TV History Bonanza! World In Color!

Channel Surfing & caught end of one of the Western genre's best, one of the Bonanza episodes. When I was young, this show was one of the first to be "In Color" in the world of black and white television programs around late Fifties & early Sixties on Sunday nights (best of my remembrance). Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, also on Sunday nights, was another popular program that was In Color, not black & white. If one even owned a television, which was considered a luxury item then, black and white tv being the most economical way to participate, a color tv allowed one watch to view a television program in color if it was filmed & broadcast as color. The programming would display in normal black & white if the TV was of the black and white variety. If any of the Big 3 major televison networks NBC, CBS or ABC's television shows were filmed in color, it was considered a badge of honor and was advertised in the TV Guide & local newspaper as "In Color", and there was a color designation next to the listing in the TV Guide & the newspaper if I remember correctly. Being "In Color" increased viewership of the programs & color tv sales. Any wonder that the technology transitioned that way. "Historical Periods in Television Technology" from www.FCC.gov presents a television timeline. Off topic, but in left menu The Internet: A Short History of Getting Connected and Radio Pioneers & Core Technologies if you're interested.
Back to TV. Zenith Television was a major manufacturer of TV. RCA was another one. There were other great brand name manufacturers, also. More television historical details & subjects are covered here. Wikipedia has done a nice job with links for this blog post, so check their Bonanza Television series history page and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color history. Timeline History of Television at www.About.com is also educational. uaw television tv history