Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

MANUFACTURING continued NIGHTTIME WSAZ -TV DELIVERS 1000 HOMES BETWEEN 7:30 and 10:30 P. M. FOR $1.30 The second station's cost per thousand homes is $2.39 84% Higher The third station's cost per thousand homes is $5.42 317% Higher AND ANYTIME WSAZ-TV delivers ONE THIRD more total homes than both other Huntington-Charleston Stations COMBINED Source: Jun« 1 957 ARB All figures based on 260-rime frequency HUMTIMGTOM-CHARLESTOq W. VA. XT.B.O. XraTTSTOHK ■ Affiliated with Radio Stations : WSAZ, Huntington & WKAZ, Charleston LAWRENCE H. ROGERS, PRESIDENT Represented by The Katx Agency CALL YOUR KATZ MAN Acceptance of Color Is Key To Tv Set Maker Growth — S&P "No important growth" in the tv set manufacturing industry is foreseen until "full-scale acceptance of color tv occurs," according to an analysis of the electricalelectronics industries by Standard & Poor's. The analysis says color has made "slow but steady progress," adding that "largescale public acceptance" still is in the offing despite vigorous promotion by RCA. It finds general agreement that the growth of color depends on the development of simpler, less expensive receivers. As to pay tv, the analysis finds "reasonable doubt that large-scale toll telecasting will be possible before considerable time elapses," and feels more time is required to determine the success of the Bartlesville, Okla., wired system. Standard & Poor's study cites industry estimates that 41 million of the 50 million tv sets sold since 1945 were in use in 83% of U. S. homes. It estimates radio circulation at 125 million sets with 97% of homes radio-equipped. IBEW Local Head Reports Drop In Employment in Chicago Area Reports of increasing unemployment in the radio-tv-appliance industry are more than idle talk, at least to M. Frank Darling, business manager of Local 1031 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Chicago, largest in the AFL-CIO. A slowdown in set sales has idled thousands of Chicago plant workers despite the organization of members in 1 1 factories the past two years, according to Mr. Darling. Some 9,000 fewer card-holders in his local are now working than in 1955, he says. IBEW Local 1031 represents about 50,000 workers (only 35,000 now pay dues, however) in 114 plants, all of which have laid off workers in recent weeks, partly because of a curtailment of government electronic orders. Only a few now handle government orders, according to Mr. Darling. About 80% of members are women. Intercontinental Broadcasts Via Satellites Seen by Meighan The use of satellites for intercontinental broadcasting was predicted by Howard S. Meighan, CBS-TV Western Div. vice president, during his talk Wednesday at the first meeting of KNXT (TV) Los Angeles on the basics of television (see page 48). Mr. Meighan confirmed published reports that CBS engineers had worked with those of Lockheed Aircraft and Eastman Kodak on the development of a satellite in this country. Looking into the future, he foresaw a chain of satellites girding the globe, so spaced that there would always be one visible between the horizons. It would be possible, he said, for Voice of America messages to be transmitted from the United States to the satellites, recorded and retained until their arrival on the other side of the world when they could then be broadcast from the satellite to the people below. Mr. Meighan was less certain about video transmission via satellites. He pointed out that engineers know how to send radio signals successfully through vast distances of space, but that picture transmission is much more difficult. He noted that even at relatively short distances from a tv transmitter, good picture quality depends on a properly directionalized receiving antenna. Sylvania Sales for 3rd Quarter, First 9 Months, At All-Time High All-time record sales were reported Thursday by Sylvania Electric Products Inc. for both the third quarter and the first nine months of 1957. Net sales for the third quarter was listed at $89,363,209 as against $83,729,859 for the corresponding period of 1956 and for the nine months at $251,883,741, compared with $246,153,243 for the same 1956 period. Don G. Mitchell, president, noted that the net income for the third quarter was more than double that of the preceding quarter, but was slightly below that of the recordbreaking quarter of 1956. He attributed the record-breaking sales for the quarter and the nine months and the improvement in earnings in the third quarter over the preceding quarter to "the television industry's return to more normal production levels, which in turn, increased the demand for the components supplied to other tv set producers.'' He also cited the popularity of Sylvania's 110-degree tv set and improved business in lighting products. Erco Offers Multiplex Exciter For Delivery to Fms by December Erco Radio Labs., Garden City, N. Y.. will have available for December delivery its new type 500-T multiplex exciter unit for fm stations planning multiplex operations, Erco announced last week. The unit replaces the existing exciter of any standard fm transmitter in the 88-108 mc band and will generate a composite signal comprising a main program channel and one or two subchannels which can be used for background music, storecasting, program relaying or other functions, including remote controls. Erco reports the exciter will cost $4,700 to $5,000 (main channel plus one subchannel) depending on installation factors, with the second subchannel components costing an additional $1,400-$ 1,500. General Instrument Profits Up A sharply improved profit-to-sahs margin has bsen reported by General Instrument Corp., Newark, N. L, manufacturer of radio-tv and electronic components, in its financial statement for first fiscal six months of this year. Gains in part are attributed to diversification. Earnings for the six-month period ending Aug. 3 1 totaled $247,053 on sales of $15,200,170 compared to earnings of $74,086 on sales of $13,979,913 for same period in 1956. Page 90 • October 28, 1957 Broadcasting