DUMONT -- THE FORGOTTEN TV NETWORK

During a conversation with a friend of mine a year or so ago I got a bit of a surprise. He is a bit of an authority on a few things, including movies, television, and rock music -- a well rounded guy with lots of trivia to throw around at parties. I am out to lunch when it comes to the subject of rock or popular music, so I can only listen in fascination or interest when he lights up on the subject.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I brought up the topic of the Dumont Television Network and quickly realized that he had no idea what I was talking about. (I'm nothing special; I had not heard of the 'missionary position' until a couple of nights ago.)

Truly, when someone calls Dumont "the forgotten network", they are not kidding.

Dumont was started in 1946 by Allen B. Dumont, a television receiver maker who decided he wanted to start up his own station... and more. One problem right off the top was that The Dumont Television Network never sprung from a radio network -- as ABC and CBS did -- so there was not the bonus of being able to draw extra revenue and talent from an established base.

Budgets were very low, therefor their product had a cheapness compared to the other networks. (ABC did not make an entrance to television until 1948, so Dumont actually had a bit of a head start.) Captain Video and His Video Rangers exemplified the cheapness inherent on the network; although, it was very popular... as was Cavalcade of Stars (hosted by Jackie Gleason, which morphed into The Honeymooners), and Life is Worth Living.

In 1948, the FCC froze new licences which made the expansion of stations problematic as they realized that the VHF spectrum of channels 2 to 12 was not enough to handle all the applications for startups. In order to expand effectively, Dumont had to calibrate into the UHF frequencies. Since very few people had televisions which could tune into these meant that the network went unwatched by many. (UHF-capable television sets were not not made mandatory until 1964.)

Dumont never really died but rather fizzled out; between 1955 and 1956.

Having a fourth network would not have been so objectionable, I think. ABC, CBS, and NBC just sound so political.

Having Dumont fall into the network footnote category certainly makes them more fascinating to some of us.

For an excellent site dedicated to Dumont, check out... http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm

The Dumont Television Network, 1946 - 1956; R.I.P.