Yearbook of radio and television (1960)

INTERNATIONAL TV ROUNDUP 5=ft=e=£W£=ifcaj=s£=!jra=a=£Wfci^^ NIGERIA Western Nigeria TV was inaugurated on October 31. Programs originate in Ibadan and are sent out over two transmitters, one at Ibadan, and the other at Abafon near Lagos. There are 3Vi to 4 hours of commercial evening programs, and a one hour noontime educational telecast daily. About 700 TV sets have reportedly been sold. TURKEY The Turkish Information Office reported that foreign concerns were invited to submit technical and financial suggestions of a preliminary nature pertaining to the establishment of a television network in Turkey. The project covers the construction of transmitters, studio facilities and mobile units in Ankara and Istanbul; a transmitter and mobile units for Izmir; and a TV link between the transmitters for simultaneous broadcast of programs. The 625-line West European system is to be used. The government is also interested in receiving proposals for the establishment of plants for the manufacture of radio and TV sets in Turkey. UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC On December 19, an agreement was signed between the United States and the United Arab Republic providing for a loan of LE 4,500,000 to finance the television project. The plans of the UAR television authorities call for nine transmitters. It is anticipated that operations will begin by July 23, 1960, a national anniversary. A contract was signed between the UAR and the Radio Corporation of America to provide the equipment for the broadcasting system. Arrangements have not yet been made for the TV receiving set factory. The first TV Institute in the Middle East was inaugurated by Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs Hatem on November 22. The curriculum includes lectures on directing, script writing, TV camera work and other subjects. In discussions with USIS officials, the organizers of the Institute, as well as the members of the program committee of UAR-TV, expressed interest in securing program and technical assistance. FAR EAST AUSTRALIA Three years after its inauguration, 30 per cent of Australian homes have television. Twelve stations are now in operation, and several others are expected to go on the air soon. In the last quarter, stations were taken into service in Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Applications for 13 regional stations have been oversubscribed, and it is estimated that by the end of 1960 TV will be available to 8,000,000 Australians. JAPAN Television continues to expand rapidly in Japan. More than 4,250,000 TV sets were in use by yearend, and the TV network was expanded to 87 transmitting stations, consisting of 44 NHK (Government) and 43 commercial stations. An NHK official set a goal of 10,000,000 TV sets by the time of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. MALAYA Two Radio Malaya officials stated to the press on November 24 that they thought that the Federation Government should introduce television soon. Returning from an educational exchange visit to the United States, they commented on the facilities in American universities for training in radio and TV broadcasting, and suggested that similar courses be inaugurated in Malaya in preparation for the eventual introduction of television. NEW ZEALAND Experimental television transmissions from a low-power station in Auckland have recently been started, using the 625-line system. The vision and sound rated powers are 500 watts and 250 watts respectively and the transmission is on channel 2. Work is going on to select suitable sites for transmitting stations, to determine the effective coverage and to work out a frequency allocation plan. Their arrangement of channels differs from that adopted in Australia, although New Zealand channels Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 are the same as Australian channels Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 respectively. Trade sources report that prior to statements by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Broadcasting that TV would be state-controlled in New Zealand, a metropolitan newspaper had been exploring the possibilities of obtaining an option for a commercial station. OKINAWA The transmitter of the Okinawa Television Broadcasting Company was reported to be nearing completion, and experimental transmissions were expected to begin in November 1959. A license for the construction of another TV station was also granted to the Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation on October 1. PHILIPPINES Station DZBB-TV of the Republic Broadcasting System is currently telecasting filmed material on more or less a test basis with a weak signal. A fourth station, DZTV, under American ownership, is expected to be on the air shortly. THAILAND A communications evaluation survey among opinion leaders in Thailand — government officials, teachers, students, and business men — was carried out in April 1959. Of these, two out of three owned a TV set. Forty-four per cent of set owners watched TV on channel 4 (Thai TV) and seven per cent on channel 7 (Army TV), while 16 per cent were not sure and 33 per cent did not answer. Thus among the 51 per cent of set owners who identified the stations. Thai TV was favored by more than six to one. 1100