Ziv Television
Independent companies began to create pre-recorded programs produced exclusively for television during the 1950s, selling them to local stations for distribution. The Frederick W. Ziv Company was a leader in this mid-1950s boom in first-run syndication, producing more than 2,300 episodes of primarily action/adventure and crime television, with many adaptations of popular radio series.
The WCFTR’s Ziv collection houses 16mm prints of all episodes of the 38 produced Ziv series, as well as more than 12,000 reels of picture and sound negatives. Most series lasted 38 or 39 episodes, with a few running 77 or 78 episodes, like Ripcord, Mr. District Attorney, and Favorite Story, or even more than 100 episodes, such as Bat Masterson, I Led 3 Lives, or Sports Album.
