We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
November 28, 1945
TV NO PIPEDREAM, SAYS BBC HEAD; HAD 20-25000 PREWAR SETS
According to W, J. Haley, Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation, there are some people who call themselves realists (when they are merely being short-sighted) who believe that television is a plpedream.
"But we firmly believe that television is only in its toddling steps", Mr. Haley declared in a broadcast from London by the BBC’s North American Service.
"One day it will stride out, not only across countries and States, but also, we hope, across oceans. After the things which tne radio scientists have achieved in the past six years, who dares to say that anything is ultimately impossible?"
So far as known here, Mr, Haley revealed for the first time the actual number of television sets the British had in use prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
"As you know, we had a public television service in oper¬ ation here in London before the war. We thought it a pretty good service, and were proud of it. In all, there were about 20,000 to 25,000 receivers; that meant probably well over 100,000 viewers."
The 20,000 to 25,000 figure was somewhat higher than attributed to Col. Sir Ian Fraser of the BBC when he was in the United States sometime ago. When someone asked how many television sets had been sold in England in the four years of their operation before the war, he was quoted as replying: "I regret to say under 15, 000, "
In addition to Alexandra Palace, the BBC has just announc¬ ed that six other television stations will be opened in the province and all will send out the same program. At this stage no method of increasing the 40 mile radius from any station has been found, but i is estimated that when the seven stations are in operation, 75 per¬ cent of the population of the country will be able to see the pro¬ grams. It is reported that negotiations are shortly to be opened to explore the possibilities of motion picture theatres showing televls ed scenes of important national events.
Excerpts of Mr. Haley's broadcasts follow:
"First and foremost, our transmitting apparatus at Alex¬ andra Palace is undamaged. Through the war years it was used for war purposes. We have got to do a certain amount of reconversion on it. But it came through all enemy action unharmed. We hope in a very few weeks to be making our first test transmissions from it
1