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January 2006
Pittsburgh's FIRST Television Show
Tuesday January 11, 1949
(front cover of program presented to guests of the inaugural telecast)
This event was celebrated in a special broadcast which originated from the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh and aired on all four television networks ...at 8:30 on Tuesday evening, the test pattern was replaced with a slide that read: "DuMont Presents - Your Magic Window." The inaugural program was broadcast from 8:30 P.M. until 9:30 P.M. ... Because WDTV had no studio facilities, DuMont brought its remote truck and the equipment needed for a local production from New York to Pittsburgh. |
WDTV signed on the air on January 11, 1949 on Channel 3, as Pennsylvania's 5th television station. WDTV was operating with an ERP of 14.6 kw visual and 7.3 kw aural, using a DuMont Acorn 5 kw transmitter and 3 bay batwing antenna.
WDTV was the third DuMont owned and operated television station. New York, NY (WABD) and Washington, DC (WTTG), being the other two.
In 1952, WDTV switched to Channel 2. WDTV was owned operated by DuMont from 1949 until the sale to Westinghouse.
Westinghouse officially took over WDTV on January 10, 1955 . WDTV would become KDKA-TV. The DuMont network went out of business only a few months after selling WDTV to Westinghouse.
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