The First Order For Color Equipment…
Before any other local station, WBAP-TV (now KXAS or NBC5) in Dallas/Ft. Worth optimistically placed an order in the fall of 1949 for RCA color television equipment, to be delivered when ready. Although their order was placed first, WKY in Oklahoma City actually became the first non NBC O&O to receive RCA TK40 color cameras.
On April 9, 1954, WBAP-TV became the only Texas television station broadcasting color programs form the NBC television network. On May 15, WBAP staged a three-hour studio color telecast. General David Sarnoff, chairman of the board of Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and station owner Amon Carter, Sr., threw the switch to inaugurate the first local live colorcast in Texas.
The first color tape recorder in Texas was in installed by WBAP-TV in October, 1959. The new equipment had the ability to record a 90-minute segment of programming and play it back in less than five minutes.
Houston stations didn’t start originating color until ten years later.
In the mid 1960’s (forget exact year, maybe 64 or 65) CBS telecast a Lassie episode in color. We were not yet set up for color at KFDA TV10 in Amarillo. Since NBC was telecasting regularly in color and being carried by the affiliate in Amarillo. We took a tuner, tuned to channel 4, stripped the color burst signal from it, and used that to lock our signal so we could telecast that Lassie episode in color. We had some very ingenious engineers at that time. I don’t think that was legal, but for a small town TV station, who was gonna complain.
Does burst constitute intellectual property? Is that considered rebroadcast?
The first four cycles of burst is Fair Use ;).
Low band color and tubes…
would like to share the story of how WTVT, Tampa,went from black and white to color in 1966 (Beating the local NBC affiliate to the punch, I might add!) Photo shows engineer Adrian Snow working on the (then) new TK-42s. http://www.big13.com/Facilities/facilities_black_and_white_to_co.htm
A love from my past!