Commercial Television’s First News Program, 1941

Picture Parade #4…Commercial Television’s First News Program, 1941

This picture of Lowell Thomas looks a lot like the one in #3, but there is a big difference. WNBT began commercial television operations on July 1, 1941 as the first fully-licensed commercial television station in the United States. That day, the call letters were changed from W2XBS, and the first commercially sponsored program on the air was ‘Lowell Thomas With The News’ sponsored by Sun Oil.

There were three fifteen minute shows that night and the evening began with a spot announcement from Bulova Watches (below in comments) which was the face of a clock and a voice over. Other spot ads that evening were for Botany ties (a series of art cards featuring the cartoon lambs then featured in Botany’s print ads) and Adam Hats (a slow camera pan of a simulated window display). Enjoy, share and Happy New Year! -Bobby Ellerbee

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