1943 in American television

This is a list of American television-related events in 1943.

Events January 7 - The televised game show CBS Television Quiz ended on January 7, 1943, the day before WCBW temporarily shut down its studios and reverted to broadcasting only filmed material on an irregular basis until May 1944.Christopher H. Sterling and John M. Kittross, Stay Tuned: A History of American Broadcasting (Wadsworth Publishing, 1998; third edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002) pages 165-168 Alex McNeil, Total Television, (New York: Penguin Books, fourth edition, 1980) Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, (New York: Ballantine Books, third edition, 1964) May 1943- After losing on final appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court in May 1943, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) sold Blue Network Company, Inc., for $8 million to the American Broadcasting System, a recently founded company owned by Life Savers magnate Edward J. Noble. After the sale was completed on October 12, 1943, Noble acquired the rights to the Blue Network name, leases on landlines, the New York studios, two-and-a-half radio stations (WJZ in Newark/New York City; KGO in San Francisco and WENR in Chicago, which shared a frequency with Prairie Farmer station WLS); contracts with actors; and agreements with around 60 affiliates. In turn, to comply with FCC radio station ownership limits of the time, Noble sold off his existing New York City radio station WMCA. Noble, who wanted a better name for the network, acquired the branding rights to the "American Broadcasting Company" name from George B. Storer in 1944. The Blue Network became ABC officially on June 15, 1945, after the sale was completed. May 10 - On May 10, 1943, the Supreme Court (National Broadcasting Co. v. United States, 319 U.S. 190) upheld the right of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate practically everything that was radio, by sustaining the jurisdiction of the FCC to regulate the contractual relations of the major networks with affiliated stations.Folder 862 in the NBC History Files at the Library of Congress contains a report, dated May 19, 1943, of the reaction of NBC President Niles Trammell to this decision; this report has not been reviewed for the preparation of this Wikipedia entry. August 27 - The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) filed a brief in a petition to intervene in the FCC proceedings on the network sale of the Blue Network.New York Times, August 27, 1943, 17:1 The CIO complained that the NAB code regarding "controversial" broadcasts inhibited its ability to buy airtime. While the FCC denied the CIO's petition to intervene, it did invite the CIO to give testimony in the hearings.New York Times, September 4, 1943, 26:2 and Galveston News, September 4, 1943, 9:5 Newspaper Archive October 17 - Following the sale of the Blue Network, the Department of Justice dropped its antitrust proceedings against NBC on October 17, 1943,Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, October 18, 1943, 7:3 Newspaper Archive having previously dropped proceedings against CBS on October 11, and the federal courts, upon its motion, dismissed Mutual's antitrust claims against CBS and NBC.See the 1944 edition of the Britannica Book of the Year, under the entry "Radio", page 584; New York Times, October 12, 1943, 39:3 and October 19, 1943, 21:7. December 28 - In an early step was to obtain a deep-pocketed backer for the Blue Network, Edward J. Noble sold a 12.5% stake to Time Inc.,Fresno Bee, December 29, 1943, 4:2. This stake, however, was sold back by Time in 1945 Network Without Ulcers; New York Times, October 20, 1945, 7:2. and a similar stake to advertising executive Chester J. LaRoche, for $500,000 each. Smaller stakes were taken by Blue Network executives Mark Woods (president) and Edgar Kobak (executive vice-president, who would the next year leave the Blue for Mutual).See the 1944 edition of the Britannica Book of the Year, page 584 for the information regarding the initial sales, and Fresno Bee, December 29, 1943, 4:2

Television programs Debuts Date Debut Network November 29 The Voice of Firestone Televues WNBT

Births

Deaths

References

External links List of 1943 American television series at IMDb