WFAA color in 1954?

[stevezodiac]

I was just reading WFAA's bio on this page: http://www.wfaa.com/about/tv/

It says: "In 1954, WFAA carried the first color broadcasts in north Texas..."

This must be during the time when WFAA also carried NBC , until WBAP-TV (KXAS) boosted their signal to reach Dallas. NBC was the first network to send out NTSC color (officially on 1/1/54) to their affiliates, and from what I've read elsewhere, WBAP-TV was the only station in N Texas to have any color equipment in '54.

SO, was WFAA really able to transmit in color then, or did they carry the first color broadcasts in B&W?

Anyone, Bueller?

 

[KERCAlum]

Wasn't aware WFAA/Channel 8 also carried NBC programming in addition to the DuMont network. That would be an interesting fact to confirm. In a brief perusal of the NBC 5 historical article on their website, there is no mention of the first color telecast in North Texas.

 

[arnoldevns]

Let me shed some light on the situation. Channel 8 signed on the air in 1949 as a KBTV - a Dumont affiliate. The next year they were bought by Belo, changed calls to WFAA, got NBC as their primary affiliation and they were a secondary affiliate of Dumont and ABC. Dumont went away after 1955. WFAA dropped NBC in 1957 to become just an ABC affiliate. I believe the 1957 change was the result of WBAP-TV (now KXAS) moving its transmitter to Cedar Hill to cover the entire DFW market. Channel 5's owner was Amon Carter. He wanted nothing to do with Dallas and didn't care if his station could be seen there. Channel 5's transmitter covered Fort Worth just fine and only made it into Dallas if you had a real good antenna at your house. By the late 50s, NBC demanded that 5 cover the whole area or lose their affiliation. So, that's what happened.

So... it is entirely possible that Channel 8 aired NBC's color programming in 1954.

 

[jd]

By the late 50s, NBC demanded that 5 cover the whole area or lose their affiliation.

And they almost lost it, too, to Channel 11. With the move of the former KFJZ-TV to a new tower at Cedar Hill (promoted on-air as "the tallest tower in Texas") they made a serious bid to pick up NBC.

So... it is entirely possible that Channel 8 aired NBC's color programming in 1954.

While WFAA's website says that they "carried the first color broadcasts in north Texas," there's considerable evidence that channel 5 can rightfully claim the honor. RCA's David Sarnoff and Amon Carter kicked off WBAP's color-casting with an on-air ceremony in 1954. From what I've gathered nothing similar happened at WFAA.

The sharing of the two networks on TV was an odd arrangement that mirrored the time-sharing of 570 and 820 between WBAP and WFAA radio. (570 was an ABC affiliate while NBC was on 820 regardless of which station was on the frequency at the time.) As mentioned earlier the dual-network TV sharing part ended in 1957, but the radio side of it continued until 1970. In the latter years the radio stations remained on one particular frequency for longer periods of time but back in the 1950's it wasn't uncommon for them to swap out quite frequently, sometimes as often as two or three hours. Both stations hated the arrangement, and they really didn't like each other. So neither one of them would think of giving the other an advantage, be it radio or television.

Because of the time-sharing arrangement it's possible that WFAA actually aired at least some of the NBC programming in color at about the same time as WBAP in 1954. But based upon everything I've seen WBAP was first, if only by a short while.

 

[OnTexasTime]

whatever the case, the history being discussed is interesting

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Any local aviation geeks among the radio/TV geeks in the Metroplex?

Amon Carter fought against the Dallas influence when it came to airports, too.
Remember the "Ghost Town International Airport"? (Pre-DFW days.) Check out:

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Airfields_TX_FtWorth_NE.htm#greaterSW