American television directory (1946)

Now, with Victory won, we can expect scientific research to move with everaccelerating speed to make the requisite equipment and techniques available in a relatively short time. Then, with pic¬ ture-bearing high frequencies carrying the news of the moment across the con¬ tinent with the speed of light, television news will be established in its own right. Field news units will be supplied with truly portable cameras of the orthicon type, with smaller mosaics yet of high quality and efficiency. These will enable the cameraman to scan the com¬ plete gamut of scenes from extreme general view to intimate close-up. These field news units will cover every signifi¬ cant event and activity making up the life and growth of our civilization. Underwriters Needed Enough experience is available in the news fields of radio and motion pictures to visualize clearly the organization necessary to establish a comprehensive television news service. And it also be¬ comes clear that only major networks or interested motion picture companies are likely to underwrite such services. The tradition of radio, and the trust imposed on news-gathering organiza¬ tions to see that no vested interest shall color or influence the choice of news, means that the major expense must be borne on a “prestige” basis by large companies in allied fields. It follows that network television services will be few in number, but in high competition these will deliver the superior quality that results from that form of free initiative. News of top interest and importance would be given “flash” treatment, in¬ terrupting scheduled programs if neces¬ sary. Photographic methods of record¬ ing the sound and picture of the initial spotnews broadcast would enable re¬ transmission at a later time, in edited form, in the normally scheduled news roundup, or for use as “visualization” in a news-analyst’s later interpretations of the day’s events. Film will never en¬ tirely be eliminated, any more than rec¬ ords were by the introduction of radio. Even in news, film will have the func¬ tion of supplying much background in¬ formation. The past few years have seen a revolution in informational edu¬ cation of the public — through the popu¬ lar press, magazines, films and radio — with a strong trend toward “background interpretation” of news. In the Tele¬ vision News Service organization this means more than just a research sec¬ tion of the editorial department. It makes imperative the setting up of a complete motion picture news library or “morgue.” Here, all important events and personalities would be catalogued and indexed with such efficiency and skill, that relevant film could be selected and edited into an explanatory entity, in a matter of minutes. Paul Alley’s commendable handling of the obituary of the late President Roosevelt for NBC, showed what can be done in this phase of pictorial news. Future television demands will call for film editors and methods that can handle this form of news picture analy¬ sis at highest speed. (Continued on page 124) PIONEERING a great new medium of news coverage: WNBT sets up its cameras atop the Hotel Astor s marquee to televise the New York's historic V-E Day millions in Times Square. PHOTOGRAPHS, maps, globes, diagrams and films are standard equipment of the television news commentator. The newsroom of Station W6XYZ, Hollywood, is pictured in action above. NAMES MAKE NEWS: Sgt. Bill Mauldin, the outstanding cartoonist of World War II, is inter¬ viewed by Ben Grauer. Presenting personalities in the news is a natural for television. 19