Broadcasting (Apr - June 1950)

COLOR HEARING SPEEDUP ^ REHASHING of old familiar controversies — plus introduction of some new conflicts between principal color TV proponents, RCA and CBS — marked the third week of cross-examination in FCC's color hearing last week. Concern that the now over-drawn proceeding could lapse into a mere battle of words was evidenced by the Commission on Monday when it delayed start of the week's hearings while it met in special session to consider the color TV situation. Although no report was made concerning the brief meeting, it was understood hearing procedure and scheduling of witnesses topped the agenda in an effort to wind up the color phase as soon as possible without trimming off vital evidence. FCC Chairman Wayne Coy delayed his departure to the NAB convention until Sunday to arrange the meeting and it was understood Comr. George E. Sterling cancelled entirely his plans to attend the convention because of the hearing situation. Highlights of last week's hearing through Wednesday included: # Efforts by RCA counsel in cross-examination of CBS witnesses to prove that the color policy of CBS has been inconsistent and that its management policy has conflicted with the firm's own engineering advice and representations. # Observation by CBS President Frank Stanton that his stand for non-compulsion in color set making and telecasting has been "somewhat shaken" by earlier testimony of certain manufacturing witnesses. But he indicated he believed competition would force reluctant firms to cooperate in set production if the CBS system were adopted. 9 Testimony by Dr. Stanton that if manufacturers, however, did refuse to make sets capable of receiving CBS color, the network might interest a group of businessmen to form a new firm for that purpose. CBS would not put money into it, he indicated. % Re-affirmation by Dr. Peter C. Goldmark, inventor of the CBS color system, that he didn't believe RCA's color system could be further improved and hence should not be field tested. He believed RCA's picture quality had about reached its ultimate and was just "toler' able." CBS Witnesses Eaxdier it had been presumed that Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, RCA board chairman, or RCA President Frank Folsom would appear last week to testify on RCA's plans to make CBS-type sets if that system were approved. But since Gen. Sarnoff was unable to attend because of other commitments, CBS and other witnesses were called for cross-examination. Gen. Sarnoff now is slated to appear May 3. His testimony was requested by FCC counsel, Harry Plotkin, when Pare 69 • BROADCASTING Dr. Elmer W. Engstrom, RCA Labs vice president, told FCC his firm hadn't decided whether or not it would make sets capable of receiving CBS signals [Telecasting, April 17]. FCC has indicated it is very concerned over the issue of set makers' cooperation and possible need for compulsion should any non-compatible system such as CBS be adopted. The Commission has said it will "go down the line" of witnesses and question them on all aspects of this matter. FCC also is expected to continue pursuit of its inquiry into patent matters with those witnesses where the patent issue is pertinent. The color hearing continues Tuesday (April 25) in Washington and on Wednesday will move to New York for the record demonstration of CBS' new technique of dot interlacing. Further sessions then are scheduled May 1-5, when it's now hoped nearly all examination will be concluded except for the Color Television Inc. demonstration of its system on the West Coast. Cross-examination of Dr. Stanton was begun Monday morning by John T. Cahill, RCA counsel and board member, who is senior partner in the New York law firm of Cahill, Gordon, Zachry & Reindel. Mr. Cahill observed Dr. Goldmark earlier had testified he felt the RCA system could not be improved and asked the witness if he agreed with this statement. Dr. Stanton replied Dr. Goldmark's statement was engineering testimony and that as a layman he couldn't disagree with it. Asked if he had noted improvement in RCA's picture at the Laurel demonstration in February, Dr. Stanton replied affirmatively but added the first RCA color pictures last fall "didn't qualify as pictures." Mr. Cahill reviewed CBS management policy during the past 10 years. Dr. Stanton, who took active management in 1946, affirmed the company policy always had been based on engineering facts and advice and that the latter has never been made to accommodate policy. Mr. Cahill indicated this view was presented originally to FCC as CBS policy in 1944 by Paul Kesten, at that time executive vice president of CBS and now retained as a consultant at an annual retainer of $25,000. Stanton Recommendation Dr. Stanton told Mr. Cahill he was aware when he recommended the CBS system for adoption that it had 45% less horizontal and 23% less vertical resolution than existing monochrome, as admitted by Dr. Goldmark during the hearing. He indicated the public doesn't see just resolution when it looks at a picture, however. The RCA counsel proceeded to observe Mr. Kesten in 1941 told FCC the 441 line, 60 field TV standards then proposed by the Radio Mfrs. Assn. were "twice as good as they seem to be" because of development potentials, and that Adrian Murphy, now CBS vice president and general executive, the same year told FCC 525line pictures were "very satisfactory." He contrasted this with a statement in 1944 by Joseph Ream, CBS executive vice president, that 525-line standards were not good enough for postwar TV. Mr. Cahill also noted that while Robert Sorrell, then a CBS engineer, in early 1944 as a member of a Radio Technical Planning Board committee voted in favor of 525line, 6-mc standards, Mr. Ream in October of that year urged some 30 channels, each 16-mc wide, be provided in the UHF and that all VHF channels be withdrawn as soon as UHF service was sufficient. Mr. Cahill stated the Ream proposal came even after another RTPB group had declared the UHF unusable in the foreseeable future due to lack of laboratory and field experience. About this same time, Mr. Cahill recalled to Dr. Stanton, Dr. Goldmark had gone on record as saying CBS would propose no change in TV standards after the war. The RCA counsel reminded Dr. Stanton that in April 1944 CBS had issued a booklet to "policy" people in several fields which asked if prewar TV would be good enough after the war and then proceeded to note technical advances which would promise twice the detail in postwar TV pictures, plus color. He indicated the booklet emphasized need for bigger pictures and greater detail — practical since twice the bandwidth would be possible — and pointed out limitations of prewar TV "squeezed" into 6 mc. Mr. Cahill contended the present CBS picture is not as good as the prewar CBS color picture cited in the booklet as an example of coarse detail TV to be left behind in favor of new developments. Upon questioning, Dr. Stanton testified CBS' interest in color TV was as a broadcaster and not as a color system proponent. He said the CBS position was not affected by its investment to date of more than $4,000,000 in the field sequential system. He termed this "a drop in the bucket" to what could be earned by the network in the long run with color TV. Dr. Stanton agreed the CBS system at first would have practically no circulation and this in part was why CBS planned mostly off-hour color programming at first. He indicated other factors also were involved, though. He acknowledged there would be no programming restrictions in adoption of a compatible system. Asked if a compatible system would speed up public acceptance of color, Dr. Stanton replied, "That depends on what the manufacturer does." He indicated convertibility of a system also has importance comparable to compatibility and expressed doubt that the RCA or CTI systems have convertibility. Dr. Stanton introduced an exhibit estimating the effect of obsolescence, conversion and adaptation of TV sets following FCC approval of the CBS system. The report estimated that by June 1, 1954, with a total of 25,000,000 sets, only 3.1% (786,000) would be 525line monochrome-only sets while 31.3% (7,828,500) would be dual standard 405 or 525-line monochrome sets plus receivers adapted to receive black-andwhite from CBS color signals. An estimated 57.2% (14,285,500) would be (Continued on Telecasting 8) TELECASTING • Page 7 THIS is the principal TV studio of WDSU-AM-FM-TV New Orleans which has just been completed. Dimensions of the studio are 100 x 55 ft., and it is one of four (two AM and one other to be used for AM and TV interchangeably) which are included in the new studio building located directly behind Brulatour Court. Of the approximate $1,200,000 investment by WDSU in radio and TV services, well over one-half million is directly allocated to video, according to the station. April 24, 1950