Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

Record Details:

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13 RETMA also reported official 1955 production of 7,214,787 TVs & 13,368,556 radios, including auto sets. TV output was second only to 1950's 7,463,800, was well up from 1951's 5,384,798 and 1952’s 6,096,279 (for month-by-month tabulations of TV sets by types, 1947-53, see p. 334, TV Factbook No. 18). Radios were up from 1952's 10,934,872 but far from 1947's record 20,000,000. Here's monthly breakdown of TV and radio production for 1953: 1953 Production 1953 Radio Production by rypes Total TV Total Radio Home Sets Portables Clock Auto January 719,234 1,093,142 361,921 93,962 189,592 447,667 February 730,597 1,192,439 402,742 87,711 210,924 491,062 March (5 wks) 810,112 1,549,203 442,101 177,656 275,079 654,367 April 567,878 1,158,936 286,974 201,476 198,394 483,092 May 481,936 1,108,991 278,156 204,065 129,391 497,379 June (5 wks) . 524,479 1,163,831 287,724 239,189 131,144 505,774 July 316,289 674,459 172,197 78,434 87,620 336,208 August 603,760 991,637 299,939 145,460 169,301 376,937 Sept. (5 wks) 770,085 1,216,525 529,427 147,355 182,417 357,326 October 680,433 1,052,493 370,178 135,009 189,230 358,076 November 560,197 1,065,785 457,151 127,316 171,356 309,962 Dec. (5 wks) . 449,787 1,101,115 514,428 103,931 117,672 365,084 TOTAL 7 ,214,787 13,368,556 4,402,938 1,741,564 2,041,120 5,182,934 'WORLD'S FASTEST GROWING MAJOR INDUSTRY': Electronic industry's Mr. Statistics had some fabulous figures for N.Y. Society cf Security Analysts this week. Sylvania's sales research director Frank Mansfield, who also heads RETMA statistical committee, called electronics "world's fastest growing major industry", estimated sales and revenue volume at about S8 billion a year at present, foresaw more than $13 billion annually in sales and revenue within next 8 years. An accurate prophet in the past, Frank Mansfield's figures are usually taken quite seriously by the industry. So it will sit up and take notice when he says that by 1960-62 color will amount to 80% of all TV set sales. Here's a summary of what he foresees, with some amazingly precise figures which could some day rise to plague him, even though he allows himself a 3-year leeway for their achievement: Television : Receiver sales at retail in 1953 totaled 6,600,000 units, at factory value of $1.1 billion. In 1957-59, they'll average 5, 300, OOO-to-6, 900, 000, valued at $1.9-to-$2.5 billion, with about 46% of them in color; in 1960-62. between 5,400,000-S:-8,100,000 annually, valued at $1. 65-to-$2. 47 billion, about 80% of them in color. By end of 1955, entire country except for "very fringe territory" will be covered by good TV signals, he declared, noting that half of the homes of U.S. are now 85% saturated, while another 36% of nation's homes have 40% TV saturation. Radios : About 7,000,000 home radios, at $113,000,000 factory value, were sold at retail in 1953, plus 5,200,000 auto sets at $150,000,000. In 1954, about 6,000,000 home sets valued at $100,000,000 plus 4,100,000 auto sets at $123,000,000 will be sold. For 1957-59, he foresaw home set sales of 7,800,000 a year at annual value of $126,000,000 and auto set sales of 3,600,000-5,000,000 at $108-150,000,000. Phonograph players : Should maintain fairly level volume of sales between $120,000,000 & $130,000,000 a year in next decade — though increasing popularity of high-fidelity systems may well increase this total considerably. (RCA v.p. Mannie Sacks predicted phonograph record sales of $300,000,000 a year by 1960; Vol. 10:3.) Tubes and components for repair: Totaled about $600,000,000 in 1953, will be about $850,000,000 in 1954, $1.4 billion in 1957-59. $2.2 billion in 1960-62. Defense purchases of electronics products totaled $2.8 billion in 1953, may go up to $2.9 billion this year, to $3.1 billion a year in 1957-59 and $3.8 billion in 1960-62. He said this estimate was based on assumption of "no shooting war". Though Govt, will remain biggest customer of industry and bulk of production will continue to go for defense and entertainment, electronics equipment for industry and