July 1, 1941…Commercial Television Begins In America
On page 10, is as good a description of what happened on this day in 1941, as you will find.
As told in “Broadcasting” magazine’s July 7th issue, NBC’s W2XBS became WNBT at 1:30 PM, and by chance, became the nation’s first commercial TV station.
To keep either from being “the first”, the FCC had authorized CBS’s W2XAB to sign on at 1:30 too, to become WCBW, but due to a camera fail and a light problem (which you’ll read about), CBS did not come to air until 2:30, which was just about the time WNBT aired the first ever paid spot. It was for Bulova Watches.
Up top is the only photographic record of television’s first paid spot. From inside Studio 3H, an NBC Iconoscope camera shoots the clever Bulova test pattern clock (with Bulova logo in the right bottom corner), for :60 seconds…just before going live to a Dodgers-Phillies game. The Bulova time spot ran again at 11 that night, but as you’ll see, there were several spots from other sponsors in between, but only on WNBT.
Although Dumont had opted out of going commercial (till 4 years later), their experimental station was also granted permission to sign on at 1:30, and managed to, but just barely. Neither Dumont or CBS carried any commercial messages on debut day…only NBC, because they had the most experience in television and had a rate card ready on Day 1.
There were other commercial licenses granted, but only the New York stations were permitted conversion on July 1, 1941. As you’ll see in the article, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles stations would come along later.
By the way, congratulations to “Truth Or Consequences”, which also made it’s television debut on this day 75 years ago in a one time simulcast. That’s in the article too. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
[…] 4 … qui apprécions-nous ? Et c’est à cette date de 1941 que Télédiffusion commerciale autorisée par la FCC a officiellement commencé aux […]
On July 1, 1941 (the first day of commercial broadcasting when W2XBS became WNBT) this was the first image transmitted which contained the first PAID advertising message, the Bulova slogan in the lower right quadrant with the test pattern modified to look like a clock for the occasion. Bulova also bought the sign off, which I believe is around the moment when this picture was taken. Youtube has phony map films purporting to be the first ad, but they are bogus. THIS is the real thing.
The Wed. movie “Death From a Distance” 1935:
Live the clock idea.
That must have been a bear of a shot to set up. Twin-lens viewfinders are useless at that range.
Is there any way to get a hard copy from that link? I love it and really would like to see more. I love the old adverts
NBC’s TV schedule that includes 7-1-41.
Obviously there are no kinescopes of this… 😉
It’s also the 75th anniversary of the first bathroom break. “Let me know when the show comes back on!”