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

Another RCA Estate range nears completion at the Hamilton, Ohio, plant. proved manufacturing plant facilities since 1946. Enlargement of the RCA plant at Bloomington, Indiana, was completed early last year, making it one of the largest and most modern TV receiver manu- facturing plants in the world. Expansion is now under way in the RCA plant at Lancaster, Pa., to meet the demand for color TV picture tubes. On a 58-acre tract at Cherry Hill, near Camden, N. J., construction has been completed on new headquarters for sales, engineer- ing and administrative staffs of the Television Division, the Radio and "Victrola" Division and the RCA Service Company. Employees RCA now has 70,500 employees, an increase of 5,500 over 1953. Wages and salaries paid in 1954, including payments for vacations and holidays, amounted to $298,- 289,000. This represents 32 cents out of each sales dollar. An additional amount of $19,938,000 was pro- vided to cover employee pensions, social security, group insurance and other benefits. Suppliers Representative of teamwork in industry, RCA pur- chases materials and components from 7,500 suppliers located in almost every state in the Union. During 1954, the Corporation paid $512,236,000 to other com- panies for materials and services it bought. This amount represents 54 cents out of each sales dollar. The ma- jority of the suppliers are classified by the Government as small businesses. Added to RCA's own suppliers are thousands of others who supply the suppliers. Thus through a long line of cooperative effort, employment is provided for countless people working in many diverse fields. Government Business The Report stated that RCA products and services supplied to the Armed Forces accounted for approxi- mately 24 per cent of the total sales in 1954. The back- log of Government orders at the year-end was in excess of $300,000,000. RCA scientists, engineers and tech- nicians are actively participating in projects relating to national defense, such as guided missiles, radar, com- munication and navigational equipment, it was stated. NBC Achievements The Report stated that sales of the National Broad- casting Company in 1954 established a new record and were 14.3 per cent higher than in 1953. Spot sales (purchase of time on a local basis by national advertisers) increased 28 per cent over 1953 in television and 14 per cent in radio. Network tele- vision billings increased substantially. Network radio billings, however, showed a moderate decline in line with the industry trend. During 1954, the NBC television network expanded from 168 to 195 stations. Today, approximately 100 NBC stations are equipped to broadcast color, making this new service available to an area comprising 90 per cent of the nation's television homes. The NBC radio network now includes 209 stations. Summary of Additional Activities The RCA Annual Report revealed a number of addi- tional activities that contributed to the record volume of business in 1954. These included: Television Sets — The RCA Victor Television Divi- sion, producing its five-millionth TV receiver, sold a greater number of TV sets in 1954 than in any previous year. Electronic Products —Sales of electronic apparatus for military and commercial application increased in 1954 by approximately 29 per cent over the 1953 level. Among important factors were the expansion of broadcast facilities for black-and-white and color TV, wide-screen film projection and stereophonic sound for theaters, and increasing industrial use of microwave and other radio equipment. 4 RADIO AGE