A few thousand around the country, NBC estimated, saw the parade on color television sets at demonstrations arranged by manufacturers. The first colorcast of the tournament could also be seen on regular black and white receivers.
The network said this was the first West Coast origination of a color program under its "Compatible" system - receivable in both color and black and white - recently approved by the FCC. May Dean was grand marshal.
About four hundred persons saw the first coast-to coast color telecast Friday morning at the Paxton Hotel.
WOW-TV was one of 21 stations from Los Angeles to New York carrying the Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena, California. Four 14-inch color receivers were set up in the hotel ballroom for the 90 minute program.
[Researched June 1976 from micro-film in the old downtown Omaha Public Library on 19th Street. Mom and Dad parked and waited patiently outside while I ran in to copy this article from microfilm.]