Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

10 Topics & Trends of TV Trade: First major “casualty” of the tightened TV trade is Tele-tone Radio Corp., which this week petitioned Federal district court in New York under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act with proposal to reduce unsecured claims by 50% and to settle at rate of 10% annually. Firm, headed by Sol W. Gross, was ranked ninth in TV production (175,000 units valued at factory at $21,875,000) in Television Shares Management Co.’s “guesstimates” for 1950 (Vol. 6:8), though not among its top 10 for 1951 (Vol. 7:31). New York petition Jan. 29 was voluntary, but on Jan. 31 an involuntary petition was filed in Newark against Tele-tone, whose main plant is in Elizabeth, N. J., listing claims of National Union Radio Corp. for $41,980; Sylvania, $39,624; Croname Inc., $13,512. It alleged that Tele-tone had transferred $200,000 of assets to certain creditors to give them preference, claiming also that a mortgage transferred to U. S. Govt, gave it preference. Wilzin & Halperin, attorneys, stated firm has orders from Sears Roebuck in excess of $600,000, lists assets at $3,809,306, including $2,873,000 stock in trade, $929,544 accounts receivable, $4812 cash, $1200 trucks, $750 patents & trademarks, plus real estate, insurance, etc. Liabilities total $2,136,997, including $810,512 unsecured claims, $1,253,644 Federal taxes, $72,841 New York and New Jersey taxes, plus secured claims of unknown amount. Unsecured creditors listed in petition, referred to Referee Herbert Loewenthal, include: Fidelity Tube Corp., $58,000; Sarkes Tarzian Inc., $48,000; GE, $47,000; National Union Radio Corp., $32,000; RCA, $31,000; Automatic Mfg. Co., $25,000; United Wood Specialty Mfg. Co., $25,000; Nunn Better Cabinet Co., $22,000; Sylvania, $21,000; Best Mfg. Co., $18,000. Among 93 claims are following over $5000: J. Lefkowitz, $51,250; Pyramid Electric Co., $18,813; RCA, $17,799; Bayview Cabinets, $16,551; Hunt Bros. & Rosin, $15,408; National Container Corp., $15,206; Red Lion Furniture, $15,194; Moses Shapiro, $12,000; GlaserSteers Corp., $11,443; Precision Plastics, $10,676; Croname, $10,629; Quam-Nichols Co., $10,414; Carbonneau Industries, $10,197; Ratheon, $10,145; Industrial Hardware & Mfg. Co., $9411; Electronic Components Corp., $8973; Dunwell Metal Products Co., $8151; Teletran Corp., $8022; Holyoke Wire & Cable Corp., $7937; Todd-Tran Corp., $7739; J. K. Lasser, $7500; Radio Condenser Co., $7477; Shatterproof Glass, $7327; F. W. Sickles Co., $7310; Edwin I. Guthman & Co., $7224; A. W. Franklin Mfg. Corp., $6627; Variable Condenser Corp., $6601; Plastic Ware Inc., $6458; Thomas Electronics Inc., $6401; Aljon Photo Offset Service Inc., $6315; Sprague Electric Co., $6186; Judson L. Thomson Mfg. Co., $5966; Model Engineering & Mfg. Inc., $5757; Barreca Products Co., $5668; Leonard Electric Products Co., $5547; Eureka Tube, $5003. * * ❖ # GE this week laid off 1500 employes in Syracuse receiver plant after walkout of 50 welders and punch press operators caused shortage of parts for TV production. The strikers were UEW-CIO members, protesting suspension of an employe for carelessness. Union said strike was unauthorized, but only 7 returned to work. Company said it would not recall the 1500 until all 50 came back. Canadian RTMA reports 78,438 TVs sold to end of 1951 at factory value of $37,514,025, up 40,615 units from 1950 total of 37,823. Bulk of sales was shared by Windsor & Toronto-Hamilton areas, each taking 38% of total. Niagara Peninsula took 18%, remaining 6% going to other areas. Inventories totaled 15,102 as of Dec. 31. National Assn, of Music Merchants holds 1952 show in New York’s Hotel New Yorker, July 28-31. Merchandising Notes: Some 10,000 buyers from 11 States, Alaska, Hawaii and western Canada due in San Francisco for Western Winter Market week of Feb. 4, the TV-radio-appliance trade dinner Feb. 6 to be addressed by Carl V. Kaecker, RCA Victor merchandise display mgr., speaking on “Capsule for Successful Selling” . . . RCA Victor’s own distributing offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City and several others will handle Knapp-Monarch products henceforth, including Jack Frost oscillating fans, Koldair window fans, Duo-Aire fans . . . Gough Industries Inc., ex-Philco distributor in Los Angeles, planning to sell private-brand 24-in. TV set, called “Douglas,” at $595 in mahogany and Provincial, $610 in blonde, manufactured by D. J. Roesch Co., Los Angeles (see TV Factbook No. Ilf) . . . “Fring-o-Matic” is name given new line of TV sets, ranging from 20-in. table at $220 to 24-in. console at $510, by Pacific Mercury Television Corp.; it will be shown in San Diego Feb. 6-8, Phoenix Feb. 14-17 . . . Emerson West Coast Corp., Ill Front St., San Francisco, has been established as factory distribution subsidiary covering northern California, retaining personnel of Century Distributing Co.; David J. Hopkins, Western regional sales mgr., named president; S. J. Cooper, v.p. & gen. mgr. . . . Appliance Distributors, 224 Dexter Ave., Seattle (Philip Toman, pres.), named CBS-Columbia distributor for State of Washington . . . Belmont (Raytheon) offering dealers week’s all-expense trip to Mexico if they buy 50 sets in 3 months, to Bahamas if 30 sets . . . Scott Radio’s John Meek says nearly half the TV-radio-phono combinations it now sells are in blonde cabinets, apace with trend to modern furniture, as against only about 15% year ago . . . DuMont has issued 115-p. manual for its distributors and servicemen, titled Service Operations of the DuMont Distributor. * * * * Trade Miscellany: Motorola has purchased, for $1,250,000, plant of 200,000-sq. ft. adjoining its Chicago plant, using it for communications and electronics div. . . . Sylvania has purchased 55,000-sq. ft. Strickland Furniture Co., TV cabinet plant of Blair Park Furniture Mfg. Co., High Point, N. C., for $350,000 . . . Chicago Coin Machine Co. reported by Retailing Daily to be “inspecting local TV plants with a view to buying into one of them and going into the TV business” . . . Aerovox, which bought out Electrical Reactance Corp. of Olean, N. Y., in 1949, has merged it into parent firm at New Bedford, Mass., now operates it as Hi-Q div. First TV sets with “spot wobble” (Vol. 7:39) are being delivered by E. K. Cole Ltd. in Britain. New 15-in. table model has extra oscillator which moves spot up and down slightly as it crosses face of tube, removing prominence of lines. Selling for $179.83 plus purchase tax, receiver has 13xl0-in. picture, largest in United Kingdom for a table model. Meanwhile, BBC announced TV will be extended to Scotland for first time March 14 when station in Edinburgh area begins experimental transmission. December excise tax collections on TVs, radios, components, phonographs, etc. totaled $13,723,552, up from $12,732,216 in November, more than double the $5,483,962 of Dec. 1950. On phono records, Uncle Sam collected $644,818 in December vs. $1,419,846 in November and $593,874 in Dec. 1950. Excises on refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. dropped to $3,149,785 in December from $5,185,582 in November and $5,981,366 in Dec. 1950. Salvage of tungsten rods from faulty tubes through ultrasonic device is reported by Raytheon. Company claims use of 27-kc frequency, which shakes glass beads from rods, is 10 times as fast as old hammering method. Device is also applicable to such glass-sealing alloys as molybdenum, platinum, kovar, rodar.