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 | |
| Type | Broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Allen B. DuMont Laboratories[1] |
| Key people | Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. (vice president; director of research) Mortimer Loewi (financial consultant) Ted Bergmann (director of sales, 1951–1953; general manager, 1953–1955) Lawrence Phillips (director of broadcasting) Chris Witting (director of broadcasting) Tom Gallery (director of sales) Don McGannon (general manager of O&Os) James Caddigan (director of programming and production) Paul Raibourn (executive vice president, Paramount; Paramount liaison) |
| History | |
| Founded | April 13, 1940 |
| Launched | August 15, 1946 |
| Founder | Allen B. DuMont |
| Closed | August 6, 1956 (9 years, 357 days) |
The DuMont Television Network (also the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont[a] /ˈduːmɒnt/) 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,[1] a television equipment and television set manufacturer & broadcasting company. DuMont was founded in 1940 and began operation on August 15, 1946.[3][4]
The network was hindered by the cost of broadcasting, a freeze on new television stations in 1948 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),[5] and even the company's partner, Paramount Pictures. Despite innovations in broadcasting, and launching one of television's biggest stars of the 1950s—Jackie Gleason—the network never reached solid finances. Forced to expand on UHF channels when UHF tuning was not yet standard on television sets, DuMont fought an uphill battle for program clearance outside its three owned-and-operated stations: WABD New York City, WTTG Washington, D.C., and WDTV Pittsburgh, ultimately ending network operations on August 6, 1956, leaving three main networks other than public broadcasting, until the founding of Fox in 1986.
DuMont's obscurity, caused mainly by the destruction of its extensive program archive by the 1970s, has prompted TV historian David Weinstein to refer to it as the "forgotten network".[6] A few popular DuMont programs, such as Cavalcade of Stars and Emmy Award winner Life Is Worth Living, appear in television retrospectives or are mentioned briefly in books about U.S. television history. In addition, a collection of programs and promos is available on the Roku streaming channel under the DuMont name.
- ^ a b "Allen B. DuMont | American engineer and inventor". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Weinstein 2004, p. vi.
- ^ Weinstein 2004, p. 16.
- ^ "A U. S. Television Chronology, 1875-1970". jeff560.tripod.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Ponce de Leon, Charles L. (2015). "That's the Way It Is: A History of Television News in America". press.uchicago.edua. Beginnings. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Weinstein 2004, p. vii.
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