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When did the Philly stations go color?

I

ixnay

Feel free to move this thread where you want, but it does deal with Philadelphia as well as Classic TV.

There are threads on R-I's Classic TV board discussing when each of the Big 3 phased in color programming.

My question is, when did Channels WRCV/KYW-3, WFIL-6, WCAU-10, WHYY-12, WPHL "Stop Sign" 17, WIBF(?)-29 and WKBS-48 each achieve color capability (for either local, or in the case of 3, 6 and 10, network programming)?

I seem to remember reading on R-I where WRCV went color a few months before the NBC/Westinghouse swap, and that 3, for the first few months as KYW, reverted to b&w.

The first color TV I remember in our household was a Zenith we got around 1967, the year I turned 6 (we lived in Chester, PA. When my parents divorced the following year, my mom moved herself, me and the aforementioned Zenith to an apartment to Boothwyn). So until we got that color telly, we, or at least I, couldn't tell just by looking whether what we were watching was in color or not.

ixnay
 
NBC started doing occasional color broadcasts in 1954. Most affiliates were capable of transmitting network shows in color but most network shows remained in monochrome until NBC and CBS went full color (except for I Dream of Jeannie) in the fall of 1965 (ABC went full color a year later.

WFIL was doing some local shows in color in the early '60s.

NBC pushed color programming because they were owned by RCA and RCA made color TV sets (and licensed the technology to other manufacturers).

> Feel free to move this thread where you want, but it does
> deal with Philadelphia as well as Classic TV.
>
> There are threads on R-I's Classic TV board discussing when
> each of the Big 3 phased in color programming.
>
> My question is, when did Channels WRCV/KYW-3, WFIL-6,
> WCAU-10, WHYY-12, WPHL "Stop Sign" 17, WIBF(?)-29 and
> WKBS-48 each achieve color capability (for either local, or
> in the case of 3, 6 and 10, network programming)?
>
> I seem to remember reading on R-I where WRCV went color a
> few months before the NBC/Westinghouse swap, and that 3, for
> the first few months as KYW, reverted to b&w.
>
> The first color TV I remember in our household was a Zenith
> we got around 1967, the year I turned 6 (we lived in
> Chester, PA. When my parents divorced the following year, my
> mom moved herself, me and the aforementioned Zenith to an
> apartment to Boothwyn). So until we got that color telly,
> we, or at least I, couldn't tell just by looking whether
> what we were watching was in color or not.
>
> ixnay
>
 
> NBC started doing occasional color broadcasts in 1954. Most
> affiliates were capable of transmitting network shows in
> color but most network shows remained in monochrome until
> NBC and CBS went full color (except for I Dream of Jeannie)
> in the fall of 1965 (ABC went full color a year later.
>
> WFIL was doing some local shows in color in the early '60s.
>
> NBC pushed color programming because they were owned by RCA
> and RCA made color TV sets (and licensed the technology to
> other manufacturers).
>
> > Feel free to move this thread where you want, but it does
> > deal with Philadelphia as well as Classic TV.
> >
> > There are threads on R-I's Classic TV board discussing
> when
> > each of the Big 3 phased in color programming.
> >
> > My question is, when did Channels WRCV/KYW-3, WFIL-6,
> > WCAU-10, WHYY-12, WPHL "Stop Sign" 17, WIBF(?)-29 and
> > WKBS-48 each achieve color capability (for either local,
> or
> > in the case of 3, 6 and 10, network programming)?
> >
> > I seem to remember reading on R-I where WRCV went color a
> > few months before the NBC/Westinghouse swap, and that 3,
> for
> > the first few months as KYW, reverted to b&w.
> >
> > The first color TV I remember in our household was a
> Zenith
> > we got around 1967, the year I turned 6 (we lived in
> > Chester, PA. When my parents divorced the following year,
> my
> > mom moved herself, me and the aforementioned Zenith to an
> > apartment to Boothwyn). So until we got that color telly,
> > we, or at least I, couldn't tell just by looking whether
> > what we were watching was in color or not.
> >
> > ixnay
> >
>
I remember my college media history professor saying that NBC's Bonanza was only produced by NBC to sell RCA color TVs. Anyway, I think channel 6 had its nightly newscasts in color and of course, the cartoons on Sally Starr's Popeye Theatre,, even though the live segments were in b&w. It's amazing, when you think of it that full-color prime time didn't occur until the mid 1960s.
 
> Feel free to move this thread where you want, but it does
> deal with Philadelphia as well as Classic TV.
>
> There are threads on R-I's Classic TV board discussing when
> each of the Big 3 phased in color programming.
>
> My question is, when did Channels WRCV/KYW-3, WFIL-6,
> WCAU-10, WHYY-12, WPHL "Stop Sign" 17, WIBF(?)-29 and
> WKBS-48 each achieve color capability (for either local, or
> in the case of 3, 6 and 10, network programming)?
>
> I seem to remember reading on R-I where WRCV went color a
> few months before the NBC/Westinghouse swap, and that 3, for
> the first few months as KYW, reverted to b&w.

That might have been the case for the local newscasts; I think somebody posted that Westinghouse got the station but the RCA color cameras weren't left behind. As an NBC O&O they probably would have had network color capability at a very early date.

The UHFs all came on within a few months of each other in 1965 and probably had color capability from the start. I remember watching some 76ers games on 17 around 1968 and hearing Al Meltzer announce that the game would be seen in black and white because the arena did not have sufficient lighting for color TV (this happened in older buildings like Baltimore and Cincinnati, as well as places like Cleveland and Syracuse that hosted a few games a year).
 
I believe Channel 48 had color capablity from the start in 1965 but didnt go all color till 1967.

Channel 6 i believe was the last VHF STATION to go all color some in 1968.In late 1967 they still aired News Conference(predecessor to Issues and Answers and eventually Inside Story)Chief Halftown and Larry Ferrari in b&w.The rest of channel 6's local shows at that time were in color.

Channel 10 was the first of the VHF'S to go all color in 1966.

Channel 3 was second in 1967.

Channel 29 didnt go all color till it was bought by Taft in 1969.
 
The last black and white show in Philly?

I think the last show aired in black and white was Larry Ferrari on Channel 6.He switched to color in 1968.

Any other guesses on which local Philly show was the last one broadcast in b&w?
 
I believe that WHYY channel 12 was the last of the Philly stations to go color. The Delaware Tonight newscasts were still in b&w when the Philly newscasts were already in color. I seem to recall that channel 12 was way behind in getting their own color cameras for either Philly or Wilmington studios. I also seem to remember that much of the NET (National Educational Television, the network prior to becoming PBS) programming was in b&w. As to year and date of channel 12 going color, I don't remember, but it did seem to be well after the other stations had color.

> > NBC started doing occasional color broadcasts in 1954.
> Most
> > affiliates were capable of transmitting network shows in
> > color but most network shows remained in monochrome until
> > NBC and CBS went full color (except for I Dream of
> Jeannie)
> > in the fall of 1965 (ABC went full color a year later.
> >
> > WFIL was doing some local shows in color in the early
> '60s.
> >
> > NBC pushed color programming because they were owned by
> RCA
> > and RCA made color TV sets (and licensed the technology to
>
> > other manufacturers).
> >
> > > Feel free to move this thread where you want, but it
> does
> > > deal with Philadelphia as well as Classic TV.
> > >
> > > There are threads on R-I's Classic TV board discussing
> > when
> > > each of the Big 3 phased in color programming.
> > >
> > > My question is, when did Channels WRCV/KYW-3, WFIL-6,
> > > WCAU-10, WHYY-12, WPHL "Stop Sign" 17, WIBF(?)-29 and
> > > WKBS-48 each achieve color capability (for either local,
>
> > or
> > > in the case of 3, 6 and 10, network programming)?
> > >
> > > I seem to remember reading on R-I where WRCV went color
> a
> > > few months before the NBC/Westinghouse swap, and that 3,
>
> > for
> > > the first few months as KYW, reverted to b&w.
> > >
> > > The first color TV I remember in our household was a
> > Zenith
> > > we got around 1967, the year I turned 6 (we lived in
> > > Chester, PA. When my parents divorced the following
> year,
> > my
> > > mom moved herself, me and the aforementioned Zenith to
> an
> > > apartment to Boothwyn). So until we got that color
> telly,
> > > we, or at least I, couldn't tell just by looking whether
>
> > > what we were watching was in color or not.
> > >
> > > ixnay
> > >
> >
> I remember my college media history professor saying that
> NBC's Bonanza was only produced by NBC to sell RCA color
> TVs. Anyway, I think channel 6 had its nightly newscasts in
> color and of course, the cartoons on Sally Starr's Popeye
> Theatre,, even though the live segments were in b&w. It's
> amazing, when you think of it that full-color prime time
> didn't occur until the mid 1960s.
>
 
I remember hearing that WCAU had color cameras installed in 1957, only to have them removed in 1958 when the station was sold to CBS. Can anyone confirm that story?
 
I only remember WRCV-TV Channel 3 and WFIL-TV Channel 6 having RCA TK-41 live Color Cameras. I don't believe Channel 10 WCAU-TV received their first color cameras unitil about 1965, utilizing the newer RCA TK-42 RCA Color Units. Also, I believe they received color cameras around the time KYW-TV and WKBS-TV 48 received their units.
 
Re: The last black and white show in Philly?

I believe any live programs on Channels 12, 17, or 29 could be possible candidates.
 
Channel 3, WRCV-TV and Channel 6, WFIL-TV were the first philly TV stations to have live color originated studio shows. They used RCA TK-41 Color Cameras. When NBC and Westinghouse swapped back their Channel 3 Philadelphia and Cleveland properties in 1965, the two RCA color cameras were sent to Cleveland. About a year and half later KYW-TV 3 purchased three new RCA TK-43 Color Cameras for The Mike Douglas Show and the 6/11PM Eyewitness Newscasts. They were still at their Walnut Street Studios. I believe they shuttled two color cameras daily by elevator from the Douglas basement studio until they puchased some Norelco Color cameras for their news shows. Their Noon newscast was in black and white uniil the Norelco Cameras arrived.

I believe WCAU-TV purchased their first color camers around 1966. These were RCA TK-42 units. Shortly after that WKBS-TV 48 purchased TK-43 units. After that WPHL-TV 17 purchased Norelco Units. Channel 29 purchased GE Color Cameras shortly after. Channel 12 was the last station to purchase color cameras.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by trolleyk on 01/15/06 04:15 AM.</FONT></P>
 
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