Podcast #1200: The History of Color Television in the United States

On this week’s show we take a look back at the transition from black and white to color and compare it to the transition to HDTV. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• Roku’s smart home strategy is making its streaming devices harder to ignore
• Sonos Strikes a Surprising Deal with Yamaha
• Masimo to Sell Consumer Audio Business to HARMAN International

Other:

• Robert's Forever Home Theater
• Has the Best Universal Remote Got Better? - Remote 3
• Google AI Reimagines Wizard of Oz for the Las Vegas Sphere! 🤯 Behind the Scenes

We received an email from a listener with a link to a YouTube video called ANTIQUE TV EVENT 2024. It's a long video but an extremely informative presentation that takes a fascinating and detailed look at early color TV programming. Watch it if you get a chance.You can skip through parts of it because it's four hours long. This week we thought we’d take a look back at the transition from black and white and compare it to the transition to HDTV.

The history of color television in the United States spans several decades, marked by technological innovation, regulatory battles, and gradual consumer adoption. 

• Early Concepts (1920s-1930s): The idea of color television emerged in the 1920s. German engineer Walter Bruch demonstrated a mechanical color TV system in 1929, but it was impractical. In the U.S., early experiments by RCA and others focused on monochrome TV, with color as a future goal.
• Initial Development (1940s): During World War II, TV development slowed, but post-war efforts intensified. CBS developed a field-sequential color system, which used a rotati  ng color wheel to transmit red, blue, and green images in sequence. It was incompatible with  existing black-and-white sets, requiring new receivers or adapters.
• CBS System Approval (1950): On October 11, 1950, the FCC approved CBS’s color system as the U.S. standard. Broadcasting began in June 1951, but the system faced challenges: it was expensive, bulky, and incompatible with the millions of black-and-white TVs in use. Only about 200 color sets were sold, and production halted during the Korean War.
• RCA’s NTSC System (1953): RCA, a major player in TV manufacturing, developed a compatible color system based on the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standards. This system allowed black-and-white TVs to receive color broadcasts in monochrome, while color TVs could display full-color images. After intense lobbying and demonstrations, the FCC reversed its decision and adopted the NTSC standard on December 17, 1953.
• First Color Broadcasts (1954): RCA’s system launched commercially on January 1, 1954, with NBC (owned by RCA) airing the first nationwide color broadcast, the Tournament of Roses Parade. Early color broadcasts were limited, and color TVs were expensive—around $1,000 (equivalent to ~$10,000 today).
• Slow Adoption (1950s-1960s): Color TV adoption was gradual due to high costs and limited programming. By 1960, only 0.1% of U.S. households had color sets. Networks like NBC and   CBS slowly increased color content, with shows like Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color  (1961) boosting interest. RCA’s aggressive marketing and price reductions helped. 
• Mass Adoption (Mid-1960s-1970s): By 1965, all three major networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) were broadcasting most prime-time shows in color. The FCC mandated that all new TVs sold after 1966 include color capability. By 1972, color TV sales surpassed black-and-white, and by the mid-1970s, over 50% of U.S. households owned color sets. Full-color broadcasting became standard by 1977.
• Technological Refinements (1980s-1990s): Color TV technology improved with better picture tubes, larger screens, and stereo sound. The NTSC standard remained dominant until the transition to digital TV in the 2000s. Cable and satellite TV expanded access to vivid color programming.
• Legacy and Digital Transition (2000s): The NTSC analog system was phased out in 2009, replaced by digital ATSC standards, which offered superior color fidelity and high-definition. Color TV became a cornerstone of home entertainment, paving the way for modern LED, OLED, and 4K displays.

Key Milestones:

1950: CBS’s color system approved.

1953: NTSC standard adopted.

1954: First NTSC color broadcast.

1965: Full-color prime-time schedules.

1972: Color TV sales overtake black-and-white.

2009: Analog NTSC broadcasting ends.

Below is a list of notable U.S. TV stations and networks, along with available data on when they began color broadcasting based on historical information. I have noted where specific station data and precise dates are unclear or unavailable.

United States

WCBS-TV (New York, NY, CBS Affiliate)

Year: 1951 (limited), 1965–1966 (full transition)

Details: WCBS-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated station, was among the first to broadcast in color during CBS’s experimental Field Sequential broadcasts starting June 25, 1951, from New York’s Studio 57. These were limited to a few hours daily and required special receivers, as they were incompatible with black-and-white sets. Only about 10.5 million monochrome sets existed in the U.S., and production of CBS’s color sets was halted by the Korean War. Regular color broadcasts using the NTSC standard likely began in the mid-1960s, with CBS equipping its Broadcast Center with GE PE-24 color film chains by 1965.

WNBT (now WNBC, New York, NY, NBC Affiliate)

Year: 1954 (regular broadcasts)

Details: NBC’s flagship station in New York conducted color field tests as early as July 1951 using RCA’s dot sequential system. It broadcast the first nationwide color program, the Tournament of Roses Parade, on January 1, 1954, marking a significant milestone. WNBT was a leader in early color adoption due to NBC’s parent company, RCA, pushing the NTSC standard.

WCAU-TV (Philadelphia, PA, CBS Affiliate at the time)

Year: 1950–1951 (experimental), mid-1960s (full transition)

Details: WCAU-TV received CBS’s experimental color broadcasts via coaxial cable from New York starting December 13, 1950, for public viewing on color receivers. These used CBS’s Field Sequential system. Full NTSC color broadcasting likely aligned with CBS’s broader adoption by the mid-1960s, as WCAU used RCA TK-42 cameras by 1966.

WMT-TV (now KGAN-TV, Cedar Rapids, IA)

Year: 1967

Details: WMT-TV, the first TV station in eastern Iowa, transitioned to color in 1967, as documented in a viral video showing news anchor Robert Bruner announcing the switch live on air. The station’s new color cameras improved monochrome pictures for black-and-white set viewers while enabling full color for those with color TVs.

WQEX (now WINP-TV, Pittsburgh, PA, PBS Affiliate)

Year: 1986

Details: One of the last North American stations to convert to color, WQEX began color broadcasting on October 16, 1986, after its 1950s-era black-and-white transmitter failed in February 1985. The station’s owner, WQED, raised pledge money to purchase a color transmitter, highlighting the financial barriers for smaller or public stations.

WNEW-TV (now WNYW, New York, NY, Independent at the time)

Year: Mid-1960s (approx. 1965–1966)

Details: WNEW-TV, a major independent station, purchased three GE PE-24 color cameras in the mid-1960s, aligning with the industry’s push toward color. Exact dates are unclear, but this was part of the broader color adoption wave.

WBBM-TV (Chicago, IL, CBS Affiliate)

Year: 1967–1968 (approx.)

Details: As a CBS owned-and-operated station, WBBM-TV used Marconi Mark VII color cameras starting in the 1967–68 season, indicating a full transition to color by this time. Earlier experimental broadcasts may have occurred in the mid-1960s.

KMOX-TV (now KMOV, St. Louis, MO, CBS Affiliate at the time)

Year: 1967–1968 (approx.)

Details: Like WBBM-TV, KMOX-TV adopted Marconi Mark VII color cameras for the 1967–68 season, suggesting a full color transition by this period.

KNXT (now KCBS-TV, Los Angeles, CA, CBS Affiliate)

Year: 1967–1968 (approx.) KNXT became KCBS-TV on April 2, 1984, at noon.

Details: KNXT, another CBS owned station, also used Marconi Mark VII cameras starting in 1967–68, aligning with CBS’s broader color adoption.

NBC Network (Nationwide, affecting O&O and affiliate stations)

Year: 1954 (partial), 1965 (full primetime)

Details: NBC was the earliest adopter of color, driven by RCA’s development of the NTSC standard. It began regular color broadcasts with the Rose Parade on January 1, 1954, and was the first network to air a full-color primetime schedule in 1965. Shows like Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1961) and Bonanza were early color hits. NBC’s owned-and-operated stations (e.g., WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.) and affiliates followed, with about one-third of NBC’s O&O stations having color transmitters by 1954.

CBS Network (Nationwide, affecting O&O and affiliate stations)

Year: 1951 (experimental), 1966–1967 (full primetime)

Details: CBS pioneered the first commercial color broadcast on June 25, 1951, with the show Premiere, but its Field Sequential system was incompatible and abandoned. By 1965, CBS had GE color film chains and was broadcasting color for primetime shows, with daytime soaps like The Secret Storm converting by 1967. A test episode of Perry Mason was shot in color in 1966. Affiliates in major markets followed, though smaller stations were slower.

ABC Network (Nationwide, affecting O&O and affiliate stations)

Year: 1962 (partial), 1966 (full primetime)

Details: ABC lagged behind NBC and CBS due to financial constraints but began color broadcasts in the early 1960s, with shows like The Flintstones produced in color by 1962 (though some affiliates aired it in black-and-white). ABC used a mix of RCA, Norelco, and GE color equipment and achieved full primetime color by 1966.

United Kingdom

• BBC2, London: July 1, 1967 – First UK station to broadcast in color, starting with the Wimbledon Championships.
• BBC1 and ITV, London: November 15, 1969 – Both began color broadcasts, covering London, Midlands, North-West, and Yorkshire regions.
• ITV Scotland: December 13, 1969 – First color programs aired.
• ITV Wales: April 6, 1970 – Began color broadcasts.
• ITV Northern Ireland: September 14, 1970 – Started color programming.

Other Countries

• ATV (Associated Television), Australia: March 1, 1975 – Official switch to color, with a notable broadcast event.
• NRK, Norway: August 25, 1972 – First color broadcast, part of a gradual national transition.
• ORTF, France: October 1, 1967 – Began color broadcasts, with a famously understated switch.
• ARD, West Germany: August 25, 1967 – First color broadcast, slightly ahead of schedule due to technical efficiency.
• CCTV, China: May 25, 1973 – First experimental color broadcast using the American NTSC standard, with full adoption later.
• SABC, South Africa: January 5, 1976 – Began color broadcasts, delayed due to late adoption of television itself.