Broadcasting (July - Sep 1949)

Record Details:

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TV PROPOSALS DuMont Plan Announced • By LARRY CHRISTOPHER MAGNITUDE and complexity of FCC's pi-oposals to revise its television allocations and TV engineeringstandards became more apparent last week as industry briefs and comments continued to flow into the Commission amid developments that included: # Announcement by Allen B. DuMont Labs, that it will present at the TV hearing commencing Sept. 26 its new national allocations plan which would minimize the VHF-UHF channel intermixture contained in FCC's proposal, provide multiple VHF services in most of the 140 major markets and provide TV service in other communities through UHF channels. # Petition by the Federal Communications Bar Assn. contesting legality of the TV allocation rulemaking procedure and requesting oral argument before start of the Sept. 26 proceeding. 0 Report that the Assn. of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers has approved a draft report challenging certain basic concepts and philosophies contained in the Commission's proposed allocation and standards revision. # Presentation by CBS, in reply to FCC's July 20 request for full data on color TV progress and experimentation, outlining refinements in the network's disc-type sequential color system which appeared to meet the Commission's proposed specifications in many respects. Additional briefs were received concerning specific allocations, experimentation in the UHF band and color tests, but the big load is seen hitting the Commission this week and climaxing Friday, Aug. 26, the deadline set by FCC. Deadline for filing replies to these comments is Sept. 12. Both dates had been postponed by the Commission a fortnight ago upon demands of the industry for sufficient time to prepare for the comprehensive proceeding [Broadcasting, Aug. 1]. Meanwhile, last week the Commission further amended its proposed rule-making proceeding on TV FILM^SPOTS *TELEVISION CARTOONS, INC. 361 WEST BROADWAY, NEW YORK allocation [Broadcasting, July 18] to: (1) delete Channel 13 at Alexandria, La.; (2) substitute Channel 31 for 41 at Winifred, Mont.; (3) substitute Channel 44 for 45 at Woodward, Okla.; (4) delete Channel 18 at Orange, Tex.; (5) substitute Channel 35 for 34 at Montgomery, W. Va., and (6) allocate Channel 42 to Festus, Mo. FCC said the changes corrected omissions or errors in the earlier announcement. FCBA Contention It is contended by FCBA, as resolved by its executive committee at a special meeting held Tuesday, that the proposed TV allocation procedure "serves to deprive applicants of an opportunity for a hearing and, accordingly, is contrary to the law; and that as an alternative the Commission consider the TV allocation as a guide in order that applicants may be guaranteed a hearing." Under the FCC's proposed rule-making method, the Commission arbitrarily could decide for itself whether it wished to grant a hearing on any request to modify the allocation plan so as to provide for an assign WITHIN a few days, 600 film shorts adapted to television and 70 full-length features will be made available to American video networks, stations and advertising agencies by a new company, Hubbell Television Inc. That was made known to Broadcasting by Richard W. Hubbell, president of the company, on his return last week from Europe, where he made elaborate arrangements with British, French and Italian film companies to purchase both their products and services for TV film making. Some $62,000,000 worth of pictures immediately will become available to TV stations, he said. The bulk of the British films is scheduled to arrive in September. New films, produced especially for Hubbell, are then expected to arrive as completed. Some Italian pictures contracted for already have reached New York. As Mr. Hubbell told Broadcasting of his film plans, he revealed something of the organization he has quietly been building since Jan. 1947 to produce, sell and distribute TV programs, primarily on motion picture film. Mr. Hubbell also is chairman of the television, radio and motion picture management consultant firm of Richard W. Hubbell and Assoc., New York. He explained that Hubbell Television Inc. will operate through contracts with companies to be set up in foreign countries. ment to any area not covered in the plan, it was explained. Exactly what position the AFCCE has taken will not be revealed publicly until it files its statement this week. However, it was indicated resolutions adopted last Wednesday hold that engineeringwise the allocation shouldn't be an unchangeable part of the rules. It further is expected they will contest the Commission's assumption that UHF service is available on a comparable basis to existing VHF service, or will be in the near future. AFCCE's position also is expected to be that allocation must follow a practical, flexible pattern which is amenable to evolution, rather than rigid government plan. The new DuMont allocation plan was outlined last Tuesday by Dr. Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr., DuMont's director of research, who developed the program, before a meeting of the Radio Mfrs. Assn. Television Committee at the Roosevelt Hotel, New York. Simultaneously, the plan was reported in a letter to all DuMont affiliates by Comdr. Mortimer W. Loewi, director of the DuMont TV network. Details of the plan were not re in England, such a company already has been established, under the name, Richardson-Hubbell Television Networks Ltd. That organization is owned by W. T. (Bob) Richardson, a director of 17 English corporations, a television enthusiast and a man of great wealth, according to Mr. Hubbell. The English company has entered into contracts with Associated British-Pathe, England's second largest film producer, and with Ealing studios. In turn, the English company is bound to give all film rights to the Hubbell Television Inc. for ten years in U. S., Canada, Mexico and Cuba. Mr. Hubbell said that 50 per cent of all English film producing facilities were in the process of beingmade available to Hubbell Television Inc. Nine Ready Soon Those facilities already have been producing for Hubbell, with the result that nine difl^erent film series will be ready very soon, with most of the films arriving in this country this month. Among these is a series of 260 films called Pathe Pictorial Review, which he said Terry Ashwood, chief producer for associated British-Pathe, has been adapting for American TV audiences. Each issue of that series contains one subject of appeal to the entire family and one of special appeal respectively to the wife, the husband, vealed, however, since the special 32-man team engaged in preparing the exhaustive presentation was still completing portions of its work. The study has been in progress for two years, it was stated, and constitutes maturation of DuMont's many years of inquiry as to what should constitute a workable, competitive nation-wide television system. Tentative VHF and VHFUHF plans were submitted by DuMont during the TV proceedings last summer. DuMont's plan would use 65 UHF channels in addition to the 12 existing VHF channels while FCC proposes to assign only 42 UHF channels in addition to the present VHF facilities. In summary, the DuMont plan is based upon the following factors: 1. The 12 present VHF channels are utilized to the fullest extent for minimum of four channels per city in most of the 140 metropolitan districts. FCC's proposal provides four VHF channels in only 20 of the first 50 cities in the U.S. while DuMont's plan would provide ahout 35 of the first 50 cities with four or more VHF channels. 2. 48 UHF 6-mc channels are used to assure adequate service to other communities. 3. An additional 10 UHF channels are reserved for community channels to protect smaller towns not yet ready for TV and which are not prescribed in the general plan. When such communities are ready to enter TV, the channels would he available on basis of flrst-come, first serve. 4. Seven further UHF channels arte (Continued on page 6i) make British films available to American TV audiences is formed by (I to r): Richard W. Hubbell, president of Hubbell Television Inc., New York; his wife, Kyra, vice president and secretary of the company, and W. T. (Bob) Richardson, head of Richardson-Hubbell Television Networks Ltd., London. the daughter and the son of a household. A 26-week series, called Pathe Looks at Life, is among the others initially to be available. That series and the review series will be sharply timed so each issue will run nine minutes and 50 seconds, including the time allowed for insertions of commercials. The extra ten seconds is for station identification. Also available immediately will be several series of five-minute shorts which can be run independently or with either (Continued on page 65) UBBELL TV INC. Readying Foreign Films Page 46 • August 22, 1949 BROADCASTING • Telecasting