Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 18 TELEVISION DIGEST— 9 people who want compact music system because of space limitations, and professional people seeking background music systems, Boyd told us recently. No new models are planned this year, and national advertising — when it begins this fall — will be keyed to single unit, according to Boyd. After national distribution has been attained, he says, new models will be first order of business — ^for 1964. But even then, there's no sign of low-priced unit. Although Boyd wouldn't comment, it's good speculation that 3M will continue to try to skim cream from top of market — aiming at both component & package areas with tape-cartridge deck (sans amplifier & speakers) and furniture console. Obviously deck could also be sold on OEM market, but if 3M has any OEM deals now it's certainly not talking about them. It does say it's interested, however. Other new-model possibilities which may eventually come under consideration: Single-play cartridge player for automobiles; battery portable. In its marketing experience to dote, 3M seems to have sold larger-than-expected ratio of blank tape cartridges to pre-recorded selections. Presently only 60 pre-recorded selections are available (more will be announced soon), priced rather steeply at $8.95 & $9.95. Boyd's personal feeling is that customers have been buying blank tape to build up libraries of recordings made from the air or from discs, and that as available repertoire increases there'll be for smaller proportion of blank to pre-recorded tape sales. One step in making cartridge system a competitor of record changers may well be elimination of recording feature — at least in competitive models. This obviously can't be done until cartridge tape repertoire is somewhat comparable to discs. But what is starting as record-&-ploy system may well end as a play-only system competing principally with phonos rather than with tope recorders. It's not logical that 3M plans its cartridge machine as competitor to conventional tape recorders (which it is now). As matter of fact, the cartridge machines use for less tape than open-reel machines for comparable playing time (tope is only 1/7-in. wide, runs at 1%-inch per sec.). Real goal — albeit, perhaps, for in 3M's future master plan — obviously is unseating of the plastic platter as source of America's recording music and replacing it with 3M-made magnetic tope. CALENDAR OF NEW-LINE SHOWINGS: It could be uncertainty over Internal Revenue Service rulings, or just a straight get-down-to-business attitude, but we see few, if any, new-line showings scheduled at special dealer junkets this year. Survey of industry indicates most imveilings will be held about same time as last year — that is, from mid-May to mid-June — and almost all will be labeled "for distributors only," distributors having their own open houses for dealers later. A good number of manufacturers ore still vague about debut dates. Here's schedule of showings available so far: Manufacturer Products Dates Event & Location Admiral TV, radio, phono Week of May 19 Distributors, Chicago Du Mont, Emerson, Telectro TV, radio, phono, recorders Not set Distributors, probably Miami Beach General Electric TV, console phono June 3-7 Distributors, Appliance Pork, Louisville radio, portable phono May 19-20 Las Vegas Magnavox TV, radio, phono July 21-25 Music Show, Chicago Motorola Not set To be announced Olympic TV, radio, phono June 2-5 Distributors, Chase Hotel, St. Louis Packard Bell TV, radio, combos June 3-6 Distributors, Miramar Hotel, Santa Monica Philco TV, radio, phono May 18-20 Distributors, Fontainebleau, Miami Beach RCA TV, radio, phono May 15-17 Distributors, Riviera, Las Vegas Sylvania TV, radio, phono June 5-7 Distributors, Edge water Beach, Chicago Symphonic TV, phono May 19-22 Chicago Westinghouse TV, stereo May 20 Distributors, Cleveland radio, phono Not set To be announced Zenith TV, radio, phono May 23-25 Distributors, Chicago