S
strato
Guest
"July 17, 1964
The Dodgers are the first team to present a game on pay television when they beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, at Dodger Stadium on newly-launched Subscription TV in Los Angeles. Frank Sims handles the play-by-play, while Dodger Vice President Fresco Thompson is the analyst. According to the Los Angeles Times, “As for the debut of Subscription TV here in a narrow 4-sq.-mile area on the West Side, its opening date was chosen to coincide with the return of the Dodgers to town. Inasmuch as baseball is a major offering of the system, it had to open with a ball game. The Cubs-Dodgers battle tonight in Dodger Stadium, their meeting Saturday afternoon and their double-header Sunday — each for the $1.50 price of a bleacher seat (on STV) — are prime entrees on the pay menu.” Some 2,500 homes viewed the Dodger game in color (with a color set) on Channel “B”.3 The Sporting News wrote that “Some subscribers reported they utilized only the picture of the Dodger-Cub game, using the radio voices by Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett. All fans were enthusiastic with the reception and most observers actually raved about the color, which was noticeably more accurate than the usual color. This oddity was explained by STV officials in this way: ‘Subscription television is by direct cable, while the free TV programs are reflected indirectly.’”
The Dodgers are the first team to present a game on pay television when they beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, at Dodger Stadium on newly-launched Subscription TV in Los Angeles. Frank Sims handles the play-by-play, while Dodger Vice President Fresco Thompson is the analyst. According to the Los Angeles Times, “As for the debut of Subscription TV here in a narrow 4-sq.-mile area on the West Side, its opening date was chosen to coincide with the return of the Dodgers to town. Inasmuch as baseball is a major offering of the system, it had to open with a ball game. The Cubs-Dodgers battle tonight in Dodger Stadium, their meeting Saturday afternoon and their double-header Sunday — each for the $1.50 price of a bleacher seat (on STV) — are prime entrees on the pay menu.” Some 2,500 homes viewed the Dodger game in color (with a color set) on Channel “B”.3 The Sporting News wrote that “Some subscribers reported they utilized only the picture of the Dodger-Cub game, using the radio voices by Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett. All fans were enthusiastic with the reception and most observers actually raved about the color, which was noticeably more accurate than the usual color. This oddity was explained by STV officials in this way: ‘Subscription television is by direct cable, while the free TV programs are reflected indirectly.’”