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Interesting to hear the different stories on this. First off, AFAIK, Channel 1 did not become the 6-meter amateur band. Channel 1 was 44-50 MC (not a typo - MC instead of MHz before 1966), Channel 2 54-60, and the 6-meter band was (and still is) 50-54 (MC or MHz). This allowed for Channel 1 to be used anywhere, even if there were a channel 2 in the area.
The plan was for Channel 1 to share the 44-50 MC spectrum with land mobile radio. They had thought that only in larger cities would there be a demand for mobile radio (that quickly turned out to be wrong as every rural VFD and county sheriff wanted it) and Channel 1 could be used for "local" TV stations in smaller cities and towns (much like the "graveyard" AM radio channels, 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490).
The plan was doomed from the start, as mobile radio would cause too much interference, and it was found that television networks would not sign up affiliates in small towns that overlapped stronger big-city affiliates and O&Os as they had been allowing with radio.
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