died 2018)
- Jim Hougan, producer
October 17 – Kelly Monteith, actor (died 2023)
October 20 – Earl Hindman, actor (Home Improvement) (died 2003)
October 21 – Judy Sheindlin, television personality, television producer, and author, and a former prosecutor and Manhattan family court judge
October 22 – Annette Funicello, actress and singer (The Mickey Mouse Club) (died 2013)
October 23 – Michael Crichton, author and filmmaker (died 2008)
October 29 – Bob Ross, television host (died 1995)
October 31 – David Ogden Stiers, actor (M*A*S*H) (died 2018)
November 1 – Marcia Wallace, actress and comedian (The Bob Newhart Show, The Simpsons) (died 2013)
November 2 – Stefanie Powers, actress (Hart to Hart)
November 9 – Tom Weiskopf, golfer
November 17 – Martin Scorsese, actor
November 18
- Linda Evans, actress (The Big Valley, Dynasty)
- Susan Sullivan, actress (Falcon Crest)
November 19 – Calvin Klein, fashion designer
November 20
- Bob Einstein, actor (died 2019)
- Joe Biden, politician (guest star on Parks and Recreation)
November 22 – Dick Stockton, American retired sportscaster
November 24 – Billy Connolly, actor
November 29 – John Grillo, actor
December 4
- Gemma Jones, actress
- Al Hunt, reporter
December 6 – Chelsea Brown, actress (died 2017)
December 7 – Peter Tomarken, game show host (Press Your Luck) (died 2006)
December 9 – Dick Butkus, actor
December 14 – Jack Cafferty, former CNN commentator
December 23 – Brian McConnachie, actor
December 27 – Charmian Carr, actress (died 2016)
December 30
- Michael Nesmith, musician and actor (The Monkees) (died 2021)
- Fred Weinberg, composer
- Betty Aberlin, actress

Deaths

October – Bernard Natan, owner of Pathé and co-founder of France's first television company, Télévision-Baird-Natan, 56

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Years in television