Today marks the 75th anniversary of commercial television broadcasting in the United States.

On May 2, 1941, the FCC issued the first ten commercial television licenses. (Many of these stations had been operating under experimental licenses prior to this date.) Under the license terms, the stations were required to broadcast fifteen hours per week.

The first television commerical is shown in this video. It aired on WNBT New York before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadephia Phillies.

References

Radio Today, July 1941, p. 28.

 
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