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| Kansas City Star, December 2, 1949 |
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| Kansas City Star, December 3, 1949 |
Another debut was made that night as Clyde Lovellette played in his first game for the Jayhawks.
The following is the Kansas City Star's take on the novelty, from its December 4 , 1949 issue.
CAGERS ARE TV STARS
FAST ACTION INTO LENSES AT K. U. – ROCKHURST GAME.
Two Cameras Give Fans at Home a Close-Up Seat as Basketball Joins Other Video Sports.
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Basketball made its television debut in Kansas City last night and proved itself a worthy companion of the sports of the ring and the rink as a WDAF-TV medium. The probing eye of video brought out all the speed and gusto of action as the University of Kansas defeated Rockhurst college, 55 to 34.
TWO CAMERAS ARE USED.
With the two cameras settled in a corner of the Mason-Halpin field house at Rockhurst, the plays were followed as they were set up. Then the cameras seemingly reached almost into the baskets to follow the course of the ball as the counters were rung up. K. U. had little trouble in handling the Rockhurst team, but the Kansas City school had it all over the Jayhawkers in the field of uniforms being telegenic. The white Rockhurst letters stood out well against the dark blue uniforms, while K. U.’s blue letters on red uniforms were at times indistinct. Strangely enough, the television was at its best when the play was in the end of the court away from the cameras. There, the range took in the entire width of the court. At the near end the camera’s scope was lessened by the very proximity.
TV AUDIENCE KEPT POSTED.
Victor Peck, the announcer, concentrated on identifying the players and keeping the television audience posted on the score and the time, letting the cameras provide the account of the action. In many instances the cameras took the viewer closer to the play than they ever could have gone if at the scene of the game. One outstanding sequence was in the first half when the cameras swooped down on the basket while eager Jayhawkers tapped the ball six times in a futile effort to sink rebound shots. The close confines of the gymnasium were ideal for picking up the cheers, the enthusiasm which marks basketball. At one time Peck’s voice virtually was drowned out as the partisan crowd booed what it considered roughness on the part of a Kansas player.
CROWD AT NEAR RECORD.
Between halves Peck interviewed the Rev. Paul Smith, Rockhurst athletic director, who estimated the crowd at 3,400, a near record for the field house. Father Smith also volunteered the statement that: “We are very glad to have television here and I want you to know the welcome sign will always be out for WDAF-TV.” Also in the intermission Peck explained that WDAF-TV had a 9-man crew at the scene and that the mobile video unit was parked outside the field house, relaying the program to thousands of television sets in the area.
Moving back to the court between halves the cameras picked up a shot of Dr. F. C. Allen, Jayhawker coach, at his ebullient best, slapping a well-wisher on the back while, at the same time, issuing orders to his players, about to take the floor.
FIND A GAP IN DEFENSE.
At the onset of the half the cameras themselves seemed to pick a gap in the K. U. defense, through which Rockhurst quickly drove for a setup. Again, the cameras moved down for a closeup of towering Clyde Lovellette, K. U.’s highly touted sophomore, shaking his head in disgust after flubbing an easy one. As usual, there were those who made deliberate efforts to make their actions seen over television. But they were confined to a group of 7 and 8 year olds seated on the floor level at the far end. They jumped, waved and grimaced for the benefit of the cameras on several occasions.
Other Early Televised KU Games
One other KU basketball game was televised that season, the Fifth District NCAA play-in game against Bradley on March 20, 1950 in Kansas City, also broadcast by WDAF. Television sets were rare in Lawrence, so watch parties for the Bradley game were arranged for the few sets available. The high school had two 16-inch-screen sets placed on the stage of the auditorium where about 600 people gathered to watch the game. The KU Student Union also had a brand new TV tuned to the game. Downtown businesses with TVs reported crowds of between 20 to 100, some watching through the windows from outside.During the 1950-51 season, only one KU game was televised, but not locally. The KU - St. John's game in Madison Square Garden on December 12, 1950 was televised in New York City on WPIX, and the game was called by Curt Gowdy.
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| New York Daily News, December 12, 1950 |
The first KU home game to be televised was against Kansas State on March 7, 1952. Played in Hoch Auditorium, it was also broadcast by WDAF in Kansas City. An estimated one million viewers saw KU win. The Kansas City viewing area had about 195,000 TV sets at that time. In Lawrence, watch parties were organized. The following is an excerpt from the Lawrence Journal-World's report of game.
Along with the game and its general area telecast, big screen TV made its debut in Kansas at Lawrence's own Granada Theater. Over 900 fans, about 200 of them from Manhattan where TV reception is extremely poor, jammed every seat in the local theater to see the Wildcats and Jayhawkers perform on the giant 14 by 20 foot screen. The theater picked up its signal direct from the auditorium where the game was in progress.
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| Kansas City Times, March 8, 1952 |
KU's first nationally televised game was against Wisconsin, played on December 10, 1955 in Madison on CBS.
