Latest Episodes
June 07, 2026
E42: In Living Color (1954): The Day Television Went Over the Rainbow | 100 Years of Television #65
On January 1, 1954, television crossed a technological threshold that had been decades in the making: color. In this episode of Countdown to the...
00:12:59
May 31, 2026
E41: Winky Dink (1953): The First Interactive TV Show | #66
Long before touchscreens, controllers, or even computers in the home, there was a children’s show that invited kids to interact with their televisions—by drawing...
00:09:38
May 24, 2026
E40: TV Guide (1953): What’s on TV Tonight? | #67
TV Guide didn’t just list programs—it reshaped how America experienced television. From a pocket-sized weekly to the most widely read magazine in the country,...
00:09:10
May 17, 2026
E39: Countdown #68: Spinning the Hits: American Bandstand and the Birth of Teen Culture
Starting in 1952, an after-school dance program in Philadelphia called Bandstand began to sketch the blueprint for modern youth culture in the age of...
00:16:18
May 10, 2026
E38: Countdown #69: America's Favorite Family
America’s Favorite Family — The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952) Countdown #69 | 100 Years of Television (1927–2027) On October 3, 1952, The...
00:14:37
May 03, 2026
E37: Television Comes to the Breakfast Table with The "Today" Show (1952) | 100 Years of Television #70
The Today Show premiered on NBC on January 14, 1952, launching the modern era of morning television. Hosted originally by Dave Garroway and developed...
00:12:15