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Source: TV Gospel Time

TV Gospel Time was an American Sunday morning television gospel music show that ran for three years on NBC network from 1962 to 1965. The show was based out of Chicago, with running time of 30 minutes. TV Gospel Time was the first television show designed to appeal to black audiences, according to Billboard Music Week October 20, 1962, when it launched in six television markets, New York, Washington DC, Augusta, Charleston, Columbus, and Baltimore. The number of cities carrying the show had grown to 20 by January 1963, and 50 markets by 1965. TV Gospel Time was the first television broadcast dedicated to gospel music airing one year before a similar gospel theme broadcast Jubilee Showcase started to air also from Chicago, on ABC network in 1963. TV Gospel Time was also the first TV broadcast of music performed exclusively by black musicians.
The show was produced in one of seven different cities for each episode featuring local talent from that region: Chicago, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Memphis, New York (Newark), Richmond, and Washington DC. The show pioneered the method of TV show crew, hosts and guests traveling to the location of the choir or orchestra, rather than flying the whole musical ensemble and their instruments to the broadcasting city to perform. In addition to the regularly featured choir, the TV audience got to see different black choirs from various cities each week - choirs they might not otherwise have been able to see. At that time travel for black Americans was difficult, with few hotels and restaurant options available to them. Perhaps the most remarkable note about Gospel Time was it was the very first all-black American TV show production. The hosts were black, as were the guests, audience, and the technical crew. Even the advertising that appeared during the weekly broadcasts featured only black personalities and models, which was the first time this happened on American television. When the advertising by Pharmaco Inc for TV Gospel Time reached a cumulative spend across its four brands exceeding one million dollars by 1964, it had become the largest spend of advertising to a targeted black audience demographic in US broadcasting history.
Sixty-six episodes were created, usually recording two episodes on one day in one city, featuring the same host but different supporting guests and a different local gospel choir for both episodes recorded on that day. Typically the guest artist would do two songs. While the theme of the music was religious, there was no preaching during TV Gospel Time, so it was a genuine music show, rather than a religious variety program with music. The hosts all sang during the episodes they hosted, usually with the visiting choir. The show was converted to and distributed on kinescope. Sixteen of those kinescopes are believed to have survived and content from those have been used to create the 2 DVD set. The program was directed by Peter Brysac and the musical director was the Reverend Alfred Miller of the Washington Temple Church Angelic Choir of Brooklyn. It was produced by Howard A Schwartz.