Broadcasting (July - Dec 1943)

Set Upkeep Is Good, Marketing Assn. Is Told by WPB Official Mcintosh Says Maintenance Low Point Is Past; Luncheon Hears Talk on Video for Stores POST-WAR developments in the allied fields of radio, FM and television will effect revolutionary changes in the American home as well as in American buying habits, according to the featured speakers last Wednesday at the December radio-in-wartime luncheon of the American Marketing Assn. at the Hotel Sheraton, New York. Frank H. Mcintosh, chief of the Domestic and Foreign Branch of the WPB Radio & Radar Division, spoke on "War Production of Radio-Radar Equipment — Effect on Post-War Radio, FM and Television." The possibilities of display advertising through television for department stores in the not too distant future were explained by the second speaker, Ira A. Hirschmann, vice-president of Bloomingdale's, New York department store, and Metropolitan Television Inc., owner and operator of the New York FM station, WABF. Receiver Picture 'Good' Giving first publicity to the findings of the WPB survey of consumer requirements, which covers the radio home set maintenance problem in a series of several questions, Mr. Mcintosh said it had revealed that the total requirement "for maintenance and repair, compared to the military production, is less than 2%." Earlier during his address he had pointed out that m litary electronics production now totals as much in 20 days as the industry formerly produced in its peak year prior to Pearl Harbor. "It can be seen," he said, "that in general the radio picture is good; that we still have more than an average of one set per home and that practically 90% of the homes are equipped with radio. It does show, however, an increase over normal times in the number of radio homes without radio service. This figure is 7.8% according to this (WPB) data, while the prewar figure was something between 4 and 6%. "In connection with our program and plans for the coming year we have included a minimum requirement for civilians in our regular scheduled production of radio receiver tubes and the production of tubes for civilians has been concentrated on types known to be most in demand. While we don't expect a sudden and complete recovery of this relatively small per cent, we do expect a definite improvement in the situation. Necessary steps to provide a balanced stock of tubes at each manufacturer's plant for his distributors, made necessary by the concentra tion of types to increase production are being made at this time." Mr. Mcintosh had stated that the "low tide (for civilian tubes and parts) has been reached" and that "conditions will not be worse but definitely better in the future." Will Not Supplant Although Mr. Hirschmann predicted that merchants "struggl'ng to find the solution to the present static window display will eventually find their answer in the dynamic television screen," he warned against the dangerous impression that "immediately or soon after the war a fully operating television set will be in everybody's home," or that "television will be so revolutionary it will interfere with or frustrate the moving picture business, the radio business, or the newspaper business." Expressing the hope that department stores will realize the necessity for good standards of programming for television in its early stages and will begin now to study television technique, Mr. Hirschmann spoke of the way in which "stores have fumbled badly in the use of radio." "When it was a new medium they ignored it," he said, "then feared to use it, and finally edged into it the wrong way. I see symptoms of stores finally coming around to approaching radio in the intelligent way and I hope they will stick to it." Television by department stores "will offer a miniature show window in everyone's home," he continued, and use of the new medium SWIFT SALES CIRCUIT T I Mans I I Hears Company Policies; Plans I For 1 944 Advertising HOLDING a radio sales meeting over a closed circuit, over 3,000 Swift & Co. personnel gathered at BLUE affiliate studios Dec. 11 to hear John Holmes, president, say that goodwill is that company's most valuable asset in post-war planning. Mr. Holmes outlined Swift's wartime policies of first, doing everything possible to help win the war and second, safeguarding quality and making every effort fairly to distribute available civilian supplies. O. E. Jones, vice-president in charge of sales, described the salesman most needed today as one who has the vision and imagination to understand his customer's problems and help him find solutions for them. A presentation of Swift advertising plans for 1944 revealed that Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, on the BLUE five times weekly, will continue offering helpful suggestions on making the most of meat, tying in with the government's food program. LATEST FROM DES MOINES Cowles stations to enter the armed services are these three staff members of KSO and KRNT who have joined the Marines. Left to right: Gene Shumate, news and sports; Mable Boddicker, publicity; Bill Baldwin, announcer and musician. Miss Boddicker is now in training at Camp LeJune, N. C. Shumate and Baldwin are both stationed at San Diego. Service flag of Des Moines Cowles stations contains 26 stars. will help "bridge the gap between the merchant and the individual customer." Sees Video Problems Discussing post-war probabilities, Mr. Mcintosh posed the question whether wartime developments would "open a new world after the war," and to this he gave a "yes and no" answer. Marked technical advances are being concentrated on specialized equipment, some of it of purely military value. "There are operational problems which may be more of a controlling factor than the technical advances during the war," he pointed out. The greatest demand, Mr. Mcintosh said, will be "for home radio receivers, and the greatest technical advance that will have something definite to offer to the public is television, wh'le FM also has some definite appeal." He continued that there are many things to be done in the television field before it can be said to be on the road to full development. Among these are: (1) Channels must be determined. (2) Standards of quality and determination of specific technical factors must be made. (3) Production of home sets and methods of programming must be developed. (4) A commercial market must be available in order to provide an impetus to move forward in this field. In regard to the marketing of home receivers, the speaker said that "sets are not necessarily purchased because they are needed nearly as much as because they are sold by some new feature or gadget or on the basis that repair of the old set would provide a substantial amount on the purchase of a new set." A market of between 17 million and 21 million home rece'vers is foreseen, Mr. Mcintosh said, on the basis of deferred demand brought about by cessation of production in April 1942. These sets are likely to Legear Spots DR. L. D. LEGEAR MEDICINE Co., St. Louis (livestock & poultry remedies) begins thrice-weekly news and spot announcement participations Dec. 27 and continues for 26 weeks. Five to 15-minute programs will be heard on stations WJDX KOB WPTF WKY WIS WHAS KTHS WRUF KMA KSAL WOOD WMOX KWBW WDBC. Agency is Simmonds & Simmonds, Chicago. be of higher quality than pre-war models, he said, due to the fact that manufacturers have became accustomed to working to military specifications. Having been tooled and geared to quality product1 on, they "will find it to their advantage both economically and from a sales standpoint to continue in a measure their present high standards," he said. Tribute to Industry Mr. Mcintosh paid high tribute to the radio manufacturing industry's achievements following the order to convert the'r plants to military production. He cited the remarkable military victories scored through use of electronic devices. These included sinking of enemy warships at night by gun fire through electronic detection and ranging dev'ces, the defeat of the submarine drive in the North Atlantic by equipment used in patrol bombers and surface vessels and the surrender of the Ital an fleet brought about by broadcasts on the international distress frequency. Reviewing the problems encountered by the industry in converting to war equipment, he traced the steps taken to meet these difficulties. One of these was an extensive program of standardization of component parts for home receivers. Four standards developed and adopted under the procedure of the American Standards Assn. reduced the number of volume controls from 2,700 to 12; of electrolytic condensers, from 450 to 10; of paper type condensers, from 370 to 9, and of condensers and chokes, from 250 to 12. Production requirements due to military demand are still going up he said, quoting the slogan: "For every three in '43, we need four in '44." Turns Change LEWIS-HOWE Co., St. Louis (Turns), on Jan. 18 replaces Treasure Chest with A Date with Judy on 126 NBC stations, Tuesday, 8:30-9 p. m. (EWT). Built around adventures of a 15-year-old girl, comedy-drama series stars Louise Erickson and Dix Davis. Art Baker will announce. Roche, Williams, & Cunnyngham, Chicago, services the account. Packaged by James L. Saphier Agency, Hollywood talent service, series had previously been used as summer replacement for Bob Hope Show and Time to Smile on NBC stations. Page 22 • December 20, 1943 BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising 1