Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

12 Count of TV Sets-in-Dse by Cities As of January 1, 1952 Estimates are sets within .1 Mv/m contours (60 mi.), excluding overlaps, as established by NBC Research. FINAL COUNT of 15,777,000 sets-in-use at end of 1951 is recorded by NBC Research in its monthly TV “census” report, which added 600,800 for December. No extraordinary gains were shown for any particular city, even New York being accredited with only 80,000 for month to bring total to 2,800,000. Chicago and Los Angeles are placed in tie for second with 1,090,000 each, Philadelphia holds third place by passing million-mark (1,001,000). Following is the Jan. 1, 1952 count (consult individual stations for thenestimates of number of families within respective service ranges ) : No. No. Area Stations Sets Interconnected Cities Ames (Des Moines) 1 76,000 Atlanta 3 152,000 Baltimore 3 358,000 Binghamton 1 50,200 Birmingham ... 2 88,300 Bloomington, Ind 1 21,000 Boston 2 848,000 Buffalo 1 248,000 Charlotte . 1 117,000 Chicago 4 1,090,000 Cincinnati 3 305,000 Cleveland 3 568,000 Columbus 3 191,000 DavenportRock Island 2 85,100 Dayton 2 170,000 Detroit 3 604,000 Erie 1 58,900 Grand Rapids 1 81,000 Greensboro — 1 76.000 Huntington — 1 66,000 Indianapolis — 1 188,000 Jacksonville .... 1 52,000 Johnstown 1 133,000 Kalamazoo 1 69,000 Kansas City 1 181,000 Lancaster 1 131,000 Lansing 1 80,000 Los Angeles 7 1,090,000 Louisville 2 122,000 Memphis 1 115,000 Milwaukee 1 306,000 MinneapolisSt. Paul 2 302,000 Nashville 1 54,800 New Haven 1 224,000 New York 7 2,800,000 Norfolk 1 97,600 No. No. Area Stations Sets Interconnected Cities — (Cont’d) Omaha 2 112,000 Philadelphia .... 3 1,001,000 Pittsburgh 1 358,000 Providence 1 191,000 Richmond 1 105,000 Rochester 1 125,000 Salt Lake City. 2 70,200 San Diego 1 112,000 San Francisco .. 3 315,000 Schenectady .... 1 194,000 St. Louis 1 363.000 160.000 Syracuse 2 Toledo 1 148,000 Utica 1 64,000 Washington 4 324,000 Wilmington Total Inter 1 90,000 connected 95 14,931,100 N on-interconnected Cities Albuquerque Brownsville 1 13,000 (Matamoros, Mexico) 1* 10,300 (Dallas IFort Worth ...... 2 1 149,000 Houston 1 116,000 Miami 1 82,000 New Orleans .... 1 78,400 Oklahoma City 1 92,300 Phoenix . 1 39,000 San Antonio .... 2 63,400 Seattle — 1 125,000 Tulsa 1 77,500 Total Non-Interconnected 14 845,900 Total Interconnected and Non-Interconnected 109 15,777,000 * Preliminary estimate, U. S. sets only. Note: TV sets sold in Canada totaled 78,438 up to Dec. 31, 1951. according to Canadian RTMA (see p. 10). Since Canada has no stations of its own and nearly all of these sets are in border areas, they add appreciably to audiences of stations in nearby U.S. cities. The CRTMA area count as of last Dec. 31 : Windsor 30,063, TorontoHamilton 29,728, Niagara Peninsula 14,139, other areas 4508. Note: These sets-in-use figures supersede Dec. 1, 1951 figures used in tabulation on p. 108 of TV Factbook No. 14. Theatre-TV hearing was postponed again by FCC from Feb. 25 to March 10 (Vol. 8:2,4). At Jan. 31 meeting, Commission also extended deadline for filing appearances to Feb. 15, 1952 from original date of Feb. 27, 1950, granting requests for late appearances by Fair TV Practices Committee, Thfeatre Network TV Inc., AFL, Authors League of America, Radio & TV Directors Guild, United Service Artists Local Union 829, International Alliance of Theatrical State Employes. At same time, Commission enlarged hearing issues to include questions of competition between proposed theatre-TV systems and who would operate theatre-TV stations. NARTB informed Commission this week that engineering director Neal McNaughten and/or others would appear at hearing. United States Independent Telephone Assn, also declared intention of participating in proceeding to back AT&T’s contention that common carriers can provide adequate theatre-TV facilities. N El WORKS JOINTLY added powerful statistical voice to buildup of radio this week by releasing new estimate of 105,300,000 radio sets-in-use, or “one set for every person of voting age.” That’s an increase of 9,300,000, or 9.791, over the 96,000,000 radios estimated one year ago by Joint Radio Network Committee composed of researchers Don Coyle, ABC; Edward Reeve, CBS; Henry Foster, MBS; Hugh M. Beville Jr., NBC. During 1951, RTMA figures showed radio production of about 12,300,000 units, so that 9,300,000 added to radio count allows reasonable factor of obsolescence. Of the new sets, 900,000 went into new radio households, 4,000,000 were secondary and portable units, 4,400,000 went into automobiles. For first time, a new category of sets is included — those in institutions, dormitories and barracks, accounting for 900,000. Here’s the official JRNC tabulation: No. of Radio Sets as of Jan. 1 Radio Households Secondary & Portable Sets in Sets in Institutions, Dormitories & Barracks Sets in Other Places 1952 1951 42,800,000 41,900,000 34,000,000 30,000,000 23,500,000 19,100,000 900,000 * 4,100,000 5,000,000 105,300,000 96,000,000 s in 1951. ^crimination in Johnson Case bill (S. 2444) proposing ban on distilled-spirits commercials (Vol. 8:3-4), “dry” witnesses told Senate Inter state & Foreign Commerce Committee during first phase of hearings Jan. 30-31. Typical of statements by church leaders and other temperance witnesses were those of Dr. Sam Morris, associate editor of prohibition newspaper National Voice: (1) TV-radio knows no age limit, isn’t hampered by inability of children to read as are newspapers and magazines. (2) Printed media are private enterprises, but radio frequencies belong to the people. Sen. Johnson (D-Col.) characterized present hard-liquor commercials in Hawaii and Alaska as distillers’ “toe in the door,” urged “preventive legislation” against further inroads. Bulk of opposition to bill, including NARTB, distillers, ad agencies, will appear at next phase of hearings Feb. 6, but 2 opponents testified this week— George D. Riley, AFL legislative representative, and Charles E. Sands of AFL’s Hotel & Restaurant Employes and Bartenders’ International Union. Riley epitomized their stand with question: “How long will it be before / . . same limitation [is] placed on the printed word as on the spoken word?” Threat of libel suits resulting from political broadcasts would be considerably lessened for station licensees under bill (S. 2539) introduced Jan. 29 by Sen. Johnson (D-Col.). It differs from one introduced Sept. 25, 1951 by Rep. Horan (R-Wash.) in that political speakers would be required to post bonds equaling one year’s salary of office sought. Licensee would then be liable only to extent of bond. Under Rep. Horan s bill, licensee would not be liable in any civil or criminal action resulting from political broadcast. Both bills would retain liability of licensee if he commits the libel himself. Five applications filed with FCC this week brought total pending to 486, of which 29 are uhf. Requests, all vhf, came from KLCN, Blytheville, Ark., for No. 3; Sheldon Anderson, \isalia, Cal., No. 3; KRDO, Colorado Springs, Colo., No. 10; WSAL, Logansport, Ind., No. 10 and KFYO, Lubbock, Tex., No. 5. [For further details, see TV Addenda U-C herewith; for listing of all applicants to date, see TV Factbook No. H and Addenda to date.]