Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

BASIC TV IN THE fcDUB STATIONS' /MARKET J2ANK5 FOURTH IN POPULATION, RETAfLSALES BUYING POWER ANP SETCOUNT/ THIS MICRO-WAVE fJETWORK PKOVIDB A SIMULTANEOUS PICTURE OVER AN AREA EQUAL IN SIZE TO TUE STATE OF OHIO/ MAINE OR PENNSYLVANIA! STATION POPULATION FAMILIES KDUB-TV 645,100 180,400 KPAR-TV 274,400 79,400 KEDY-TV 272,800 78,700 TOTAL 1,192,300 338,500 > *■ YOUR BRAN MAIA N\AN HA^ THE DETAILS KDUB-TV LUBBOCK, TEXAS KPAR-TV ABILENE-SWEETWATER, TEXAS K E D Y T V BIG SPRING, TEXAS PROGRAM SERVICES going to have to bring our product to them. It's as simple as that. Mr. Boggs expressed his personal belief that Video Independent was on the right track. He referred to a U. of Oklahoma survey in Bartlesville, which indicated that the $9.50 per month is three to three-andone-half times what Bartlesville families now spend on movie-going. Initially the Bartlesville operation will be a continuous program service comprising: (1) first run features; (2) reruns of feature films, and (3) a music-news-weather-time program. To be added later is a background music service and a live video service. The first-run service will be operated exactly like a theatre policy, Mr. Boggs stated. There will be three changes a week (Sun.-Mon.-Tue.; Wed.-Thur.; Fri.-Sat.). Reruns will be offered on a staggered basis so the opportunity to see a desired film will be widespread. The music-news-weathertime program will use tapes, recordings, a "TelePrompTer type" news chart. The daily programs will begin at noon and run until 11 p.m. There will be no commercials on the film services. Mr. Boggs declared categorically. There will be advertising on the third program and, when it is inaugurated, on the fifth, live video service. The movie chain has taken its 800-seat, 20-year-old downtown Lyric Theatre — which was remodeled only last year — and is turning it into a film origination center for the Telemovies operation. It is spending $90,000 on this work, including equipment due July 15 from General Precision Labs. The equipment will include two 35mm film camera chains, a spare film camera, and one Vidicon fieldcamera. GPL has worked out a system for presenting Cinemascope and other large screen picture methods on the tv screen in standard 4:3 aspect ratio without distortion, Mr. Boggs said. The Lyric use will still leave Video with two conventional and two drive-ins in the Bartlesville area. The choice of Bartlesville was dictated by two considerations: People have choice of three tv services (Tulsa-Muskogee), have only one theatre chain in the community (Video owns all movie houses). The present Video Independent chain was formed in 1950 when the interests of the Griffith family were purchased by a group headed by the then chain's general counsel. Henry S. Griffin. Vumore was established in 1952 to provide community tv service in Ardmore. Mr. Boggs, a U. of Oklahoma engineering graduate, was a commercial pilot and during World War II served in the Air Transport Command, flying the Miami, Fla.-Karachi. Pakistan 30° parallel course. After war service he joined Griffith Consolidated and by 1952 was manager of Video's four conventional and two drive-ins in Ardmore. The Messrs. Griffin and Boggs saw all major producer executives in New York in November 1956. All agreed to cooperate in the projected Bartlesville operation, Mr. Boggs declared (although one executive has died and there is a question whether this distributor will feel bound). In the initial stages, Mr. Boggs said, separate prints will be required for the wired pay tv project. There may come a time, Mr. Boggs suggested, when projection in movie houses and to homes may be simulcast. The cables, repeaters, amplifiers, and other distributive gear will amount to a $150,000 plant, Mr. Boggs explained. The city is being wired by Vumore under contract to Southwestern Bell. The fee is cost plus 10%, it was explained. Vumore is leasing cable from Southwestern Bell for $1,000 per year per mile, on a five-year term. Drop-offs from the trunk cable to individual subscribers will be handled by Vumore itself, at an estimated cost of $25 per drop-off. There will be no installation charge to the customer, Mr. Boggs emphasized, and neither will there be any term to the $9.50 monthly charge. Subscribers will be provided with a switch on the rear of their tv sets. One position will permit off-air pickups from Tulsa video stations: second position will be for cable pickups. Examiner Favors Collier Over AT&T to Build Relay COLLIER ELECTRIC Co. was favored over American Telephone & Telegraph Co. last week by an FCC examiner for a construction permit to build a point-to-point tv microwave relay system to feed three community antenna systems. Hearing Examiner Jay A. Kyle issued the initial decision recommending a grant to Collier to relay offthe-air signals of the three Denver stations to Sterling, Colo., and Sidney and Kimball. Neb. Collier's proposed service will pick the signals off-the-air at Fort Morgan, Colo., and terminate at Kimball, with drop-out facilities in Sterling and Sidney. Collier owns and operates community antenna systems in Sterling and Sidney. Sidney, population 9,500, has 1,050 subscribers to Collier's antenna system. Sterling, population 12,000. claims 2.100 subscribers. Sterling is 125 miles northeast of Denver and Sidney and Kimball are in neighboring southwestern Nebraska. William H. Harrison has applied to the city council of Kimball for a franchise to operate a community antenna system in that city. Mr. Harrison claims there are 800 to 1,200 potential subscribers in the city of 6,000. Mr. Harrison is negotiating with Collier to furnish microwave service for his antenna system in Kimball. This would provide Collier with three customers for its proposed service. AT&T, which planned use of Collier's facilities and the same sites, was found to have no agreement with Collier for the use of these facilities. The decision stated that at the time of the hearing the AT&T had neither existing nor proposed customers in any of the three cities. Collier's charges for the three proposed users will be $5,175 per month, AT&T's were noted at $5,530. with a contingent termination charge of $86,750 for less than three years service. Page 86 • June 10, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting