About RCA - Color Television

Although RCA was not the first on the market with color television, it was the eventual winner in the color TV standards race. CBS had developed an awkward mechanical system for color TV reproduction, but Sarnoff's all-electronic, black-and-white compatible color TV system was declared the U.S. standard in December 1953. Promotion of color television broadcasts began within a few weeks. The Rose Bowl Parade was shown in color on January 1, 1954, although few people had access to color receivers.

The first RCA consumer color televisions were produced in March 1954. The Bloomington-made set with a 12-inch screen cost $1,000, and there were 31 stations around the country equipped for color TV broadcasting. By 1960, there were half a million color TV sets in use, and more than two-thirds of NBC's prime-time nightly broadcasts were "colorcast" during the 1962-63 season.

A big boost to sales, of course, was color programming. The most popular show during most of the 1960s, and the first western televised in color, was NBC's "Bonanza." For three years it reigned as king of prime time.

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