"The Newlywed Game" debuted on the ABC television network on July 11, 1966, scheduled at 2 p.m. (1 Central). It was the last U.S. commercial network series to premiere in black and white, although it converted to color, as did virtually all other network series that had not already done so, by the end of 1966, just before the primetime version began. On the day it debuted, CBS preempted its popular "Password" to cover a news conference held by then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, which was delayed a half-hour, with the network "vamping" until he spoke. ABC opted to wait until just as the press conference began, and as a result "The Newlywed Game" was able to get a slight head start in the head-to-head ratings battle with the long-running "Password." Over the next few months more and more viewers were tuning into "The Newlywed Game" and it became a hit, while "Password's" ratings began to fall and eventually led to the series' cancellation fourteen months later.