Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL 3, No. 8 TELEVISION DIGEST— 7 e • « xMANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTION, FiNANCE RCA SHOWS 19-IN.-ONLY PORTABLE TV SETS: First 1963-64 portable TV line debuted lost week, and it went 19-in. all the way. RCA's largest portable line ever totaled 8 models starting at $149.95, plus "unofficial" open-list entry that distributors can thrust into competitive situations to sell, we understand, in neighborhood of $140. Unlike official models, optional portable does not contain RCA's "New Vista" timer, will not be shown in literature, won't be included in national ad program. Gone at long lost from RCA line is 17-in. portable, and somewhat-expected 16-in. models failed to materialize. Bottom-of-line Highlander at $149.95 is priced on par — on paper, at least — with year-ago tailender. However, 1962-63's $149.95 set was reduced in distributor cost shortly after introduction and rode out season at $139.95. As with 1962-63 line, models step-up in $10 segments to $179.95. Two remote models are included in line: open-list Wayfarer & $239.95 Campaigner. All manually-operated models can be factory -installed with all-channel tuner for $20 more. Number of sets have power transformers vs. one a year ago. RCA Sales Corp. mktg. vp Raymond W. Saxon told distributors at St. Louis meeting that portable TVs will accovmt for more than 65% of industry's total 1963 b&w TV unit soles, and, amid indications that profit margins have been increased, said "it's time for distributors & dealers to get a better return on their portable & TV & radio investment." RCA also introduced 5 transistor radios, priced from $14.95 to $34.95, gift packaged. Carryovers run top-of-the-line price to $49.95. "We have found the transistor radio market to be essentially one of certain popular price brackets," Saxon said. "One of our recent surveys indicated that consumers favored transistor radios with accessories in the approximate $20 & $30 price range." FM CAR RADIOS ROLLING — BUT SLOWLY: Consumer interest in FM car radios is on rise, but this relatively new market can be expected to grow slowly over next few years. Into foreseeable future it will remain but a fraction of over-all cor radio volume, keyed to ratio of AM to FM stations. That's consensus of FM car radio manufacturers for both OEM & after markets whom we interviewed. Size of current FM car radio market is pretty much anybody's guess. However, one conservative estimate (Vol. 3 : 1 p9) is that 55,000 FM auto sets were sold last year — out of total 7.2 million car radios — and volume will nearly double to 100,000 this year. Gronco Pres. Henry Fogel told us "fewer than 100,000 FM car radios were sold in 1962, and the figure probably was no higher than 70-80,000." He believes volume will climb to 150,000 to 200,000 units this year. This is really first big year for FM-AM cor radios. Timers & adaptors hove been aroimd for several years. Motorola got into field in 1960 with an FM-only unit, and German & Italian imports began to pick up in 1961-62. Last year, however, was first year that major U.S. radio makers got into FM-AM car radio market. Today, FM-AM radios are available os original equipment on virtually all models of Ford, General Motors & Chrysler cars (Vol. 2:45 p9). Prices average about double those for standard AM car radio. Bendix, volume car radio maker & Ford supplier, has scheduled about 5% of its 1962-63 production in FM-AM models. "It's going to be a slow buildup," we were told by Radio Div. sales mgr. Larry H. Jones. "I don't think there's going to be much of a rise in demand in a year. Two years hence we might see a rise. For the next 5 years I think it's going to be a slow rate of growth." Bendix is making its FM-AM radios for Ford & Volkswagen. Ford's factory installations of FM-AM radios, we learned, hove averaged 3% on all 1963 Galaxies produced to dote, range up to 17’/2% on Thunderbirds. However, Ford told us, "installations on the T-Birds