Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

THEATRE TELEVISION BATTLES CAIN FOR SPECTRUM PLACE Jxi. ociety of Motion Picture Engineers Fights CBS "Freeze-Ouf Effort •j.lhe battle over suitable frequencies in the Jlio spectrum tor theatre television was Lt-med last week in Washington before the svderal Communications Commission when the ^ciety of Motion Picture Engineers called a "parity of opportunity" for theatres ng with regular television broadcasting. Paul J. Larsen, radio engineer associated jiih Johns Hopkins University's Applied Phy::s Laboratory in war activities for the zfireau of Ordnance of the U. S. Navy Dertment, presented the SMPE brief "in beta" of the engineers of the motion picture in•"-stry." He contended against approval of any ocation arrangement that would denv this tht The presentation was a reaction to an earlibrief by the Columbia Broadcasting Sysnational radio network, which sought to the air waves to theatre television. It 'zegorically denounced the CBS attack and allenged the television industry to prove it mid have a greater public acceptance than :atre television, or that it would make greatuse of the service in the public interest. :eatre Television Never rmed Broadcasting Point by point, the SMPE brief attacked CBS arguments. Here is the point and -unterpoint pattern, with the CBS assault in -dies followed by the SMPE response: c Theatre teleznsion is not broadcasting. The' Society has at no time contended it was. b earlier brief specifically requested the Com'.^sion to classify theatre television as a comjnication of a private nature to differentiate from television broadcasting. Admittedly, peatre television is in direct conflict with the ^sic concept of broadcasting. It was contendin the original SMPE brief submitted the -ZC Oct. 27, 1944, that the public would bene1 from the television service rendered to the eatres. The motion picture industry is cajhle, based upon its past public record, of 'esenting visual and oral presentations in meats, to carry out its obligation to present rough this companion medium, television, rual presentations. '] Theatre television could utilize mire lines. The proposed operation of theatre television nnot be carried on by wire lines as is Muzak May. The wire lines utilized by Muzak are eh quality program telephone lines having a 6-nd width limit of approximately 7,500 cycles. saxial cables are not available with sufficient Mid width, of the order of six to eight megaIcles, required for a television service. hallenges "Limited Number" wr Theatre Programs i Only a limited number of people would bene Theatre television would have public acceptably and the motion picture industry intends establish this service. The SMPE submits at it doubts whether television broadcasting ill have a greater public acceptability than eatre television or make greater use of the ;rvice in the public interest. CBS also states he proposed service would be of benefit to ASKS TELEVISION SPACE FOR 398 STATIONS Allocation of frequencies to provide television facilities for at least 398 stations throughout the country was asked Friday of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington by Col. William A. Roberts, who appeared for the Television Broadcasters Association. Designed to serve a total population of 75,000,000, the request suggested utilization of the 12 six-megacycle channels proposed for commercial television. T. T. Goldsmith, Jr., appearing for the Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc., asked that the 102 to 108 megacycle band be assigned definitely to television and that consideration be given for additional channels below 108 megacycles as soon as they could be released by other services. Provision for "mobile" telephone service between moving vehicles and for service to rural subscribers was requested by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. F. M. Ryan, speaking for the company, said that an effort was being made to establish the service along a major truck route as an experiment in addition to the progress already realized. He predicted that radio-telephone equipment would enable the company to furnish service to many thousands of rural families where no lines were available. telephc only a small portion of the public — the upper income levels." This is a new thought introduced into the motion picture industry. We question the sincerity of this statement as it is so wholly unfounded. It is doubtful if anyone can question that the motion picture industry has at any time limited its service, to a select few. The weekly attendance in motion picture theatres exceeds 85,000,000 persons and the industry is certain that this does not represent the "upper income levels." The proposed allocation for commercial FM broadcasting is less than adequate. The Society fails to find any principles under this heading that apply to theatre television, as the FM broadcasting is in a part of the radio spectrum not considered for theatre television. "The frequencies requested for theatre television will serve a very large portion of the public without distinction as to income level," the brief argued. "The motion picture industry has the organization to produce, and the technical 'know how' of the type of visual entertainment required for full public consumption. The industry has 50 years of background experience and has acquired the 'know how' of public desires in the visual entertainment field. "During the initial commercialization of television, whether broadcasting or theatre, the public will view the presentations due to their 'novelty'. This novelty period will soon wear off and it will then be necessary to present proper program material having human interest and entertainment value to insure continued commercial success. The motion picture industry has gone through this period during its history in presenting visual presentations in theatres throughout this country and the world, and it is believed that they have the organization, the background, the experience, the technique, and the 'know how' to insure the public that the visual presentations which they will present through television will be comparable to the high standard in artistry and technical perfection to which the theatrical public is accustomed." Support for the FCC allocations came from David B. Smith, director of research for the Philco Corporation. "The Federal Communications Commission's decisions regarding television point the way to the fullest development of the medium, both for the years ahead and the longer future," he said. Telephone Company Ready with Plans for Transmission In its annual statement released last Thursday, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company reiterated its intention to be active in television by providing transmission facilities. Pointing out that standard telephone wires are being used for transmitting television images over short distances, the statement added that coaxial cables "also are suitable for television networks, and the System is planning to construct several hundred thousand miles of such cables." The projected radio relay system between New York and Boston will also be tested to determine the possibilities of this method for television transmission. From Washington last week came the report that Loew's, Inc., was completing plans for a television and FM radio station in the nation's capital. Application for the experimental station was filed with the FCC by the Loew's Booking Office on behalf of the theatre circuit. Policies of the Blue network in regard to television were outlined Friday by Fred Smith, vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity and promotion, at a luncheon for press representatives at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. He pointed out that the Blue soon will be operating on borrowed facilities in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. He said that the Blue had no commitments for any television equipment, but was providing its staffs with an opportunity to learn about all present types of equipment on the market. Armstrong Urges Logical Order of Allocation A recommendation for a "logical order of allocation" came last week from Major Edwin F. Armstrong, inventor of FM, and representative of the Radio Technical Planning Board. He urged the placement of amateurs at the lower and television at the upper portion of the spectrum, with FM occupying eight channels in the center. Claimed as the first time a film, made and sponsored for television, had received a network telecast, a 10-minute film produced by RKO Television Corporation for Liberty Mutual Insurance was televised Monday night by the National Broadcasting Company. Titled "Talk Fast, Mister," the film was telecast over the NBC New York station WNBT and was beamed to WRGB, Schenectady, and WPTZ, Philadelphia. OTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 10, 1945 27