Word: fcc
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...this was the initial upshot of the Federal Communications Commission's decision of October 11 in favor of the CBS system of hearings and closed sessions, the FCC voted to authorize color telecasting under the CBS method starting November 20. Columbia immediately announced it would be ready to begin a "new era of television" with 20 hours of color programs a week...
Only CBS, which stands to gain up to $150 million in patent license fees, seemed happy last week about the FCC's decision. Although Columbia color is superior to all other video color techniques, present and prospective set owners are alarmed that CBS color won's work over today's standard TV set. More alarmed still are most of the major set producers, who are grimly watching demand for their receivers fall off. But most irate of all are RCA and the National Broadcasting Company, who together have developed another system that can carry color programs in black-and-white...
...system should be adopted, the owners of 7,000,000 U.S. sets now in use could receive CBS color telecasts in black & white by adding an adapter (estimated cost: $25). To get the same telecasts in color would require an additional converter (estimated cost: $50). Explained the FCC report: "It would not be in the public interest to deprive 40 million American families of color television in order to spare the owners of 7,000,000 sets the expense required for adaptation...
...manufacturers, put on the spot by the FCC report, complained bitterly. Said one: "The masses might just as well forget about color TV until 1953 at least." And even Air King's President D. H. Cogan, who had strongly supported CBS color during the hearings, protested: "It would be suicidal now for a manufacturer to switch to making color receivers in the face of today's material problems...
Many observers thought that the FCC decision and the argument it started were academic. With the electronics industry shifting to military production, the U.S. may consider itself lucky three months from now to get a constant flow of existing black & white TV sets...