This Was Television On January 11
1949: WDTV connects the Eastern and Midwestern U.S.
The 51st television station in the United States, DuMont Network-owned WDTV in Pittsburgh began its first day of programming on this date. Prior to this, live broadcasts in one region of the country could not be aired live in others. WDTV was the first linked by coaxial cable to multiple cities, allowing the same program to be aired simultaneously from Boston to St. Louis. DuMont’s proto-network spanned 13 cities in two time zones, a milestone in the rapid development of commercially viable television in the U.S. -A.D.
Today’s Birthdays: Marc Blucas, Slayer suitor (41); Kim Coles, sketch comic (51); Rockmond Dunbar, cop (40); Amanda Peet, network exec (41); Mitchell Ryan, flaky father (85); Lionel Stander, butler (d. 1994); Rod Taylor, trailblazer (83); Grant Tinker, producer/executive (88); David L. Wolper, producer (d. 2010).
This Was Television 
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