Newspaper ads touted new televisions as KTRK went on the air in 1954



>>See how much it cost to buy a television in Houston in 1954, the day before KTRK went on the air in the photos that follow... less 1961: Bunny Orsak as Kitirik and the Chronicle's $40,000 "Find the Name" Game.

>>See how much it cost to buy a television in Houston in 1954, the day before KTRK went on the air in the photos that ... more 1961: Bunny Orsak as Kitirik and the Chronicle's $40,000 "Find the Name" Game. Photo: Al Startzman, Houston Chronicle Photo: Al Startzman, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 81 Caption Close Newspaper ads touted new televisions as KTRK went on the air in 1954 1 / 81 Back to Gallery

On Nov. 20, 1954, Houstonians awoke to find they now had four television stations to watch when KTRK (Channel 13) began its first full day of broadcasting.

At the time, KGUL (later KHOU), the Houston Post-affiliated KPRC and KUHT were the only options for local TV viewers. (The city's lone UHF station, KNUZ (Channel 39), had gone off the air earlier that year.)

In those days, KTRK was known as the Chronicle station. Back then, the station was owned by the Houston Consolidated Television Co., a consortium made up of rival business interests that once competed for a license to operate a television station. President of this company was John T. Jones Jr., who was also president of the Chronicle. Houston Mayor Roy Hofheinz, already an experienced hand at owning radio stations, was Houston Consolidated's vice president.

As you'd expect, the Chronicle pulled out all the stops in its Nov. 19th editions, publishing two sections totaling nearly 30 pages ahead of the station's debut. A few articles promoted those in front of, and behind, the cameras along with upcoming programming viewers would see, some of it featuring Chronicle names like columnist Morris Frank and reporter Everett Collier.

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Anyone who had their sets tuned to KTRK when the first program aired at 9:30 a.m. saw the children's-themed "Smilin' Ed's Gang" sponsored by Buster Brown and featuring Froggy the Gremlin. Then came "Space Patrol," and later, coverage of the Army-Navy game. Viewers that evening could watch a star-studded live broadcast from the Music Hall that also marked the Houston Symphony's TV debut.

But if you wanted to see what the new station had to offer, you might as well get a new television set, right? At least that's what advertisers were hoping.

Here then is a sample of what televisions Houston businesses were offering up -- some for free if you entered a drawing -- in the Chronicle on Nov. 19. A decent black-and-white, 21-inch television set would set you back at least $150.

J.R. Gonzales, a third-generation Houstonian, covers local history with an eye toward the people and events that have mostly been forgotten to time. Follow him through Bayou City History on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 713-362-6163 or john.gonzales@chron.com.