December 17, 1953…FCC Approves RCA Color, A First Hand Account
December 17, 1953…FCC Approves RCA Color, A First Hand Account
Thursday afternoon on the 17th, the FCC approved the RCA Dot Sequential color system as the national standard. Our friend and former NBC engineer Frank Merklein was actually the one that broke the news to David Sarnoff. Below is part of an email from Frank to me on these subjects.
“General Sarnoff was the force behind trashing the CBS mechanical wheel and to forming the NTSC color committee of all the US manufacturers. NBC had been doing daily closed circuit color test shows (the same show every day for 2 1/2 years) from 3H and the Colonial Theater. I was part of that testing and Sarnoff had made me a member of one of the committees”
“When the FCC chose the RCA system, the General was in our studio, 3H. I was on the phone with the FCC, I turned to the General and gave him a prepared message. “General Sarnoff, the FCC informs you that they have unanimously approved of the NTSC system for color.” He grinned, blew smoke from those over-sized cigars he inhaled and thanked everyone… Great memory.”
The next day RCA had full page ads in several major newspapers and rumor has it, there was a color slide that Friday just before ‘The Howdy Doody Show’ (see the slide in comments below). More than likely, John Cameron Swayze also made mention of it in Friday’s ‘Camel News Caravan’ broadcast.
The next day was Saturday and NBC’s biggest audience of the week would gather around their sets for ‘Your Show Of Shows’ and that’s when the big announcement was made as seen in this video clip of the occasion. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
Pretty amazing. I wonder what 1953 $239.95 is in 2014 dollars?. My dad bought a very early RCA color set circa 1956 (Guess $600). Color programming at that time (Los Angeles KRCA channel 4) was about 2 hours a week. There was a filmed show called, IIRC, “Northwest Passage”. As I remember, the quality of 35mm filmed color shows was pretty darn good. In later years the Steve Allen show was presented which I am sure was recorded on low band color tape. (I distinctly remember banding from uneven wear on the quadraplex playback heads). Banding was common on OTA broadcasts. Nevertheless, color (and even just B/W) TV was such a novelty in 1956 my parents would often host ‘color TV” viewing parties at our house in Long Beach.
Compatible color announcement ad on 12/18/53
Looks a little like Steve Carell.
Here’s Frank Merklein at my house a couple of years back. He is 93 and going strong. I think I’ll call him today.
Here’s the Howdy Doody color test pattern rumored to have aired Dec. 18, 1953, the day after the announcement.