See also: 1947 in television, other events of 1948, 1949 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• January 5 - BBC Television Newsreel first broadcast.
• June 21 - The first network telecast of political conventions from Philadelphia.
• July 30 - Professional wrestling premieres in prime-time on the DuMont Network.
• August 15 - The first network nightly newscast, CBS-TV News, debuts on CBS with Douglas Edwards .
• November 29 - The television puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie moves to the NBC Midwest Network.
• CBS begins network programming.
• ABC opens its first television station in New York.
• Television manufacturing begins in Canada.

Debuts

• June 8 - Milton Berle becomes the first television star with the debut of Texaco Star Theater (later The Milton Berle Show) on NBC (1948-1953).
• June 20 - Toast of the Town, with Ed Sullivan, premieres on CBS, with guests Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (later renamed, The Ed Sullivan Show) (1948-1971).
• August 10 - Candid Microphone (renamed Candid Camera in 1949) debuts on ABC (1948-present).

Television shows

• Tom and Jerry (1940-1958, 1965-1972, 1975-1977, 1980-1982)
• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960)
• Picture Page (UK) (1936-1939; 1946-1952)
• Howdy Doody (1947-1960)
• Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958)
• Mary Kay and Johnny (1947-1950)
• Meet the Press (1947-present)

Births

• September 13 - Nell Carter, actress, singer (d. 2003)
• September 24 - Phil Hartman, actor, comedian, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, NewsRadio (d. 1998)