Regular Telecasting launched in the USSR

On October 1 1931 the USSR launched regular television broadcasting. Transmissions of optical-mechanical television were received in many cities of the country, such as Leningrad, Nizhniy Novgorod and Tomsk.

On this day the newspaper “Izvestiya” № 271 read “On October 1 1931 Moscow will become the first city of the USSR to launch regular transmissions of moving pictures (television) via the radio. Transmissions have been organized by the Moscow Radio Broadcasting Center of the People’s Commissariat for Post and Telegraph under the direction of the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute via the radio station MOSPS (at the wavelength 379 m) every day from 12 a.m. to 12.30. a.m.…”.

In 1929 at the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute (VEI) set up a special television laboratory which brought together P.V. Shmakov (the head of the laboratory), V.I. Arkhangelsky, S.I. Katayev, P.V. Timofeev, and A.M. Shemayev. Very soon the laboratory, which possessed expertise of production of both reception and transmission equipment of the optical-mechanical television, displayed their developments to the People’s Commissariat for Post and Telegraph (Narkompochtel of the USSR).

In 1930 Narkompochtel of the USSR took a decision to undertake works aimed at foundation of the Moscow Telecasting Center. The agreement on the development and delivery of laboratory set of flying spot television transmitter was signed with the VEI. P.V. The Shmakov laboratory successfully coped with the task and it was in 1931 that the Institute carried out experiments on transmission of radio emission, generated by the anew created television transmitter of flying spot (at the wavelength 56,6 m).

From October 1 1931 the studio organized at Moscow Radio Broadcasting Center located in 7, 25 October Str. (today Nikolskaya Str.) started regular TV transmissions. Telecasting was launched twice a week and lasted 30-40 min. The equipment was maintained by the VEI’s specialists-developers: P.V. Shmakov, V.I. Arkhangelsky, N.N. Vasilyev, and N.N. Orlov etc.

Building of television centers with introduction of electronic systems was mounted in the USSR in 1937. In September 1938 television broadcastings were launched by Leningrad Telecasting Center, whereas in October of the same year was started a regular operation of the Moscow Telecasting Center. A significant step in improvement of TV broadcasting quality was an adoption of the television standard, which stipulated decomposition of TV image into 625 lines.

In 1949 the Alexandrovsky Radio Plant launched a production of the first mass TV set “KVN-49” (made up of first letters of its developers — Keningson, Varshavsky, Nikolaevsky), which was issued up to 1962.

In 1950-1955 telecasting was beginning to cover the whole country. At first amateur TV studios were being set up in different towns. In 1951 was started a construction of the cable television line Moscow-Leningrad (KM-3). On March 1 1955 in Kalinin (Tver) was unveiled the first retransmitter in the USSR, which received a TV signal via the cable from Moscow. Building of radio relay and cable mains enabled the construction of retransmission TV stations, which received programs via intercity communication lines.

In 1960s was unveiled the system of color television, while in October 1967 color television launched regular color TV transmissions. In 1965 the first Russian spaceship “Molniya-1” was placed into orbit, giving an opportunity to broadcast TV programs, thus becoming a leap forward in television development. In the same year took place the first telecast Vladivostok-Moscow. In 1967 was mounted the national system of “Orbita” satellite telecasting, which immediately strengthened the TV audience with 20 million new viewers. Another major event was the launch of the Ostankino TV Tower and TV Center in 1967.

In 1950 television was available in three countries of the world — the USSR, the USA, the UK. By 1960 TV was broadcasted in 20 European countries. By the beginning of the ’80s, according to UNESCO, television was viewed in 137 countries of the world.

Lit.: Маковеев В. Г. От чёрно-белого телевидения к киберпространству // Очерки по истории российского телевидения. М., 1999. Гл. 5; Рождение телевидения в Стране Советов: к 75-летию отечественного телевещания / В. П. Борисов // Вопросы истории, естествознания и техники. 2007. № 1. С. 109-131; Трофименко И. Телевещанию в России — 75 лет // Теле-Спутник. Ноябрь, 2006. № 11(133); То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.telesputnik.ru/archive/133/article/88.html.