Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

and 168 affiliated stations — have afforded prime train- ing grounds for Japanese engineers, technicians and studio personnel desirous of employing in their country's budding TV broadcasting industry the latest and best proven techniques. Through arrangements made by the RCA Interna- tional Division and NBC, many of the future leaders of Japanese television have journeyed across the Pacific to avail themselves of this training and to familiarize them- selves with "know-how" that can be readily applied upon their return to Tokyo. And, in turn, NBC has benefitted by contact with the inquiring minds of the alert and interested visitors. At present, many of the approximately 8,000 exist- ing receivers are in public places such as store windows, restaurants, depots, and hotels so that large segments of the metropolitan population are reached. In small-sized communities, plans are progressing to install TV re- ceivers in schools or theaters, thus greatly increasing the potential audience of a single set. The number of sets is still small, but because prices have been steadily drop- ping and because Japan looks forward to mass produc- tion in the near future, the Japanese expect that by 1958 hundreds of thousands and maybe up to a million sets will be in use. The Japanese TV receiver industry is making constant progress toward low cost production. Licenses from RCA The Radio Corporation of America has licensed, under RCA patents, members of the industry on a non- exclusive basis. The use of RCA inventions will help Japanese manufacturers to advance more rapidly toward their goal of making better and less expensive television receivers. RCA is currently setting up an Industry Serv- ice Laboratory in Tokyo to assist the set manufacturers in solving their technical problem^. The 17-inch receiver is the most prevalent size of the TV sets in use. The remainder are 21-, 19-, 14-, 10- and 7-inch models. Easy time payment plans have been devised to facilitate the buying of receivers. About twenty-five per cent of sales are parts sales for home assembly of television sets — a tribute to the high tech- nical skill and resourcefulness of the Japanese people. Three broadcasting organizations have been licensed by the government to operate television stations. In each case, RCA transmitters, as well as other television equipment, have been chosen. RCA flew the first trans- mitter over to Japan to equip the television station of the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan (known as NHK). NHK, which began regular telecasts in Febru- ary, 1953, is a public corporation, similar in organization to the BBC in London, and operates two radio networks consisting of 83 stations, blanketing the nation and con- tributing to the high standards of an informed public. NHK now operates three television stations, one in Tokyo, one in Osaka and another in Nagoya. It is plan- ning a network of TV stations which will cover the whole of Japan and will include the building and operation of 32 stations in the next five years. In the next fiscal year alone, the company intends to add four more stations. NHK, which is headed by Mr. Tetsuro Furukaki, hopes to reach a potential of sixty-two per cent of Japanese homes by 1958. Besides transmitters, RCA supplied NHK with two custom-built antennas. The first is a single section super-gain to be used for emergency operation. The second is a six-section super-turnstile used as the main antenna. Both operate in our FM bands. By Japanese law, NHK is entitled to collect fees from all owners of radio and television sets in order to finance programming; therefore, its stations operate without commercials or sponsors. Commercial Network Planned The Nippon Television Network Corporation, a privately owned company, began regular telecasts in August, 1953. Leading newspapers and industrial corpo- rations are stockholders in the organization, of which Mr. Matsutaro Shoriki is president. The company's future plans call for an all-Japan commercial TV net- work based on a principal station in Tokyo and in- cluding a chain of relay stations within range of one another on mountain tops throughout the islands. The station is completely self-contained with its own power plant, air conditioned studios, film rooms, technical sec- tion, theater property and other departments. Cosmetic manufacturers, pharmaceutical houses, food and beverage dispensers and radio and television manu- facturers are among the sponsors and advertisers on the commercial station. Radio Tokyo is another privately-owned company that has a television license. This company, directed by Mr. Tadashi Adachi, is the largest of the privately-owned radio stations and has an RCA television transmitter on order. Expecting to go on the air this year. Radio Tokyo now has under construction a building especially designed for television broadcasting. RCA supplied 12 section super-turnstile antennas to both the Nippon Television Network Corporation and Radio Tokyo. All of the antennas were especially built to specifications called for by the Japanese climate and will withstand the perennial typhoons and a wind speed of 150 miles per hour. In addition to the 10-kilowatt transmitters and custom-built antennas, RCA has sold a number of cameras, studio equipment, mobile units (Continued on page 32) 7.0 RADIO AGE