Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1949)

Record Details:

Title:
Television digest and FM reports
Date:
Jan-Dec 1949
Publisher:
Washington, D.C. : Radio News Bureau
Volume:
Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1949)
Leaf #:
00088
Language:
English
Subjects:
Television broadcasting -- Periodicals, Television -- United States -- Periodicals","FM broadcasting -- Periodicals.
Collection:
Broadcasting & Recorded Sound
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
University of Maryland, College Park
Sponsor:
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
A weekly digest of brief reports tracking recent developments in the U.S. television marketplace. Published out of Washington, D.C. with much more focus on the retail of TV sets than the other D.C.-based trade paper, BROADCASTING. -- Eric Hoyt, 2015
Date Added:
March 28, 2024
Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

THE RADIO-TV TRADE SLOWS DOWN: Dominant note in the news of the radio-TV trade this week was one of depressed buying conditions — attributed variously to (a) declining purchasing power, manifest not only in electronics but in other appliance lines; (b) normal seasonal decline, which may soon be somewhat offset by interest in baseball broadcasts and telecasts; (c) the Zenith-Johnson folderol over TV, now showing signs of abating. Several more major brand-name producers have slashed their radio set prices; Westinghouse , Farnsworth, Hallicraf ters , Bendix. Latter is discontinuing 18 models, cut one of them down 55%. In the TV trade, there was an unconf irmable report RCA too would soon be out with an "under |300" table model TV. Meanwhile, RCA was introducing its 10-in. $575 TV-AM-FM table model (Vol. 5:11), console version of same $425. . .Philco ' s mid-April offering will be new 7-in. line — a "family" of 3 units utilizing same "expanded picture" principle (27)4 sq. in. vs. normal 23) employed in its 10 and 12-in. models; data isn't out yet, but one was previously announced at $189.50 (Vol. 5:2) apd another will probably be a portable. Philco plans no push on 16-in. until its June convention, date and place still undecided. Philco is one of the TV top-dogs (along with RCA and Admiral) who say they haven't yet felt any adverse market reactions to Zenith publicity. Yet this week Philco conceded cutback in its oft-predicted 1949 production of 600,000 TVs to "somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000." This is ascribed to (1) continued tube shortages, and (2) slowdowns caused while new deflection coils for "spread pictures" are being manufactured. Philco says it has less than 10 days stock in field. Zenith showed new TV-only console with 15-in. circle screen, listing at $545 at its Chicago distributors convention this week; also a 15-in. TV-FM-AM phono (2speed) console at $795. Zenith also showed FM-only "Ace" table model to sell for $39.95, FM-AM "Tip Top" table model at $49.95. Comdr. McDonald said Zenith has no inventory of old radio models, will continue policy of introducing new models throughout year, will guarantee factory list prices on TVs and radios. Macy's New York this week advertised Artone 16-in. TV console at $494, including installation; set is made by Hallicraf ters for Affiliated Retailers Inc., cooperative buyer for big dept, store group (Vol. 4 ;48) . . . Garod has new 15-in. consolette with 154 sq. in. circular picture plus AM-FM, $525 and $545; also a 12-in. console (95 sq. in. circular) with AM-FM-LP, $795; latter with 15-in. at $1,095... Los Angeles reports have Hoffman Radio out with new 10-in. at $299.50, 12-in. at $385, 16-in. at $595, stands on casters extra. Empire Coil Co., New Rochelle, N.Y., major supplier of TV transformers and coils, has taken over bankrupt Airadio Inc., Stamford, Conn., will utilize its plant to expand production and produce other (non-radio) lines .. .Admiral ' s annual report reveals its Canadian subsidiary will begin TV set production from new Malton, Ont. plant in mid-April; Canadian Admiral Corp. Ltd. 1948 sales were $1,832,944 (profit $52,000) vs. $1,907,764 in 1947 (profit $57,000). ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ Big push is on to promote and sell RCA's new 45rpm player and records (Vol. 5:7) and at same time still more multiple-speed changers are emerging. Admiral this week showed what it claimed was first single tone-arm 3-speed changer. Unit goes into all its radio-phonos save those below $69.95. General Instrument's new 3-speed changer likewise has single tone-arm. Lincoln Engineering Co., St. Louis, at Macy's New York this week showed changer playing up to 15 hours with one loading of LP records; it also has 45rpm attachment, costs $250. Carbonneau Industries. Grand Rapids, has new converter enabling 78 rpm to play LP. RCA broke first ads on 45rpm players Thursday, plunges full tilt into national merchandising campaign March 31. RCA Victor's Joe Wilson said 2,500,0003,000,000 will be sold this year, listed these manufacturers incorporating it into their radio-phonos; Admiral, Crosley, Emerson, Fada, Freed, Farnsworth, Motorola, Stewart-Warner , Stromberg-Carlson. Intensity of record "war" seen in Columbia price reductions on its whole line of 78rpm records April 1.