Exclusive! CBS Electronic Camera History Update…September 24, 1937

These two just found photos, taken at RCA’s Camden plant on September 24, 1937 show CBS brass on hand to inspect their first RCA Iconoscope camera, before taking delivery (details on the photos). THIS IS THE FIRST HARD DATE for CBS to own Electronic Television Cameras.

Yesterday, we saw this camera in the new Grand Central Studio 41 in photos dated September 1, 1939, which was shortly after the new transmitter began tests from the Chrysler Building.

So, where was it for two years? The answer…at the W2XAB studio somewhere on the 23rd floor of CBS headquarters at 485 Madison Avenue. CBS began television July 21, 1931 with a mechanical system from GE, but the experiment stopped about 18 months later. It ended two weeks before President Franklin Roosevelt took office, with the Great Depression in full swing.

Details are sketchy, but I think they began to dabble in TV again after Dr. Peter Goldmark was hired January 1, 1936. W2XAB needed to test with a live electronic camera, and RCA had three Iconoscope cameras in their test studio, 3H at 30 Rock, that had been in service since 1935.

Those first 18 months in 3H were very secretive and broadcast tests on their W2XBS were clandestine too, until they decided to let the world know about their progress. I think that after Goldmark was hired at CBS, he went over to take a look, and that soon after, an order for one camera was placed with RCA.

CBS eventually got 3 of the RCA Iconoscope cameras for Studio 41 and 42, but I don’t think they bought them until 1940. Since the switch from 220 lines to 441 lines happened in June of ’38, this camera would have the 441 line ability. After the other 2 came in ’40, they, with NBC’s cameras would have been updated to 525 lines in May of 1941, and all were repainted in the silver color to denote them as the new A500 version. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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