NTA Film Network

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The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956 that operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios. Despite attracting more than 100 affiliate stations and securing the financial support of Twentieth Century-Fox (which purchased a 50% share of NTA in November 1956), the network proved unprofitable and was discontinued by 1961. The NTA Film Network's flagship station WNTA-TV is now WNET, one of the flagship stations of the Public Broadcasting Service.

Origins

Parent company National Telefilm Associates was founded by producers Ely Landau and Oliver A. Unger[1] in 1954 when Landau's film and television production company Ely Landau, Inc. was reorganized in partnership with Unger and screenwriter/producer Harold Goldman.[2] NTA was the successor company to U.M. & M. TV Corporation, which it purchased in 1956.[3]

In October 1956, the NTA Film Network was launched with more than 100 affiliate stations.[4] It was a syndication service that distributed films and television programs to independent television stations and stations affiliated with NBC, CBS or ABC. The network's flagship station was WNTA-TV Channel 13 in New York.[5] Trade papers called the NTA Film Network a new television network.[6]

Unlike the Big Three television networks, the local stations in the NTA Film Network were not connected via coaxial cable or microwave relay. Instead, NTA Film Network programs were mailed to each station, a method used by other television syndicators in the 1950s and 1960s. However, many local stations agreed to broadcast NTA Film Network programs simultaneously. Landau's claim to network status was based on the simultaneous airing of the programs.[7]

In November 1956, Twentieth Century-Fox announced its 50% purchase of the NTA Film Network and its plans to produce original content for the network.[4] The film network grew to 128 stations.[8] In September 1957, the network purchased KMGM-TV (now KMSP-TV) in Minneapolis.[9]

Affiliates

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The following is a list of NTA Film Network affiliate stations in November 1956.[10]

Ada, OK: KTEN Grand Junction: KREX-TV Oklahoma City: KGEO
Allentown-Bethlehem, PA: WGLV Green Bay-Marinette, WI: WBAY-TV Peoria: WTVH
Anchorage: KTVA Harrisburg: WCMB-TV Phoenix: KPHO-TV
Amarillo, TX: KGNC-TV Hattiesburg: WDAM-TV Portland, ME: WCSH
Asheville, NC: WLOS Henderson-Las Vegas: KLRJ-TV Portland, OR: KPTV
Atlanta: WAGA Houston: KTRK-TV Providence: WJAR
Austin, MN: KMMT Indianapolis: WFBM-TV Raleigh-Durham: WTVD
Bakersfield: KERO-TV Jackson, MS: WLBT Richmond: WTVR-TV
Bangor, ME: WABI-TV Jefferson City, MO: KRCG Roanoke, VA: WDBJ
Birmingham, AL: WBRC Johnstown, PA: WARD-TV Rock Island: WHBF-TV
Bismarck ND: KBMB-TV Juneau: KINY-TV Rockford, IL: WREX-TV
Carlsbad NM: KAVE-TV Kansas City: KMBC-TV Salt Lake City: KSL-TV
Cedar Rapids-Waterloo: KWWL Kearney, NE: KHOL-TV San Angelo, TX: KTXL-TV
Charleston, WV: WCHS-TV Knoxville: WBIR-TV San Antonio: KENS-TV
Charleston, SC: WUSN-TV West Lafayette, IN: WFAM-TV San Diego: XETV
Chattanooga: WDEF-TV Lafayette, LA: KLFY-TV Savannah: WSAV-TV
Chicago: WGN-TV Lincoln: KOLN Seattle-Tacoma: KTNT-TV
Cincinnati: WKRC-TV Little Rock-Pine Bluff: KATV Sioux City: KTIV
Cleveland: WJW-TV Los Angeles: KTTV South Bend-Elkhart, IN: WSJV
Columbus, GA: WDAK-TV Lubbock: KDUB Spokane: KREM-TV
Columbus, OH: WTVN-TV Madison: WISC-TV Springfield, MA: WHYN-TV
Columbus, MS: WCBI-TV Memphis: WMCT St. Joseph, MO: KFEQ-TV
Dallas-Ft Worth: KFJZ-TV Miami: WGBS-TV Sweetwater, TX: KPAR-TV
Decatur, IL: WTVP-TV Milwaukee: WITI Tampa: WSUN-TV
Decatur, AL: WMSL-TV Minneapolis: WTCN-TV Tucson: KVOA
Denver: KTVR Minot: KCJB-TV Tulsa-Muskogee: KOTV
Des Moines-Ames: WOI-TV Mobile: WALA-TV Twin Falls, ID: KLIX-TV
Dickinson, ND: KDIX-TV Monroe, LA: KNOE-TV Washington: WMAL-TV
Dothan, AL: WTVY Montgomery: WCOV-TV Waterloo-Ft Wayne, IN: WINT
Duluth-Superior: KDAL-TV Muncie: WLBC Watertown, NY: WCNY-TV
Eau Claire: WEAU-TV Nashville: WSIX-TV Wichita Falls, TX: KSYD-TV
El Paso: KROD-TV New Jersey-New York: WATV, later WNTA Wichita-Hutchinson: KTVH
Fairbanks: KTVF Norfolk: WVEC-TV Wilkes Barre-Scranton: WILK-TV
Fargo-Valley City: KXJB-TV Oak Hill, WV: WOAY-TV York, PA: WNOW-TV

Later affiliates included KOOK-TV in Billings, Montana (c. 1958–1959),[11] KONO-TV in San Antonio (c. 1958–1959),[12][13] WISH-TV in Indianapolis (c. 1958–1959)[14] and KTVU in San Francisco (c. 1959–1960).[15] The network purchased KMGM-TV in Minneapolis in September 1957.[9]

Programs

File:NTA Suez 1957.jpg
The NTA Film Network broadcast both films and television programs. NTA publicized its feature films as "Spectaculars". Seen here is the 1957 advertisement for the first TV airing of Suez, starring Tyrone Power and Loretta Young.

The NTA Film Network aired both films and television series. Among its 1956–1957 offerings were 52 Twentieth Century-Fox films.[5] Premiere Performance, a prime-time block of Twentieth Century-Fox films, aired from 1957 to 1959. Other film blocks included TV Hour of Stars[16] and The Big Night (both 1958–1959).[17]

The network's television programs included:

Other lesser-known NTA series included:

In October 1956, the NTA Film Network also announced provisional plans to telecast live sporting and special events (using network relays) by the 1959–1960 television season.[25] <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:50 PlotArea = left:12 right:12 bottom:0 top:0 AlignBars = justify

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 from:09/01/1958 till:09/01/1959 color:Mus text:Juke Box Jury
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 from:09/01/1958 till:09/01/1959 color:Dra text:Danger Is My Business
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 from:09/01/1958 till:09/01/1959 color:Mov text:TV Hour of Stars (90)
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 from:09/01/1958 till:09/01/1961 color:Dra text:Divorce Court
 from:09/15/1958 till:06/15/1959 color:Dra text:William Tell (39)
 from:10/23/1958 till:08/23/1959 color:Com text:This is Alice (39)

 from:01/01/1959 till:11/01/1959 color:Mus text:Mantovani (39)
 from:09/01/1959 till:09/01/1960 color:Oth text:Alex in Wonderland
 from:09/01/1959 till:09/01/1960 color:Com text:Glencannon
 from:09/01/1959 till:12/31/1959 color:Tal text:Henry Morgan and Company (16)
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 from:09/01/1959 till:09/01/1960 color:Dra text:Grand Jury (39)
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 from:09/01/1960 till:09/01/1961 color:Dra text:The Third Man (77)
 from:09/01/1960 till:09/01/1961 color:Tal text:The Oscar Levant Show
 from:09/09/1960 till:07/02/1961 color:Dra text:Assignment: Underwater (39)
 from:09/24/1960 till:02/08/1961 color:Kid text:Q. T. Hush (100)

 from:09/01/1962 till:09/01/1963 color:Tal text:Probe (52)
 from:09/01/1963 till:09/01/1964 color:Kid text:Hergé's Adventures of Tintin
 from:09/01/1964 till:09/01/1965 color:Oth text:The Fair Adventure
 from:09/01/1965 till:09/01/1966 color:Kid text:Day with Doodles

</timeline>

Friday night NTA Film Network schedule for the 1958–1959 television season
7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
— Man Without a Gun This Is Alice How to Marry a Millionaire Premiere Performance (20th Century Fox movies)

Up to 17 television stations followed this schedule for the 1958–1959 television season; other affiliates aired the programs out of pattern.[26]

End of network

In January 1959, Ely Landau was succeeded by Charles C. Barry, who assumed the role of president of network operations. Landau continued to chair National Telefilm Associates.[27] Despite Twentieth Century-Fox's 50% ownership, the film network never developed into a major commercial television network on a par with the "Big Three" television networks. Several modern television historians regard the NTA Film Network as a syndication service rather than a major television network.[28][29]

By 1961, WNTA-TV was losing money, and the network's flagship station was sold to the Educational Broadcasting Corporation that November. WNTA-TV became WNDT (later WNET), flagship station of the National Educational Television network, a forerunner of PBS.[30] NTA network operations did not continue without a flagship station, although parent company National Telefilm Associates continued syndication services. Four television series (Probe, Tintin, The Fair Adventure and A Day with Doodles) were syndicated by NTA between 1962 and 1966.[23]

See also

Other early failed American television networks:

Further reading

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Production Radio and Television, pg 942Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ McNeil, Alex (1980). Total Television (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books. Template:ISBN.
  29. ↑ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. Template:ISBN.
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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