Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

!/ f V'/' MARTIN COREL’S AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND ALLIED ELECTRONICS ARTS AND INDUSTRY with Electronics (/ Reports PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY RADIO NEWS BUREMIrfsWl^M TELEPHONE STERLING 3-1755 *V0L. 10: No. 10 ^ ™ ® Marche, 1954 Industry Weighs 15>in. vs. Larger Color, page I Transmitter Shipments & Upcoming Stations, page 6 San Francisco, Cheyenne Stations Test, page 2 First RCA Commercial Color Cameras Shipped, page 7 Denver & Springfield TV Station Sales, page 2 Parts Spurt Augurs Well for TV Industry, page 9 2 CPs Granted, More Permits Dropped, page 3 RETMA Strategy on Excise Tax Reductions, page 10 Senate Subcommittee Plans UHF Probe, page 4 Network TV-Radio Billings for January, page 12 in thisissues INDUSTRY WEIGHS 15-in. vs. LARGER COLOR: what's the story on color set production? Though picture is now obscure — to say the least — considerable clarification is expected by month's end, possibly sooner. Current uncertainty is centered on 15-in. tube and manufacturers' doubts about whether to go ahead with it. Consider this week's developments: (1) GE's announcement of "curtailment of production" of 15-in. tube at its Syracuse plant, laying off 125-150 employes, because of "recent indications that the future trend is going to be toward the larger sizes of color tubes." (2) Westinghouse ' s reports of almost no sales, though much shopper curiousity, following ads stressing "immediate delivery" of sets in New York (Vol. 10:9). (3) Emerson's announcement it would lease color sets, not sell them ■ — with the terms of lease to be revealed next week — because, according to company, color sets are too costly and too small, and color programming is too limited. (4) Raytheon said 15-in. is "already obsolete." won't be mass-produced. t ^ * The real key to situation is RCA. This week, it sent to all its receiver licensees an invitation to attend March 26 symposium at Bloomington, Ind. receiver plant. Purpose is all-out : To show regular production lines turning out 15-in. color sets at substantial rate ; to turn over to licensees complete production knowhow ; to supply them with diagrams, bill of materials, sources of supply — the works. RCA's aim, in short, is to fulfill earlier promises to give to licensees the fruits of its years of experience with color. March 26 may well prove to be most decisive, then, in determining course of color production for many months to come. RCA move precisely parallels its famous 1947 action — a symposium on 10-in. black-&-white TV that proved to be the catalyst that precipitated TV production. Attitude of RCA may be summed up this way: We're serious about color TV. We're serious about the 15-in. and we aim to make the 19-in. as fast as we can. At all RCA levels, word is "no change in previously announced plans." Those plans were to get into production within 6 months after FCC decision and to sell sets for price between $800 and $1000 (Vol. 9:26). * * * * GE said it would continue pilot production of 15-in. sets, though curtailing tube output, and will continue to supply outlets with demonstration models. Development of larger tubes will continue. Announcement went on: "The acceptance and sales of black-&-white sets have been very good since the beginning of the year, and there is every indication that the current level of production of this type of receiver at Electronics Park will at least be maintained for the foreseeable future." Westinghouse spokesman said "very limited number" of color sets were sold in COPYRIGHT 1054 BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU