Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

FELEVISION PLANNERS SET :OR PEACE TIME SPRINT Vomers To Build Unit on Coast; Britain, Canada Prepare for War's End Gathering momentum in the wake of the Fecial Communications Commission's report on equency allocations, television developments ithin the fortnight in various parts of the orld indicated a blossoming of plans for utiliition of the medium at the earliest possible ne and to the fullest extent. In Hollywood, Warner Bros, purchased a ^acre tract for the erection of a television iidio and transmitter. It was reported that \t purchase price was approximately ',500,000. I Trade reports reaching the Department of Dmmerce in Washington indicated that Britfi motion picture interests were planning !rge-scale development of color television to i pursued over a 10-year period. The rejrts held promise of the full development of ilor film for television transmission within ;|e first four years after the program was arted, and further, that commercial high*nition television would be reached in six :ars to afford acceptable projection on thea'|e screens. It was predicted that largereen television in color would be in use witheight years. anadian Planning Board formed in Montreal •Meanwhile, the Canadian Radio Technical ianning Board had been formed in Montreal ith R. M. Brophy of that city as president, le avowed purpose of the Board was to inre Canadians everything in the war-develled electronics field, including television and iquency modulation radio. It has opened ofes in Toronto. Describing the function of the board, Mr. ophy said that nobody represented a speci company, organizations that will use radio Hjuencies becoming partners in a non-profit nture. The board has six panels, each with specific objective, and all composed of lead'js in electronics and radio engineering. Recommendations of the board and results studies by the committees will be submitted the Canadian government and, Mr. Brophy clared, will have "much to do with Canada jtaining an appropriate place on the air waves the future" m Television Applications rom New York State I ft was revealed by the FCC, meanwhile, that the 100 or more television applications now ] tiding for stations throughout the nation, 10 re from New York state. In addition, there re four stations operating, or a total of 14, 'p largest number of any one state. Applijits included WLIB, Brooklyn; WEBR, p., Buffalo ; Bamberger Broadcasting Serv, New York; Blue Network Co., Inc., New kk; Marcus Loew Booking Co., New York; nropolitan Television, New York ; The Daily t|ws. New York; Philco Corporation, New frk; Stromberg-Carlson Co., Rochester, and Wstchester Broadcasting Company, White kins. The state of Connecticut had on file last ek applications to build three new television tions and five commercial FM stations, ac cording to FCC reports. No commercial television was licensed for Connecticut, which had two permits for FM outlets, both in Hartford. The state had no non-commercial educational stations, but the Department of Education in co-operation with the U. S. Office of Education, previously announced plans for a state network of such outlets. It was announced last week that Pan-American World Airways had signed the first airline contract for a sponsored series of television programs on the National Broadcasting Company's New York station, WBNT, to start March 19. Titled "Wings of Democracy," it was described as a 52-week series of 15-minute shows to start with a combination of live talent and motion picture broadcasts and then to utilize film exclusively. Audience Research Unit Formation Announced Formation of a Television Audience Research Institute was announced by John K. Churchill, director of research for Columbia Broadcasting System. Operating as a separate division, the Institute planned to have its own oifices and staff under the management of Dr. Donald Horton. The function was announced as a continuing study of the television audience as it exists and as it develops, evaluation of programs and program ideas and maintenance of operation records and program reference data. "Subscription radio," a method advocates claimed would speed the advent of large-scale television by freeing the medium of complete dependence upon advertising patronage to pay the freight, continued to hop about in the news. J. J. Nance, vice-president of the Zenith Radio Corporation, declared that television must solve its "economic riddle" if it is to fulfill its promise of becoming a great industry. He described the "riddle" as a "vicious triangle," wherein "advertisers can't profitably sponsor good television production until there is a mass audience. We can't get a mass audience until we have provided the American people with assured continuous entertainment, pleasing enough to stimulate the buying of receivers by the million." He said that kind of entertainment could not be provided for a period long enough to build the audience because no television producers were financially big enough to pay for it. He suggested "subscription radio" as a solution. From another quarter came support for that type of underwriting. Arthur Levey, president of the Scophony Corporation of America, in which Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century-Fox own a 50 per cent stock interest via corporate entities, endorsed the system. He said that last year the company was surveying the possibilities of providing an additional source of revenue for major film distributors. Plan Envisages Audience Of at Least 1,000,000 "The Scophony subscription television plan envisages an audience of at least 1,000,000 within a few years after the end of the war and at fifty cents a week, a subscriber fee of $500,000 weekly or an annual revenue of $26,000,000 for the program service alone," he said. Two types of subscriber service have been proposed. One would enter the home by wire, with a charge billed similar to that for tele phone service. The other would introduce a "scrambling device" on the television wave that would ruin the picture unless the receiver were equipped with an "unscrambling device" that could be rented from the sponsor of the service. Technicians are studying a new method of radio transmission announced by the Federal Telephone & Radio Corporation as capable of combining full color or black and white pictures with sound in the same channel. Terming it a "pulse time modulation" system, E. M. Deloraine, director of the company's laboratories, claimed it was also adaptable to the transmission of several sound programs on the same frequency, from the same point of origin, so that one radio station could in the future perform the functions of several stations not so equipped. Film Union Seeks Television Hold Expressing belief that a full-blown television industry is in the making, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is pre' paring to seek jurisdiction over many jobs in studios and in production of programs for television, according to Richard F. Walsh, president of the Alliance. The approach is based on the union's estimate that at least 60 per cent of programming in the early years will be via motion pictures. Among workers involved will be projectionists who handle film for television stations, stage hands, set designers, cameramen, lighting and "boom"-microphone men, film processors and makeup and wardrobe help. The lATSE currently has jurisdiction over such workers either in the motion picture industry, the legitimate theatre or in both. In pursuing its plans, the lATSE is expected to meet jurisdictional challenges from the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians, an independent union, and from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, an American Federation of Labor afiiliate. The National Broadcasting Company is the only network known to be employing lATSE men in current television experimental broadcasts, using them in station WNBT in New York as stagehands, with NABET members manning the projectors. With eight television stations now operating, five in the East, one in Chicago and two on the West Coast, it is understood that lATSE locals are studying operations of the Balaban & Katz station in Chicago and the Paramount and Don Lee stations on the West Coast with a view to claiming immediate jurisdiction. Freedman Again President Of Ontario Independents Ben Freedman, Port Credit, Ont., has been reelected president of the Independent Exhibitors of Canada. Bruce McLoed, Kitchener, was named vice-president. Other officers : Harry Lester, Toronto, treasurer ; H. L. Romberg, Toronto, secretary ; Garson Solary, Toronto, public relations. Lou Davidson, Herman Bennett and Max Starkman, Toronto, directors. )TION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 17, 1945 17