Status Guide – “Eye Witness”
A total of 15 episodes of this half-hour documentary series were broadcast by NBC between November of 1947 and March of 1948. How many stations they aired on is unknown. They were seen in New York City over station WNBT and possible over WRGB in Schenectady, WPTZ in Philadelphia and WNBW in Washington, D.C. According to a November 3rd, 1947 article in The New York Times, Eye Witness was intended to “promote video by explaining the medium.” The premiere telecast was from the station’s transmitter at the top of the Empire State Building with Dr. C. B. Jolliffee (RCA Laboratories Executive Vice President) as guest.
The article noted that the November 13th broadcast would visit NBC’s Studio 3-H at the RCA Building and the November 20th broadcast would come from a mobile pick-up. Another broadcast, date unknown, was from the RCA Exhibition Hall. Ben Grauer was announcer and host for the series, which was directed by Garry Simpson. Dr. Vladimir K. Zworykin was the guest on the February 25th, 1948 episode, which UCLA has in its collection. No other episodes are known to exist.
Scenes from the February 26th, 1948 broadcast with Dr. Zworykin were included in the third installment of “Television,” a 1988 documentary series shown on PBS. The installment, titled “The Race for Television,” can be viewed at the Museum of Broadcast Communications (registration required). Simply search for “race for television” in the Episode Title box. The Eye Witness segment runs from roughly 43:08 to 47:03. The episode can also be viewed at the The Paley Center for Media in New York City or Los Angeles.
Sources:
“The News of Radio: Bob Hope Retains Lead in Night-time Hooper Rating–Fred Allen Jumps to Second Spot.” New York Times. 3 Nov. 1947: 44.
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