Early color articles in Chicago Tribune
 

Chicago Tribune Jan 2, 1954 (Pasadena, Jan 1) - "A few thousand around the country saw the parade on color television..." - "first west coast origination"

Chicago Tribune Jan 2, 1954, Larry Wolters (TV critic): Rose parade showings played to overflow audiences; police called to handle crowds; Associated Press: 750 color sets in public, audience 350,000. Tribune watched showings arranged by Zenith at Drake Hotel and RCA at Knickerbocker (latter had 3000 viewers, mostly gate crashers). "Colors were no match for...studios"; "lacked fidelity" "Reds shifted to burgundy or violet and pavement sometimes appeared green." "Reception on Zenith superior to RCA."
Carl J. Meyers, Director of Engineering at WGN...on a Zenith receiver in the WGN building...said set performed excellently, but added of the pickup that "'a lot is yet to be done before color telecasting is satisfactory.'" - Reception good at Sentinel plant in Evanston. 4000 viewers of two GE sets at Oak Park Federal Savings.

In Chicago Tribune column Jan 16, 1954, (New York Jan 15), Ed Sullivan says tremendous lighting for color TV hides wrinkles and bags under eyes. Makeup men report that it's best to avoid uniform makeup color. Frank Folsom (NBC) and Frank Stanton(CBS) believe color will be commercially practical in 18 months to two years. Biggest breakthrough will be color tape, expected in two years, which will reduce costs 80 to 95 percent.

Chicago Tribune April 3, 1954 says Westinghouse will put its $1100 color TV on the market the following Monday; immediate delivery and installation available from 23 retail stores.

The Chicago Tribune on Jun 1, 1954 reported that Stromberg-Carlson had produced the first one of a production run of 50 color sets, retail price $995.

Jun 4, 1954 - Larry Wolters, Chicago Tribune TV critic, writes column calling out color variations, says they are worse in downtown high rise than at location a few miles out.




I get access to Tribune archives as part of my digital subscription; would love to post early color articles, but they are still copyrighted, so I will paraphrase a few from time to time.

Jun 23, 1954, Chicago Tribune: remote colorcast had some very good color but still some annoying variations.

Jun 27, 1954, Chicago Tribune:
On Wednesday, the $500,000 NBC color remote caravan that was used for the Rose parade was used to do a remote segment for the Today show in color from a dairy farm in Cloverdale, IL, 26 miles west of downtown Chicago, (1.8 miles from the nearest transcontinental microwave tower). One camera was on a fixed platform, one on rails to dolly a short distance, and one mounted in a jeep, which was said to be the first use of a color camera in motion on a vehicle. The Jeep could pull the cable to extend it, but 6 strong men were needed to reel that cable back in when the Jeep moved toward the remote truck. The remote truck used a microwave dish to relay to the nearest tower; then by microwave to New York; then back to national network and broadcast in Chicago. Black and white reception on the farm family's 21 inch set looked perfect.

Thank you for posting those notes. 750 sets viewed on January 1... I forot how many of the RCA Model 5 sets were made, but 750 of several brands (you mentioned three in the 1/1-2 articles) is a lot compared to what we have heard were built or sold to the public starting a few months later.

750 sets was an Associated Press "estimate" - no idea how accurate.

Chicago Tribune July 4 1954 - Barney Balaban, head of Paramount, predicts $500 color TVs with 21 inch and 24 inch Chromatron tubes in 1955.

What's with the myopic insistence that the only set that existed at the time was the Model 5? The article makes direct reference to Zenith and GE sets. There were prototypes made by other manufacturers as well, likely most of which that existed at the time would have been pressed into service for that broadcast.

I hope you were not referring to my comment as "myopic", especially because my intent was the opposite... 750 sets (or anything near that) would be multiple times the number of Model 5s built, which was not more than 200, I thought. That implies hundreds of others maybe, depending on how far off the AP estimate was.

Compared to, say, 5000 CT-100s, 500 H840CK15s, and no more than 100 each of anything else (if that even) sold later, anything near 750 is a LOT of prototypes made available for public viewing.

Chicago Tribune, Aug 11, 1954:
RCA cutting price of 15 inch color sets to $495. Customers who paid $1000 will get $505 refund from store. Store will get some rebate from distributors. RCA expects to clear out inventory of 15 inch sets (about 5000 were built) before introduction of 21-inch sets.

[edit - I rechecked - article says stores will get "some rebate," not "same rebate."]

I agree, 750 sets seem WAY too many for January 1 1954. I would think 250 would be a much more likely upper limit estimate.

As previously reported, I interviewed a guy in 2004 who was present at the Philco plant in Philadelphia where they showed the 1954 Rose Bowl parade on Philco's 15-in. 15GP22-based prototype set.

It has also been reported that Zenith sent proto sets and technical personnel to California to display the first color Rose Bowl parade there.

Pete

And here is that Philco prototype 15" set. This set was restore by Chuck Azzalina, and now proudly resides in my back bedroom. The tags date it to December 1953. It has a Sylvaina version of the 15GP22, possibly the only one known to exist.
Possibly this set saw the Rose Bool paraded.

Should we be complaining that someone took a nice porthole set and installed one of those new-fangled color chassis? :D

Chicago Tribune, Dec 11 1953:

Scott Radio Laboratories, Inc, Chicago, ready to start color TV production.

14-inch tricolor tube with 12 inch picture, using the compatible color system.
$1,485 retail, f.o.b. the factory in Plymouth IN.
Production awaiting FCC approval of the system.
---
Anybody ever hear of Scott producing a set?

Chicago Tribune December 12 1953

A color TV with a black and white tube was demonstrated by Muntz, local TV manufacturer. Will sell for $499, can be converted to color by replacing 27 inch mono tube with $75-$100 18-inch Lawrence Chromatron tube when it becomes available. Set has 24 small tubes, draws 300 watts.

Muntz, ever the optimist!

I wonder if they really built a TV with full color circuits but everything blended back into a B&W CRT. 24 tubes, it sure sounds like they did. That is enough for three regular Muntz sets. :)

John, there is another working Sylvania 15GP22; it's in a CT-100 that's in the Living CT-100 list. I was never able to confirm it all, but I believe this to be correct: At some point, Philco wanted to clear its small inventory of Sylvania 15GP22's and contributed them to a Philadelphia public tech school. The school eventually dumped them by selling or giving (don't recall which) to an alert Philadelphia vintage TV collector. The collector sold one to the CT-100 collector noted above. Last I heard, only 15G Sylvania duds were left. Haven't been in contact with the owner of the Sylvania duds now in ten or so years.

Pete

Pete,

Fascinating! There cannot be many of the Sylvania 15P22s out there. Thanks to you and Chuck for the info and saving the set.

Chicago Tribune, Dec 31, 1953:

Admiral displayed its first color TV at distributors/sales meeting at Conrad Hilton hotel. Blond oak console 15 inch tube, 12.5 inch picture, $1,175.

Sears, Roebuck and Co.: all retail stores in color transmission areas will have color demo sets bearing Silvertone brand by Feb. 1.

Chicago Tribune, August 8, 1953

New TV Color System to Get Approval
Picked Up as Black and White on Present Sets
by Robert Young (Chicago Tribune Press Service)

FCC announced it will authorize... The new system is sponsored by the national television system committee...has been studying ...problem ... 3 years.

The FCC proposes "the adoption of new rules for color television transmission" on the basis of petitions... can be received in black and white on existing 24 million sets...

CBS gives up [on] its system.

Broadcasts Authorized
... The FCC yesterday authorized CBS to use the industry committee's compatible method for public color television broadcasts on an experimental, noncommercial basis for three months beginning Sept. 10. ...will be part of regular CBS television broadcasts.

RCA previously had received FCC permission...

[If FCC receives no objections by September 8, will approve system without a hearing.]

[RCA and NBC told FCC they are willing to spend $15M in first year in addition to $21.5M already spent.] [If approved by end of summer, RCA could start pilot production of receivers by next spring - estimated $800 - $1,000.]

Wayne, thanks for posting these great articles (paraphrased). Keep it up!

Chicago Tribune, Dec 25, 1953

2 Big Firms at Odds Over Color Video

E.F. McDonald Jr., pres Zenith, charged R.C.A. is trying to say the new standards are work of theirs alone. R.C.A. retorts that they have proof of every statement; Zenith is in litigation with them; McDonald's "last ill-chosen blast" related to the pending court action.

McDonald's statement part of letter to FCC...referencing R.C.A. newspaper ads...
RCA notes investing $30 million...
Philco also posted ads "Facts the American people should know about color television" saying standards not the work of any one company...
Background: R.C.A. collects 1.75% royalty licensing their patents plus Westinghouse's and GE's. The latter two are suing to end the agreement.

Chicago Tribune, Aug 22 1954:
TINTED TV ERA TO BEGIN WITH 'COLORBURST'

NBC and CBS both beginning regular schedule of color.
Local CBS station not equipped for color until now.

CBS begins with Ed Sullivan Show - many headliners plus dancers in $3M worth of jewels and furs. Also a dog act.

CBS plans include 60 color shows.

NBC plans 33 extravaganzas costing up to $250k each.

Dumont experimenting with color movies in New York.

ABC: no announced color except tentative NCAA football games.

Color set production 8,394 in last 6 months.

AT&T circuits modified for color to 40 cities.

"The networks are shoving money into color with bulldozers...Everybody is ready for color but the public."

Chicago Tribune August 25 1954

Dr. Lloyd T. Devore, GE labs, predicts flat wall-hanging TV in 10 years, in color and with remote control. Prediction comes from project under way to speed plotting of aircraft in military filter centers.

Chicago Tribune Aug 31 1954
CBS introduces 3 big screen color TV sets.
Picture about size of 21 inch black and white.
Table models $950;
Consoles $1000-$1100.

Seymour Mintz, prez CBS-Columbia, says full-scale production is under way.

By mid-August RCA certainly contributed half this number with the CT-100. But where did another 4000 color sets come from? CBS cranking out 205's? Moto 19-in. color? 500 Westinghouse 15-in. color? I suppose it adds up, but I would have guessed fewer.

Pete

Approximate number of surviving 15, 16 and 19 inch sets:

RCA 144
Motorola 22
Westinghouse 20
CBS 15

All others 26

If the survival rate is the same for all of these, we would expect that about 2200 sets were made by all manufacturers other than RCA.

I ran across this article in Billboard May, 29, 1954 titled "Most Maker's Hold Hue Set Production" in top right corner: http://books.google.com/books?id=bx8...%20set&f=false

It gives a lot of info about manufacturers at that time. It said that several makers had "a few hundred" pilot sets out with distributors for demonstrations.

Lot of good info in there.


Also ran across another interesting article from '54 on Motorola's mobile test truck for color tv: http://books.google.com/books?id=xNw...r%20tv&f=false

No indication of where they got this number, so it is suspect, but on the other hand, the precise value makes it seem legit.

Yes possibly, but I lean toward Steve's 2200 figure. The manufacturers tended to hype the figures. We know many of their predictions for total sales turned out to be wrong.

Pete

From today's TVtechnology.com newsletter:
(August 26)

"On this Day: In 1955, the first sporting event was televised in color with NBC’s coverage of the Davis Cup match between the United States and Australia."

I wonder if this is correct?

I thought it didn't ring true.

From Ed Reitan's site:
http://www.novia.net/~ereitan/rca-nbc_firsts.html

"March 19, 1954 - The first colorcast of a sport event, a boxing match from Madison Square Garden, was presented by NBC. (Maybe the first by NBC, but not the first color sports, as baseball and football were colorcast by the CBS system)."

[Edited to add the date!]

I came across this today while going through some old stuff:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/p...rter_12-56.pdf

Thanks for posting that.

Ya never know...
 

Verne M. Ray, the second guy in the byline of the article, preceded me as editor of TAB BOOKS by two warm bodies. Three degrees of separation I guess! :D

Thank you for posting that article, Steve.