1970 in television

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

Events
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 was broadcast in colour. January 19 – CBS 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." 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. May 31 - WAPI-TV 13 in Birmingham 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 and, thus, as chief anchor of The Huntley-Brinkley Report. The next Monday, August 3, the program is renamed NBC Nightly News, its title to this day. August 2 – NBC expands full-service newscasts to seven nights a week with NBC Sunday News; it replaces The Frank McGee Report. October 5 – The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) begins broadcasting and National Educational Television is shut down. October 14 – The first Turkish television series Kaçaklar was released. December 25 – Pluto's Christmas Tree is broadcast on BBC1, the first complete Mickey Mouse cartoon to be shown on television in colour. In a cliffhanger on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, businessman Sam Reynolds is believed to be dead after he perished in Africa. One of the first "exotic" deaths for a soap opera character, it was 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.

Television debuts

 * 1) All My Children

Ending this year

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 December 13 The Tim Conway Comedy Hour