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 (1940-04-13)
Launched
August 15, 1946 (1946-08-15)
Founder
Allen B. DuMont
Closed
August 6, 1956 (1956-08-06) (9 years, 357 days)
The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply 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, and began operation on April 13, 1940.[3][4]
The network was hindered by the prohibitive cost of broadcasting, a freeze on new television stations in 1948 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that restricted the network's growth,[5] and even the company's partner, Paramount Pictures. Despite several innovations in broadcasting and being the launching spot for one of television's biggest stars of the 1950s—Jackie Gleason—the network never found itself on solid financial ground. Forced to expand on UHF channels during an era when UHF tuning was not yet a standard feature on television sets, DuMont fought an uphill battle for program clearances 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 only 3 main networks, rather than public broadcasting, until the founding of Fox in 1986.
DuMont's latter-day 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.
^ ab"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.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
and 22 Related for: DuMont Television Network information
The DuMontTelevisionNetwork was launched in 1946 and ceased broadcasting in 1956. Allen DuMont, who created the network, preserved most of what it produced...
the DuMontTelevisionNetwork, which operated in the United States from 1942 to 1956. All regularly scheduled programs which were aired on the DuMont network...
affiliate stations of the DuMontTelevisionNetwork, which operated in the United States from 1946 to 1956. At its peak in 1954, DuMont was affiliated with...
DuMont Laboratories. Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc. (printed on products as Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc., commonly referred to as DuMont Laboratories...
The NFL on DuMont was an American television program that broadcast National Football League games on the now defunct DuMontTelevisionNetwork. The program...
(over-the-air) television network that would operate as a direct competitor to the "Big Three". Prior to 1956, the DuMontTelevisionNetwork operated as an existing...
A television broadcaster or televisionnetwork is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television content, where a central operation provides...
was also the name of a later daytime talk show he hosted on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork. He also was host of Johnny Olson's Luncheon Club on ABC radio...
involved in television production as early as the 1950s, producing several syndicated programs. Following the demise of the DuMontTelevisionNetwork in August...
sitcom broadcast on a televisionnetwork in the United States. Mary Kay and Johnny initially aired live on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork before moving to CBS...
science fiction television series that aired on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork and was the first series of its genre on American television. The series aired...
Is Worth Living is an inspirational American television series which ran on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork from February 12, 1952, to April 26, 1955, then...
sports networks. It never lived up to its dream of being the nation's fourth televisionnetwork, following the demise of the DuMontTelevisionNetwork. HTN...
UPN DuMontTelevisionNetwork E!, a similarly developed network in Canada, not related to the American cable network The CW, the televisionnetwork that...
Retrieved May 2, 2022. Bergmann, Ted and Skutch, Ira (2002) The DuMontTelevisionNetwork: What Happened? 21-22. Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. ISBN 0-8108-4270-X...
various forms. Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork under the title Cavalcade of Stars, first aired June 4, 1949....
American television programs featuring a combination of live action and hand puppets. The first version aired on the DuMontTelevisionNetwork from March...
formerly DumontDumont (TV program), a Canadian news program 2009–2012 DuMont Laboratories, an American television equipment manufacturer DuMontTelevision Network...
Hazel Scott Show was an early American television program broadcast on the now defunct DuMontTelevisionNetwork. The series, hosted by Hazel Scott, ran...
Global Information