Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1963)

Robert A. Rosen, advertising and sales promotion manager of Zenith Radio Corp. of New York, joins American Business Resources Corp., that city, as president. ABRC is an investment company. Robert B. Slepian appointed advertising manager for home entertainment products of Sylvania Electric Products, Batavia, N. Y. Mr. Slepian, former advertising and promotion specialist for American Bosch Arma Corp., replaces C. Donald Price, recently named promotion manager for Sylvania's electronic components group. DEATHS Daniel J. Mahoney, 74, publisher of Miami (Fla.) News, died April 1 while undergoing lung operation at Doctors Hospital in New York City. Mr. Mahoney was vp-director of WSB-AMFM-TV Atlanta, Ga., and 5% stockholder of WCKR-AM-FM Miami. Windy Herrin, 58, commercial manager of WBYG Savannah, Ga., died April 3 at Savannah Hospital after brief illness. Mr. Herrin had been associated with WBYG in various capacities for past 32 years. David Cooper Woods, 57, general engineer of Larus & Bros. Inc., in charge of engineering for WRVA-AM-FM-TV Richmond, Va., died March 24 of heart attack. Mr. Woods joined WRVA staff as transmitter engineer in 1929. He was named chief engineer in 1938 and assumed position of general engineer in January 1956. Prior to joining WRVA, Mr. Woods was employed in engineering capacities at WSMD Salisbury, Md., and WGH Newport News, Va. Larus & Bros, own 60% of WRVA-AM-FMTV. Delphine Humphrey, former librarian at McCann-Erickson, New York, died March 30 after long illness. Miss Humphrey, who joined McCann-Erick son in 1928, served for past six years as manager of library research division. She organized first Council of Advertising Agency Librarians in New York. Texas Ruby Owens, 53, former Grand Ole Opry performer known as original yodeling cowgirl, burned to death March 29 when fire destroyed her trailer house in St. Lawrence community near Nashville. Texas Ruby, whose real name was Mrs. Ruby Fox, quit Opry in 1948 to star on tv show with her husband in Dallas. She and Mr. Fox returned to Nashville last year and he rejoined Opry but Texas Ruby was unable to do so because of illness. She was sixth death in recent weeks involving stars of Grand Ole Opry. Mrs. Delphine D. Haley, 57, wife of Washington communications attorney Andrew G. Haley, died April 1 in Florida after brief illness. Interment was April 3 in Arlington Cemetery. In addition to her husband she is survived by her daughter, Delphine, and son, Andrew G. Jr. INTERNATIONAL Sharp world increase in radio ownership USIA REPORT SHOWS 15% MORE SETS IN OPERATION At the end of 1962 there were more than 232 million radio sets and about 45 million wired speakers in the world exclusive of the United States and Canada. There was an increase of almost 1.7 million wired speakers (4%) and an addition of nearly 3 1 million radio sets (15%) during 1962. According to a research report just released by the U.S. Information Agency, this sharp surge in the number of radio sets was due primarily to the wide popularity, particularly in those developing areas where communications were poor, of the low-priced miniaturized portable transistor radio. It also had the effect of reversing the slowdown in the rate of radio set expansion in recent years due to the growth of television. The greatest expansion took place in the Far East, notably in Japan, the recognized leader in the production of transistor sets for both domestic use and export. The estimated number of radio sets in use in Japan doubled during the year. Due to a revision of the broadcast law in April, the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) started to collect one combined fee for radio and television to overcome the failure of many new tv set owners to pay their radio fees because of the contention they no longer listen to radio now that they have a television set. Those with only radio sets still must register and pay the lower radio fee. Nevertheless, it is estimated that most miniaturized transistor radios are actually unregistered. Another area of substantial expansion in radio sets was Latin America, where there was an increase of nearly 4.5 million receivers, compared with less than 2 million in 1961. Most of the other areas in the world, as shown in the table below, also registered a steady growth in the number of radio sets. $3 million available for Japanese imports The Motion Picture Export Assn. of America reported last week that the Japanese Finance Ministry has allocated $3 million for tv film imports during the first half of the new fiscal year which began on April 1. This allocation represents a substantial increase over fiscal 1962 when the quota for the entire year was $3.3 million. The Japanese government, as was reported several weeks ago (Broadcasting, April 1), has adopted a policy of having no fixed budget ceiling for tv imports. The MPEA noted, however, that the Japanese government believes that the $3 million figure will be adequate to meet foreign exchange payment requirements for tv imports for the next six months. DISTRIBUTION OF RADIO SETS AND WIRED SPEAKERS BY MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, DECEMBER 31, 1962' AREA RADIO SETS WIRED SPEAKERS Western Europe2 82,012,000 1,856,000 Eastern Europe 49,798,000 35,568,000 Near East and South Asia 14,721,000 15,000 Arab World 5,554,000 3,000 Near East (non-Arab) 5,050,000 South Asia 4,117,000 12,000 Africa' (non-Arab) 4,390,000 205,000 Far East 50,218,000 7,119,000 Non-Communist Countries 45,236,000 1,721,000 Communist Countries 4,982,000 5,398,000 Latin America & Caribbean 30,617,000 28,000 Western Hemisphere Possessions 454,000 26,000 British 260,000 26,000 French 68,000 Netherlands 120,000 Greenland 6,000 WORLD TOTAL, 232,210,000 44,817,000 1 Exclusive of the United States and Canada. 2 Includes Yugoslavia. 110 BROADCASTING, April 8, 1963