View Full Version : Early Color in Cuba


fsjonsey
05-21-2008, 11:20 PM
I was pondering this last night laying in bed. Were any Cuban television stations broadcasting in color before Castro took power? I know RCA operated at least one TV station in Cuba before 1959. I wonder if a ct100 or other rare early color set ended up over there?

Steve D.
05-22-2008, 01:04 AM
Here's Wikipedia's take on early color tv in Cuba: "1958 became the second country in the world to introduce color television broadcasting, with Havana's Channel 12 using the NTSC standard and RCA equipment. But the color transmissions ended when broadcasting stations were seized in the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and did not return until 1975, using equipment acquired from Japan's NEC Corporation, and SECAM equipment from the Soviet Union, adapted for the NTSC standard."

I guess its possible that a few wealthy Cubans may have owned a CT-100, or other early color set, and picked up color broadcasts from Miami prior to 1958.

-Steve D.

mr_fixer
05-22-2008, 04:30 AM
I bet if you could email Arnie Corro of Radio Havana, he could tell you. I'm not fond of communism but he is the living history of Cuban broadcasting.

fsjonsey
05-22-2008, 08:48 AM
I bet if you could email Arnie Corro of Radio Havana, he could tell you. I'm not fond of communism but he is the living history of Cuban broadcasting.
Neither am I, but contacting him could be an option.

NowhereMan 1966
05-23-2008, 10:25 PM
I do remember reading that the first color TV station in Cuba went on the air in 1957 and I think this was before any color TV in Florida. I can't remember where I read it but if I find it, I'll post the source.