Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

9 Topics & Trends of TV Trade: From Dick Levy, livewire scion of the famliy that owns and operates the W. Bergman Co. Inc., Buffalo Philco distributors, comes an ebullient and rather significant reaction to the granting of 2 uhf stations in that area, now served by one vhf only. We think his observations are worth passing on to the trade, as indicative of a perceptive and enlightened view of the business prospects such grants open up. “We’re practically in the uhf business,” writes Levy. “No commercial quarrel here with the FCC’s policy of [granting] uhf which will bring in more network programs and clients and audience. We’ll get a $50-$75 unit of sale in tuners (like a nice-sized radio sale) or else it will be like a guy faced with buying a set of tires for a 3-4 year old jalopy. If it costs more than a few bucks and he’s good at the finance company — new sets, here we come! Perhaps I’m flying high, too, but this looks as big as ’50.’’ Channel 17 grantee, Chautauqua Broadcasting Co. (Addenda 15-D) has 2 dads, Harry Grossman of Buffalo and Nathan Cohn of Syracuse, staking their sons to controlling interest in project, with 30 other investors. Ch. 59 grantee, Buffalo-Niagara Television Co. (TV Addenda 15-Q), has Western Savings Bank president Charles Diebold and big heating-air conditioning dealer Joe Davis as angels. Both are dead serious about developing uhf TV, can be expected to get their stations on the air as soon as possible. So far as Bergman Co. is concerned: “We intend to specify [to Philco] a large percentage of sets so [uhf] equipped for first quarter. If our reasoning holds, it will be like automatic transmission and power steering. On a Chrysler, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick, the dealers hardly bother to ask if you want it. They just assume. But Pontiac and Dodge come both ways and do a sales job on it. So our price leaders can be field equipped if the going gets tough.” Note: Buffalo actually has 3 uhf grants, the third being educational CP (WTVF) on Channel 23, held by University of the State of New York. There’s no telling when it will get going, since legislature hasn’t yet appropriated funds. * * * * Vacation trip to Europe for 12 days, all expenses paid, is enticing bait held out to some 400 distributors and dealers and their wives by Westinghouse TV-radio div. in extraordinary sales promotion drive. While details of qualifications for air trip next spring are still secret, div. mgr. T. J. Newcomb revealed itinerary will include Paris, Cannes, Nice, Rome. Quipped New York Times business columnist Dec. 23 : “It may safely be assumed that dealers who don’t sell a reasonable number of Westinghouse TV and radio sets won’t be lolling on the beaches of Cannes next spring.” Feature of “European Holiday” will be international marketing roundtable in which dealers will meet with European appliance experts for exchange of ideas. Smuggling of TV sets into Cuba is so widespread it’s estimated 15-25,000 sets are on island illegally, reports Dec. 2 6 New York Times. Story reports U. S.-made receivers are transshipped from Miami or Key West by water to isolated coves and inlets along Cuban coast to escape duty payments, or are flown over, unloaded at private airports and whisked by truck to retail dealers, who undersell Cuban distributors franchised by American manufacturers. Many smuggled sets have been traced to unauthorized U. S. dealers and known transshippers, Times story reports. Promotion break for RCA Victor records will come in Technicolor film titled His Master’s Voice to be shot by Columbia Pictures next spring, using Victor recording studios as locations and built around its famous voices. Trade Personals: Arthur L. Chapman, Sylvania v.p. since Jan. 1, 1951, appointed v.p. in charge of electronics operations as of Jan. 1, responsible for TV, radio, parts, electronics, radio tube and CR tube divisions . . . L. G. Haggerty, Capehart-Farnsworth director of manufacturing since Feb. 1950, elected v.p. in charge of manufacturing . . . Don G. Mitchell, president of Sylvania, elected to board of National Biscuit Co. . . . James P. Quam, chairman, Quam-Nichols Co., elected president of Randall Graphite Bearings Inc., Lima, O. . . . Joseph G. Glasser appointed production div. mgr. of Raytheon equipment mfg. div., Waltham, Mass., succeeding George Downs, resigned . . . Walter L. Stickel, Hoffman Radio national sales mgr., back at his desk this week after 6 weeks confinement due to illness . . . M. Robert Wilson, ex-sales mgr. Thor Corp. (appliances) named Hallicrafters sales v.p. . . . Robert F. Halligan promoted to asst, operations mgr., Hallicrafters, under mgr. William Wright . . . James S. Cohan, ex-adv. mgr. of DuMont N. J. factory sales branch, appointed cooperative adv. mgr., DuMont TV receiver div. . . . W. J. Goerisch, Graybar power apparatus sales mgr. in N. Y., named central district sales mgr. in Chicago, succeeding L. C. Esthus, returning to Des Moines as mgr., while D. M. Hitchcock moves to Denver to replace S. B. Hardin, retiring . . . O. E. Bishop, sales service mgr., promoted to mgr. of sales, distributor div., P. R. Mallory & Co. . . . Kenneth A. Giffin appointed Los Angeles district sales mgr., GE tube dept. . . . Frederick D. Ogilby promoted to v.p. & gen. mgr. of Philco TV div., William H. Chaffee v.p. & gen. mgr. of radio div. under Larry F. Hardy, president of both divs. . . . Bert Cole, ex-Philco & Crosley sales executive in N. Y., named eastern regional mgr., Servel Inc. Distributor Notes: Admiral appoints R & M Distributing Co., Fort Smith, Ark. (Charles F. Reynolds, president) ; August J. Krisch Co., San Antonio, replacing South Texas Appliance Corp. . . . Motorola subsidiary, MotorolaDetroit Co., promotes James B. Charters from sales mgr. to branch mgr., succeeding John B. Langley, resigned . . . Magnavox names Atlantic Appliance Co., Asbury Pai'k, N. J. . . . Arvin appoints Colen-Gruhn Co., 387 Fourth Ave., New York . . . Pacific Mercury names Grauman Co., Denver; Service Games Inc., Honolulu . . . Majestic Charlotte distributor, Victor Shaw Co., appoints Furman Ferguson sales v.p. . . . Motorola appoints Samson Distributors Inc., Washington, replacing Greber Distributors Inc., which continues as Baltimore outlet. Emerson’s new “all-screen front” 21-in. table at $249.95 is cut of $70 from its current 21-in. .list, said to be lowest-priced for size in wood cabinet from any major manufacturer; firm’s promotion now featuring “space saver” TV receivers, accenting compactness. DuMont’s 5 new models are: 17-in. Chatham, mahogany table $250, blonde $260; 21-in. Oxford, mahogany table $300, blonde $310; Lynwood, open mahogany console $370, blonde $380; Essex, full-door mahogany console $425; Hanover, full-door mahogany console $525, blonde $545. GE’s germanium diode production will be doubled next year to meet rising demand for uhf receivers, germanium products sales mgr. James H. Sweeney announced this week. He said each of estimated 6,500,000 sets to be produced next year will contain as many as 3 germanium diodes. Philco discloses new 1953 line of TV-radio sets and prices in closed-circuit telecast to 54 cities, attended by some 10,000 dealers, Mon., Dec. 29, 6-7 p.m. EST. Emerson and Webster-Chicago stockholders meetings called for Feb. 4 to consider merger (Vol. 8:51).