September 16, 1949…ABC’s KECA TV In Los Angeles Signs On
September 16, 1949…ABC’s KECA TV In Los Angeles Signs On
On May 7, 1949, Billboard revealed that ABC would spend $2.5 million to convert the old Vitagraph/Warner East Annex in Hollywood into The Prospect Studios, and construct a transmitter on Mount Wilson in anticipation of the launch of KECA-TV, which went on the air on September 16, 1949. In 1954, the call letters were changed to KABC.
When ABC began television operations on April 19, 1948, it had what CBS, Dumont and NBC did not have…5 major market, Owned and Operated stations. Well, almost…but they did have construction permits from the FCC, and over the next 13 months, they all came to air.
On April 19, 1948, the ABC Television Network began its broadcasts on its first primary affiliate, WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. In August 1948, the network’s flagship owned-and-operated station, WJZ-TV in New York City, began its broadcasts.
WENR-TV in Chicago launched on September 17, 1948, while WXYZ-TV in Detroit went on the air October 9, 1948. KGO-TV in San Francisco went on the air May 5, 1949. Happy Birthday KABC! -Bobby Ellerbee
2.5 million in 1949 is the same as 25 million today (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
KECA started by Earle C Anthony. hence the call sign
RCA built KECA remote truck. This truck could be ordered from the RCA catalog by broadcasters.
KECA-TV’s original on screen logo.
Spent six years on the Prospect lot for ABC in the early 80s. Great memories.
So if ABC TV Net debuted on 19 April 1948, after CBS TV Net earlier that month, how can it technically be a network with only one station, whether O&O or affiliate? Must you not have at least two stations? Please clarify this. 🙂
What’s sad is that there are so few people working at America’s TV stations today who care about history, that scant – if any – mention of their own historic anniversary is ever mentioned.
A beautiful cam
By the way, the man in the photo is Bob King, the first cameraman at KECA.