"This Initiated Project . . ."
In the winter of 1953/1954, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a ruling that would shake up the television industry. The commission approved RCA (Radio Corporation of America) for the use of color in televisions, a decision that was met with controversy and legal challenges.
The FCC's ruling was based on extensive field tests of proposed color television systems from CBS, RCA, and Color Television Inc. (CTI). However, the decision was not without its critics. David Sarnoff, RCA chairman at the time, stated that the decision was "scientifically unsound and against the public interest" and that the quality of the CBS product was inferior to others in development.
Despite Sarnoff's objections, the FCC declared that CBS had the best technology at the time. The commission praised the color picture texture, fidelity, and contrast of the CBS system, deeming it the "most satisfactory".
However, the cost of converting to the new standards set by the FCC was a significant concern. The judges estimated that the cost would be in excess of a billion dollars. The Television Installation Service Association estimated that the new system the FCC approved would cost owners of approximately 600,000 TV sets in the Chicago area over $1.5 million, or $14.5 million in today's dollars.
The price of color receivers was estimated to be anywhere from $200 to $500, a hefty sum for the average household in the 1950s. The Television Installation Service Association was concerned that the new ruling would require television installers to make free service calls to install the new color receiver devices.
The controversy surrounding the FCC's decision did not go unnoticed. RCA, NBC, and RCA Victor Distributing Corporation filed a lawsuit against the FCC and the United States of America, challenging the FCC's decision to give the exclusive franchise to CBS.
The court case was lengthy and complex, with 53 witnesses, 265 exhibits, and a transcript of the hearings consisting of nearly 10,000 pages when it went to the Supreme Court as Radio Corp. of America v. United States.
The judges concluded that to prohibit the broadcast of color in completely compatible systems was unreasonable and arbitrary. They wrote that it was difficult to understand why the FCC refused to hear additional evidence and chose instead a course of action based on speculation and hope rather than on demonstrations.
The decision was a turning point for the television industry. Local 1031, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, stated that the industry had avoided a "violent overturn" due to the plaintiffs' counter-offensive in the case. Many additional parties, including Emerson Radio & Phonograph Corporation, Pilot Radio Corporation, Wells-Gardner & Co., Sightmaster Corporation, Radio Craftsmen Incorporated, Television Installation Service Association, and Local 1031, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, played roles in the case against the FCC's decision.
The FCC's 1950 ruling regarding color television was a significant event in the history of broadcasting. Despite initial controversy and legal challenges, the decision paved the way for the widespread adoption of color television in the United States.
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