The history of Philadelphia television is the history of television in America. Philo Farnsworth, credited with inventing television, performed some of his earliest experiments at the Franklin Institute and at 1230 Mermaid Lane. Those experiments led to the city's first television station, W3XE. Channel 3 was also the first local station in the country to broadcast in color. WCAU-TV Channel 10 constructed the first building in the world designed specifically as a television station. WFIL created one of the most iconic shows in television history, American Bandstand, as well as Action News, which has helped Channel 6 stay on top of the ratings for most of the last 40 years. Dick Clark, Ed McMahon, Ernie Kovacs, Tom Snyder, David Brenner, Maury Povich, Kelly Ripa, Brian Williams, and others are among those who have worked in Philadelphia television throughout its history.
Bill Shull grew up watching Philadelphia television, appearing at a young age on the KYW kids' quiz show, Challenge. Shull produced the Fox 10 O'Clock News at WTXF-TV before spending 16 years at WCAU-TV. During that time, Shull produced the top-rated 11:00 p.m. newscast in the city. Currently, he is a freelance producer, television consultant, and owner of BillShullPhotography.com. Images for this book come from the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, as well as private collections.