Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

12 Topics & Trends of TV Trade: Sales of Crosley’s new “Super V” models — 17-in. masonite tables introduced in early Feb. (Vol. 10:7) to list at $140 in walnut finish, $150 mahogany, $160 blonde — are so “hot” that v.p.-gen. mgr. Leonard F. Cramer claims, “We are now making more sets per day than anybody else in the business.” Factory has added night shift, 6 days a week, to meet demand and Crosley has stopped production on all other models. By time of summer trade shows, said Cramer, an equally simplified and low-priced 21-in. will be ready. “We’re getting fantastic reaction,” said Cramer, “and we haven’t even opened up the entire country yet. Only 64 of our 80 distributor locations have gotten the sets, and an example of dealer demand is fact that in New York we’ve grown from a mere 35 to more than 400 dealers and 600 outlets. And they’re all clamoring for more.” Can Crosley make money on the sets? “Absolutely,” said Cramer, “and what’s more were getting a position in TV marketing. This set weighs only 53 lbs. and can be moved from room to room. It’s the nearest thing to a portable, and certainly the answer to the second set in the home.” He said 4 manufacturers have asked Crosley for licenses to manufacture it, seeking rights to its unique vertical plane chassis and special circuitry. The $140 model is sold to distributor at 29% and to dealer at suggested 22% discounts, the $150 model at 32% & 24%, the $160 at 35% & 25%. * * * m Tele King Corp., permitted by referee to continue operation and offering 100% settlement in installments, lists assets of $5,201,251 and liabilities of $4,752,970 in Chapter XI proceedings in Federal district court of N. Y. (Vol. 9:7) — assets including $2,973,638 stock in trade, $2,208,454 accounts receivable, $463,053 machinery & fixtures, $205,629 cash; liabilities consisting of $2,973,638 unsecured claims, $1,255,841 secured claims, $329,731 taxes, $31,617 wages, $162,241 advances on govt, contracts. Big list of ci'editors included these with claims over $10,000: Foster Transformer Co., $36,899; Colonial Products Co., $35,111; Electronic Components, $32,936; Consolidated Molded Products Corp., $29,405; Monroe Gi-eenthal Co., $28,308; Centralab, $27,463; Hagerstown Cabinet Co., $26,588; Laminated Cabinet Corp., $25,344; All Star Products, Inc., $24,816; Hall Organ Co., $22,598; Fred Landau & Co., $19,450; Edwin I. Gutman & Co., $18,769; Dwight-Helmsley, $17,016; Hanft Electric Co., $14,727; Industrial Hardware Mfg. Co., $13,242; All Craft Container Corp., $12,328; International Resistance Co., $12,027; Industrial Fasteners Corp., $11,035; Demon Coil Co., $10,170. Ulysses Sanabria’s American Television Inc., Chicago, which makes own TV line and uses DeForest label, this week began distributing Wilcox-Gay’s Garod models through its own outlets — a 17-in. table at $140, 21-in. table $160, 24-in. open console $230, 27-in. open console $250. Wilcox-Gay pres. Leonard Ashbach confirmed American TV’s right to Garod in cities where it has branches. Sylvania cut prices of 11 TV models this week by $30 to $60, at same time introducing new 21-in. tables at $300 & $310. All have Halo-Light. Reductions were at upper end of line, all 21-in., starting with $400 open console cut to $370, up to $520 blonde console cut to $470. Stromberg-Carlson has added several new low-priced TVs, has also resumed output of popular-priced radios, including portables and clock models. New TV line includes 21 -in. Courier table models at $230 & $250, Studio console in mahogany $290. Capeharl -Farnsworth adds new 21-in. leader table model called Overture at $200, also new AM-FM-3 speed radio-phono in mahogany, with doors, at $240. Trade Personals: Herman Kaye, ex-Kaye-Halbert Corp., organizes Caltech Electronics Corp., 890 Lindblade Ave., Culver City, Cal., his associates including Fred Miller, exKaye-Halbert chief engineer; now working on 3-speed portable phono, company plans printed circuit hi-fi TV combination and other products . . . John .1. Goldschmeding Jr., Texas div. mgr. for Philco since 1949, promoted to refrigerator sales mgr., appliance div., Philadelphia, succeeding A. .1. Rosebraugh, newly named appliance div. v.p.; he’s succeeded at Dallas by James T. McMurphy, transferred from Washington, where Alfred O. Tepper is now in charge . . . Donald R. Moffat elected exec, v.p., Avco of Canada Ltd., headquartering in Weston, Ont. ; he’s also pres, of Moffatts Ltd., another Avco subsidiary . . . H. J. Allen, ex-Admiral sales mgr. in Philadelphia and onetime v.p., RCA Victor of Brazil, named Crosley refrigerator sales mgr. . . . L. W. Teegarden, RCA exec, v.p., serving as Red Cross chairman in N. Y. for TV-radio manufacturing and distributing industries . . . R. W. Westerfield, exHallicrafters, joins Hoffman Radio as TV div. purchasing director; Robt. A. Gingrich named asst. secy. & asst, treas., and Joseph S. McGee named asst, secy., Hoffman Labs — latter 2 reporting to C. E. Underwood, v.p. & treas. . . . Harold W. McCrae, ex-CBC and ex-Canadian-Marconi chief TV engineer, appointed mgr., DuMont development engineering dept., communications products div., reporting to div. mgr. Herbert E. Taylor Jr. . . . Walter J. Roche joins DuMont as mobile equipment dept.’s eastern seaboard sales rep. . . . John F, Morten, ex-Westinghouse, appointed Raytheon marketing service mgr. . . . Charles E. Jacobs, ex-Burgess Battery, named Sylvania field rep for northern N. J. . . . Jacob L. Miller named Capehai’t-Farnsworth regional sales mgr. out of Charlotte, N. C. . . . Ben Z. Kaplan resigns as national sales coordinator, CBS-Columbia, is succeeded by George deRado . . . Frank J. Hogan, exAdmiral, Emerson & DuMont, succeeds William Rider as CBS-Columbia district mgr. for Ohio, Ind., Mich. & Ky., out of Euclid, 0. . . . Louis W. Selsor, ex-National Video Corp. and ex-Thomas Electronics, promoted to distributor sales manager, Jensen Mfg. Co. . . . Harold C. Anderson, personnel director, promoted to purchasing agent. Merit Coil & Transformer Co.; Thomas A. Joyce now personnel chief . . . Wm. V. Ryan appointed to newly created post of military electronics representative, StewartWarner Electric; Graeme W. Stewart, ex-Cincinnati mgr., named adv. & sales promotion mgr., succeeding Burton P. Gale, and succeeded at Cincinnati by Joe Nauer Jr., ex-RCA . . . Jerome F. Swartsberg, v.p. in charge of basement marketing operations, takes over management of sales promotion dept.. Allied Purchasing Corp., with retirement April 1 of v.p. Russell A. Brown . . .Morgan A. Gunst Jr. named product mgr.. Chromatic TV Laboratories Inc.; Earl Sargent named head of mfg. at Emeryville, Cal. plant; Louis Silverman, chief mfg. engineer; Edward J. Davenport. ex-National Union, chief commercial engineer . . . R. B. Sayre named Graybar director and member of exec, committee . . . John M. Kellie, onetime controller, old Colonial Radio Corp., appointed treas.. National Union Radio Corp. Sylvania began producing TV sets on first of 4 TV assembly lines March 22 in new 422,000-sq. ft. plant in Batavia, N. Y. Plant now employs 230, will have 1500 when all 4 lines are in operation by June, according to Ned J. Maradino, mgr. .Month-long strike at Crosley plant in Richmond. Ind. ended March 22 when more than 2200 workers returned to jobs after ratifying new contract. Kinerson Radio licenses S.I.C..4..R.T., Florence. Italy (Aldobrando Saccardi, pres.) to manufacture electronic jiroducts under its name.