Color TVs reach retailers, September 28,
1951
Suzanne Deffree - September 28, 2016
CBS-Columbia color television models were the first color TVs
to reach retailers on September 28, 1951, but were pulled
back just weeks later.
CBS had expanded its color broadcasting schedule gradually
to 12 hours per week while also expanding to 11 affiliates as
far west as Chicago. But the network’s commercial success
was hindered by the lack of color receivers necessary to watch
the programs, the refusal of TV makers to create adapters for
existing black-and-white sets, and the unwillingness of
advertisers to sponsor broadcasts seen by almost no one.
So in April 1951, CBS bought a television manufacturer and in September of that year, production
began on the CBS-Columbia color television model.
Only 200 sets had been shipped and only 100 sold when CBS discontinued its color television system
on October 20, 1951. The company did so at request of the National Production Authority, which did
not want color TVs shipped for the duration of the Korean War.
CBS bought back all of the color sets it could to avoid customer lawsuits.
RCA, which had been working on its own color systems, charged that the National Production
Authority’s request had come "out of a situation artificially created by one company to solve its own
perplexing problems" because CBS had been unsuccessful in its color venture.
RCA’s attempts until that point had been fraught with technical problems. However, by 1959 RCA
was the only remaining major manufacturer of color sets.
RCA at the time was the parent company of NBC. The peacock network had a major advantage over
CBS and ABC, and made the first coast-to-coast color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of
Roses Parade on New Year’s Day 1954.
This 1954 ad for the CBS-Columbia Full Fidelity Color TV Receiver shows its inner workings.
Source: Television History: The First 75 Years
CBS and ABC became reluctant to broadcast in color, as it benefited their competitor, but by the
1966-1967 broadcasting season, all three networks were airing full color prime time schedules.
For more moments in tech history, see this blog. EDN strives to be historically accurate with these
postings. Should you see an error, please notify us.
Editor's note: This article was originally posted on September 28, 2012 and edited on September
28, 2016.