TV Comes to the South

Television networks couldn’t really exist in the 1940s and 1950s without the coaxial cable, so its development was anxiously followed by broadcasting magazines and columnists.

A cable was laid south from New York to Washington. Next stop: Richmond, Virginia.

It appears the people of Richmond, much like those in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati, didn’t wait for the cable to put television on the air.

WTVR was Richmond’s first station and one of a number that began programming in 1948. Published dates from the period conflict. Broadcasting stated that Havens & Martin, the owners of WMBG radio, had applied to the FCC on March 15, 1944 for a television license for Channel 3. But as you can see in the full page newspaper ad to the right from March 7, the concept was already alive. In fact, a deal had been signed to become an NBC television affiliate, just as WMBG picked up programmes from NBC radio.

Whatever the actually date was is a bit of a moot point, as the FCC enacted a policy on Feb. 23 “not to act on any of the applications until critical material shortages had eased.” Havens and Martin’s application was placed in the pending file on April 5. And there it sat.

This brings us to May 1946. Again, we have conflicting dates. Broadcasting of May 6 reported Havens and Martin received a final construction permit on Friday, May 3rd. The issue of May 20 stated the company’s application had been granted on May 17th. Then the Associated Press reported:

Local Television Permit
WASHINGTON, May 23—The Communications Commission announced today it has issued a permit to Havens and Martin, Inc., operators of Radio Station WMBG, of Richmond, Va., to operate a new television station. The commission said it had assigned the new station channel No. 3 on 60 to 66 megacycles, with visual power of 12.16 kilowatts and oral power of 6.4 kilowatts.

Martin Codel’s Television Reports of June 29, 1946 reported the call-letters WTVR had been assigned to the new station.

As the cable was laid from Washington, WTVR had studios to build, a transmitter to erect and tests to be run. This appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 6, 1947:

WMBG Produces First Electric Picture In Its Television Lab
WMBG once more takes pride in being the pioneer in two new services to its listening public. [Omit paragraph about mobile telephone].
The second factor is the production of the first electronic television picture in Virginia. This first phase of television has been developed and produced in the television lab of WMBG and its television station WTVR. The announcement of this "first" by win was made by Wilfred W. Wood, chief engineer, in charge of research and development of the first word in television in the State of Virginia.
In announcing the development of the first electronic picture by WTVR, Wood said that plans were being rapidly formulated to have television available for persons in Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia in a matter of months. Thus, once more, the advance of service to the people of Richmond and Virginia has been pioneered by WMBC, thus keeping the people of the Old Dominion abreast of, and up to date with, the latest services made throughout the nation in the field of electronics.

Cables continued to be the new station’s undoing. The projected start date was pushed back. Here’s an extremely lengthy story from the Times-Dispatch, Dec. 21, 1947:

Local Station Nears Readiness for Television
By Frank Walin
While all of Richmond's major radio stations have definitely committed themselves to enter into the field of television only one—WMBG—has a station under construction.
Television, which has captured the fancy and imagination of millions of radio listeners, is now an accepted fact in such metropolitan cities as New York and San Francisco [sic]. Here in Richmond televised programs will be broadcast sometime after the first of the year, Wilbur M. Havens, president of Station WMBG, who is pioneering in this field, promised.
>WMBG, the parent station of WTVR, the city's first television station now rapidly nearing completion, is ready to go on the air almost immediately, Mr. Haven revealed.
"Our goal was set for December in opening the station,” he explained, "but we are having difficulty in getting the necessary lines from the telephone company." His immediate need is for a coaxial line from the present studios at 3301 West Broad St to the 431-foot tower at the intersection of Staples Mill Road and Broad Street. In addition the necessary facilities to pick up network programs from New York and Washington have not been completed, he explained.
"The science of television is advancing rapidly," Mr. Havens said, "New developments are being reported frequently."
He explained that television studios do not need the elaborate lighting systems now employed by the film companies to take pictures. During a practical demonstration at the Broad Street station television pictures were taken under ordinary lighting conditions and projected clearly on a receiver in a room adjacent to the studio. During the experimental tests all the lights in the studio were turned off and the subject being televised held a lighted match in front of his face. A clear picture, readily identified, was shown on the television receiver.
Although color films now can be projected by television, programs when they are televised here will be in black and white.
Two types of cameras will be used by WTVR to televise programs. One, a specially designed projector, will be used for motion pictures. The other, mounted on wheels, will be used for scenes taken in the studio. It can be moved rapidly from one corner of the studio to the other.
As an interesting sidelight, station officials have rigged a setup whereby a person can be televised in one room and actually see himself on the screen of a receiver in the control room.
When television does come to Richmond, viewers (that's the trade term used instead of listeners) will be limited to a maximum of about 25 hours of entertainment weekly, Mr. Havens said.
Programs will consist principally of sporting events and motion pictures. Yes, motion pictures. When the station goes on the air the owner of a television set will be able to sit back in his or her easy chair and watch films as they are projected in a distant station.
WTVR already has received sales pamphlets from film companies advertising films which can be projected on home receiving sets via television. Of course, they are not the latest productions of the film companies but they will furnish an entertaining evening for the average family.
Two Plans Viewed
Now as for news. Two plans are contemplated by the local television station. It may adopt the standard method of simply projecting the newscaster on the screen or it may flash a specially prepared script so that the viewer may read the news as it rolls off the teletype machines. In order to make the news flashes more dramatic, the sound of the teletype as it grinds out copy would be broadcast.
Several reasons were projected by Mr. Havens for the limited use of television in its early stages of development. He pointed out that programs available at this time are relatively limited in scope. Although all television stations will make use of motion pictures, he emphasized that not enough pictures are available to take care of a station's needs over an 18-hour day.
Elaborate plans for a large television studio in the present head-quarters of WMBG are now being studied by officials there. Present blueprints call for a large two-story studio in which a minimum of 10 scenes can be prepared. In addition, the plans call for a large carpenter shop to house scenes and construct them. The studio will be large enough to accommodate an automobile if it should be needed in a scene.
At the present a small studio on the ground floor of the WMBG building is being utilized for television tests. In various corners three scenes can be prepared for televising.
Mr. Havens said that an elaborate schedule is needed to broadcast a television program. While one scene is being televised in one corner of the studio a second scene, if necessary, must be hurriedly put together so that there will be no interruption in the continuity of the program, he explained.
What about advertising?
Varied Uses
"A sponsor's products may be demonstrated by a pretty girl actually using them or the station may flash a prepared advertisement on the screen," Mr. Havens said. This latter method is not widely used and is considered old-fashioned, he added.
In addition to local programs Richmond television fans will also receive programs from other cities much the same as under the present network plan of broadcasting oral programs. By means of the coaxial cable a cable inside a cable, television programs can he carried underground from city to city. Unlike present broadcasting facilities, television is limited to the immediate area of the station. Its waves do not follow the curvature of the globe and thus roam out into the distant atmosphere. A television station's range is limited to the immediate horizon seer from the tall antennas, Mr. Havens explained.
For this reason television antennas are raised as high as possible in order to increase the range of the stations.
Although the use of the coaxial cable appears to be the best solution for carrying network programs, powerful repeater transmitters can and are being used to relay television programs over long distances. These transmitters are stationed from 20 to 35 miles apart according to the terrain. If the terrain is low more repeater stations are needed. In hilly sections repeater transmitters may be placed on high ground in order to increase the range and thus cut down the number of transmitters needed.
WTVR is studying tentative plans to set up a series of repeater stations between Richmond and Washington to pick up programs from the nation's capital if the telephone company's plans to provide cable facilities between this city and Washington do not materialize soon, Mr. Havens said.
Managers of Richmond's four other radio stations are exploring the field of television but none of them as yet has applied to the Federal Communications Commission for the necessary construction permits. WTVR waited for almost two years before its application for a permit was granted by the FCC, Mr. Havens said.
"We are planning to enter the field very shortly and will apply for a permit from the FCC," Jack Stone, promotion and publicity manager of Station WRVA, said. In addition to the difficulty in obtaining the necessary license, the television transmitters must be tailored to meet the needs of the station, he explained. Today all television transmitters are custom built.
Edward S. Whitlock, WRNL, general manager, said, "We are giving television very serious consideration but as yet we have not applied for a permit. Space in our new building on Fourth Street across from the Times-Dispatch building has been allocated for the ultimate use of a television set up."
Lew Kent, manager of WXGI, also indicated that his station was interested in radio's newest improvement. “We are giving television serious study but have no immediate plans to install it,” he reported.
WLEE's chief engineer, James Duff, recently spent a week in New York City studying the latest televising methods, Irvin G. Abeloff, general manager, said. He, like the other three station managers, reported that his firm is interested in television and plans to enter the field as soon as it is practical.

Finally, the station went on the air. Here is the story from the Times-Dispatch, April 23, 1948:

Richmond All ‘Eyes and Ears’ As WTVR Presents Initial Television Program in State
The eyes and ears of Richmond were on television last night [22] as City and State officials and National Broadcasting Company executives assembled with a generous sprinkling of the public to participate in or watch the dedicatory program at WTVR studios.
Wilber M. Havens, manager of WTVR, WMPA, and WCOD, formally presented the new facilities while Richmonders crowded around sets in the studio, lobbies of neighborhood theaters, local dealers and department stores, or at home.
In accepting the facilities, which made Richmond the fourteenth city in the United States to have television Governor Tuck said the "free flow of news and information always has been one of the great bulwarks of our liberty".
Universal Right
Departing from his prepared text, the Governor added that "in our immortal Bill of Rights, it was declared that the freedom of the press," which he said means "all forms of communications," was one of the bulwarks of liberty. It should never be restrained and all men should have the right to declare their sentiments on all subjects, being responsible only for the abuse of that right.
"We should as American citizens, irrespective of whatever may be our avocation or our position in life . . . strive to see that the pure stream of public information will not be polluted . . . ," the Governor said.
"Had all the nations of the world the same unrestricted access to the truth as do we here in America, the misunderstandings among our peoples would be dissipated and the foundations would be laid for an unprecedented era of harmony and peace and understanding among all the people in every country of the globe," Governor Tuck said.
Governor Tuck also noted that Virginia schools have given emphasis to audio-visual education and said "television brings another great stimulus to our educational and our cultural activities. It offers unparalleled opportunity for dissemination of news and information, as well as bringing into play an entirely new source of entertainment."
Among State officials present at the studio last night were State Corporation Commission Chairman W. Marshall King; McCarthy Downs, member of the SCC; Speaker of the House of Delegates G. Alvin Massenburg, and Representative J. Vaughan Gary. Richmond's official family was represented by several department heads and Councilmen.
As was to be expected at the inaugural program, some of the pictures were distorted and a streak of bad luck hit, with electric lights and receiving sets blacking out completely sometimes. Studio personnel explained that this was caused by sets of varying voltages being hooked up to the coaxial cable.
Persons visiting the studios saw a magician hurrying through the lobby, black-faced minstrel men in loud costumes scurrying around and heard a false-bearded member of a hillbilly hand moaning, "Oh. I can't get the hull fiddle through this door." Apparently he got it through some door for the show went on with the bull fiddle.
Mayor Edwards termed the opening of the station a "significant occasion in the life of Richmond," marking "another milestone along our path of progress."
"I recall meeting his Excellency, the Governor of Virginia, on this spot one and a half-years ago," Mayor Edwards said. "Then we were hailing and congratulating WMBG upon the installation of Station WCOD with the new frequency modulation. It was the first of its kind in Virginia. Tonight we are back again—this time to celebrate the fruition of another dream — another plan — by the management of this station to be the first in Virginia to install television."
"You know, we pride ourselves here in the capital city upon the history and tradition of our people, but our eyes are always toward the future," Mayor Edwards told the spectators and listeners.
"We draw from our fine background the inspiration what keeps us in the forefront of progress as we know it today and plan for it tomorrow. It has been the constant desire of the business people in our city," he said, "to bring a fuller measure of service to the people of this community. That is why Richmond is a great marketing center. That is why tonight it is the first city in Virginia to have television. We are looking ahead and planning always for a better Richmond."
In Richmond for the big opening night wire various officials of the National Broadcasting Company, the network with which WTVA will hook up on or before June I. Among them were Witham S. Hedges, NBC vice-president in charge of planning and development; Noran Kersta, director of television operations; Charles C. Benis, Jr, relation department, and Easton C. Woodley, director stations department, who discussed the television network on the program.

And the story from the same day from the Richmond News Leader:

Scheduled Video Programs to Begin Tonight
Hundreds See Debut Of Television in City
By THEO WILSON
Richmond's new television station, WTVR, which made its bow to the city last night [22] despite technical difficulties which prevented crystal-clear reception on all sets, begins its regular telecasting activities tonight.
A weekly schedule of 77 hours was announced today, with the televised programs to be presented every day but Monday. On Wednesdays, from 3 to 4 P. M., the station will have its only afternoon telecasts. . . . All others will be from 7:30 to 9:30 P. M.
Last night, WTVR had its five-hour dedicatory program, which was viewed by hundreds of Richmonders who probably were more intrigued by the novelty than by what they actually were able to see.
STORE FRONTS CROWDED
They crowded in front of stores all along Broad Street, wherever a television receiver was in action; saw it in on a large screen in the Murphy, where the clearest reception was reported.
At WTVR itself, where guests had been invited to view the show on a number of receivers set up there, the reception was not consistently good. The sets blacked out completely on numerous occasions, the synchronization was off and the pictures were not steady.
It was explained there that through an error a set had not been attached properly and was causing difficulties on all of the other sets in the station.
On the inaugural program, Richmonders saw their first televised view of Governor Tuck, who yawned heartily once in the background when he probably forgot he was visible as well as audible.
PRAISED BY GOVERNOR
It was the Governor who jokingly said in his address, that being able to see as well as hear "has many disadvantages as well as advantages." On a more serious note, he praised television as a stimulus to educational and cultural opportunities, and as another advancement in the free flow of news and information which is “The great bulwark of our liberty.”
Also seen on television for the first time in the city was Mayor Edwards, who praised the station opening as “an event which am proud to claim for Richmond.”
Wilbur M. Havens, president and general manager of WMBG, WTVR and WCOD, also spoke, describing the station's facilities. Easton C. Woolley, of the National Broadcasting Company, told of the network's plans. NBC shows are due here in June. Two large projection-type machines in operation for the benefit of Richmonders last night threw pictures on portable screens. One was at the Byrd Theater, but was used for only the first hour of the show.
SET UP IN LOBBY
The other, at the Hotel Murphy, was brought front Washington. The screen was set up in the lobby and had a steady stream of on-lookers surrounding it. Although the Washington engineers frankly were disappointed in the transmission here, the spectators were interested enough to watch the screen for long intervals. . . .
Film made up the majority of last night's programming, which featured hillbillies, a magician, sports, news and other telecasts which will he made a regular part of the station's activities from now on.

Now that the station was on the air, the local press had almost nothing to say about it. Almost all TV news comes from wire service or syndicated stories from New York. However, there was this story in the May 11 News Leader:

Wildlife Body Will Sponsor Video Shows
A series of television programs on wildlife, among the first of their kind in the country, are being planned by the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, in collaboration with Station WTVR, as part of the commission's expanding information and education service.
The 10-minute programs are intended to bring before the public, “through visual means,” the aims and purposes of the wildlife policies of the commission.
The first program, to be given at 8:50 P. M. Saturday, May 22, will feature J. J. Shomon, chief of the commission's publications division, who will talk on the information and education program of the agency. He will illustrate his talk with charts and photographs.
Future programs will feature individual talks, discussion groups and lecture demonstrations, with personnel of the Caine Commission and other wildlife experts appearing as guests.

Television magazine of May 1948 reported there were also test patterns, sponsored by Commonwealth Sales Corp. and General Electric Supply Co., and a ten-minute sports show three times a week, sponsored by Wyatt-Cornick.

WTVR was added to the network on Wednesday, June 2, 1948. Here’s what the Times-Dispatch reported:

Television Cable Extended to City
Richmond’s television station was all set to hook onto the NBC network from New York today, following notification yesterday that the Eastern coaxial cable had been extended this far South.
An official at WTVR said last night that program orders from NBC were expected sometime today. He expressed a hope that some network television programs would he on the air before tomorrow.
The coaxial cable into Richmond, which represents its present Southern extremity, is a part of the Bell system's Eastern television network. Its installation here was announced by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, which said programs would reach Richmond over a 119-mile tube from Washington.
Thus the State capital becomes the sixth city linked to the Eastern network. Others are Boston, Philadelphia. Baltimore, Washington and New York.

The News Leader had an update the same day.

Network Video Scheduled Here
Richmond's first network television show will be presented tonight front 7:30 to 7:45 over WITR. Wilbur M. Havens, president of the station, announced today.
The show is from the National Broadcasting Company, with which WTVR is affiliated.
From 8 to 9 o'clock tonight, a second NBC program will be televised.
WTVR has been presenting telecasts originating locally and films while waiting completion of terminal equipment by the telephone company. Mr. Havens said today he expected to carry the full commercial schedule, but that no future programs could be announced at this time.

The difficulty with the above story is NBC did not offer programming until 7:50 p.m. It’s possible the story is an hour off due to standard-daylight time differences. From 8:30 to 8:45, the network aired In the Kelvinator Kitchen. From 9 to 10 p.m., it broadcast the Kraft Television Theatre version of “The Torch Bearers” with Valerie Cossart. This would appear likely, judging by a list of the station’s advertisers in the July 1948 issue of Television magazine. This is the list of sponsored NBC programmes it was airing:

Camel News Theatre, with John Cameron Swayze, Monday-Friday, 7:50 (Camel cigarettes).
Americana, quiz with Ben Grauer, Monday, 8:30 p.m. (Firestone tires).
Cavalcade of Sports, boxing, Mondays and Fridays (Gillette).
Texaco Star Theatre, Tuesday, 8 p.m. (Texaco gas).
In the Kelvinator Kitchen, Wednesday, 8:30 (Kelvinator).
Kraft Television Theatre, Wednesday, 9 p.m. (Kraft Foods).
You Are An Artist, drawing with John Gnagy, Thursday (Gulf oil).
The Swift Show, with Lanny Ross, Thursday, 8:30 p.m. (Swift meats).
Author Meets the Critics, Sunday, 8 p.m. (General Foods).
Outdoor Thrills, 15 mins. (Perma-Stone).
U.S. Royal Sports Time, (U.S. Rubber).

And some local spots:

Sportslight, Miller & Rhoads Dept. Store.
Bourne-Jones Motor Co., spots.
Commonwealth Sales Corp., spots.
Rockingham Clothing Store, spots.
Television, Inc., spots.

The papers do mention a few other programmes in the early going. Sunday, June 6, WTVR aired the Jackson Heights Tennis Tournament from New York from 12:45 to 5 p.m. Motorola sponsored The Wonders of the Universe, Thursdays at 8:15. Then there was the Joe Louis-Jersey Joe Walcott fight on June 23. The first boxing match on the station was Friday, June 4 at 9 p.m. from Madison Square Garden; Jess Flores vs Johnny Williams. And then there was the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. All of these were in the NBC network.

Some local shows were promoted in the July 1948 edition of Television magazine:

WTVR PROGRAMMING
Studio shows supplement NBC network programming
"Minstrel Days" duplicates the minstrel days of old, complete with "Rastus," "Sambo" and the interlocutor. The Four Minstrelairs, a Richmond quartette, supplies chorus background to comic solos by Rastus, as well as individual numbers of their own. There's an old fashioned opening and dosing chorus by the entire company and black face endmen, complete with flashy costumes and tambourins [sic].
"Uncle Schultz' Drawing School" is a simple format featuring WTVR's drawing artist Dick Hyland. Four to five drawings are made on each fifteen minute program, with "Uncle Schultz" explaining in a comic dialogue "how to draw." Show is aired three times weekly—Wednesday at 3:45; Friday at 8:05 and Sunday at 7:45.
"Which is Quicker" stars Wilfrid (the Wizard) Rutherford in a fifteen minute magic show. Four or five different illusions are utilized on each program, including the revelation of simple magic tricks. Program is another three times a week feature—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8:35 to 8:50.
"Tele-Disc," a six times a week disc jockey show, is set in a radio station, complete with turntables and control room backdrop. Local talent is interviewed by Jockey Welch and auditions are done to the current popular records. Occasionally short musical films of popular tunes are integrated with the live segments of the program. Interviews with prominent band leaders, vocalists and musicians complete the show.