Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1955)

MANUFACTURING Fm Suit Settlement Ends Six-Year Fight RCA-NBC's $1 million settlement comes year after Maj. Armstrong's death. ONE of the broadcasting industry's more dramatic patent stories ended abruptly a fortnight ago with the announcement that the fm patent suit brought against RCA-NBC some years ago by the late Maj. Edwin H. Armstrong had been settled for approximately $1 million [At Deadline, Jan. 3]. Only a year ago, the sudden death of Maj. Armstrong, whose fall from his 13th story apartment in New York was listed in police reports as suicide, touched off a new wave of publicity on the court battle. In a farewell letter to his estranged wife, Maj. Armstrong, credited with being fm's developer, placed on this patent litigation and on his absorption in it for some five years, the blame for his neglect of his home life which had led to separation from his wife. Reportedly Maj. Armstrong, who died at 63 last February, had concerned himself with the suit virtually round-the-clock when it was being considered by the courts. Maj. Armstrong first filed his suit in the U. S. District Court at Wilmington, Del., in July 1948. It alleged infringement by RCA and NBC of five of his fm patents. Of interest perhaps in the light of events which have transpired since the suit was filed, was Maj. Armstrong's comment in his charges that "today [1948] there are nearly 600 fm broadcasting stations on the air in the U. S., and set production is in the millions per year. Fm is definitely on the way toward permanently obsoleting am radio." Maj. Armstrong reportedly first got into his fm idea in the 1920's and by 1933 persuaded RCA to give him space in the Empire State Bldg., in New York, where RCA already had begun its experimental telecasting, to test out his theories. After a few years, however, RCA decided to concentrate on tv and the major moved his apparatus to Alpine, N. J., on the Palisades across the Hudson from uptown Manhattan. This move was mentioned in the Armstrong brief filed with the court as having been the result of NBC's alleged showing of "no interest in giving the public" fm service. Optical Color Deception COUNTLESS high school physics students have been impressed with it, and now it's come to tv. Creating color from black and white patterns, that is. Faint impressions of color were achieved on black and white closed circuit tv at Indiana U.'s television studio in tests made by two members of the psychology department, the university has reported. The test made use of the so-called Prevost-Fechner color effect. This is achieved by the rapid alternation of black and white patterns, which to an observer seems to create color. The closed-circuit telecast was arranged as part of studies into the causes of the effect. One of the drawbacks in creating strong color on tv through the use of rapidly spinning black and white patterns on a disc is the stroboscopic effect caused by the fact that tv images are intermittent and not a succession of pictures, it was said. Color Equipment Production Major '55 Trend — Kessler MAJOR trend in 1955 for manufacturers of tv station transmitting equipment and studio installations will be the production of color tv transmitting equipment, according to Robert E. Kessler, manager of Allen B. DuMont Labs' Communication Products Division. Mr. Kessler said 1954 was a year of "outstanding accomplishment" for the division. Among the accomplishments he cited was DuMont's color Multi-Scanner, introduced last year and now in large-scale production. Other developments: installation of DuMont's line of conversion units for stations who wish to broadcast color continuing at a rapid pace; move to high power transmitters by tv stations begun last year can be expected to increase (DuMont has been shipping new 25-kw and 50-kw transmitters); growth of mobile two-way commercial radio communication equipment, a field in which DuMont in 1954 became a major competitor, and introduction of a redesigned and improved "Tel-Eye" camera for closed circuit tv. THE LATEST WCKY In The Greater Cincinnati Area Of the 302,630 Radio Homes regularly surveyed by Pulse, 1 out of every AVi was tuned to WCKY in Sept.-Oct. Every day, Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Buy Independent — Beat Network ratings: Get lower cost per thousand and large outside BONUS audience. BUY WCKY Seidel Terms Television 'Sparkplug' of Electronics TELEVISION continues to serve as the "spar plug" of the electronics industry, with tot tv sales in 1954 accounting for about $1.5 b. lion and expected to hit a similar mark tb year when seven million units are expected be sold, an RCA official said last week. Robert A. Seidel, RCA vice president, a] peared on an all-appliance panel Wednesd; during the International Home Furnishings Ma ket in Chicago. He predicted that set-makei would turn out about 200.000 color units i 1955. Mr. Seidel said nearly 150.000 more f receivers were sold in 1954 than in the previoi year, along with 11 million radio sets and 3.1 million phonographs. Prediction that about one million more majc I appliances would be sold this year was voice! by Parker H. Erickson. vice president of Ave 1 Mfg. Corp.. with overall sales expected t I jump 3 to 30%. National Prosperity Cited In Sylvania Yearend Report PREDICTION that 1955 may be the best eco nomic year in the history of the United State was made last week by Don G. Mitchell, boan chairman, and H. Ward Zimmer, president Sylvania Electric Products Inc. The joint state ment also forecast that the steadily climbitij gross national product, described as the sun of the nation's goods and services, alread; shows signs of exceeding previous records. Sales at Sylvania in the last quarter of 195' were the highest for any fourth quarter in tht company's history, Messrs. Mitchell and Zim mer reported, with net sales of almost $79 mil lion recorded for that period. The total factory production of tv sets foi 1954 is expected to reach 7.5 million and sale; to the public more than 7.2 million. The Sylvania executives said that current estimates foi 1955 are 5.9 million black-and-white sets and 100,000 to 300,000 color sets. The sale of radio receiving tubes declined in 1954 due to the tv industry inventory adjustment, but Messrs. Mitchell and Zimmer reported a pick-up is underway now that customer inventories are substantially reduced. MANUFACTURING PEOPLE Marion Pettegrew, acting general manager. parts div., Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Warren, Pa., appointed general manager. Myles M. Walker, marketing analyst, Raytheon Mfg. Co., Waltham, Masspromoted to marketing research manager. Buford H. Melton MR. PETTEGREW formerly sales man ager, Norge Div., Borg-Warner Corp., Chicago, appointed contact div. sales manager, Admiral Corp., same city. F. H. Coogan, assistant traffic manager, Graybar Electric Co., N. Y., promoted to traffic manager, succeeding W. R. Wheeler, retired. Victor Le Gendre appointed chief engineer, Plainfield, N. L, plant of Haydu Bros. Div., Burroughs Corp., Detroit. Page 84 January 10, 1955 Broadcasting Telecasting