Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

10— TELEVISION DIGEST JANUARY 21, 1963 HAPPY NOV. SALES: November was truly Thanksgiving month for TV-radio-phono industry. Official results, as tabulated in EIA’s statistical scorekeeping, showed distributor sales of TV up 16%, radio up 20%, phonos up 31%, compared with Nov. 1961. Foi" first 11 months of 1962, distributor sales of TVs exceeded comparable 1962 figure by 9%, radio sales were ahead 6%, phono sales 18%. Distributor sales of radios (excluding auto) passed 10-million mark in Nov., while production of FM radios hit cumulative figure of 1 million during same month. Here are EIA’s official 11-month 1962 figures, with comparable 1961 data: TV-RADIO DISTRIBUTOR SALES Black-&-White TV Radio (excl. auto) Month 1962 1961 1962 1961 January 466.836 403,670 662,869 471,618 February .... 621.275 428,706 697,893 640,379 March 680,876 600,697 917,236 863,197 April 364,742 347,800 809,499 672.766 May 310.799 349,098 772.479 736,692 June 480,610 461,974 1,040,698 997,321 July _... 449,628 409,661 921,089 764,960 August 618,461 466,600 848,881 897,411 September 731,100 683,302 1,266,346 1,310,166 October 611,763 683,917 1,063,014 1,106,449 November ... 630,487 641,833 1,280,699 1,068,313 TOTAL .. 5,665,367 5,175,857 10,169,503 9,607,142 BLACK-&-WHITE TELEVISION PRODUCTION Total UHF Month 1962 1961 1962 1961 January 488.869 367,936 39,609 26,270 February 641.494 444,418 46,716 24,614 March 659,261 497,468 48,323 21,450 April 610,687 405,808 61,107 19.096 May 474,647 470,399 39,609 22,782 June 620,663 616,118 50,283 34,641 July 336.409 383.378 28.369 23,233 August 600,693 614,674 44,862 33,946 September 731,517 694,680 70,299 41,263 October 569,966 620,816 66,059 43,198 November 617,275 582,952 64,080 42,743 TOTAL 5,951;361 5,597,535 549,105 332,205 RADIO PRODUCTION Total Auto Radio FM Month 1962 1961 1962 1961 1962 1961 January 1,360,630 1,090,073 630,689 387,136 76,510 50,421 February 1,464,797 1,116,029 480,232 307,973 84,216 41,357 March 1,810,417 1,384,052 607,610 384,227 81,010 76,044 April 1,472,664 1,124,924 519,296 376,570 63.193 61,260 May 1,444,074 1,196,949 604,846 408,876 62,292 49,705 June 1,721,873 1,626,263 629,004 518,010 92,287 88,808 July 1,134,260 1,030,399 403,946 320,128 68,037 48,114 August 1,263,763 1,386,101 427,747 451,374 98,609 69,090 September 2,196,371 2,048,698 887,104 691,493 165,433 110,174 October 1,835,914 1,796,391 696,680 676,529 149,654 95,318 November 1,736,274 1,730,761 729,187 688,343 147,894 126,184 TOTAL 17,420,007 15,528,640 6,395,141 4,909,658 1,089,035 804,475 PHONO DISTRIBUTOR SALES Month Mono 1962 Stereo Total Mono 1961 Stereo Total January .. 48,423 171,305 219,728 74,881 211,268 286,149 February .. 60,663 188,867 239,420 64,097 210,366 264,462 March .. 60,206 236,051 299,267 59,290 231,021 290,311 April .. 54,616 146,677 201,192 48.632 173,686 222,117 May 66,192 130,372 196,664 65,057 164,400 219,467 June .. 91,526 183,000 274,626 47,970 170,178 218,148 July .. 90,176 202,126 292,300 68,614 153,650 212,064 August . 116,741 301,047 416,788 93,749 225,423 319,172 September . 169,933 426,080 696,013 107,698 283,688 391,386 October . 183,182 426,033 609,216 133,246 324.654 467,799 November . 186,660 446,178 632,838 146,045 336,762 481,817 TOTAL . 1,119,216 2,857,625 3,976,841 878,088 2.484,794 3,362,882 PHONO FACTORY SALES 1962 1961 Month Mono Stereo Total Mono Stereo Total January .... 68,645 191,014 259,569 80,336 211,383 291,749 February .... 62,666 202,846 265,412 60,710 204,638 266,348 March .... 60,991 237,492 298,483 62,396 227,469 289,865 April .... 46,152 137,950 183,102 63,074 152,974 206,048 May .... 67,610 119,682 187,292 63,887 142,460 196,337 June .... 104,548 278,989 383,637 61,533 197,170 258,703 July .... 89,699 220,694 310,393 70,681 171,331 242,012 August ... 109,258 332,197 441,455 106,157 242,164 348,321 September ... ... 182,703 605,661 688,354 124,142 328,045 462,187 October ... 194,699 494,486 689,084 161,680 350,264 601,834 November ... 201,312 466,326 667,637 141,083 358,285 499,368 TOTAL ... 1,176,893 3,187,325 4,364,308 955.609 2,586,163 3,541,772 Distributor Notes: Olympic Radio & TV names Paul Hunter to new post of division sales mgr., responsible for all N.Y. state branch sales activities. He also continues as pres, of Olympic of Western N.Y., Buffalo • Symphonic appoints Radio Television Supply Co. Los Angeles-area distributor, succeeding Gough Industries which will handle V-M line • Peter J. Monahan, formerly Andrea Radio gen. sales mgr., named Pilot Radio regional sales mgr. for eastern seaboard; James M. Klivans named regional sales mgr. for midwest states • Robert Schmidt, GESCO Pittsburgh home entertainment salesman, named GE 1962 Portable Phonograph Salesman for selling 2, .360 units during summer • Viscount Electronics appoints Sanford Miller Co. radio sales rep for Texas, Oklahoma & Arkansas • Philco Distributors has established Miami factory branch to handle territory formerly serviced by Crawford Distributors, has taken over latter’s facilities at 6750 N.E. Fourth Court. Joseph Hairston named PDI-Miami gen. mgr., Robert Trathen, ex-Admiral, sales mgr. • Capitol Records Distributing Corp. names Ben Savoia N.Y. branch sales mgr., succeeding Joe Brown, resigned; James C. Blackwood appointed Detroit branch sales mgr., succeeding Dick Bushey, resigned. New sets: Few new sets not previously announced were shown at Chicago Home Furnishings Market. An exception was Magnavox. In addition to new sets reported previously (Vol. 3:1 p8), Magnavox showed 19-in. wood-cabinet table model at $179.90, three 27-in. combos with Astro-Sonic solid-state sound circuits at $795 & $895, consoles ranging from $249.50 to $339.50. Westinghouse introduced 23-in. contemporary console, 19-in. portable and 9-transistor AM-FM portable radio (no list prices). Pilot radio entered new lower price field with 6 stereo phono-radio consoles at $299.50-$399.50. New Packard Bell line includes five 19-in. portables at $148.88-$209.95, thi-ee 23-in. table models at $209.95-$238.88, TV-stereo combo with FM stereo at $479.95-$529.95, two stereo consoles with FM stereo at $249.95-$425. High-end stereo has “swing-out” speaker enclosures which extend over-all width from 4% to 7 ft. Phono which can be played in any position or even while-you-walk — has been introduced by Channel Master. Transistorized battery set, which also contains radio, has spring clip on spindle to hold 45-rpm record in place. Drive wheel rotates record from its outer edge, and cartridgestylus assembly, under spring tension, plays record from underneath. List price is $79.95.