Color broadcasting timeline
 

We all know that NBC started pumping out color programs in 1954. When did the other guys (CBS & ABC) start getting color stations?

I inquired with our local Beaumont CBS station (KFDM CH 6) and they told me mid-60's. I would have thought our CBS station would have had color earlier. Channel 4 (our NBC station) came online and in Living Color in 1957.

I can easily say CBS were broadcasting in colour (but to a far lesser scale than NBC) in 1954 up to the late 50s but pretty much stopped colour broadcasts in the early 60s (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) but started again around 1965 when they got Norelco PC-60 plumbicon colour cameras. CBS did experimental colour broadcasts in 1951 as well with their field sequential colour system but only a smidgen of people had those field sequential colour receivers.

ABC pretty much (with a few exceptions) B&W up until 1965 when they started broadcasting colour on a more regular basis. The exceptions I know of was they telecine'd The Jetsons cartoons in colour in 1962 and in 1958 American Bandstand experimented with a couple of colour broadcasts for a couple of weeks before returning to B&W.

A good and complete response.

I wasn't aware of the AB colorcasts. I wonder how many stations that carried it were actually capable of color at the time...?

CBS had sets to sell in 1954 just as RCA/NBC did, so they were a player in the early NTSC period despite still smarting from their own color system's stillbirth. The Eye had big plans that fall for colorcasts of many shows, both filmed and live, but ultimately the only CBS series that filmed a color episode that season was Burns and Allen. All the rest were live colorcasts via field sequential cameras using a Rube Goldberg invention known as the Chromacorder for conversion to NTSC. After the Chromacoder was retired CBS' color broadcasts were sporadic at best for the next ten years.

It was actually ABC's growing interest in color that spurred CBS on in the fall of '65. In addition to The Jetsons, ABC had been broadcasting The Flintstones and Wagon Train in color in the early 60s. The combination of the sharp growth in color set ownership and a desire not to be the odd man out led CBS to outdo ABC in total number of color hours for 1965-66 despite virtually starting from square one.

As far as my local affiliates, I know that NBC affiliate WOOD was equipped for color literally from the very start (and I still hold out hope for 15" treasures that might be lurking in area basements). The CBS station, which went on the air in 1950, is claimed to only have begun broadcasting in color in 1968, but I found some information that refers specifically to local color film capability as of that time; I am certain network shows were being carried in color a good while prior to that. The area got its third channel--an ABC affiliate--in 1962, initially all black & white but my elders' reminiscences of Batman and Ozzie & Harriet in color confirm that it was so equipped no later than early 1966.

Here's a bit more info on the 1958 American Bandstand color telecasts that originated from WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. "It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the then-new technology. Due to a combination of factors that included the size of the studio, the need to have as much space available for the teenagers to dance, and the size of the color camera compared to the black-and-white models, it was only possible to have one RCA TK-41 where three RCA TK-10s[1] had been used before. WFIL went back to the TK-10s two weeks later when ABC refused to carry the color signal and management realized that the show lost something without the extra cameras."

So, it seems ABC, while carrying AB on its network, did not provide a color feed from WFIL-TV. I doubt that in 1958 many ABC affliates were equipped to transmit a color signal in any case. Must have been tough to shoot a teen dance show with only one camera. The first color program on the ABC-TV network was the Jetsons which premiered in Sept. 1962.

-Steve D.

I believe Julie Andrews Cinderella was broadcasted (CBS) in color. I remembered seeing her near a TK-41. Maybe I'm wrong.

the great Sebastian 1957 with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne was broadcasted in color. in one scene you could see three guys, two pushing a TK-41 and the other carrying the cable.

the sleeping beauty aired on cbs 14 Dec. 1955

Tchaikovsky's ballet, with Margot Fonteyn in the title role, presented on TV in color. Only a black-and-white kinescope of this production seems to survive.

Producer showcase series
This program aired once every fourth week and was one of the most costly live shows of the 1950's. Many stars appeared on this show..

Cinderella was broadcast by CBS from New York in color on March 31, 1957. A B&W kinescope was broadcast for western time zone viewers due to time shifting for prime time telecast on the west coast. I have the B&W kinescope copy in my collection.

Actually, CBS used one of their monochrome Ampex quad tape machines for the West Coast telecast. The quad tape isn't known to have survived; probably taped over in those early days of extremely scarce tape stock. The DVD release used the kine, which isn't all that great-looking even by kine standards.

jmdocs,

Thanks for the correction. I guess the kine was for posterity knowing that the videotape would probably be reused. And you're right, my DVD copy of this program is pretty low quality.

Best,
-Steve D.

jmdocs,

Thanks for the correction. I guess the kine was made for posterity knowing that the videotape might be erased and reused. Explains why my dvd copy is such low quality.

Best,
-Steve D.

Concerning the Cinderella show, it was remade around 64 or 65 on CBS with their old TK 41 cameras, I'm told. It starred Leslie Ann Warren, I believe replacing Julie Andrews. It must have been one of their first live color shows since they stopped around '58. I saw it on either PBS or the Disney Channel some time ago. Definately looked like TK41 color.

Steve,

I heard that one or both of these color AB telecasts were recorded on early color videotape. (By whom or what network, station, etc, I don't know. Perhaps Dick Clark had commissioned the recording himself). Have you ever heard of these shows being recorded on videotape? That would be something if they were. Although, I can hardly imagine AB being done with only one camera! I bet the show would look odd with just one camera shooting everything in the whole show!

Gilbert

I guess the next question, at least as far as the U.S. is concerned... Did the DuMont network or any DuMont O&O's originate or broadcast anything in color?

Aside from possibly a test pattern?

I'm sure the network never broadcast a single color program.

The copyright notice on Rodgers And Hammerstein's Cinderella is 1964.

I've got it on a DVD. Watched it last night in memory of Celeste Holm, who played the fairy godmother.

Pretty sure it was not a live show.

When WDTV was Pittsburgh's sole TV station, I'm sure it must've carried something in color off of NBC-TV or CBS-TV on at least a hire basis...

David, I agree. DuMont only broadcast a color test pattern on an unused UHF channel in New York City. I believe they also broadcast this same TP on their NYC O&O WABD-TV after sign off. http://www.ggninfo.com/PIX/TP-Dumont-color.JPG

Didn't mean to imply the show was live... I ment it was a live-on-tape show, as opposed to film.

Found something: :banana:

http://www.dumonthistory.tv/a13.html

This lists milestones in the history of DuMont's O&O in Pittsburgh. While being owned by DuMont, WDTV carried shows from all 4 networks. The reference in the history: "October 13, 1954:
Today was the big day. We are to broadcast our first colorcast (Westinghouse "Best of Broadway") at 10 PM tonight ... The color program went out on air, but we had no color on our receiver (due to an equipment failure) ... However, out in the field, we received nothing but very good comments. All said that our color was better than Johnstown's, when viewed side by side. We will have some more color programs on Monday night. (Striner)"

This refers to WDTV carrying the Westinghouse sponsored program "Best of Broadway" a CBS network show that was telecast from New York in color. It was also seen here in Los Angeles live & in color at 7PM. WDTV w/their new color capable transmitter was transmitting a color feed from CBS. The color program mentioned
for the next monday Oct. 18, 1954 was the CBS program Studio One, also sponsored by Westinghouse, seen live in color coast to coast. It aired at 7PM here in Los Angeles. Source: TV Guide So.Ca. ediion.

-Steve D.

It looks to me like it was done on a very cramped set at Television City in Los Angeles. It was shot in segments, and edited. There are several edits that are not the best. Live on tape would be just that. Run from start to finish and record it.

Still, it's an ambitious effort. It's very entertaining from start to finish, and the music score is lovely.

I've actually seen a kinescope B/W 16mm print of this production. Could see the 2" tape banding in the recorded TV signal. :thmbsp:

"...We made a antenna, then used a conical to pick up WJAC..."

What's a conical?

Phil Nelson

This has been very interesting. So, CBS was indeed broadcasting "some" color programming in 54... just not as much as NBC. Then, after a while, CBS color programming slowed down to a crawl until the mid-60's.

I had also wondered about Dumont... but had figured they weren't on the color bandwagon at all.

1965 was really the year Color network programming caught on with ABC and CBS, I am glad to know about the earlier attempts at colorcasting. Wonder how well the Chromacoder worked in practice.

You need to update your 'facts' as they don't square with what is known and largely already covered in this thread. 1) ABC began colorcasting in 1962 and had several weekly color series on the air during three early-mid 1960s TV seasons in which CBS had none.

2) The 'old CBS system' was practically stillborn, all use of it for broadcasting having ceased in October of 1951 and the few sets that were sold for its use were recalled. The closed-circuit use (primarily medical) continued past 1954 because compatibility was a non-issue for that purpose. There was no immediate need to replace the privately used field sequential equipment.

OK, maybe this shows my age but I grew up in the 1950's. I have TV Guides from every year from 1953 to 1966 and a fall of 1956 issue showed CBS was colorcasting 4 shows per week. ABC started in the fall of 1962 (Flintstones, Jetsons and Sunday Movie Special). For the fall of 1963, ABC had Wagon Train, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Flintstones. For the fall of 1964, they regressed, Wagon Train went back to B&W and only Flinstones, Jonny Quest, and the Sunday Movie were in color with a some specials and a Sunday Golf program (filmed). The fall of 1965 was the start of both ABC and CBS regular colorcasting.

As far as Cinderella on CBS. It was taped at CBS (yes TK-41 cameras) and was originally colorcast on CBS on February 22, 1965. CBS also showed two rebroadcasts of Fred Astaire (originally from NBC from 1958 and 1959) in the winter/spring of 1965. I also remember CBS filmed a couple of Lassie episodes in color in the early 1960s.

I think part of the reason for CBS did not colorcast was that they did not have much color broadcast equipment. I have a TV Guide episode from 1964 that states CBS was installing over a million dollars of color equipment at their new broadcast center being built at the time.

Growing up in Syracuse NY, we did have more color in that our local CBS station had local color film equipment, as well as our local ABC and NBC stations, all by 1964.

I followed color broadcast progression from the late 1950s and we bought our first color TV in December 1963.

Hope this info helps.

Sure does. Original material like your '56 TV Guide is the best possible kind of source. I'm surprised that there were that many weekly color shows (four is many relative to zero) on CBS at the time; this would seem to coincide with a very temporary surge in the number of color set offerings by a number of manufacturers in 1956-57.

The thing that finally tipped CBS to going color, by all accounts, was when Philips first developed the Plumbicon tube and introduced the Norelco PC-60 color studio camera in 1964-65. Here, the network could go color without giving any aid to the "hated" rival RCA which owned NBC. It was precisely because of this rivalry that, from the time CBS's own incompatible "field sequential" color system crashed and burned in 1951 up to that point, CBS only grudgingly and very sparingly, from 1954 through 1959, mounted occasional color productions - and, from 1959 through '65, hardly any (except for those colorcasts from early 1965 that were mentioned).

It was also in relation to CBS's "anybody but RCA" equipment replacement policy, that when the antiquated RCA TK-26 film chains (acquired in the mid-to-late 1950's and used for very infrequent color showings such as annual airings of The Wizard of Oz) came up for replacement in 1965-66, the "Eye Network" went with the General Electric PE-240 chains for their New York Broadcast Center and Hollywood Television City outposts. (Just can't tell whether it was the PE-240-A or PE-240-B variant - which of those two had the rounded, curved edges on the camera heads, as seen not only on Dennis Degan's photos from 1978, but also pics taken in the mid-to-late 1960's by Gordon Laubach seen here (alt. link here)?

Thank you, sir, for the link to those images. That really takes me back.

Hey W.B., thanks for posting. I always enjoy your comments on color broadcasting as it seems we both have similar interests.

Regarding early ABC colorcasting, as I mentioned in my previous post, ABC starting colorcasting in the fall of 1962. Back then, any and all ABC color was from film only as no live color facilities were available. ABC apparently did go with the GE PE-24 generation color film camera systems but AFAIK, these were not available until circa 1964. I am curious as to what they used in 1962 and how they broadcast their color film programming.

Attached are a couple of scans regarding the startup of ABC colorcasting in the fall of 1962. All are from c. from Broadcasting Magazine. The dates of the jpg images are the dates of the magazines.

After the U.S. started regularly scheduled color broadcasts, who was next? I recall reading that channel 12 in Havana bought some RCA color gear prior to 1958.

I don't know exactly who was next but Japan was the third country to start regular color casts in 1960 I think.

Here is a link to some very good information on early ABC and CBS color broadcasting:

http://www.novia.net/~ereitan/studios.html

Scroll down and read "Studio 72" under CBS color studios, and under ABC color studios, scroll down and read "Hollywood Palace".

Interesting info about the first two years of ABC colorcasting and CBS colorcasting.

Reading old Broadcasting Magazines from the '50s, it appears that there was one main reason why CBS discontinued color broadcasting... money. CBS executives were quoted as saying they would only broadcast a show in color if the advertisers paid the extra costs involved in color broadcasting. NBC/RCA was using the color broadcasts more as a loss leader to get more color TV sets in homes. As time passed, color sales in the '50s weren't at the levels that would sustain advertising at the level CBS wanted, so they quit broadcasting color.

CBS Color Red Skelton
 

The Red Skelton Show was done in color with his own RCA cameras as early as 1956 I believe; I remember the announcer saying "LIVE In Color....The Red Skelton Show" before just about all of his shows beginning that year. Some weeks that announcement was not made so I assume the show was in b&w. He had some of the earliest color equipment in Hollywood I remember reading. I think his own prodction company owned the equipment and not CBS in the beginning.

The Australians were introduced to Color (excuse me I meant "Colour" :D ) TV in 1975, in a way that only the Aussies could do. (OK, maybe the British too)

Can you imaging this airing on U.S. Television in 1975???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR6ETsZnto8

"Where's the Poop Deck"?
"Under the Crows Nest". :lmao:

W3XWT, Looks like you may be right.

Here's Wikipedia's take on Cuban color TV:
"Cuba in 1958 became the second country in the world to introduce color television broadcasting, with Havana's Channel 12 using the NTSC standard and RCA equipment. But the color transmissions ended when broadcasting stations were seized in the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and did not return until 1975, using equipment acquired from Japan's NEC Corporation, and SECAM equipment from the Soviet Union, adapted for the NTSC standard."

-Steve D.

Japan and Europe thumbed their nose at our trade embargo. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates American businesses have lost $1.2 billion in potential sales. I've seen equipment made by a Japanese competitor of my former biomedical electronic employer in film footage of a Cuban hospital.

It's really cool seeing all the old pre-embargo American cars still proudly maintained down there. I haven't seen any photos of TV's, however.