Broadcasting (Oct - Dec 1950)

Record Details:

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Violent Reactions (Continued from page 23) stood to have approached CBS with offers to buy color shows. In announcing plans to seek an injunction against FCC, Pilot President Goldberg said the Commission "should have delayed the decision another nine months as the industry pleaded for it to do. This is a feud between the FCC and the industry." Rep. Emanuel Celler (D-N. Y.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, termed FCC's action "most improvident," and said he had sent telegrams to the Commissioners on Oct. 6 asking for at least two weeks' delay to permit him to study the possible effects of incompatible color on industry, dealers and public. He also had sent a similar message to President Truman. Sen. Homer E. Capehart (R-Ind.) had requested that the decision be held up at least until Congress reconvenes or until the Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, of which he is a member, could explore the implications of the planned decision A special meeting of the Television Committee of Radio-Television Mfrs. Assn. is slated today (Monday) at the Hotel Roosevelt, New York. The meeting was called after FCC's Wednesday decision was announced. Committee chairman is Dr. W. R. G. Baker, General Electric Co. Admiral President Siragusa was invited to attend. Attacking the FCC move, RCA's Gen. Sarnoff declared that "no incompatible system is good enough for the American public. The hundreds of millions of dollars that present set owners would have to spend and that future set owners would have to pay to obtain a degraded picture with an incompatible system reduces today's order to an absurdity." He continued: When we were asked to comment on the First Report of the Commission issued on Sept. 1, we said "never before has an administrative body of the United States undertalien to coerce the freedom of choice of American manufacturers in what they may build and sell under threat that, if they do not obey, drastic consequences to the public will follow." That threat has today been carried out. Because the engineers of substantially the entire industry had the courage to disagree with the Commission's impractical proposal, the FCC has adopted this incompatible system just as it threatened to do. RCA continues to maintain its position that the public interest can only be served by the adoption of standards which provide for a color television system which is fully compatible with existing sets — that is, a system which requires no changes whatever in existing sets and involves no expense to the present owners of television siets. . . . Black-and-white television was only a dream yesterday, yet 10 million television sets will be in use by the end of this year, and the American people are now buying them at a rate of 800,000 a month. The tre mendous technical advances in blackand-white television are the result of practical research, sound engineering, and the industry's demonstrated desire to give the best television to the people at constantly reduced prices. CTI President Matthews said he thought the color decision was only the beginning of the color fight and that he thought set manufacturers and others would succeed in forcing a review of the decision. He said: If the decision of five members of FCC concerning color television is put into effect it will impose a staggering financial burden on present TV set owners and depreciate the value of black-and-white sets considerably. More than eight million TV set owners, many who have purchased their sets on the installment plan, would be the real loser. The American public will be unjustifiably saddled with an incompatible inferior system that will impose an out-of-pocket penalty under this ruling. The FCC edict will deprive TV set owners and their families of complete television performance and entertainment which ' they anticipated when they purchased their present black-and-white sets. When this loss is fully realized by the public, CTI is confident the FCC will want to change its decision in the public interest. In the meantime CTI will continue full speed ahead. . . . President Paul Galvin of Motorola noted that court action may keep FCC from effecting its ruling. He said the public will still buy black-and-white, even when color is available. Reassures Dealers In a fiery telegram to Admiral's 16,000 dealers, President Siragusa urged them to "reassure the public that Columbia color and FCC action means little or nothing to harm the growth of television as we know it," and that "present excellent programming will continue in black-and-white on all four major networks." His message asserted : Impractical, unsightly whirling disc system which Commission approved will be pushed only by CBS, a network owning four stations out of a national total of 107 [Note: CBS owns one TV station outright, has substantial minority interest in two others.] No sponsor will make any investment in color telecasts for an audience which will consist mainly of CBS executives. It is our prediction CBS color will bumble along for a few months, after which time a compatible electronic system which can be utilized by present receivers will be perfected. Then CBS receivers will be completely obsolete. . . . Admiral is proud of the way you television dealers, America's hardesthitting sales force, have steadily increased your business in spite of obstacles bureaucrats have constantly thrown your way. President Alschuler, of Sentinel, labelled FCC's action "untimely and unwarranted." President Meek, Meek Industries, told his dealers in a letter that "no manufacturer is going to Mr. Byrnes 'HEROES SPEAK' Seryicemen Record Programs ACCENT on Democracy— what it is and how it works in action — and on human interest qualities is being reflected in childrens', special events and other programs now being aired by WCCC Hartford, Conn., according to Syd Byrnes, program manager. Most recent of WCCC's programs is Hartford Heroes Speak, consisting of musical dedications recorded in this country and overseas by the city's servicemen for their friends and families back home. Recipient is notified by the station of the day and time the dedication will be broadcast. First broadcast was heralded with a formal announcement by Mr. Byi-nes and attendance of many notable guests. When men of the 43d National Guard left for service, a special events microphone was on hand for interviews with soldiers and their families. WCCC aired addresses from the state capitol by Gov. Chester Bowles and Maj. Gen. Vernon Moorehouse, state selective service director, when the first draftee left for duty. do an all-out job on the CBS color receiving equipment": The CBS system is not now and never will be practical for anything more than a 10-inch or 12-inch picture tube. Next spring the most popular tube size will be 21 inches. The whirling disc needed to produce color pictures from this tube would have to be about 54 inches wide. To rotate fast enough to produce clear color, such a disc would have to revolve at the rate of 50 miles an hour at its circumference. There is not enough equipment in the United States to perform the dynamic balancing required for such a wheel. There are many other problems that make all-out productions of such sets impractical. The FCC has left the way open for a sound electronic system of color television. We are still several years away from color television. This arbitrary decision has no practical effect on the situation but only adds to the confusion. . . . Chairman Pokrass, of Tele-King, emphasized the "critical" shortage of components and said "the largest practical color picture area" under the CBS system "would require the reduction of the image to the equivalent of the now almost obsolete 12^/2 -inch tube." He said: . . . The decision of the FCC means that there will be approximately 20 hours a week of color broadcasting from one station, mostly at inconvenient times, and as far as we know, without adequate sponsorship. To receive this transmission, it will cost about $100 to convert. . . . . . . The public is interested in good programs and a clear picture. It will be years before color will be ready for general use. As has been our policy in the past, we will keep ourselves in readiness for anything the public demands. Through an assistant. Sen. Capehart notified the Commission before the decision came out that he thought adoption of an incompatible color system would be unfair to present set-owners, and, additionally, that the present international situation raises a question as to the availability of materials necessary for set conversion. He expressed belief that Congress should study the "basic question" of FCC's authority to issue such a decision and examine its technical soundness. Rep. Celler, in Los Angeles on business, said adoption of the CBS system "should have been more gradual," and that "it will leave many sets on the shelf, making them obsolete." He said he had sent the following telegrams to FCC members on Friday before the decision was issued: Regarding present uproar on color television, because of necessary trip to Coast I urgently request two weeks' time to inform myself on the facts involved in this serious question and its effects upon industry jobbers and dealers and upon two million black-and-white television set owners in my home state whose sets will be obsoleted by adoption of any incompatible color system. Grave public and economic considerations are involved not only for today but for the indefinite future. I hope the Commission will not adopt incompatible standards during this short period. On the ev6; of the decision, the National Assn. of Electrical Distributors "earnestly" urged FCC to postpone action until July 1951 to "enable manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to give the subject the further careful scrutiny and study which its tremendous importance demands, and . . . enable them to be of further assistance to the Commission in working out the ultimate solution to this pressing problem. TRENDS GROUP NAB Committee Meets NAB Business Trends Committee, comprising leading industrial, business and economic leaders, meets today at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. First meeting of the group, formed last spring [Broadcasting, May 22,] is scheduled to take up major areas of strength and weakness in the current business picture; mobilization and defense plans; outlook; points at which media have failed in their effort to reflect true business conditions to the American people. The committee was authorized at the NAB February board meeting. The plan calls for preparation of an economic repoi-t by Richard P. Doherty, NAB employe-employer relations director. Page 30 October 16, 1950 BROADCASTING • Telecasting