Sep 04, 1951 - The Start of Coast to Coast TV Broadcasting

[Oscar Madison]

From EyesofaGeneration.com...
109 stations in 64 markets
63 markets connected for live network feeds
Four networks operating
40 markets with one station
10 markets with two stations
10 markets with three stations
Four markets with four stations



Top shows...

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts - CBS
Texaco Star Theater Starring Milton Berle - NBC
I Love Lucy - CBS
The Red Skelton Show - CBS
The Colgate Comedy Hour - NBC
Arthur Godfrey and his Friends - CBS
Fireside Theater - NBC
Your Show of Shows - NBC
The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny - CBS
Groucho Marx in You Bet Your Life - NBC

 

[installLSC]

The first ever transcontinental broadcast? The signing of the Japanese peace treaty, six years after V-J Day.

 

[installLSC]

Looked up the Broadcasting magazine article about the coverage (Sept. 10 1951, pgs. 26-30) and found out a lot of fascinating things.
--The map above is wrong. Seattle, Phoenix, Miami, New Orleans and all the Texas/Oklahoma stations weren't linked when cross-country broadcasting started.
--The final link was a long one, Omaha to the West Coast. This was the first time SF, LA, San Diego, and Salt Lake were linked to the rest of the country.
--I was slightly off on the first broadcast. It was actually President Truman's speech to the conference. Secretary of State Dean Acheson introduced him, thus being the first person seen on coast to coast TV.

 

[Ultimajock]

The final link was a long one, Omaha to the West Coast. This was the first time SF, LA, San Diego, and Salt Lake were linked to the rest of the country.

...how early were San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego linked?...

 

[Oscar Madison]

The map is from Television magazine, August, 1952.