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September 6, 1950
FCC COLOR TV MANDATE LIKENED TO GUN BY SET MANUFACTURER
Whatever the rest of the Industry may think about the pro¬ gress report just made by the Federal Communications Commission with regard to color television standards, the television set manufactur¬ ers are all stirred up.
nThe FCC's ultimatum to us", one of them declared, "was like sticking a gun in our faces and ordering us to solve their manu¬ facturing problem."
This referred to the Commission asking manufacturers to report on whether or not they can make television sets adaptable to both present black-and-white broadcasting and color telecasting of the Columbia Broadcasting System variety.
The Commission had declined to adopt final standards in color television but stated if decision had to be made immediately, it strongly favored the CBS method. The report declared the "color systems of the Radio Corporation of America and Color Television, Inc. fall short of the Commission's criteria for a color system."
In the absence of sufficient response or protest from the manufacturers, the Commission said, it "will issue a final deci¬ sion forthwith adopting the CBS field sequential color standards."
For the television stations, it means separate broadcasts will be required for the color and the black-and-white transmissions. Whether or not future programs will be broadcast simultaneously by a dual-licensed broadcaster equipped to transmit both is yet unanswer¬ able.
The alternative would be for color television programs to compete directly with black-and-white programs. Color TV proponents have freely predicted that once color television is licensed, the non¬ color broadcasts would die off in about five years.
The FCC deadline to manufacturers was set as September 29»
By then, the FCC asked manufacturers prepared to start making the dual sets within 30 days should so notify the Commission.
If sufficient manufacturers do so, it was noted, the Commis¬ sion would then issue the proposed order adopting the CBS system. In effect, the Commission decision says that if the CBS system is to be used the sooner It is adopted the fewer home sets will have to be con¬ verted.
Naturally there was a jubilant response from Frank Stanton, President of the Columbia Broadcasting System, who stated:
"The color television report of the Federal Communications Commission is a gratifying victory for the CBS color system. The Com¬ mission has given unqualified approval to the excellence and practical¬ ity of the CBS system and has found it clearly superior to the other
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