Earliest date of photo is 31 July 1951.

• 12 August 2011 (original upload date)

eBay item photo front photo back

• Transferred from en.wikipedia by SreeBot

WPTZ-TV

• The photo has no copyright markings on it as can be seen in the links above.
• Since the program was a local Philadelphia early morning show, it would have not been of interest to those in Baltimore until after Kovacs became a national star.
• The life-sized doll Gertrude was regularly featured on 3 To Get Ready. Kovacs got the doll when he spoke on the air about the $15 per week props budget for the show, and asked viewers to bring or send anything they no longer wanted to Channel 3 (WPTZ). "Gertrude" was one of the items that filled the station lobby after his request.

Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers:

"Andy McKay tells the story how one day Ernie mentioned on the air that they had only $15 for props per week. Half kiddingly he quipped, "if you have anything around the house, you don't want send it to Channel 3." The lobby by day's end was filled with items including a life sized doll that Kovacs called "Gertrude." She became a regular on the show. Hey, she worked cheap."

• The show began on 27 November 1950 and ended 28 March 1952. NBC's Today show began on 14 January 1952. Because the local Kovacs show was a popular one, WPTZ-TV initially resisted taking the Today network feed, but because the station was NBC's affiliate in Philadelphia, they were eventually ordered to replace the Kovacs show with Today.
• The 1 May 1977 date stamp on the back of the photo would coincide with the PBS 10-week series of specials done on Kovacs, The Best of Ernie Kovacs. The PBS presentation began on 12 April 1977. The Baltimore Sun used the photo at that time for their television section.
• This was early television and most to all of it was done live; kinescopes were sometimes taken, but not on a regular "backup" basis as is the case in current-day broadcasting. Even if kinescopes were run, it was not unusual for them to be recorded over--reused for something else--in those early days. There is no known broadcast copy of any episode of the program. The Paley Center for Media has the show listed as programs they are looking for.
• A copyright search for WPTZ turns up no evidence of copyright. A further search using KYW (station's call letters were changed to this later on) turns up nothing relating to the television program or the photo.
• At the time the photo was taken, Kovacs was just a popular local television show host. He was not known on a national level, so it appears to be understandable that the station did nothing about securing a copyright on this publicity photo. Less than a year after this photo was taken, Kovacs was out of work at WPTZ because the network Today show took his early morning time slot.
• United States Copyright Office page 2 "Visually Perceptible Copies The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all three elements described below. They should appear together or in close proximity on the copies.

1 The symbol © (letter C in a circle); the word “Copyright”; or the abbreviation “Copr.”

2 The year of first publication. If the work is a derivative work or a compilation incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the derivative work or compilation is sufficient. Examples of derivative works are translations or dramatizations; an example of a compilation is an anthology. The year may be omitted when a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or useful articles.

3 The name of the copyright owner, an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of owner.1 Example © 2007 Jane Doe."