The Walter Compton News

Last updated
The Walter Compton News
Starring Walter Compton
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running time15 minutes
Original release
Network DuMont
ReleaseJune 16, 1947 (1947-06-16) 
January 1948 (1948-01)

The Walter Compton News is an American television news series that aired from 1947 to 1948 on the DuMont Television Network Monday through Friday from 6:45 pm to 7 pm ET.

Contents

Broadcast history

The Walter Compton News premiered on DuMont station WTTG on June 16, 1947, then on the DuMont network on August 25, 1947, but was reportedly off the air by January 1948. This show had seasoned radio broadcaster and executive Walter Compton (1912-1959) reading news from a script with the occasional use of slides.[ citation needed ] Beginning on November 17, General Electric became a sponsor of The Walter Compton News. [1] In 1942, Compton had been host of Quiz of Two Cities, aired by Mutual Radio on WOL-AM in Washington DC, and on WFBR in Baltimore. [2] The program is notable for having been "the first news series on a television network to originate from Washington." [3]

Premiering in January 1948, Camera Headlines was a second attempt by DuMont to present a TV news program, this time using newsreel film footage. Camera Headlines alternated with I.N.S. Telenews .

It may also have been the first nightly television newscast to appear over a network, although it is possible that a television simulcast of Lowell Thomas's NBC Blue Radio Network newscast in 1940 and 1941 may have been seen, at least occasionally, on W2XB Schenectady and/or W3XE Philadelphia, but records are also quite sketchy.

Episode status

As with many DuMont programs, no episodes of The Walter Compton News are known to survive. Kinescopes were not available until the fall of 1947, and were used sparingly in the early years. Little else is known about the series, even though it aired on a major United States television network.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuMont Television Network</span> American television network (1942–1956)

The DuMont Television Network was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, a television equipment and television set manufacturer, and began operation on April 13, 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Television news in the United States</span> Aspect of news broadcasting

Television news in the United States has evolved over many years. It has gone from a simple 10- to 15-minute format in the evenings, to a variety of programs and channels. Today, viewers can watch local, regional and national news programming, in many different ways, any time of the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYW</span> Fox flagship station in New York City

WNYW is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship WWOR-TV. The two stations share studios at the Fox Television Center on East 67th Street in Manhattan's Lenox Hill neighborhood; WNYW's transmitter is located at One World Trade Center.

KDKA-TV, also known as CBS Pittsburgh, is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the market's CBS outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Jeannette-licensed WPKD-TV, an independent station. The two stations share studios at the Gateway Center in downtown Pittsburgh; KDKA-TV's transmitter is located in the city's Perry North neighborhood. KDKA-TV, along with sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia, are the only CBS-affiliated television stations east of the Mississippi River with "K" call signs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPVI-TV</span> ABC TV station in Philadelphia

WPVI-TV, branded 6 ABC, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the market's ABC outlet. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in the Wynnefield Heights section of Philadelphia, and a transmitter in the city's Roxborough neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">News broadcasting</span> Medium of broadcasting news events

News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network. A news broadcast may include material such as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, political commentary, expert opinions, editorial content, and other material that the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience. An individual news program is typically reported in a series of individual stories that are presented by one or more anchors. A frequent inclusion is live or recorded interviews by field reporters.

WJZ-TV is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, serving as the market's CBS outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, and maintains studios and offices on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with several other Baltimore broadcast outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTTG</span> Fox TV station in Washington, D.C.

WTTG is a television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the market's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV station WDCA. WTTG and WDCA share studios on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. Through a channel sharing agreement, the stations transmit using WTTG's spectrum from a tower also located in Bethesda on River Road at the site of WDCA's former studio facilities.

The 1947–48 United States network television schedule was nominally from September 1947 to March 1948, but scheduling ideas were still being worked out and did not follow modern standards. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1946–47 season.

The DuMont Evening News was an American news program which aired Monday through Friday at 7:15pm ET on the DuMont Television Network during the 1954–1955 season. Presented by Morgan Beatty, the 15-minute show was the network's third and final attempt at a nightly news broadcast.

Champagne and Orchids is an American variety show broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network. The network series ran from September 6, 1948, to January 10, 1949. Champagne and Orchids was a variety show hosted by Adrienne Meyerberg, billed simply as 'Adrienne', who sang in English, French, and Spanish.

Camera Headlines was an early American television series that aired from January 1948 to 1949 on the DuMont Television Network.

I.N.S. Telenews was an American news program aired on the now defunct DuMont Television Network from 1948 to 1949.

Elder Michaux is a religious TV show that aired on the DuMont Television Network, hosted by evangelist Lightfoot Solomon Michaux.

Public Prosecutor is an American television series produced in 1947–1948, which first aired in 1951.

Johnny Olson's Rumpus Room was a 1949-1952 American variety show hosted by Johnny Olson.

Major League Baseball on DuMont refers to the now defunct DuMont Television Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. More specifically, DuMont broadcast the World Series from 1947-1949.

Highway to the Stars was an early American live television soap opera, which was broadcast on New York City station WABD, flagship station of the DuMont Television Network, from August to October 1947, at which point it was replaced with Look Upon a Star, itself eventually replaced with Camera Headlines in January 1948.

Walter Compton was an American TV broadcaster and radio and television broadcasting executive who had an active career in American television and radio from 1936 until his death in 1959 at the age of 47.

References

  1. Billboard (November 22, 1947)
  2. Walter Compton in Washington Post (March 15, 1942)
  3. Bliss, Edward Jr. (2010). Now the News: The Story of Broadcast Journalism. Columbia University Press. ISBN   9780231521932 . Retrieved 20 September 2017.

Bibliography