Prescience

A blog about early television contains the limited television schedules and Billboard magazine reviews of the original programming.

One report from April 13, 1945, describes a program put together after Franklin Roosevelt's death the day before.

"Television had its first chance at a special event here when Klaus Landsberg, director of W6XYZ, canceled his skedded show in order to present a memorial program dedicated to the late President Roosevelt.

Handicapped by the time element, Landsberg built a complete hour program from scratch that was dignified thruout and a stirring tribute to the great leader...

The entire program went off without a hitch, which was a tribute to Landberg's direction. This hour-show made history here tonight as it impressed upon Hollywood skeptics that television is flexible enough to provide the viewer with special events that will in time equal or surpass anything being done today by radio." Dean Owen. (Billboard, Apr. 21)

Landsberg has an amazing story. A Jew brilliant enough that the Nazis kept their hands off him until he could escape, taking knowledge that led to the development of radar for the United States military.  At 23, putting together TV from the New York World's Fair.  At 29, pulling together an hour-long tribute after the sudden death of the president.  More contributions and achievements followed before his death in 1956 at age 40.