Baseball Colorcasts

[MCarney]

I know in the past there has been some discussion about when various teams and stations started game colorcasts. I have always been lead to believe that the Boston Red Sox started regular colorcasts on WHDH channel 5 in 1967. Today I came across a list of colorcast games from 1960 in the Boston Globe archives. They were printed in an ad for Lechmere Sales promoting RCA color TVs. I have to wonder if RCA (who supplied the studio color cameras for WHDH) sponsored the telecasts this particular season. The Sox weren't very good that year (finishing 7th out of 8 teams in the American League). All the games listed were home games.

Were any other teams colorcasting in the early 60s?

 

[Corky Marlowe]

The Reds may have been.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

On August 11th, 1951 1951, CBS produced a colorcast (using their semi-mechanical, non-compatible color TV system) of a game between Brooklyn and the old Boston Braves at Ebbets Field.

As far as I know, the first colorcasts of baseball in the NTSC system were the 1955 World Series on NBC. With the entire 1955 and 1956 series both being played in New York City (Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field), all games of both series were broadcast in color.

In 1957 and 1958, the Yankees and the then-Milwaukee Braves were in the 'Series, and since NBC had only one color remote truck at the time, the games in New York were colorcast; the games in Milwaukee both years were black-and-white.

I believe that by 1961 (maybe even 1959 or 1960), the entire World Series was broadcast in color.

I thought that the old WHDH-5 Boston through the mid-1960's had a remote truck that could accommodate TK-41 color cameras dragged out from the studio (and had black-and-white TK-31's permanently packed up in the truck), although I believe some home games at Boston's Fenway Park games may have been in black-and-white as late as 1965 or even 1966.

I'm not 100% sure, but I thought WGN-9 Chicago got it's first color remote truck around 1959 or 1960 and WLWT-5 Cincinnati got one around 1960. Even if NBC had just one color remote truck as late as 1961, I would think that NBC leased the WLWT and/or WGN truck for the 1960 Series games in Pittsburgh or the 1961 Series contests in Cincinnati.

 

[timmyb]

As far as I know, the first colorcasts of baseball in the NTSC system were the 1955 World Series on NBC. With the entire 1955 and 1956 series both being played in New York City (Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field), all games of both series were broadcast in color.

In 1957 and 1958, the Yankees and the then-Milwaukee Braves were in the 'Series, and since NBC had only one color remote truck at the time, the games in New York were colorcast; the games in Milwaukee both years were black-and-white.

I believe that by 1961 (maybe even 1959 or 1960), the entire World Series was broadcast in color.

I have the DVD of NBC's telecast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (Pirates-Yankees) that came out in December, 2010, and both Bob Prince and Mel Allen, in their turns at play-by-play, mention that "this game is being televised in color by NBC-TV."

 

[ixnay]

As far as I know, the first colorcasts of baseball in the NTSC system were the 1955 World Series on NBC. With the entire 1955 and 1956 series both being played in New York City (Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field), all games of both series were broadcast in color.

In 1957 and 1958, the Yankees and the then-Milwaukee Braves were in the 'Series, and since NBC had only one color remote truck at the time, the games in New York were colorcast; the games in Milwaukee both years were black-and-white.

I believe that by 1961 (maybe even 1959 or 1960), the entire World Series was broadcast in color.

I have the DVD of NBC's telecast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (Pirates-Yankees) that came out in December, 2010, and both Bob Prince and Mel Allen, in their turns at play-by-play, mention that "this game is being televised in color by NBC-TV."

Getting a color truck to Pittsburgh from Chicago (or New York) wouldn’t have been too problematic by 1960. The N.J. Turnpike/PA Turnpike/OH Turnpike/IN Toll Road/Chicago Skyway combination was already up and running by then and passes to within a few miles of Pittsburgh, which is about at the midway point.

Getting a WGN truck to Cincinnati would’ve been more problematic, however, according to my old, State Farm-sponsored 1960 Rand McNally atlas.

*Today*, you can drive from Chicagoland down I-65 to I-465 (the Indianapolis beltway), ride 465 along the west and south sides of Indy, then pick up I-74 to Cincy. However, in 1960, I-465 was shown as “proposed”, I-65 was open for 12 miles between Lebanon, IN and the NW Indy suburbs, and I-74 was open for 15 miles in the SE Indy exurbs (other portions under construction or “proposed”). Otherwise, U.S. routes 41, 52, and 421 and IN route 46 would have to be resorted to to get you from NW to SE Indiana (John Mellencamp CD’s not included). So I imagine if the games from Cincy in ’61 were beamed in color, WLWT would’ve provided the truck.

ixnay

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

WLW-T in Cincinnati started originating Cincinnati Reds home day games in color in 1956. The games that Reds played in New York against the Giants and Dodgers were also shown in color by WLW-T and its sister stations in Dayton (WLW-D) and Columbus (WLW-C). Technical improvements by AVCO (who owned the stations) resulted in the Reds home night games being shown in color a couple of years later.

 

[tvnut]

WGN started remote colorcasts from Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park (day games only from the latter) in 1960. The Don Cardwell no-hitter, the end of which exists on b/w videotape, was colorcast.

 

[mgpt6]

However no color tapes of the World Series until 1969. MLB network has played games from 65 and 68 world series in B&W.

 

[cowboybud]

However no color tapes of the World Series until 1969. MLB network has played games from 65 and 68 world series in B&W.

Those were CBC kinescopes.