Retro: Phoenix AZ, Monday December 5, 1949

[dhett]

KPHO-TV, Arizona's first television station, commenced regular broadcasting on Sunday, December 4, 1949. The next morning, the Tucson Daily Citizen began publishing KPHO's schedule

Descriptions in parentheses are as they appeared in the newspaper:

TELEVISION -- KPHO-TV PHOENIX -- MONDAY EVENING

7:00 Kukla, Fran and Ollie (puppet show)
7:30 Plain Clothesman (detective mystery)
8:00 Six-Gun Adventures
9:00 Hoffman Show (interviews from Phoenix studios)

 

[Ultimajock]

...was KPHO-TV even viewable in Tucson then? Nogales is closer, and the Mexican stations there put absolutely no signal into Tucson nowadays...

 

[Sammi Brie]

...Wouldn't it still have been KTLX?

 

[landtuna]

The only Tucson houses that would have been able to receive KPHO in '49 would have been in the low mountains on the NW side of the metro area and there weren't very many of those back then. Everything else would have been blocked by the Santa Catalina mountains.

KPHO's signal was strong enough to reach Tucson though and those small communities on the NE face of the Catalina's (Oracle, Winkleman, Ray, etc.) were able to receive it.

 

[dhett]

Actually, according to the Tucson paper, KPHO was viewable in most of Tucson. Engineers predicted Tucson would get a signal 365 days a year, Flagstaff 200, and even Yuma 100. I suppose it helped that the airwaves were not nearly as full as they are now.

The station changed calls from KTLX to KPHO prior to going on air. A July 30, 1949 article from the Yuma Sun about the start of construction of the tower atop the Westward Ho Hotel refers to the station as KTLX, but by October, the Tucson Daily Citizen was referring to the station as KPHO-TV. It began testing sometime in November and went on air with regular programming December 4 as KPHO-TV.

 

[landtuna]

Actually, according to the Tucson paper, KPHO was viewable in most of Tucson. Engineers predicted Tucson would get a signal 365 days a year, Flagstaff 200, and even Yuma 100. I suppose it helped that the airwaves were not nearly as full as they are now.

I'm going to have to send that statement to my fellow Tucsonans and see if anyone remembers watching Phoenix TV during that time. Most of the city then, like now, was on the eastern edge and is about 6,000 feet below the summit of the Catalina mountains (which lie between Phoenix and Tucson). I really doubt any but a select few locations could receive KPHO.

One question though.....in 1949, where was KPHO's transmitting antenna? It wasn't on top of South Mountain as it is today so I'm assuming it was at median ground level (which is about 1,300 feet ASL for most of what was then metro Phoenix).

In 1949 Tucson basically stopped west of what is now I-10 and north of Grant Road. There was practically nothing outside these boundaries except ranches and farms. The massive growth began about this time but spread eastward, not west or north, and these houses would have been in the shadow of the Catalina mountains. I lived in Tucson from '48 through '60 and never remember anyone being able to watch KPHO from anywhere in the metro area. My uncle, who lived in San Manuel, could receive all the Phoenix stations just fine but San Manuel is on the northwest face of the Catalina's at 5,000 feet ASL.

 

[dhett]

I'm going to have to send that statement to my fellow Tucsonans and see if anyone remembers watching Phoenix TV during that time. Most of the city then, like now, was on the eastern edge and is about 6,000 feet below the summit of the Catalina mountains (which lie between Phoenix and Tucson). I really doubt any but a select few locations could receive KPHO.

I'd love to hear what they say - either confirmation or denial. Your directions are a little off in Tucson though; the Catalina Mountains are not between Tucson and Phoenix. The line between the two cities follows what used to be AZ-84 and is now I-10, so Tucson-Phoenix is actually a break between the Catalna and Tucson mountain ranges. I had been able to receive the analog Phoenix stations around I-10 and Cortaro Rd., near the current KOLD-TV studios.

At that time, KPHO broadcast from the tower atop the Westward Ho Hotel. It was that tower that they were beginning to build in the 7/30/1949 Yuma Sun article. Again, the line between Phoenix and Tucson avoids South Mountain, so there's little or no interference there.

 

[landtuna]

I'd love to hear what they say - either confirmation or denial. Your directions are a little off in Tucson though; the Catalina Mountains are not between Tucson and Phoenix. The line between the two cities follows what used to be AZ-84 and is now I-10, so Tucson-Phoenix is actually a break between the Catalna and Tucson mountain ranges. I had been able to receive the analog Phoenix stations around I-10 and Cortaro Rd., near the current KOLD-TV studios.

At that time, KPHO broadcast from the tower atop the Westward Ho Hotel. It was that tower that they were beginning to build in the 7/30/1949 Yuma Sun article. Again, the line between Phoenix and Tucson avoids South Mountain, so there's little or no interference there.

I have received 7 responses so far and no one remembers being able to watch KPHO. Bear in mind that Tucson didn't have local TV until 1953 so perhaps there were too few receivers in the '49-'53 time frame to matter.

On the mountains.....yes, the Catalina's are not in the direct path between metro Phoenix and metro Tucson but rather somewhat to the NE however most of Tucson in '49, as now, is located in the SW "shadow" of the Catalina's and prevents line of sight to Phoenix. Additionally, the South Mountains lie in a direct path between downtown Phoenix and Tucson and although they are not quite as high as Tucson I'm sure they presented an obstacle as well. The only area of Tucson that would have had any sort of line of sight to Phoenix would have been the near-west side roughly paralleling The Santa Cruz River and what is I-10 today. As that area is the old Barrio and industrial district I doubt there were many TV receivers in use back then.

There may have been certain west-side locations able to receive KPHO but it doesn't seem reasonable that the signal would have covered the metro area (even though it was much smaller in '49 than today).

I last lived in Tucson in the late 70's and had a very tall rotor-driven antenna and was not able to bring in a watchable signal from the Phoenix stations. My guess is that if that same setup were to be used on a house perched up in the Tucson Mountains it might work - at least in the analog days.

 

[Gregg]

Maybe the Tucson Daily Citizen had statewide distribution in those days? So even if it might be hard to pick up KPHO in Tucson, other readers of the newspaper, even some in the Phoenix area, could get the signal.

The Newark Star-Ledger includes the Philadelphia TV channels in its television section, even though almost no one in or near Newark can pick up those stations. Since the paper gets distributed around New Jersey, some of its readers watch Philadelphia TV instead of stations from NYC.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[landtuna]

Maybe the Tucson Daily Citizen had statewide distribution in those days? So even if it might be hard to pick up KPHO in Tucson, other readers of the newspaper, even some in the Phoenix area, could get the signal.

That's a good point. The Citizen has never been a state-wide newspaper to my knowledge but it probably did have decent circulation in the Casa Grande-Eloy areas and those areas could have received KPHO. My cousins lived in Eloy in the early 50's and I remember them watching the Phoenix stations. I don't think they could receive Tucson TV until the transmitters were moved to Mt. Bigelow.

Both Casa Grande and Eloy were small farming towns in those days but they were about the only population centers between Phoenix and Tucson then and were marginally closer to Tucson than Phoenix.

 

[dhett]

OK - I got a chance to look at the Tucson Daily Citizen articles again, from 12/3/1949 and 12/5/1949, and reception varied throughout the city, but radio shops surveyed in the downtown area did report good reception. Here are excerpts from articles from those two days - they are so long ago that copyright issues should not apply:

Clear Pictures Mark Television Reception In City (12/5/1949)

You could spot television last night by the antenna on the roof and the crowd on the sidewalk. Tucson radio stores which remained open for the opening program of Phoenix station KPHO-TV drew near-capacity audiences from 5:30 to 10 p.m. And almost everyone agreed that the reception was fine.

None of the stores which had advertised open house for the television broadcast was equipped to handle the curious Tucsonians who surged in and out, standing or squatting before the glass screen and peering through store windows for a glimpse of the marvel.

Reception Varies

Aside from momentary blurrings and constant "snow" (flickerings possibly caused by passing automobiles in the downtown area), the television images were clear all evening--better on some sets than on others.

Tucson Awaiting First Television Program In State (12/3/1949)

Phoenix Station To Go On Air Late Sunday
Roh's Radio Co., 519 N. Sixth Ave.; Tucson Radio Co., 420 E. Sixth St.; and Balentine Service Co., 2332 S. Fourth Ave., will hold open evenings so the public can enjoy TV--probably well until Christmas.

Other stores contacted in a spot survey said that either their location was not favorable for TV or expressed doubt that a clear image could be obtained. From experience of TV set owners during the past two weeks, reception should be adequate in Tucson. Although the Old Pueblo is classified as a "fringe area" for reception, good images of test patterns broadcast during the past two weeks from the lone Arizona station.

When plans were drawn, engineers calculated that the station's signal would extend clearly for a radius of 53 miles. However, the tests which have been carried on for nearly a month, show much greater reception. The reception in Wickenburg--which was believed to have been at the limit of clear reception--has been proven to be twice the original calculation.

Such good reception has been recorded in Tucson that station engineers now figure that city will have 365 days in the year for receiving television broadcasts.

Reception has been such at Prescott and Flagstaff that they will probably be able to receive good images 200 days in the year.

It is now estimated that Tombstone and Yuma will be able to receive good broadcast results 100 days in the year.

The 12/3 article also had the opening night schedule, which I have published in a separate thread.

 

[Gregg]

Thanks, Dhett, for that posting.

Can you imagine the curiosity factor in those days of having a device on which you can see moving pictures of programs? And they were broadcast on a regular basis! Till then, it was either radio with no pictures or going to the movies where you had to sit in a theater to see the program.

My dad remembers growing up having only radio in the home. But in bars, they were just starting to get television so people would buy beers or other drinks while watching sports on the TV. Eventually the price dropped enough that his family bought a TV, but only years after TV was available in bars or a few technophiles he knew might pay the high price and get a television set for the home.

So the question is, why could radio stores in Tuscon pick up a Phoenix TV signal fairly easily in 1949, according to the newspaper account? Were TV sets or antennas built better to pick up weaker signals in those days? Do more stations on the dial decrease reception for distant siganls? Does more electrical equipment in our neighborhoods hurt TV reception to the point you can't see Phoenix TV in Tuscon anymore... or at least before the switch to digitial TV?

Gregg
[email protected]

 

[dhett]

Thanks, Dhett, for that posting.

You're most welcome.

So the question is, why could radio stores in Tuscon pick up a Phoenix TV signal fairly easily in 1949, according to the newspaper account? Were TV sets or antennas built better to pick up weaker signals in those days? Do more stations on the dial decrease reception for distant siganls? Does more electrical equipment in our neighborhoods hurt TV reception to the point you can't see Phoenix TV in Tuscon anymore... or at least before the switch to digitial TV?

I'm going to go with the latter. From 1949 to 1953, KPHO-TV was the only TV station in the entire state, and relatively few stations existed before the FCC lifted its freeze in 1952. In 2009, prior to analog shutoff, KPHO received interference from a Tucson station on channel 6 (not sure about ch 4, due to the 4 MHz gap between chs 4 and 5) and co-channel interference, slight as it may be, from stations in Las Vegas and Mexicali. The airwaves are full of RF signals today, which was not the case in 1949.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...prior to analog shutoff...not sure about (interference from) ch 4, due to the 4 MHz gap between chs 4 and 5...

Shouldn't have been, since there were analog channels 4 and 5 in the same market
(NYC and El Lay, for example).

 

[landtuna]

Very cool dhett. I was a bit too young to have witnessed those initial displays myself but I remember my dad coming home all excited one night after he apparently stopped off after work to look at the TV. It would be great to ask the old man if he remembered this event but sadly he isn't with us any longer.

The addresses given in the article are all within the narrow window we spoke about yesterday so it does make sense that reception would have been possible in what was the downtown area back then.

My folks didn't spring for a TV (table-top Magnavox, 19" I think) until 1954 when both KOPO and KVOA were on the air in Tucson. I remember my dad fuming that the picture tube blew one day after the one-year warranty ended. But they got a lot of life out of the second one. It lasted until well into the 80's.

 

[Ultimajock]

One question though.....in 1949, where was KPHO's transmitting antenna? It wasn't on top of South Mountain as it is today so I'm assuming it was at median ground level (which is about 1,300 feet ASL for most of what was then metro Phoenix).

...I believe they started out using KOY's original tower site atop the Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix. In fact, I think it's mentioned somewhere on a recent thread on this site that the Westward Ho was part owner of KPHO-TV in its earliest years...

 

[dhett]

One question though.....in 1949, where was KPHO's transmitting antenna? It wasn't on top of South Mountain as it is today so I'm assuming it was at median ground level (which is about 1,300 feet ASL for most of what was then metro Phoenix).

...I believe they started out using KOY's original tower site atop the Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix. In fact, I think it's mentioned somewhere on a recent thread on this site that the Westward Ho was part owner of KPHO-TV in its earliest years...

Actually, the Westward Ho tower was constructed for KPHO-TV. It rises 500' above street level. And yes, the owner of the Westward Ho was one of the original partners in KPHO-TV.

 

[Ultimajock]

One question though.....in 1949, where was KPHO's transmitting antenna? It wasn't on top of South Mountain as it is today so I'm assuming it was at median ground level (which is about 1,300 feet ASL for most of what was then metro Phoenix).

...I believe they started out using KOY's original tower site atop the Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix. In fact, I think it's mentioned somewhere on a recent thread on this site that the Westward Ho was part owner of KPHO-TV in its earliest years...

Actually, the Westward Ho tower was constructed for KPHO-TV. It rises 500' above street level. And yes, the owner of the Westward Ho was one of the original partners in KPHO-TV.

...then did KOY have its own Central Avenue tower site? A book I have on Burridge Butler and his ownership of WLS Chicago, the Prairie Farmer and Arizona Farmer newspapers and KOY claims that when he came to Phoenix to look KOY over for potential purchase, circa 1938, its tower was in its second week of laying across Central Avenue after a wind storm had toppled it...

 

[KeithE4]

...then did KOY have its own Central Avenue tower site? A book I have on Burridge Butler and his ownership of WLS Chicago, the Prairie Farmer and Arizona Farmer newspapers and KOY claims that when he came to Phoenix to look KOY over for potential purchase, circa 1938, its tower was in its second week of laying across Central Avenue after a wind storm had toppled it...

Until vertical antennas became the norm, many if not most stations used two towers on top of buildings with a multi-wire flat-top antenna stretched between them. When one of the KOY towers collapsed in 1936, the transmitter was moved to 12th St. & Camelback Rd. near what was then the northern city limits of Phoenix.

And, no, they didn't put the tower...on the ROOF! (which is paraphrasing the ad slogan for the current owner of the ex-KOY transmitter site, a car dealer). ;D