Color television has become such an integral part of our lives that it may be hard to imagine a time when all TV shows were in black and white. But there was a pivotal transition period during the 1960s when color TV was first introduced to the public. Let’s take a look back at the history behind the advent of color television.
The Early Research on Color TV
The technology for color television was actually developed as early as the late 1920s. It was pioneered by two inventors – John Logie Baird in Britain and Herbert Ives in the United States. Baird gave the first public demonstration of a color TV system in 1928. Ives also demonstrated a working color TV system in 1928 but did not reveal it publicly until 1940.
However, these early color systems were mechanical and used spinning color disks rather than electronic scanning and cathode ray tubes (CRTs). This meant the picture quality was very poor compared to the black and white electronic television systems being developed around the same time.
In 1940, Peter Goldmark at CBS Labs developed a color television system based on electronic scanning and CRTs. This system produced a much clearer picture than the early mechanical color systems. Goldmark gave a demonstration to members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington DC in 1940 and they were impressed with the quality.
But the looming involvement of the United States in World War II meant that mass production of color TV was not feasible in the early 1940s. It was placed on hold as resources were devoted to the war effort. The priority was producing monochrome TV sets for military use.
Color Standards Approved in 1950s
After World War II ended, research into commercial color TV resumed. The early color systems were incompatible with each other and not compatible with existing black and white television. This prompted the FCC to step in and mandate a single color TV standard to avoid a consumer confusion with competing formats.
In 1950, the FCC approved CBS’s color system as the standard for American television. This was based on years of research by CBS and Goldmark. However, there were concerns over its compatibility with existing black and white sets. After further review, the FCC rejected CBS’s system as the standard in late 1953.
Instead, they approved a revised color standard from RCA. RCA had developed a color system invented by Richard Kell, George H. Brown, and others. This system was compatible with existing black and white TVs. It allowed color transmissions to be viewed in black and white on the millions of sets already in homes.
The first commercial color TV sets came out in 1954 from RCA along with color programming from NBC. But initially, the color TV market was very small – only about 150,000 color TVs were sold in 1954. The sets were expensive, costing over $1,000 (in 1950s dollars). Programming was also very limited, with only about 14 hours per week of color shows.
The Rise of Color TV in the 1960s
Color TV grew steadily through the 1950s but it was still viewed as a luxury item. By 1960, only 3.1 million households in the U.S. had color TV. The turning point came in the mid-1960s. The technology improved allowing prices to drop significantly. More networks increased their color programming. And the transition accelerated.
In 1965, around half of the evening programming on NBC and ABC was in color. Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color on NBC was extremely popular. CBS lagged behind until 1965 when it expanded color capability. By the end of the decade, over 90% of network prime-time programming was in color.
Sales of color TV sets took off as prices dropped – from $500 for a typical 19” color TV in 1964 down to $350 by 1967. By 1970, over 23 million households (almost 50%) had color TV. The transition was complete by 1972 when color TV sales outpaced black and white for the first time.
| Year | Number of Color TV Households |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.1 million |
| 1965 | 10 million |
| 1970 | 23 million |
Reasons for Rapid Adoption in 1960s
There were several key factors that enabled the rapid adoption of color TV in the 1960s:
- Lower prices – dropping from about $500 in the early 1960s to $350 by 1967.
- More color programming availability as all networks increased color broadcasts.
- Better technology – new solid state components led to more reliable and longer lasting color sets.
- The 1964 World’s Fair showcased color TV and made people want to upgrade.
- The Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 further increased interest in color for live events.
- Status symbol appeal – color TV was a luxurious upgrade for the home.
The 1960s was one of the most vibrant decades in history for culture and technology – color TV fit right in with the atmosphere of change. Once prices dropped to more affordable levels, adoption of color television spread rapidly through American households during this pivotal transitional era.
Conclusion
Although the technology for color television was invented back in the 1920s and 1930s, it did not reach the consumer market until 1954. The 1960s proved to be the pivotal decade when color TV went from an expensive novelty to an essential part of the American home. Factors like lower prices, increased programming, and appealing status symbol value accelerated adoption. By the early 1970s, the black and white to color transition was complete. After decades of development, color television had finally become an integral part of everyday life.
