Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

iitional Press Bldg. rashinffton 4, D. C. JUNE 11, 1951 BROADCASTING • TELECASTING $7 annually, 25c weekly FCC REPLY DELAYED May Study Johnson Letter Today By LARRY CHRISTOPHER NO COMMENT had issued from FCC by late Thursday on Sen. Edwin C. Johnson's (D-Col.) letter of Monday to Chairman Wayne Coy questioning legality of fixed allocations by rule-making, but the Commission is expected te discuss the matter today (June 11) and reply promptly. The letter from the chairman of the Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, which originates radio legislation, indicated that while Sen. Johnson continues to be vitally interested in promptly lifting the TV freeze, he also has become very concerned with the legal dispute over the fixed TV allocation plan, opposed by the Federal Communications Bar Assn. "I am not a lawyer and do not propose to pass upon the merits of the legal principles involved in the contentions of the Bar Assn.," Sen. Johnson wrote, "but, I would be less than frank if I did not indicate that I am impressed by the force and logic of their arguments." Sen. Johnson asked FCC to give immediate consideration to the legal issue as urged by FCBA in order to save needless waste of time and energy and to prevent further delay in lifting of the freeze. FCBA fortnight ago renewed its request for oral argument prior to commencement of the hearing on city-by-city allocation proposals, set July 9, but FCC indicated earlier it would not hear the issue until after completion of the city-bycity hearing, which may run two to nine months according to current estimates. Color, Freeze Issues Aside from Sen. Johnson's letter, the Commission has two other important matters on its TV agenda this week. These are further consideration of its proposal for a partial lifting of the TV freeze and the renewed activity in the color television field, initiated by the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the National Television System Committee [Broadcasting • Telecasting, June 4] (also see color story this page). It presently appears FCC may modify its early proposal and decline opening of the UHF band to new station grants in certain areas because the UHF allocation is so intermixed with VHF. But the Commission is expected to proceed as soon as possible to granting new VHF outlets in the U. S. terri tories and to granting of improved facilities to certain existing VHF outlets in the U. S. [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 28]. Meanwhile, replies began to trickle into FCC last week in opposition to initial comments filed earlier on the new TV allocation plan. But the bulk of the replies are expected to be filed today, June 11, the final deadline. Other new developments : Q Requests for substituiton of UHF channels for VHF channels are contained in amendments filed to pending TV applications of WHK Cleveland, WIBX Utica, N. Y., WSBA York, Pa., and Home News Pub. Co., New Brunswick, N. J. ® Color TV will be aired by WHK's proposed outlet, "as soon as standards for color television have been approved finally, and equipment is available." @ Initial application for new station in UHF was filed by WEXL Royal Oak, Mich. United Broadcasting Co., WHK licensee, amended its pending bid for VHF Channel 7 to request in lieu thereof UHF Channel 19 with effective radiated power of 96 kw visual, 48 kw aural. FCC's revised allocation proposal would put Channel 19 in that city. The proposed UHF station would cost $567,678 to build, WHK stated, and $270,000 to operate the first year. Initial revenue of $100,000 was estimated. RCA 5-kw equipment is planned to be used, with antenna gain of 24. Coverage Estimates WHK estimated the UHF outlet's Grade A contour would cover 615 sq. mi. and a population of 1,423,885; Grade B contour, 2,630 sq. mi. and 2,141,288 population. WSBA, whose pending bid seeks VHF Channel 8, requests UHF Channel 43 with ERP of 70 kw visual, 35 kw aural. RCA 5 kw transmitter also is contemplated. Grade A contour is estimated to include 1,740 sq. mi. and population of 502,332; Grade B, 4,210 sq. mi., 770,482 population. Construction cost of the WSBA UHF outlet is estimated at $244,500, with monthly operating cost set at $9,500 and revenue $5,000. FCC's new TV plan allocates Channels 43 and 49 to York. Channel 3 bid of WIBX was revised to request UHF Channel 19, with ERP of 88.7 kw visual, 44.35 kw aural. General Electric transmitter and antenna (20 gain) are proposed to be employed. WIBX estimated its Grade A service area would include population of 290,526 and its Grade B service area population of 379,079. Antenna height above average terrain would be 680 ft. The Utica-Rome proproposal includes Channel 19. Home News Pub. Co., which has experimented in UHF locally, amends its Channel 8 application to request UHF Channel 47. RCA equipment is planned, with ERP (Continued on page 7U) COLOR CONTROVERSY GE Reveqls Te^ pl™ SPARKS continued to fly last week in the color controversy as General Electric Co. Thursday revealed its plan to begin "as soon as possible" experimental color broadcasting with the system offered by the Ad Hoc Committee of the National Television System Committee. On the other hand, CBS made further preparation for commencement of commercial colorcasting June 25, viewing the "composite" system of the NTSC committee [Broadcasting • Telecasting, June 4] as an attempt to stall acceptance of the Columbia system. GE's Thursday statement by Dr. W. R. G. Baker, vice president and general manager, who also is serving as chairman of NTSC, was made to a meeting of television engineering consultants in Washington. The experimental telecasts will be made from the company's Electronics Laboratory at Electronics Park, Syracuse, he said, and will consist of still pictures at first. Development and construction of additional studio equipment will permit live color programs at a later date, it was added. "We are modifying our laboratory and studio equipment," Dr. Baker stated, "which we have been using to test other systems to permit transmission on a standard television broadcast channel." Still colorcasts will be received on present receivers in black and white in the Syracuse area, he stated, saying that GE will construct a limited number of test sets to receive the broadcasts in color. Other manufacturers last week also indicated plans for field-testing the composite system "within a relatively short time." 'Composite' System The "composite" system was described as being based on RCA's compatible color technique but incorporating suggestions advanced by various other companies. The "improvements," a spokesman said, have all been laboratory tested and some have been field tested. What remains, he said, is to get agreement on "some of the numbers to be used, such as the exact frequency of the color sub-carrier," and similar details. CBS, however, branded the composite system "a desperate attempt to offer another paper system" as a barrier to acceptance of the Columbia method. CBS Vice President Adrian Murphy said it was either the rival RCA system in an Telecasting BROADCASTING other guise, or that it meant RCA has "ditched" its method. Columbia, he reported, is planning to initiate commercial colorcasts on Monday, June 25; will start with about five hours of color programming a week on WCBS-TV New York and increase gradually, and hopes to have both advertisers and a network of color stations lined up from the beginning. RCA, which is one of the companies represented on the engineering group at work on the composite system, meanwhile said the Ad Hoc Committee's report, filed with FCC a short time ago, "reaffirms that compatibility is the essential basis of any sound color TV system." Striking out anew at the CBS system's lack of compatibility, the RCA statement said "no system which is unable to get along with the existing black-and-white service will serve the public interest." It said the color committee's recommendations for compatibility, high definition, and use of a subcarrier to add color to the blackand-white signal are all met by RCA's system. Charles J. Hirsch, chief engineer of the research division of Hazel(Contimied on page 78) June 11, 1951 • Page 65