Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL 3. No. 11 TELEVISION DIGEST— 9 rate of obsolescence should be higher because of technical strides in color. "All respondents indicate that servicing is no problem." Among other opinions expressed by majority of respondents: (1) Tiny vision (5-8-in.) sets will hove "no major iTnprrrt" on domestic TV iridustry: imported battery sets ore priced too high. (2) Some respondents felt that Japanese portable color set might hove major impact on U.S. market, but most thought Japanese won't be able to compete in U.S. because they lack domestic market, transportation is too costly and they have encountered trouble in making glass envelopes for color tubes. (3) "There will be excess capacity in the industry in 1964." (4) Profit margins on color sets will decline next year. (5) "The feeling is that the present policy of RCA is a reasonable one because it allows on orderly transition & entry into the market and permits RCA to recover its high initial investment." TV-RADIO PRODUCTION: EIA statistics for week ended March 8 (10th week of 1963): March 2-8 Preceding wk. 1962 wk. '63 cumulative '62 cumulative TV 135,296 137,215 133,674 1,320,745 1,293,080 Total radio 309,829 308,925 132,997 3,123,375 3,294,567 auto radio . 142,354 139,414 249,659 1,429,356 1,404,518 1 New Set Introductions: New Philco 19-in. portable line and harbinger of completely new Sylvania portable chassis \\ highlighted last week’s new set activity. Philco abandoned rounded lines of its “Briefcase 19” series in introducing new “Starlite” portables last week I to midwestern & eastern distributors in Chicago & PittsI burgh — first 2 of series of 4 regional meetings. New portable is in squared case, has front speaker & controls, weighs 37 lb. and is available in uhf versions. Four sets are in line, including remote-control model. No prices were announced, but vp Larry H. Hyde called Starlite “popularly priced brother of Philco’s stylish Town House” and added “we are going to put at least one Starlite on the floor of every Philco dealer in the country,” backed by I substantial ad campaign. Sylvania is already using trade teaser ads for its up! coming new bid for bigger share of portable market. Completely new 19-in. portable chassis will be featured I on one “advance 1964” set to be introduced this month. Among unusual features will be horizontal chassis, 5 [ strap frame grid tubes and “Power Throttle” — Sylvania’s trade name for its improved AGC circuit which, company says, limits signal in good reception areas to prevent overload and adds amplification in weak-signal areas. Set is unpriced so far, but it’s expected to be around $149.95. Present 19-in. price leader, at $139.95, will be continued. GE introduced 4 cocktail-table stereo phonos to dealers in N.Y. last week. Series starts at $208, with highest priced unit $288 including AM-FM. Meanwhile, Admiral introduced 2 new color sets last week at distributor meeting in Chicago. No details were disclosed. Packard Bell, which showed year’s first portable line in Jan. with group of 5 new models starting at $148.88 (Vol. 3:3 plO), reports that more units were sold in Jan. show period “than for any other show in our 37-year history,” including the typically more successful summer shows. At same time, home products div. vp-gen. mgr. Kenneth R. Johnson announced Feb. sales were 82% over Feb. 1962, with color TV & stereo heading the advance. EIA Spring Conference March 19-22 at Washington’s Statler Hilton Hotel begins with all-day March 19 symposium on European electronics market, under chairmanship of ITT’s Ralph E. Van Hoorn. Other sessions of interest to consumer products industry: (1) Two discussions of uhf by FCC officials March 21 — Comrs. Lee & Henry addressing Consumer Products Executive Committee on TV receiver makers’ role in supporting FCC’s Committee for the Full Development of UHF Broadcasting (see p. 2); engineer Jules Deitz speaking on uhf reception to Service Committee. (2) Talk by Dr. Lawrence T. Frymire, chief of FCC educational branch, on “FCC & educational broadcasting,” to educational section March 20. (3) Report on foreign markets for FM stereo receivers by FCC’s Harold L. Kassens, before radio section March 20. Annual EIA govt.-industry dinner March 21 will hear MITRE Corp. Pres. C. W. Halligan as principal speaker. Toshiba TV sets will enter U.S. through Majestic Electronics Inc., of Los Angeles & Chicago. Among items which Majestic says it will import, for sale under Brentwood label, are 16-in. color set with round shadow-mask tube, to be priced in neighborhood of $295 (due in fall); 10-in. line-cord set at $99.95 (due in 45 days); 19-in. portable at around $120 (July). Transistor World Corp., N.Y., is importer of Toshiba radios and has also announced plans to import Toshiba TVs. In Tokyo, Toshiba confirmed arrangements to ship 2,000 10-in. sets to Majestic, but denied that it was even negotiating to sell it any color sets. Jerrold Electronics’ Distributor Sales Div. & TACO Appliance Corp.’s Consumer Products Div. (both Jerrold Corp. subsidiaries) have consolidated operations to market latter’s line of consumer antennas out of Jerrold’s Phila. hq under Jerrold-TACO brand name. Engineering & manufacturing activities continue at TACO’s Sherburne, N.Y. facilities. Emerson’s Du Mont Div. has kicked off Silver Anniversary promotion of sale 25 years ago of first TV set — a Du Mont model. Dealers have been furnished with kit of materials for in-store displays & local newspaper, TV & radio promotion of anniversary.