Early color articles in Chicago Tribune

[Pete Deksnis]

Originally Posted by John Folsom

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.

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

[John Folsom]

Pete,

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

[old_tv_nut]

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.

[old_tv_nut]

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.]

[John Folsom]

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

[old_tv_nut]

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.

[old_tv_nut]

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."

[old_tv_nut]

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.

[old_tv_nut]

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.

[Pete Deksnis]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Chicago Tribune, Aug 22 1954:

Color set production 8,394 in last 6 months.

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

[Steve McVoy]

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

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Pete Deksnis

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

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

[Pete Deksnis]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

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

[old_tv_nut]

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?