The early history of television in the United States , particularly between 1956 and 1986, was dominated by the Big Three television networks : the National Broadcasting Company ( NBC ), the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS ), and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The term fourth television network was used within the industry during this era to refer to a theoretical fourth commercial broadcast (over-the-air) television network that would operate as a direct competitor to the "Big Three".
207-519: Prior to 1956, the DuMont Television Network operated as an existing fourth network alongside ABC, CBS, and NBC, but an inability to find solid financial ground, a weaker affiliate base, and internal competition from co-owner Paramount Pictures all contributed to DuMont's closure. Multiple companies, film studios and television station owners all either considered, announced or launched networks or program services that aspired to be
414-533: A Fox affiliate. For 50 years, DuMont was the only major broadcast television network to cease operations, until CBS Corporation and Time Warner merged two other struggling networks, UPN and The WB , in September 2006, to create The CW Television Network – whose schedule was originally composed largely of programs from both of its predecessor networks. On February 22, 2018, Lightning One, Inc., owned by Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan , filed
621-622: A 40 rating. The network broadcast only four times a year in September, January, March and May, and had 14 films assigned to the network from the MGM library. By 1984, the studio, now known as MGM/ United Artists , created the MGM/UA Premiere Network , an ad hoc network that broadcast 24 movies in double-runs on a monthly basis. Affiliation agreements had been signed with eight large-market television stations by that summer; MGM received 10 1 ⁄ 2 minutes of advertising time within
828-657: A DuMont public affairs program, was awarded a Peabody Award in 1952 in the Education category. Sheen's Emmy and the Science Review Peabody were the only national awards the DuMont Network received. Though DuMont series and performers continued to win local TV awards, by the mid-1950s the DuMont network no longer had a national presence. The earliest measurements of TV audiences were performed by
1035-483: A U.S. trademark application for "The Dumont Network." The application by Lightning One was very likely associated with its ownership of the "National Wrestling Alliance" trademark, the moniker of one of the oldest wrestling promotions in the United States. However, according to the registration filing, the trademark for "The Dumont Network" as owned by Lightning One was allowed to lapse on July 2, 2020, rendering
1242-408: A UHF Yagi antenna with similar gain is often found placed in front of it, occupying perhaps 1 m. Modern UHF-only antennas often use the bedspring array and are less than a meter on a side. Another effect due to the shorter wavelength is that UHF signals can pass through smaller openings than VHF. These openings are the spaces between any metal in the area, including lines of nails or screws in
1449-624: A UHF frequency. Over time a number of former television channels in the upper UHF band have been re-designated for other uses. Channel 37 was never used in the US and some other countries in order to prevent interference with radio astronomy . In 1983, the US FCC reassigned channels 70 through 83 to the Land Mobile Radio System . In 2009, with the move to digital television complete in the US, channels 52 through 69 were reallocated as
1656-418: A UHF outlet with a limited audience. NBC and CBS had been the larger networks, and the most successful broadcasters in radio. As they began bringing their popular radio programs and stars into the television medium, they sought – and attracted – the most profitable VHF television stations. In many areas, ABC and DuMont were left with undesirable UHF stations, or were forced to affiliate with NBC or CBS stations on
1863-504: A badly needed cash infusion, giving it the resources to mount "top shelf" programming and to provide a national television service on a scale approaching that of CBS and NBC. Through UPT president Leonard Goldenson , ABC also gained ties with the Hollywood studios that more than matched those DuMont's producers had with Broadway. Realizing that ABC had more resources than they could even begin to match, DuMont officials were receptive to
2070-540: A block of the then-unused and now-practical UHF frequencies for color television use. The introduction of the backward compatible NTSC standard led to these channels being released for any television use in 1952. Early receivers were generally less efficient at UHF band reception, and the signals are also subject to more environmental interference. Additionally, the signals are less susceptible to diffraction effects, which can improve reception at long range. UHF generally had less clear signals, and for some markets, became
2277-488: A cash crunch brought on by Overmyer's other businesses, majority control of ON was sold to a 14-investor syndicate and renamed the United Network weeks before it launched. Overmyer's unbuilt television stations were also sold off at the same time. United's lone program, The Las Vegas Show , debuted on May 1, 1967, to 107 stations, many of which were already affiliated with a Big Three network. The poor timing of
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#17327912580012484-449: A considerable loss after attempting to compete with three established VHF stations. The FCC's Hyman H. Goldin said in 1960, "If there had been four VHF outlets in the top markets, there's no question DuMont would have lived and would have eventually turned the corner in terms of profitability." During the early years of television, there was some measure of cooperation among the four major U.S. networks. However, as television grew into
2691-609: A drop that was only partially compensated for by field upgrades or the availability of external UHF converters for separate purchase. Plummeting inclusion of UHF tuners in sets placed VHF–UHF intermixture at grave risk of failure. On the transmission side, UHF stations were also found to have issues involving transmission distance and strength. The FCC tried solving this problem by allowing the lower-powered UHF stations to broadcast with more power, but VHF continued to have more stations. Advertisers soon caught on to this and did most of their business with VHF stations since UHF tuner adoption
2898-450: A failed 1976 joint venture with Ogilvy and Mather called MetroNet, the company continued to operate solely as a station owner and syndicator. Westinghouse president Donald McGannon denied his company had any network aspirations, estimating it would take $ 200 million per year to operate a full-time television network and a modest news department. HTN continued to operate as a sports syndicator and never offered non-sports programming. After
3105-837: A few nights a week, expanding to additional nights before eventually filling all seven nights in 1993), allowing it to make money and grow in ways that the established networks were prohibited from doing. News Corporation also had more resources and money to hire and retain programming and talent than DuMont. In addition, the expansion of cable television in the 1980s and 1990s allowed more viewers to receive UHF stations clearly (along with local VHF stations), through cable systems, without having to struggle with either over-the-air antennas or television sets with limited channel tuners to receive them. The Foxnet cable channel began operations in June 1991 to provide Fox's programming to smaller markets that were not served by an over-the-air Fox affiliate or one of
3312-415: A fixed medium, were not eligible for copyright at the time, although films of those telecasts could if they contained a proper copyright notice) or lapsed into the public domain in the late 1970s when DuMont's successor-company Metromedia declined to renew the copyrights. A large number of episodes of Life Is Worth Living have been saved, and they are now aired weekly on Catholic -oriented cable network,
3519-706: A former president of NBC, twice attempted to launch his own television network; daughter Sigourney Weaver once said, "it was always his dream to transform television." According to one source, the network would have been called the Pat Weaver Prime Time Network. Although the new network was announced, no programs were ever produced. In mid-1965, radio businessman Vincent C. Piano proposed the Unisphere Broadcasting System. The service would have operated for 2½ hours each night. However, Piano had difficulty signing affiliates;
3726-461: A fourth network would offer better material: "[O]ne wonders if a new network lacking the big money already being spread three ways will be able to come up with tripe that is equal. Certainly a new network is not going to stress quality programming when the ratings indicate that the American public prefer hillbillies, cowboys and spies. A new network will have to deliver an audience if it is to attract
3933-539: A fourth network, the network was later regarded as a "fiasco", "a promotion stunt", "a fraud", and a " tax write-off ". New York Times columnist Jack Gould wrote that United's failure was "further evidence that expansion of commercial TV is little more than a pipe dream". Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser assembled a chain of six UHF stations in the mid-1960s under the Kaiser Broadcasting name. In September 1967, Kaiser announced their intentions to create
4140-412: A fourth television network. Murdoch's News Corporation first purchased controlling interest in 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation (TCF) on March 20, 1985, for $ 250 million, then on May 6, 1985, purchased Metromedia's program syndication unit and six television stations for $ 2.5 billion. The latter purchase immediately launched industry speculation of a new fourth network, as Murdoch boasted that
4347-401: A full complement of five O&Os, augmented by nine primary affiliates. ABC also had a radio network descended from NBC's Blue Network from which to draw talent, affiliate loyalty, and generate income to subsidize television operations. However, ABC had only 14 primary stations, while CBS and NBC had over 40 each. By 1951, ABC was badly overextended and on the verge of bankruptcy. That year,
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#17327912580014554-512: A huge setback after a forced move from a 42–50 MHz allocation to an 88–108 MHz allocation in 1946. This had rendered all pre-1946 FM transmitters and receivers obsolete, and there was heavy resistance to moving FM a second time. Aeronautical radio is located above 108 MHz; military aeronautical radio used 225–400 MHz. Additional public safety, commercial land-mobile, and amateur radio services had allocations in Band II . It
4761-561: A large group of English films and paid $ 1.5 million for the right of unlimited play for two years of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry westerns . On October 15, 1956, National Telefilm Associates launched the NTA Film Network, a syndication service that distributed both films and television programs to independent television stations and stations affiliated with NBC, CBS or ABC; the network had signed agreements with over 100 affiliate stations. The ad hoc network's flagship station
4968-694: A lease on the Adelphi Theatre on 54th Street and the Ambassador Theatre on West 49th Street gave the network a site for variety shows. In 1954, the lavish DuMont Tele-Centre opened in the former Jacob Ruppert 's Central Opera House at 205 East 67th Street, today the site of the Fox Television Center and home of WABD successor station WNYW. DuMont was the first network to broadcast a film production for TV: Talk Fast, Mister , produced by RKO in 1944. DuMont also aired
5175-460: A length so that the desired radio signal will create a standing wave of electrical current within them. This means that antennas have a natural size, normally 1 ⁄ 2 of a wavelength long, which maximizes performance. Antennas designed to receive the same signal will almost always have similar dimensions. Because the antenna size is based on the wavelength, UHF broadcasting can be received with much smaller antennas than VHF while still having
5382-485: A major milestone when it won the National Football Conference (NFC) rights to NFL football games from CBS , a move that by all accounts firmly established itself as the fourth major television network. Soon afterward, Fox convinced several affiliates of the other networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC) to switch to Fox . As the nucleus of Fox centered around the former Metromedia, a company born from
5589-495: A merger offer from ABC. Goldenson quickly brokered a deal with Ted Bergmann, DuMont's managing director, under which the merged network would have been called "ABC-DuMont" until at least 1958 and would have honored all of DuMont's network commitments. In return, DuMont would get $ 5 million in cash, guaranteed advertising time for DuMont sets, and a secure future for its staff. A merged ABC-DuMont would have been an entity rivaling CBS and NBC, as it would have owned stations in five of
5796-668: A minority shareholder in DuMont Laboratories when it advanced $ 400,000 in 1939 for a 40% share in the company. Paramount had television interests of its own, having launched stations in Los Angeles in 1939 and Chicago in 1940. DuMont's association with Paramount would later come back to haunt DuMont. Soon after his experimental Washington station signed on , DuMont began experimental coaxial cable hookups between his laboratories in Passaic and his two stations. It
6003-533: A newsfilm service for stations in the United States and Canada. TVN was majority-owned by the Coors Brewing Company , with Visnews as a minority owner, after Joseph Coors was receptive to Pauley's idea of a syndicated news supplier. TVN also proposed using the Westar satellite system to transmit programming to affiliates on a full-time basis. A political conservative sympathetic to the views of
6210-472: A pact, to turn out 100 hours of television programming, and partnering will be dubbed by America 5 Enterprises, which will produce miniseries, TV series and telefilms using U.S. and international talent, and the two companies will share equally in costs and profits, and the company would handle worldwide and domestic television rights, with the exception of Europe , where distribution of the company will be handled through Berlusconi arm Reteitalia. In 1988, after
6417-605: A paid UHF station offers foreign programs not shown on local TV and commencing regular service in January 1993, but it was closed down as a result from intense competition from the rival Sky Cable . From 2001 to the present, more channels were established, regional stations are established in the provinces which specialize news, public service and free programming. With Digital TV was introduced, all UHF channels will allocate their frequencies and can be served for broadcast companies such as ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5 , among others as
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6624-501: A part-time basis. ABC was near bankruptcy in 1952; DuMont was unprofitable after 1953. On August 6, 1956, DuMont ceased regular network operations; the end of DuMont allowed ABC to experience a profit increase of 40% that year, although ABC would not reach parity with NBC and CBS until the 1970s. The end of the DuMont Network left many UHF stations without a reliable source of programming, and many were left to become independent stations . Several new television companies were formed through
6831-451: A profitable business, an intense rivalry developed among the networks, just as it had in radio. NBC and CBS competed fiercely for viewers and advertising dollars, a contest neither underfunded DuMont nor ABC could hope to win. According to author Dennis Mazzocco, "NBC tried to make an arrangement with ABC and CBS to destroy the DuMont network." The plan was for NBC and CBS to exclusively offer ABC their most popular series after they had aired on
7038-492: A radio network from which to draw big-name talent, affiliate loyalty, or radio profits to underwrite television operations until the television medium itself became profitable. Most early television licenses were granted to established radio broadcasters, and many longtime relationships with radio networks carried over to the new medium. As CBS and NBC (and to a lesser extent, ABC) gained their footing, they began to offer programming that drew on their radio backgrounds, bringing over
7245-647: A satellite feed directly from their U.S. military bases in Japan), at the time when Mount Pinatubo erupted and became abandoned. Commercial UHF stations began in May, 1992, as DWCP-TV on channel 21 became the first local UHF TV station in Metro Manila by the Southern Broadcasting Network as SBN-21 (then Talk TV ) and commenced free programing, the second channel, DWKC-TV (on channel 31) of
7452-535: A sense, NET was less a true network than a distributor of programs to educational stations throughout the country; it was not until late 1966 that simultaneous broadcasting began on educational outlets." NET ceased to exist as a standalone entity in 1970 when it merged with WNDT to form WNET , with the Public Broadcasting Service assuming program distribution functions; the "NET" name lasted for WNET-produced programs until 1972. Pat Weaver ,
7659-410: A sharp "blip" of noise, but leaves the signal clear at other times. This normally comes from local electrical sources, and can be mitigated by turning them off. This means that at a given received power, a UHF analog signal will appear worse than VHF, often significantly. For these reasons, in order to allow UHF stations to provide the same ground coverage as VHF, ideally about 60 miles (97 km),
7866-462: A small number of surviving episodes released commercially by at least one major distributor of public domain programming. Because so few episodes remain of most DuMont series, they are seldom rerun, even though there is no licensing cost to do so. There also is a small collection of various DuMont programs available via the Roku streaming service. DuMont programs were by necessity low-budget affairs, and
8073-602: A staggered process. The network's first program, The Late Show with Joan Rivers , debuted on October 6, 1986, amid plans to unveil their first night of prime time programming on April 5, 1987. At the same time, TCF chairman Barry Diller openly floated the idea of Fox bidding against ABC for the rights to Monday Night Football , which proved unsuccessful. Encountering poor ratings and negative critical reviews, Joan Rivers left The Late Show on May 15, 1987; while briefly encountering success with guest host Arsenio Hall , Fox replaced Late Show with The Wilton North Report , which
8280-943: A station to brand itself better and to stand out amongst the increasing number of television channels, particularly cable networks. Various other attempts at commercial broadcast networks: Additional networks were formed with increasing frequency immediately before and especially following the digital television transition , which gave stations the ability to multiplex their broadcast signals by adding subchannels, many of which since 2009 are being used to host networks focusing less or not at all on original content and relying mainly on programming acquired by various distributors (particularly classic series and feature films that are no longer being picked up by many cable networks). Segrave, Kerry (1999). Movies at Home: How Hollywood Came to Television . McFarland. ISBN 9780786406548 . Retrieved April 8, 2015 . DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also
8487-492: A syndicated package, and only tie up the movie for a two-week window. These were set up using a barter system, with the network retaining five minutes per hour of ad time. Besides the Premiere Network and Debut Network, Orion Pictures , Warner Bros. and a joint venture of Viacom and Tribune Broadcasting all followed suit in announcing the launch of their own ad hoc networks in late 1984. MGM Television entered
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8694-441: A television network with programming supplied by their station group; this included Lou Gordon from WKBD-TV , Hy Lit from WKBS-TV , Alan Douglas from WKBF-TV , and Joe Dolan from KBHK-TV . This planned network never gathered traction, and Kaiser faced significant financial losses from constructing the stations, with only WKBD-TV turning a profit. Gordon's program, however, was syndicated until his 1977 death. Kaiser Broadcasting
8901-399: A television network. The decision was made to shut down network operations and operate WABD and WTTG as independent stations . On April 1, 1955, most of DuMont's entertainment programs were dropped. Bishop Sheen aired his last program on DuMont on April 26 but later moved it to ABC. By May, just eight programs were left on the network, with only inexpensive shows and sporting events keeping
9108-515: A two-hour movie telecast, while its stations would retain 11 1 ⁄ 2 minutes. 100 television stations were signed as affiliates by October 1984, with the planned launch pushed back and set for November 10 of that year. Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by Al Masini . During its existence, OPT
9315-466: A year later, no launch date had been set, and the network still lacked a "respectable number of affiliates in major markets." The network finally launched under the name Mizlou Television Network in 1968, but the concept had changed. Like the Hughes Network, Mizlou only carried occasional sporting and special events. Despite developing a sophisticated microwave and landline broadcasting system,
9522-552: A year". The freeze would give the FCC and broadcasting interests time to address questions such as the allocation of additional channel frequencies, and the selection of a color television standard. At the time of the freeze, less than 100 stations were on the air, but stations already under construction would be allowed to complete work. All but one of these was on the VHF band; on December 29, 1949, KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut , became
9729-539: Is available on the Roku streaming channel under the DuMont name. Allen B. DuMont Laboratories was founded in 1931 by Allen B. DuMont with $ 1,000 from a laboratory in his basement. He and his staff were responsible for early technical innovations like the first consumer electronic television receiver in 1938. Their most revolutionary contribution came when the team extended the life of a cathode-ray tube from 24 to 1,000 hours, making television sets practical for consumers. The company's television receivers soon became
9936-474: Is best remembered for being used by Jackie Gleason's producers for the 39-half-hour episodes of The Honeymooners that aired on CBS during the 1955–56 television season. In August 1955, Paramount, with the help of other stockholders, seized full control of DuMont Laboratories. Shareholders approved a split of the manufacturing and broadcasting operations of the company in August 1955, and the sponsored shows on
10143-611: Is one of a loosely knit group of free commercial terrestrial television stations that is not a member of the major national networks keyed in Tokyo and Osaka . Japan's original broadcasters were VHF. Although some experimental broadcasts were made as early as 1939, NHK (founded in 1926 as a radio network modeled on the BBC) began regular VHF television broadcasting in 1953. Its two terrestrial television services ( NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV ) appear on VHF 1 and 3, respectively, in
10350-488: Is operated mostly by local governments or metropolitan newspapers with less outside control. Compared with major network stations, Japan's UHF independents have more restrictive programming acquisition budgets and lower average ratings; they are also more likely to broadcast single episode or short-series UHF anime (many of which serve to promote DVD's or other product tie-ins) and brokered programming such as religion and infomercials . Japanese terrestrial television
10557-415: Is said that one of those broadcasts on the hookup announced that the U.S. had dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki , Japan, on August 9, 1945. This was later considered the official beginning of the DuMont Network by both Thomas T. Goldsmith , the network's chief engineer and DuMont's best friend, and DuMont himself. Regular network service began on August 15, 1946, on WABD and W3XWT. In November 1946, W3XWT
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#173279125800110764-703: Is still the standard for US TV. It was another two years before the West Coast got live programming from the East (and the East able to get live programming from the West), but this was the beginning of the modern era of network television. The first broadcasts came from DuMont's 515 Madison Avenue headquarters. It soon found additional space, including a fully functioning theater, in the New York branch of Wanamaker's department store at Ninth Street and Broadway. Later,
10971-889: Is usually allocated for VCRs, decoder units (i.e. the ASTRO and MiTV set top boxes ) and other devices that have an RF signal generator (i.e. game consoles). Refer to Australian and New Zealand television frequencies for more information. UHF broadcasting was introduced in the Philippines in the early 1960s when FEN Philippines began broadcasts on channel 17 in Pampanga and Zambales (as in Subic and Clark bases), and channel 43 in Bulacan and also in Metro Manila on Channel 50 until 1991 (most of its programs and newscasts are from
11178-559: The American Broadcasting Company and DuMont Television Network , the need for additional TV channels in major markets was urgent. For proponents of educational TV broadcasting, the difficulties in competing with commercial broadcasters for the increasingly scarce VHF channels was also a problem. Allocating more of the VHF band (30 to 300 MHz ) by moving existing radio communication users away seemed to be impossible. FM radio broadcasting had already suffered
11385-675: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The UHF band is now used extensively as ABC , SBS, commercial and public-access television services have expanded, particularly through regional areas. The first Canadian television network was publicly owned Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Its stations, as well as that of the first private networks ( CTV and TVA , created in 1961), are primarily VHF. More recent third-network operators that initially signed on in
11592-503: The C. E. Hooper company of New York. DuMont performed well in the Hooper ratings; in fact, DuMont's talent program, The Original Amateur Hour , was the most popular series of the 1947–48 season. Two seasons later, Variety ranked DuMont's popular variety series Cavalcade of Stars as the 10th most popular series. In February 1950, Hooper's competitor A. C. Nielsen bought out the Hooper ratings system. DuMont did not fare well with
11799-525: The DuMont Network , DuMont Television , DuMont / Du Mont , or (incorrectly) Dumont / ˈ d uː m ɒ n t / ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks , rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by Allen B. DuMont Laboratories , a television equipment and television set manufacturer. DuMont was founded in 1940 and began operation on August 15, 1946. The network
12006-724: The Eternal Word Television Network , which also makes a collection of them available on DVD (in the biographical information about Fulton J. Sheen added to the end of many episodes, a still image of Bishop Sheen looking into a DuMont Television camera can be seen). Several companies that distribute DVDs over the Internet have released a small number of episodes of Cavalcade of Stars and The Morey Amsterdam Show . Two more DuMont programs, Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Rocky King, Inside Detective , have had
12213-677: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suspended approvals for new station construction permits. Although other companies – including Paramount Pictures (with the Paramount Television Network ) – announced network plans or began limited network operations, these companies withdrew from television after the first few years, or in the Paramount Television Network's case the service withered through attrition over
12420-660: The First transcontinental railroad ) was activated. The ceremony, hosted by DuMont and WDTV, was carried on all four networks. WGN-TV (channel 9) in Chicago and WABD in New York were able to share programs through a live coaxial cable feed when WDTV signed on in Pittsburgh, because the station completed the East Coast-to-Midwest chain, allowing stations in both regions to air the same program simultaneously, which
12627-746: The John Birch Society , Coors viewed TVN as an "alternative" to the established news services of ABC, NBC and CBS, which he deemed to be "liberal" in content . Former Nixon administration official Roger Ailes served as an executive for TVN briefly in 1975. TVN was shut down in October 1975 after Coors, who had been nominated to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , was scrutinized over his ownership of TVN and imposing of political beliefs into news content, along with his disdain for public broadcasting. Coors's CPB board nomination
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#173279125800112834-676: The National Telecommunications Commission plans to migrate all VHF channels to digital UHF channels before December 31, 2015, though this was delayed several times. Digital terrestrial television services are currently in development by the major broadcasting companies before the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) will be passed by law. South Africa only received analog TV service from 1976 onwards. There were three TV channels: TV1 (now SABC1), TV2 (now SABC2), TV3 (now SABC3), and later came
13041-411: The Paramount Television Network , a service that provided local television stations with filmed television programs. Paramount's network "undercut the company that it had invested in." Paramount did not share its stars, big budgets, or filmed programs with DuMont; the company had stopped financially supporting DuMont in 1941. Although Paramount executives indicated they would produce programs for DuMont,
13248-783: The Radio Mindanao Network was launched on October 31 of the same year as CTV-31 from 1992 to 2000 (then E! from 2000 to 2003 and BEAM in 2011). The third channel, DZRJ-TV (channel 29) was also launched in 1993 for the Rajah Broadcasting Network, Inc. which specializes niche programing (mostly infomercials, foreign shows and cartoons). Two more channels include DWDB-TV (channel 27) of GMA Network, Inc. (as Citynet Television from 1995 to 1999 and EMC from 1999 to 2001) and DWAC-TV (channel 23) of ABS-CBN (as Studio 23 ) between August 27, 1995 and October 12, 1996, as fourth and fifth UHF stations, and
13455-737: The Republic of Ireland , UHF was introduced in 1978 to augment the existing RTÉ One VHF 625-line transmissions and to provide extra frequencies for the new RTÉ Two channel. The first UHF transmitter site was Cairn Hill in County Longford , followed by Three Rock Mountain in South County Dublin . These sites were followed by Clermont Carn in County Louth and Holywell Hill in County Donegal in 1981. Since
13662-716: The UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles, in the Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia , and in the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. Although nearly the entire DuMont film archive was destroyed, several surviving DuMont shows have been released on DVD . Much of what survived was either never properly copyrighted (live telecasts, because they were not set on
13869-560: The UHF band. Hundreds of new UHF stations began operations, but many of these stations quickly folded because television set manufacturers were not required to include a built-in UHF tuner until 1964 as part of the All-Channel Act . Most viewers could not receive UHF stations, and most advertisers would not advertise on stations which few could view. Without the advertising revenue enjoyed by
14076-501: The Yankee Network , and Paramount, were interested in starting television networks, but were prevented from doing so by restrictive FCC regulations, although the Paramount Television Network had limited success in network operations in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Despite no history of radio programming, no stable of radio stars to draw on, and perennial cash shortages, DuMont was an innovative and creative network. Without
14283-573: The channel 9 allocation in nearby Steubenville, Ohio , and move it to Pittsburgh so Steubenville had a chance to have its own television station. As a result, no other commercial VHF station signed on in Pittsburgh until WIIC-TV in 1957, giving WDTV a de facto monopoly on television in the area. Since WDTV carried secondary affiliations with the other three networks, DuMont used this as a bargaining chip to get its programs cleared in other large markets. Despite its severe financial straits, by 1953 DuMont appeared to be on its way to establishing itself as
14490-414: The destruction of its extensive program archive by the 1970s, has prompted TV historian David Weinstein to refer to it as the "forgotten network". A few popular DuMont programs, such as Cavalcade of Stars and Emmy Award winner Life Is Worth Living , appear in television retrospectives or are mentioned briefly in books about U.S. television history. In addition, a collection of programs and promos
14697-463: The digital transition was completed in August 2011. Digital Audio Broadcasting , deployed on a very limited scale in Canada in 2005 and largely abandoned, uses UHF frequencies in the L band from 1452 to 1492 MHz. There are currently no VHF Band III digital radio stations in Canada as, unlike in much of Europe, these frequencies are among the most popular for use by television stations. In
14904-419: The "fourth network", but none succeeded. Several of these attempts never advanced from being niche program services, while others either failed to launch or failed after launching. General consensus within the industry and by television critics was that a fourth television network was impossible; one television critic wrote, "Industry talk about a possible full-time, full-service, commercial network structured like
15111-444: The 1930s with regular commercial broadcasting in cities such as New York and Chicago in 1941. Efforts at TV broadcasting on any channel were drastically curtailed once World War II began, due largely to lack of available receivers. The upper five VHF channels were removed from the FCC allocation list during the war with those frequencies re-allocated for military use, leaving thirteen channels (1 through 13) as of May 1945. The end of
15318-599: The 1940s and 1950s, television signals were sent between stations via coaxial cable and microwave links owned by AT&T. The service provider did not have enough circuits to provide signal relay service from the four networks to all of their affiliates at the same time, so AT&T allocated times when each network could offer live programs to its affiliates. In 1950, AT&T allotted NBC and CBS each over 100 hours of live prime time network service, but gave ABC 53 hours, and DuMont 37. AT&T also required each television network to lease both radio and television lines. DuMont
15525-400: The 1950s. By 1962, 62 educational stations were in operation, most of which had affiliated with NET. That year, the U.S. Congress approved $ 32 million in funding for educational television, giving a boost to the non-commercial television network. Although at the 1962 revamp of the organization, NET was branded a "fourth network", later historians have disagreed. Historian Alex McNeil wrote, "in
15732-434: The 1970s or 1980s were often relegated to UHF, or (if they were to attempt to deploy on VHF) to reduced power or stations in outlying areas . Canada's VHF spectrum was already crowded with both domestic broadcasts and numerous American TV stations along the border. The use of UHF to provide programming that otherwise would not be available, such as province-wide educational services (BC's Knowledge: channel, or TVOntario -
15939-436: The 700 MHz band for cellular telephone service. In 2011, Channel 51 was removed to prevent interference with the 700 MHz cellular band. Additionally, in 2019 the US removed channels 38 through 50 to use them for cellular phone service. Thus UHF TV in the US now only includes channels 14 through 36. The most common type of antennas rely on the concept of resonance . Conductors, normally metal wires or rods, are cut to
16146-545: The 82 channels possible under the standard 6 MHz bandwidth. CBS Vice President Adrian Murphy told the FCC: "I would say that it would be better to have two networks in color" instead of the four or more networks possible with narrower bandwidths in UHF. In October 1948, the Federal Communications Commission stopped accepting applications for new stations, a freeze expected to last "six months to
16353-546: The 82 new UHF-TV stations in the United States broadcasting as of June 1954, only 24 of them remained a year later. The majority of the 165 UHF stations to begin telecasting between 1952 and 1959 did not survive. Not until the passage of the 1962 All-Channel Receiver Act did FCC regulations require all new TV sets sold in the U.S. to have built-in UHF tuners that could receive channels 14–83. Even though that requirement came into effect on April 30, 1964, there were only about 170 full-service UHF stations in operation in 1971. In
16560-438: The FCC allowed UHF broadcasters to operate at much higher power levels. For analog signals in the United States, VHF signals on channels 2 to 6, the low-VHF range, were limited to 100 kW, high-VHF on channels 7 to 13 to 316 kW, and UHF to 5 MW, well over 10 times the power of the low-VHF transmitter power limit. This greatly increased the cost of transmitting in these frequencies, both in electrical cost as well as
16767-436: The FCC ruled that Paramount essentially controlled DuMont, which effectively placed the network at the five-station cap. Paramount's exertion of influence over the network's management and the power of its voting stock led the FCC to its conclusion. Thus, DuMont was unable to open additional stations as long as Paramount owned stations or owned a portion of DuMont. Paramount refused to sell. In 1949, Paramount Pictures launched
16974-584: The Metromedia stations could be used to exploit TCF's film and television library. To win regulatory approval for the deal, Murdoch gave up his Australian citizenship and became a naturalized U.S. citizen on September 4, 1985. When the Metromedia deal closed on March 6, 1986, it was renamed Fox Television Stations Group ; an executive team began to be recruited for Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), which at that point only consisted of president Jamie Kellner and his secretary. The launch of Fox took place through
17181-823: The Tokyo region. Privately owned Japanese VHF TV stations were most often built by large national newspapers with Tokyo stations exerting a large degree of control over national programming. The number of VHF broadcasters varied depending on the prefecture. For example, in the Kanto region , there were seven VHF channels available. Outside of Tokyo, Osaka , Nagoya , and Fukuoka , most prefectures had four privately owned television stations, with three of them broadcasting on UHF. Almost all prefectures had at least one privately owned VHF television station (except for Saga ). The independent stations broadcast in analogue UHF, unlike major networks, which were historically broadcast primarily in analogue VHF . The loose coalition of UHF independents
17388-500: The US arrangement with VHF channels (initially) 1 to 13, and UHF channels (initially) numbered 14 to 83. Compared with an equivalent VHF television transmitter, to cover the same geographic area with a UHF transmitter requires a higher effective radiated power , implying a more powerful transmitter or a more complex antenna. However, the additional channels allow more broadcasters in a given region without causing objectionable mutual interference. UHF broadcasting became possible due to
17595-431: The US, the FCC initially wanted to move all stations to UHF. This would have required a large number of stations to move out of their current VHF channel assignments. Moving from one UHF channel to another is a fairly simple exercise and generally costs little to accomplish. Moving from VHF to UHF is a much more expensive proposition, generally requiring all new equipment, and a dramatic increase in power in order to maintain
17802-468: The United States, UHF stations gained a reputation for local ownership, nonprofessional operations, small audiences and weak signal propagation. While UHF-TV was available to American TV broadcasters in today's form since 1952, affiliates of the 1950s four largest American TV networks ( NBC , CBS , ABC , and DuMont ) preferentially transmitted on VHF wherever it was available. All available VHF-TV allocations were already in use in most large TV markets by
18009-406: The VHF band because of their bandwidth demands; more significantly, it offered the possibility for sufficient numbers of conventional 6 MHz channels to support the FCC's goals of a "truly nationwide and competitive service". CBS was not trying to maximize broadcast (or network) competition through freer market entry. Instead CBS's 16 MHz channels would have allowed only 27 UHF channels versus
18216-400: The VHF stations, losing $ 10,500,000 in 1953. More stations left the air than opened, and sixty percent of television industry losses from 1953 to 1956 came from UHF stations. TV network affiliations were difficult to get in many locations; the UHF stations with major-network affiliation would often lose these affiliations in favor of any viable new VHF TV station that entered the same market. Of
18423-485: The VHF stations, many UHF station owners either returned their station licenses to the FCC, attempted to trade licenses with educational stations on VHF, attempted to purchase a VHF station in a nearby market to move into theirs, or cut operating costs in attempts to stay in business (see also: UHF television broadcasting § UHF vs VHF ) . Since there were four networks but only three VHF stations in most major U.S. cities, one network would be forced to broadcast on
18630-593: The Week that would have followed Star Trek: Phase II on Saturday nights. PTVS was delayed until the 1978–79 season due to advertisers that were cautious of purchasing commercial slots on the planned network. This plan was aborted when executives decided the venture would be too costly, with no guarantee of profitability. In the 1970s, the "occasional" television networks started to appear with greater frequency with Norman Lear , Mobil Showcase Network , Capital Cities Communications , and Operation Prime Time , all entering
18837-623: The analogue television switchoff on October 24, 2012, all digital terrestrial TV is on UHF only, although VHF allocations exist. The UHF band has been used in parts of Ireland for television deflector systems bringing British television signals to towns and rural areas that cannot receive these signals directly. However, since the introduction of free to air satellite transmission of UK TV channels these deflectors have largely ceased operation. In Japan, an Independent UHF Station ( ja:全国独立UHF放送協議会 , Zenkoku Dokuritsu Yū-eichi-efu Hōsō Kyōgi-kai , literally National Independent UHF Broadcasting Forum)
19044-431: The base assumption that a UHF television station was functionally equivalent to a VHF one. To allocate four to as many as seven VHF channels to each of the largest cities would mean forcing the smaller, intervening cities completely onto UHF channels, while an allocation scheme that sought to assign one or two VHF channels in each smaller city would force VHF and UHF stations to compete in most markets. The largest cities with
19251-518: The battle between the Hearst Corporation (then-owners of WCAE ) and KQV over the channel 4 license that eventually would become WTAE-TV , and -- perhaps the most impactful one to DuMont's future -- locally-based Westinghouse Electric Corporation (owners of radio pioneer KDKA ) battling with local interest groups for the channel 13 license that was intended to be a non-commercial license. The FCC also denied CBS's request to be granted
19458-483: The big spenders from the ranks of sponsors." Advertisers, too, called for the creation of a fourth network. Representatives from Procter & Gamble and General Foods , two of the largest advertisers in the U.S., hoped the competition from a fourth network would lower advertising rates on the Big Three. Independent television producers, too, called for a fourth network after battles with the Big Three. George Fox,
19665-587: The bigger networks. ABC would become a network of re-runs, but DuMont would be shut out. ABC president Leonard Goldenson rejected NBC executive David Sarnoff 's proposal, but did not report it to the Justice Department . DuMont survived the early 1950s only because of WDTV in Pittsburgh, the lone commercial VHF station in what then was the sixth-largest market in the country after New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington. WDTV's only competition came from UHF stations WENS-TV (on
19872-439: The cancellation of Robotech II: The Sentinels , a number of the staff were recruited to work at Saban Entertainment . Carl Macek, along with his friend Jerry Beck went on to found Streamline Pictures . Meanwhile, Harmony Gold began moving away from production and began focusing more on film distribution, dot-com ventures and real estate. After the scuttling of the plans for PPS, MCA tried again. The Hollywood Premiere Network
20079-426: The change: none of its shows appeared on Nielsen's annual top 20 lists of the most popular series. The aforementioned Life is Worth Living did receive Nielsen ratings of up to 11.1, meaning that it attracted more than 10 million viewers. Bishop Sheen's one-man program – in which he discussed philosophy, psychology, and other fields of thought from a Christian perspective – was the most widely viewed religious series in
20286-617: The channel crowding problem, the following cities were never allocated any VHF-TV stations at all, due to technical reasons found by the FCC: Huntsville, Alabama ; Peoria, Illinois ; Fort Wayne, Indiana ; South Bend, Indiana , Lexington, Kentucky ; Springfield, Massachusetts ; Elmira, New York ; Youngstown, Ohio ; Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania ; and Yakima, Washington . Other cites were able to receive only one VHF broadcast station. The entire state of New Jersey would receive only one VHF broadcast station of its own (which
20493-462: The company announced a merger with United Paramount Theaters (UPT) (the former theater division of Paramount Pictures, which was spun off as a result of the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. antitrust decision), but it was not until 1953 that the FCC approved the merger. By this time, DuMont had begun to differentiate itself from NBC and CBS. It allowed its advertisers to choose
20700-576: The company never developed into a major television network. On July 12, 1966, warehouse entrepreneur Daniel H. Overmyer announced the launch of the Overmyer Network (ON), to be built around Overmyer's chain of five planned UHF stations and an existing station in Toledo, Ohio . Headed by former ABC president Oliver Treyz , ON planned to have up to eight hours of program nightly, along with news programming from United Press International . Due to
20907-482: The complex over-lapping led to the fifth and final network having a significantly reduced national coverage compared to the other networks, with reduced picture quality in many areas and the use of wide-band aerials often required. The launch of digital terrestrial television in 1998 saw the continued use of UHF for television, with six multiplexes allocated for the service, all within the UHF band. Analogue transmissions have ceased completely since 2012 after which
21114-523: The conversion period was over. This adds some complexity to the system as a whole, as the antennas needed to receive VHF and UHF are very different. In Australia, UHF was first anticipated in the mid-1970s with TV channels 27–69. The first UHF TV broadcasts in Australia were operated by Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) on channel 28 in Sydney and Melbourne starting in 1980, and translator stations for
21321-423: The demand for films compared to those seen in the 1960s and 1970s. The studios considered the fact that the networks usually ran their films during rating sweeps periods up against other theatrical films, as being the cause of the slide in viewership. These ad hoc networks, formed by an advertiser or studio, would provide to the production companies ratings histories that the pay services could not provide for sales in
21528-624: The downside, higher frequencies are less susceptible to diffraction. This means that the signals will not bend around obstructions as readily as a VHF signal. This is a particular problem for receivers located in depressions and valleys. Normally the upper edge of the landform acts as a knife-edge and causes the signal to diffract downwards. VHF signals will be seen by antennas in the valley, whereas UHF bends about 1 ⁄ 10 as much, and far less signal will be received. The same effect also makes UHF signals more difficult to receive around obstructions. VHF will quickly diffract around trees and poles and
21735-480: The existing Paramount syndicated series Star Trek: The Next Generation ; They Came from Outer Space and She-Wolf of London were paired in prime time Tuesday, while Shades of L.A. followed The Next Generation in prime time Wednesday. The budget per episodes were estimated at $ 600,000 less than the network per episode cost at $ 1 million that the partners claimed. The Hollywood Premiere Network began broadcasting on October 9, 1990. MCA and Chris-Craft canceled
21942-426: The existing big three, ABC, CBS and NBC, pops up much more often than the fictitious town of Brigadoon ." Non-commercial educational television, especially with stations aligned with National Educational Television and successor PBS , also found success as program services with network-capable functions. The launch of Fox in October 1986 was met with ridicule; despite industry skepticism and initial instability,
22149-440: The existing system of allocation and control of television broadcast stations and affiliations". The name was later changed to "Metropolitan Broadcasting Company" to distance the company from what was seen as a complete failure. In 1958, John Kluge bought Paramount's shares for $ 4 million, and in 1961 renamed the company Metromedia . WABD became WNEW-TV and later WNYW . WTTG still broadcasts under its original call letters as
22356-514: The failure of the United Network in 1967, former ABC Radio president Robert Pauley was briefly retained by United ownership to relaunch the network as a supplier of news and public affairs programming. The following year, Pauley briefly pitched a television news service of his own, using the same concept, before being hired by Mutual Broadcasting. In 1973, Pauley became the founding chief executive officer for Television News Inc. (TVN),
22563-456: The few superstations that carried the network. Boosted by successful shows like Married... with Children , 21 Jump Street , COPS , Beverly Hills, 90210 , In Living Color , Martin , Melrose Place , Living Single and The X-Files (all appealing to the highly coveted and lucrative 18-49 demographic), Fox proved profitable by the 1990s. Finally, in December 1993, Fox hit
22770-547: The field with its self-proclaimed fourth network, the MGM Family Network (MFN), on September 9, 1973, with the movie The Yearling on 145 stations. MFN was created to fill the family programming void from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. due to the implementation of the Prime Time Access Rule , using movies from the MGM library scheduled to air on one Sunday every two months. The premiere of MFN registered
22977-522: The first TV situation comedy , Mary Kay and Johnny , as well as the first network-televised soap opera , Faraway Hill . Cavalcade of Stars , a variety show hosted by Jackie Gleason , was the birthplace of The Honeymooners skits (Gleason took his variety show to CBS in 1952, but filmed the "Classic 39" Honeymooners episodes at DuMont's Adelphi Theater studio in 1955–56). Bishop Fulton J. Sheen 's devotional program Life Is Worth Living went up against Milton Berle in many cities, becoming
23184-399: The first U.S. TV show to star an Asian American person; and The Hazel Scott Show , starring pianist and singer Hazel Scott , the first U.S. network TV series to be hosted by a black woman. Although DuMont's programming pre-dated videotape , many DuMont offerings were recorded on kinescopes. These kinescopes were said to be stored in a warehouse until the 1970s. Actress Edie Adams ,
23391-565: The first UHF originating station in Canada), Télé-Québec , French language programming outside Québec and ethnic/multilingual television services), has therefore become common. Third networks such as Quatre-Saisons or Global often will rely heavily on UHF stations as repeaters or as a local presence in large cities where VHF spectrum is largely already full. The original digital terrestrial television stations were all UHF broadcasts, although some digital broadcasts returned to VHF channels after
23598-411: The first and only pre-1950 UHF television station to operate on a regular daily schedule. Existing FCC rules at the time of the freeze had designated 42 UHF channels, designated 14–55, between 475–890 MHz. Ultimately, the question the FCC faced of how to allocate bandwidth for new television licenses would not take "months" to resolve, but several years. To newer entrants into TV broadcasting such as
23805-483: The first commercial UHF television station on the air was KPTV , Channel 27, in Portland, Oregon , on September 18, 1952. Early in 1953, 35% of televisions sold contained a UHF tuner compliant with 1952 rules, lending hope to the idea that intermixture of UHF and VHF stations might succeed. Several problems with early UHF tuners became evident. One was poor image frequency rejection in superheterodyne receivers with
24012-555: The first show to compete successfully in the ratings against "Mr. Television". In 1952, Sheen won an Emmy Award for "Most Outstanding Personality". The network's other notable programs include: The network was a pioneer in TV programming aimed at minority audiences and featuring minority performers, at a time when the other American networks aired few television series for non-whites. Among DuMont's minority programs were The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong , starring film actress Anna May Wong ,
24219-421: The following year as non-commercial station WNDT, aligned with National Educational Television (NET). National Telefilm Associates continued syndication services for stations for several years after the closure of NTA Film Network, with Divorce Court was seen as late as 1969. Educational television (ETV) had existed since 1952, but was poorly funded. Only a few educational television stations existed during
24426-400: The former DuMont Television Network, veteran radio programmer Clarke Ingram —who researched the history of DuMont and early UHF broadcasting—surmised that Fox was not a new network but DuMont "rising from the ashes". With the success with Fox, several other media companies started to enter the broadcasting world in the 1990s to create an additional commercial broadcast network that would allow
24633-782: The former. It also would have had to sell two other stations – most likely ABC's two smallest O&Os, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and KGO-TV in San Francisco (both broadcasting on channel 7) – to get under the FCC's limit of five stations per owner. However, Paramount vetoed the plan almost out of hand due to antitrust concerns. A few months earlier, the FCC had ruled that Paramount controlled DuMont, and there still were some questions about whether UPT had really separated from Paramount. With no other way to readily obtain cash, DuMont sold WDTV to Westinghouse for $ 9.75 million in late 1954, after Westinghouse decided to give public backing to
24840-746: The four networks, depending on the number of licensed stations within a given media market in this early era of television broadcasting. These four networks – the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and the DuMont Television Network (DuMont) – would be the only full-time television networks during the 1940s and 1950s, as in 1948,
25047-601: The fourth, Etv. In the UK, UHF television began in 1964 following a plan by the General Post Office to allocate sets of frequencies for 625-lined television to regions across the country, so as to accommodate four national networks with regional variations (the VHF allocations allowed for only two such networks using 405 lines ). The UK UHF channels would range from 21 to 68 (later extended to 69) and regional allocations were in general grouped close together to allow for
25254-826: The fray along with Metromedia. In 1978, SFM Media Service , which assisted with the Mobil Showcase Network, launched its own occasional network, the SFM Holiday Network and the General Foods Golden Showcase Network . SFM was a provider of ad hoc network as a service to other clients including Del Monte Foods . A few ad hoc networks were developed during the 1980s as conventional full-time networks were not buying theatrical feature films as much due to declining ratings for those telecasts, with networks arguing that pay television channels and videotapes had reduced
25461-441: The frequency now occupied by WINP-TV ) and WKJF-TV (now WPGH-TV ) and distant stations from Johnstown, Pennsylvania , Youngstown, Ohio , and Wheeling, West Virginia . There also were external factors such as the FCC's freeze on licenses and intense competition for the remaining VHF licenses in Pittsburgh, including WENS-TV appealing the FCC's granting of the channel 11 license that was eventually affirmed for WIIC-TV (now WPXI ),
25668-445: The ground, and none of the planned programs aired. The Mutual Broadcasting System , as one of the four major radio networks that existed at the time, was considered a candidate for creating a fourth network. When Mutual came under the ownership of General Tire 's General Teleradio along with five television stations, General Tire president Thomas F. O'Neil started putting a potential Mutual all-movie network together. Mutual purchased
25875-704: The history of television. 169 local television stations aired Life , and for three years the program competed successfully against NBC's popular The Milton Berle Show . The ABC and CBS programs that aired in the same timeslot were canceled. Life is Worth Living was not the only DuMont program to achieve double-digit ratings. In 1952, Time magazine reported that popular DuMont game show Down You Go had attracted an audience estimated at 16 million viewers. Similarly, DuMont's summer 1954 replacement series, The Goldbergs , achieved audiences estimated at 10 million. Still, these series were only moderately popular compared to NBC's and CBS's highest-rated programs. Nielsen
26082-471: The home of smaller broadcasters who were not willing to bid on the more coveted VHF allocations. These issues are greatly reduced with digital television, and today most over-the-air broadcasts take place on UHF, while VHF channels are being retired. To avoid giving the impression that channels were disappearing, digital broadcast systems have a virtual channel concept, allowing stations to display their original VHF channel number while actually broadcasting on
26289-443: The honors. Sheen also was nominated for Public Service Emmys in 1952, 1953, and 1954. DuMont received an Emmy nomination for Down You Go , a popular game show during the 1952–53 television season (in the category Best Audience Participation, Quiz, or Panel Program ). The network was nominated twice for its coverage of professional football during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 television seasons. The Johns Hopkins Science Review ,
26496-539: The independent UHF station phenomenon; a fictional UHF station was also parodied in the 1980 film Pray TV . Some cities did develop successful independent UHF stations, many of these located in or near state capital cities, or served by nearby major rural regions. These included Montgomery , Alabama ; Frankfort , Kentucky ; Dover , Delaware ; Lincoln , Nebraska ; Topeka , Kansas ; Jefferson City , Missouri ; Lansing , Michigan ; Harrisburg , Pennsylvania ; Madison , Wisconsin ; and Springfield , Illinois . In
26703-480: The introduction of new high-frequency vacuum tubes developed by Philips immediately prior to the opening of World War II . These were used in experimental television receivers in the UK in the 1930s, and became widely used during the war as radar receivers. Surplus tubes flooded the market in the post-war era. At the same time, the development of color television was taking its first steps, initially based on incompatible transmission systems. The US FCC set aside
26910-414: The last broadcast of Monday Night Fights .) According to one source, the final program aired on only five stations nationwide. It appears that the boxing show was syndicated to a few other east coast stations until 1958, but likely not as a production of DuMont or its successor company. Likewise, the remains of DuMont were used to syndicate a high school football Thanksgiving game in 1957; that telecast,
27117-400: The late 1950s and early 1960s) and the fall in television prices saw most households use a UHF set by the end of that decade. With the second and last VHF television service having launched in 1955, VHF TV was finally decommissioned for good in 1985 with no plans for it to return to use. The launch of Channel 5 in 1997 added a fifth national television network to UHF, requiring deviation from
27324-566: The late 1990s, freeing up the frequency for other uses. UHF was not commonly used in the Klang Valley until 1994 (despite TV3's signal also being available over UHF Channel 29, as TV3 transmitted over VHF Channel 12 in the Klang Valley). 1994 saw the introduction of the channel MetroVision (which ceased transmission in 1999, got bought over by TV3's parent company – System Televisyen Malaysia Berhad – and relaunched as 8TV in 2004). This
27531-507: The launch limited available budgets for prospective advertisers; this, coupled with onerous charges to transmit over AT&T Bell System phone lines, resulted in the network's failure and the cancellation of Las Vegas after one month. Ownership filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy several weeks later, and despite multiple teases of relaunching as a supplier of news and public affairs programming, United never resumed operations. While United managed to transmit programming unlike prior attempts at
27738-500: The license freeze enacted in 1949 to end. Through the entire three-and-a-half-year freeze period, KC2XAK remained the only UHF television station in regular operation. When the FCC television license freeze ended in 1952, a huge backlog of potential stations applied, many allocated to the UHF band as defined by the 1952 rules. The first commercially licensed UHF television station was WWLP in Springfield, Massachusetts ; however,
27945-472: The locations where their advertising ran, potentially saving them millions of dollars. By contrast, ABC followed NBC's and CBS's practice of forcing advertisers to purchase a large "must-buy" list of stations, even though it was only a fourth the size of NBC and CBS. ABC's fortunes were dramatically altered in February 1953, when the FCC cleared the way for UPT to buy the network. The merger provided ABC with
28152-464: The meantime, these shortcomings led to "UHF taboos", which in effect limited each metropolitan area to only moderately more UHF stations than VHF ones, despite the much higher number of channels. Television sets in the United States were not mandated to include UHF tuners until 1964. With UHF's reputation for reception problems, the fraction of new TV receivers that were factory-equipped with all-channel tuners dropped from 35% in early 1953 to 9% by 1958,
28359-538: The mid-1950s, owing to FCC spacing rules to avoid co-channel and adjacent channel interference between VHF TV stations in the same or nearby cities. Two VHF TV stations on the same channel needed to be 160 or more miles apart, and two VHF TV stations on adjacent channel frequencies needed to be 60 or more miles apart. UHF stations in major population centers of the United States were usually either educational network or independent TV stations. The movie UHF (starring "Weird Al" Yankovic and Michael Richards ) parodied
28566-510: The most popular radio stars. Early television station owners, when deciding which network would receive their main affiliation, were more likely to choose CBS's roster of Lucille Ball, Jack Benny , and Ed Sullivan , or NBC's lineup of Milton Berle and Sid Caesar , over DuMont, which offered a then-unknown Jackie Gleason and Bishop Fulton J. Sheen . In smaller markets, with a limited number of stations, DuMont and ABC were often relegated to secondary status, so their programs got clearance only if
28773-497: The most sets in use benefitted most from VHF allocations. For example, New York City, Washington-Baltimore, Los Angeles, and San Francisco received seven VHF stations apiece, and Chicago was allocated five, with the other two of those channels going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinois . FCC rules published on April 11, 1952, defined the final modern-day UHF allocation of 70 channels, 14 through 83, with 6 MHz separation. It used standard NTSC standards. This would allow
28980-479: The movie network broadcast a special edition of Dune as a two-night event, with additional footage not included in the film's original release. In June 1990, the Debut Network was ranked in fifth place among the ten highest-rated syndicated programs according to Nielsen . In 1987, Harmony Gold USA collaborated with international backers, including Société Française de Productions and Reteeurope, both of
29187-608: The national networks. By the 1970s, TVS was producing entertainment programming alongside its sports programming. Einhorn eventually sold his interest in TVS to the Corinthian Broadcasting Corporation for $ 5 million. By 1985, there were 267 independent television stations operational in the U.S., most of which were broadcasting on VHF and UHF. Rupert Murdoch , an Australian publishing mogul, initiated two major transactions in 1985 that finally resulted in
29394-458: The neighbouring region. Initial uptake of UHF television was very slow: Differing propagation characteristics between VHF and UHF meant new additional transmitters needed to be built, often at different locations to the then-established VHF sites, and in general with a larger number of relay stations to fill the greater number of gaps in coverage that came with the new band. This led to poor picture quality in bad coverage areas, and many years before
29601-682: The network eventually proved profitable by the early 1990s, secured rights to NFL football in 1993 and initiated a major affiliate realignment the following year. Fox became the first successful fourth network, eventually surpassing the Big Three networks in demographics and overall ratings by the early 2000s. In the 1940s, four television networks began operations by linking local television stations together via AT&T 's coaxial cable telephone network. These links allowed stations to share television programs across great distances, and allowed advertisers to air commercial advertisements nationally. Local stations became affiliates of one or more of
29808-514: The network five owned-and-operated stations (O&Os), the maximum allowed by the FCC at the time. However, DuMont was hampered by Paramount's two stations -- KTLA (channel 5) in Los Angeles and WBKB (channel 4, now WBBM-TV on channel 2) in Chicago – the descendants of the two experimental stations that rankled DuMont in 1940. Although these stations generally did not carry DuMont programming (KTLA did for just one year, 1947 to 1948), and, in fact, competed against DuMont's affiliates in those cities
30015-477: The network received relatively few awards from the TV industry. Most awards during the 1950s went to NBC and CBS, who were able to out-spend other companies and draw on their extensive history of radio broadcasting in the relatively new television medium. During the 1952–53 TV season, the aforementioned Bishop Sheen won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Personality . Sheen beat out three CBS nominees -- Arthur Godfrey , Edward R. Murrow , and Lucille Ball -- for
30222-477: The network were discontinued. The last non-sports program on DuMont, the game show What's the Story , aired on September 23, 1955. After that, DuMont's network feed was used only for occasional sporting events. The last broadcast on what was left of the DuMont Television Network, a boxing match , aired on August 6, 1956. (The date has also been reported as September 1955, November 1957 or August 4, 1958, with
30429-404: The network's initial series), which became the first series from a fourth network to enter the top 30 since the demise of DuMont more than 30 years earlier. By then, Fox did have some advantages that DuMont did not have back in the 1950s. During its first few years, Fox programmed just under the number of hours to be legally considered a network by the FCC (by carrying only two hours of programming
30636-518: The network's shows. NBC head Grant Tinker declared, "I will never put a fourth column on my schedule board. There will only be three." Indeed, just two years into its existence, the network was already struggling, and Fox executives considered pulling the plug on the network. By 1990 , however, Fox cracked the top 30 in the Nielsen ratings through the surprise success of The Simpsons (an animated series spun off from The Tracey Ullman Show , one of
30843-586: The networks relied on separate regional networks in the two time zones for live programming, and the West Coast received network programming from kinescopes (films shot directly from live television screens) originating from the East Coast. On January 11, 1949, the coaxial cable linking East and Midwest (known in television circles as "the Golden Spike", in reference to the golden spike that united
31050-527: The nucleus of the new Fox television network . Clarke Ingram , who maintained a DuMont memorial site, has suggested that Fox can be considered a revival, or at least a linear descendant, of DuMont. UHF television broadcasting#UHF vs VHF UHF television broadcasting is the use of ultra high frequency (UHF) radio for over-the-air transmission of television signals . UHF frequencies are used for both analog and digital television broadcasts. UHF channels are typically given higher channel numbers, like
31257-554: The only DuMont broadcast to have been sent in color, was a personal project of Allen DuMont himself, whose hometown team in Montclair, New Jersey , was contending in the game for a state championship. DuMont spun off WABD and WTTG as the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation; in requesting the FCC's approval of the reorganization, it told the commission that the network "could not be operated profitably under
31464-399: The order of $ 400,000). For this reason, channels in the high-VHF region were kept for television use. The power of the stations on these channels was also reduced, to 160 kW, about one-third of the earlier limit. Stations making the transition generally acquired a second channel allocation in the upper UHF region to test their new equipment, and then moved into the low-UHF or high-VHF once
31671-566: The original 1937 acquisition proposal required Paramount to expand its television interests "through DuMont". Paramount representative Paul Raibourn, who also was a member of DuMont's board of directors, denied that any such restriction had ever been discussed, but Dr. DuMont was vindicated by a 1953 examination of the original draft document. DuMont aspired to grow beyond its three stations, applying for new television station licenses in Cincinnati and Cleveland in 1947. This would have given
31878-403: The original frequency allocation plan of the early 1960s and the allocation of UHF frequencies previously not used for television (such as UK Channels 35 and 37, previously reserved for RF modulators in devices such as domestic videocassette recorders , requiring an expensive VCR re-tuning programme funded by the new network). A lack of capacity within the band to accommodate a fifth service with
32085-638: The package after the first season. However, MCA TV was shopping the block and its shows at the NATPE January 1991 TV trade show. In 1968, then minority owner & vice chairman of the Chicago White Sox, Eddie Einhorn, founded the Television Sports Television Network (or TVS Television Network, for short) to telecast college basketball games to regional networks at a time when the sport was of no interest to
32292-790: The picture quality was marginal at best, depending on geographic location. (see also: UHF television broadcasting § UHF reception issues ) . Tied to this was a decision to restrict VHF allocations in medium- and smaller-sized markets. Meanwhile, television sets would not be required to have all-channel tuning until 1964, with the passage of the All-Channel Receiver Act . Forced to rely on UHF to expand, DuMont saw one station after another go dark due to dismal ratings. It bought small, distressed UHF station KCTY (channel 25) in Kansas City , Missouri , in 1954, but ran it for just three months before shutting it down at
32499-537: The prefectures of Iwate , Miyagi , and Fukushima were switched off on 31 March 2012. UHF broadcasting was used outside Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley by private TV station TV3 in the late 1980s, with the government stations only transmitting in VHF (Bands 1 and 3) and the 450 MHz range being occupied by the ATUR cellular phone service operated by Telekom Malaysia . The ATUR service ceased operation in
32706-702: The president of the George Fox Organization, announced tentative plans for a television film network in May 1956. The plan was to sign 45 to 50 affiliate stations; each of these stations would have input in deciding what programs the network would air. Four initial programs – Jack for Jill, I'm the Champ, Answer Me This, and It's a Living – were slated to be broadcast; the programs would be filmed in Hollywood . However, only 17 stations had agreed to affiliate in May. The film network never made it off
32913-466: The primary network was off the air or delayed via kinescope recording ("tele-transcriptions," in DuMont parlance). Adding to DuMont's troubles was the FCC's 1948 "freeze" on television license applications . This was done to sort out the thousands of applications that had come streaming in, but also to rethink the allocation and technical standards laid down prior to World War II. It became clear soon after
33120-453: The public interest groups for the channel 13 allocation in Pittsburgh, allowing the station to launch that spring as educational WQED . While this gave DuMont a short-term cash infusion, it eliminated the leverage the network had to get program clearances in other markets. Without its de facto monopoly in Pittsburgh, the company's advertising revenue shrank to less than half that of 1953. By February 1955, DuMont realized it could not continue as
33327-412: The radio revenues that supported mighty NBC and CBS, DuMont programmers relied on their wits and on connections with Broadway . The network largely ignored the standard business model of 1950s TV, in which one advertiser sponsored an entire show, enabling it to have complete control over its content. Instead, DuMont sold commercials to several different advertisers, freeing producers of its shows from
33534-450: The received energy immediately downstream will be about 40% of the original signal. In comparison, UHF blockage by the same obstruction will result on the order of 10% being received. Another difference is the nature of the electrical and radio noise encountered on the two frequency bands. UHF bands are subject to constant levels of low-level noise that appear as "snow" on an analog screen. VHF more commonly sees impulse noise that produces
33741-402: The remains of the network going through the summer. The network also largely abandoned the use of the intercity network coaxial cable, on which it had spent $ 3 million in 1954 to transmit shows that mostly lacked station clearance. The company only retained network links for live sports programming and utilizing the company's Electronicam process to produce studio-based programming. Electronicam
33948-508: The respective French , Italian and Spanish interests to set up a new project, and what the worldwide market represented to set up the Harmony Premiere Network, which was to be the next Operation Prime Time , and brings together U.S. and international financers to co-produce the products for Harmony Gold. In 1987, the company had teamed up with Italian company Silvio Berlusconi Communications to pay $ 150 million for
34155-428: The roof and walls, electrical wiring, and the frames of doors and windows. A metal-framed window will present almost no barrier to a UHF signal, while a VHF signal may be attenuated or strongly diffracted. For stations with strong signals, UHF antennas mounted beside the television are relatively useful, and medium-distance signals 25–50 kilometres (16–31 mi) away can often be picked up by attic mounted antennas. On
34362-520: The same gain . For instance, Channel 2 in the North American television frequencies is at 54 MHz, which corresponds to a wavelength of 5.5 m, and thus requires dipole antenna about 2.75 m across. In comparison, the lowest channel in the UHF band, Channel 14, is on 470 MHz, a wavelength of 64 cm, or a dipole length of only 32 cm. A powerful VHF antenna using the log-periodic design might be as long as 3 m, while
34569-402: The same service area. DTV offsets the latter to a great degree, with the current FCC power limitations at 1 MW for UHF, 1 ⁄ 5 the former limits. Nevertheless, moving from a 100 kW low-VHF analog signal to a 1 MW UHF signal is still a considerable change, which some broadcasters estimated could cost up to $ 4 million per station (although most estimates were much lower, on
34776-424: The same span as did DuMont's, losing most of its programming by 1953 and ceasing operations in 1956. The FCC's " freeze ," as it was called, was supposed to last for six months. When it was lifted after four years in 1952, there were only four full-time television networks. The FCC would only license three local VHF stations in most U.S. television markets. A fourth station, the FCC ruled, would have to broadcast on
34983-500: The service achieved full national coverage. In addition to this, the only exclusively UHF service, BBC2, would run for only a few hours a day and run alternative programming for minority audiences in contrast to the more populist schedules of BBC1 and ITV. However the 1970s saw a large increase in UHF TV viewing while VHF took a significant decline: The appeal of colour, which was never introduced to VHF (despite preliminary plans to do so in
35190-450: The signal to correct for these errors. This works well with the type of constant low-level interference found on UHF, which FEC can effectively eliminate. In comparison, VHF noise is largely unpredictable, consisting of periods of little noise followed by periods of almost complete signal loss. Forward error correction cannot easily address this situation. For this reason, DTV broadcasting was initially going to take place entirely on UHF. In
35397-428: The six largest U.S. television markets (excluding only Philadelphia) as well as ABC's radio network. It also would have inherited DuMont's de facto monopoly in Pittsburgh and would have been one of two networks, along with NBC, to have full ownership of a station in the nation's capital. However, it would have had to sell a New York station – either DuMont's WABD or ABC's flagship WJZ-TV (channel 7, now WABC-TV ), probably
35604-505: The sixth and the last, DWDZ-TV (channel 47) of the Associated Broadcasting Company in 1999, but it was silent in 2003. UHF channels in Metro Manila were used as an alternative to cable television which offered free programing for households in the target markets and became popular in the 1990s. Similarly, pay services were also introduced in late 1992, when DWBC-TV on channel 68 began initial transmissions as
35811-465: The standard intermediate frequency of 45.75 MHz. Another was very poor adjacent-channel rejection and channel selectivity by early tuner designs and manufactures. These problems were so significant that UHF-TV stations in the same geographic area were usually assigned a minimum of six channels apart from one another. Technical problems with the design of vacuum tubes for operation at high UHF frequencies were beginning to be addressed in 1954, but in
36018-464: The standard of the industry. In 1942, DuMont worked with the U.S. Army in developing radar during World War II . This brought in $ 5 million for the company. Early sales of television receivers were hampered by the lack of regularly scheduled programming. A few months after selling his first set in 1938, DuMont opened his own New York-area television station (W2XVT) in Passaic, New Jersey . In 1940,
36225-631: The station moved to Manhattan as W2XWV on channel 4 and commenced broadcasting on April 13, 1940. Unlike CBS and NBC , which reduced their television broadcasting during World War II, DuMont continued experimental and commercial broadcasts throughout the war. In 1944, W2XWV received its commercial license, the third in New York, under the call letters WABD (derived from DuMont's initials). In 1945, it moved to channel 5. On May 19, 1945, DuMont opened experimental W3XWT in Washington, D.C. which became commercial station WTTG . Paramount Pictures became
36432-507: The studio never supplied the network with programs or technical assistance. The acrimonious relationship between Paramount and DuMont climaxed during the 1953 FCC hearings regarding the ABC– United Paramount Theaters merger when Paul Raibourn, an executive at Paramount, publicly derided the quality of DuMont television sets in court testimony. DuMont began with one basic disadvantage: unlike NBC, CBS and ABC, it did not have
36639-528: The third national network. despite a smaller footprint than ABC. While DuMont programs aired live on 16 stations, the network could count on only seven primary stations – its three owned-and-operated stations ("O&Os) plus WGN-TV in Chicago, KTTV (channel 11) in Los Angeles, KFEL-TV (channel 2, now KWGN-TV ) in Denver , and WTVN-TV (channel 6, now WSYX ) in Columbus, Ohio . In contrast, by 1953 ABC had
36846-402: The time of the 1948 FCC freeze. With the knowledge that UHF channel allocation would be necessary to expand television coverage, and with the knowledge that by 1949 VHF television was an entrenched standard, the FCC proposed intermixture , licensing both VHF and UHF stations in a single city. Intermixture would rely on consumers rapidly adopting television sets with UHF tuning capability, and on
37053-491: The trademark dead. All three DuMont-owned stations still are operating and are owned-and-operated stations of their respective networks, just as when they were part of DuMont. Of the three, only Washington's WTTG still has its original call letters. WTTG and New York's WABD (later WNEW-TV, and now WNYW) survived as Metromedia-owned independents until 1986, when they were purchased by the News Corporation to form
37260-410: The upfront cost of the equipment needed to reach those power levels. The introduction of digital television (DTV) changed the relative outcome of these effects. DTV systems use a system known as forward error correction (FEC) which adds information to the signal to allow it to correct errors. This works well if the error rate is well known, in which case a fixed amount of extra information is added to
37467-411: The use of aerials designed to receive a specific sub-band with greater efficiency than wider-band aerials could. Aerial manufacturers would therefore divide the band into over-lapping groups; A (channels 21–34), B (39–53), C/D (48–68) and E (39–68). The first service to use UHF was BBC2 in 1964 followed by BBC1 and ITV (both already broadcast on VHF) in 1969 and Channel 4 / S4C in 1982. PAL colour
37674-455: The vacated capacity was used for additional digital television services and put into alternative use, such as mobile telecommunications or internet services. Bandwidth for television in the United States was allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1937, solely in the VHF (Very High Frequency) band, across 18 channels. American television broadcasting began experimentally in
37881-606: The veto power held by sole sponsors. This eventually became the standard model for U.S. television. Some commercial time was sold regionally on a co-op basis, while other spots were sold network-wide. DuMont also holds another important place in American TV history. WDTV's sign-on made it possible for stations in the Midwest to receive live network programming from stations on the East Coast , and vice versa. Before then,
38088-514: The war brought rapid expansion in the nascent broadcast television industry. Thirteen VHF channels was found to be insufficient to support the desired expansion of broadcast television across the United States. Interference and channel crowding in densely populated areas (such as the eastern mid-Atlantic states) was a particular problem. This bandwidth crunch was made even worse by the need to re-allocate VHF Channel 1 to land-mobile radio systems in 1948 due to radio-interference problems. To illustrate
38295-448: The war that 12 channels (" channel 1 " had been removed from television broadcasting in 1948 for allocation to land-mobile radio) were not nearly enough for national television service. What was to be a six-month freeze lasted until 1952, when the FCC opened the UHF spectrum. The FCC, however, did not require television manufacturers to include UHF capability. To see UHF stations, most consumers had to buy expensive converters . Even then,
38502-575: The war. ABC had just come into existence as a radio network in 1943 and did not enter network television until 1948 when its flagship station in New York City, WJZ-TV ( WABC-TV ), began broadcasting. CBS also waited until 1948 to begin network operations, because it was waiting for the Federal Communications Commission to approve its color television system (which it eventually did not, due to its mechanical nature and incompatibility with black and white receivers). Other companies, including Mutual ,
38709-493: The wife of comedian Ernie Kovacs (both regular performers on early television) testified in 1996 before a panel of the Library of Congress on the preservation of television and video. Adams claimed that so little value was given to these films that the stored kinescopes were loaded into three trucks and dumped into Upper New York Bay . Nevertheless, a number of DuMont programs survive at The Paley Center for Media in New York,
38916-450: The years in failed attempts to band these stations together in a new fourth network. Some within the industry felt there was a need for a fourth network; that complaints about diversity in programming could be addressed by adding another network. "We need a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth network," one broadcaster stated. While critics rejected "the nightly tripe being offered [to] the public on the three major networks," they were skeptical that
39123-609: Was WNTA-TV (channel 13) in New York City . The NTA Network was launched as a "fourth TV network," and trade papers of the time referred to it as a new television network. Despite this effort, by 1961, NTA carried a significant debt load and WNTA-TV was losing money against stiff competition from independent stations WNEW-TV and WOR-TV . After being placed on the market, WNTA was sold to the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and relaunched
39330-504: Was cancelled after 21 episodes. Fox was ridiculed by critics and scorned by Big Three network executives, which believed that, like previous fourth network attempts, it would be limited by being mostly on UHF stations. NBC entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff dismissively nicknamed Fox "the coat hanger network," implying that viewers would need to attach wire hangers (often used as a free alternative to set-top loop antennas used to receive UHF signals) to their television sets to view
39537-475: Was considered the de facto fourth television network. Prime Time planned three book adaptions for their shows to air in May, July and November or December 1978 with two of them being John Jakes 's The Bastard and The Rebels leading the way for the rest of the book series that OPT optioned including two then currently being written. Martin Gosch's and Richard Hammer's The Last Testimony of Lucky Luciano
39744-423: Was converted entirely to digital UHF starting in December 2003, with all analogue television signals (both VHF and UHF) being terminated between 2010 and 2012. The analogue translators in northeastern Ishikawa Prefecture were shut down as part of a technical trial on 24 July 2010; analogue signals in the rest of that prefecture and 43 other prefectures were terminated on 24 July 2011. The analogue transmitters in
39951-426: Was flagging. While the more-established broadcasters were operating profitably on VHF channels as affiliates of the two largest TV networks (at the time, NBC and CBS), most of the original UHF local stations of the 1950s soon went bankrupt, limited by the range their signals could travel, the lack of UHF tuners in most TV sets and the paucity of advertisers willing to spend money on them. UHF stations fell quickly behind
40158-574: Was followed by Ntv7 in 1998 (also acquired by TV3's parent company in 2005) and recently Channel 9 (which started in 2003, ceased transmission in 2005, was also acquired by TV3's parent company shortly after, and came back as TV9 in early 2006). At current count, there are 6 distinct UHF signals receivable by an analog TV set in the Klang Valley: Channel 27 (8TV), Channel 29 (TV3 UHF transmission), Channel 37 (NTV7), Channel 42 (TV9), Channel 55 (TV Alhijrah) and Channel 39 (WBC). Channel 35
40365-454: Was formed by MCA and Chris-Craft Industries , owner of several major independent stations via their United Television subsidiary. With basic cable channels snapping up movie packages, independents looked to making their own programming. Hollywood Premiere was originally tested as a two night programming block on United's KCOP and MCA's WWOR before syndicating the programming to other markets. The block took three new programs and paired them with
40572-411: Was founded in 1956 as sports syndicator Sports Network, and purchased and renamed by business magnate Howard Hughes in 1968. Crosby speculated HTN could potentially add non-sports programs that "...can change viewer's dialing habits... it would be one way, less costly and with far less of a risk, to start the illusionary fourth network". While Metromedia "dabbled at creating a fourth network," including
40779-650: Was granted a commercial license, the capital's first, as WTTG , named after Goldsmith. These two DuMont owned-and-operated stations were joined by WDTV (channel 3) in Pittsburgh on January 11, 1949. Although NBC in New York had station-to-station television links as early as 1940 with WPTZ ( KYW ) in Philadelphia and WRGB in Schenectady, New York , DuMont received its station licenses before NBC resumed its previously sporadic network broadcasts after
40986-401: Was hindered by the cost of broadcasting , a freeze on new television stations in 1948 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and even the company's partner, Paramount Pictures . Despite innovations in broadcasting, and launching one of television's biggest stars of the 1950s— Jackie Gleason —the network never reached solid finances. Forced to expand on UHF channels when UHF tuning
41193-416: Was impractical and uneconomic to require these well-established VHF users to move to other frequencies, such as the 300 MHz – 3 GHz UHF band. All of this made expansion of broadcast television channels into the UHF band inevitable, though the technology and broadcasting characteristics of UHF was at this time largely unproven. Even the television standard to use to broadcast on UHF was in question at
41400-403: Was introduced on UHF only in 1967 (for BBC2) and 1969 (for BBC1 & ITV). As a consequence of achieving maximum national coverage, signals from one region would typically over-lap with that of another, which was accommodated for by allocating a different set of channels in each adjacent area, often resulting in greater choice for viewers when a network in one region aired different programmes to
41607-501: Was not the only company to report TV ratings. Companies such as Trendex , Videodex , and Arbitron had also measured TV viewership. The chart in this section comes from Videodex's August 1950 ratings breakdown, as reported in Billboard magazine. DuMont struggled to get its programs aired in many parts of the country, in part due to technical limitations of network lines maintained by telephone company AT&T Corporation . During
41814-411: Was not yet standard on television sets, DuMont fought an uphill battle for program clearance outside its three owned-and-operated stations: WABD New York City , WTTG Washington, D.C. , and WDTV Pittsburgh , ultimately ending network operations on August 6, 1956, leaving three main networks other than public broadcasting , until the founding of Fox in 1986. DuMont's obscurity, caused mainly by
42021-565: Was rejected by the U.S. Senate on the same day that TVN closed. In 1977, Paramount Pictures made tentative plans to launch the Paramount Television Service , or Paramount Programming Service, a new fourth television network. Paramount also purchased HTN, including its satellite time. Set to launch in April 1978, it would have initially consisted of only one night a week of programming for three hours, with 30 Movies of
42228-502: Was sold to Field Communications in 1977. In a series of columns in 1969 about a theoretical fourth network, Newspaper Enterprise Association writer Joan Crosby floated Westinghouse Broadcasting , Metromedia and Hughes Television Network (HTN) as possible candidates; Westinghouse was in the middle of merger talks with MCA Inc. , while Metromedia was entertaining a purchase by the Transamerica Corporation . HTN
42435-541: Was the only television network without a radio network, so it was the only network forced to pay for a service it did not use. DuMont protested AT&T's actions with the Federal Communications Commission, and eventually reached a compromise. DuMont's biggest corporate hurdle may have been with the company's own partner, Paramount. Relations between the two companies were strained as early as 1939 when Paramount opened experimental television stations in Los Angeles and Chicago without DuMont's involvement. Dr. DuMont claimed that
42642-713: Was the third adaptation scheduled for 1978. The Kraft General Foods Golden Showcase Network, or Golden Showcase Network, was launched in 1980 with assistance from SFM and ran at least to 1989. Programs on the Golden Showcase included The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank and Little Girl Lost . The Universal Pictures Debut Network, or simply the Debut Network, was a similar ad hoc film network created by MCA Television . The service reached agreements with ten stations in larger markets such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago by late 1984. The network planned to launch in two stages beginning in September 1985. In 1988,
42849-525: Was to ultimately become WNET 13 Newark ). Similarly, Delaware also had only one VHF station. Meanwhile, UHF broadcasting until 1949 was designated as experimental. In the fall of 1944, the Columbia Broadcasting System proposed a high-definition black and white system on the UHF band employing 750–1,000 scanning lines that offered the possibility of higher-definition monochrome and color broadcasting, both then were precluded from
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