Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

7 COLOR PROGRAMS won’t cost much more than black&-white — averaging only 10% more — and advertisers would be wise to climb aboard soon even though whole color situation is temporarily locked on “dead center.” That was essence of telecasting-manufacturing industry’s advice to sponsors during symposium on color TV at AAAA convention this week in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. CBS-TV pres. Jack Van Volkenburg projected network rates to 1958, going beyond his projections last year when he predicted 1956 setup (Vol. 9:39). He said he expected 90% black-&-white saturation in the top 100 markets in 1958. Average advertiser using 100-station CBS network, he said, would pay about $58,000 for time & cable charges for nighttime half hour, plus about $25,000 for typical talent & production costs — a gross of $83,000. This, he added, would be $2.31 per 1000, same as today. To buy same show in color. Van Volkenburg said, typical show would run $91,000, or $2.54 per 1000. Costs will range from 5% extra for such programs as What’s My Line? to 20% more for hour-long drama. He had no doubt that most advertisers would choose color at those prices because they’ve been willing to pay average of 48% extra for magazine color, “The time to start color TV is this fall,” NBC pres. Pat Weaver told the group. Alert advertisers, he said, will employ even the limited distribution of color sets to “excite their organizations” through dealer demonstrations, color TV parties for prospects, etc. Promoting NBC-TV’s “magazine concept,” Weaver said: “Whatever an advertiser wants for his program, that he can get on a national basis in color from NBC, no matter how big or small his budget. All-night spectaculars, 5-second billboards, 365-day continuity, once-a-year explosions — you name it, and we’ll have it, in color.” RCA’s Joseph B. Elliott, executive v.p., consumer products, told group his firm’s first production run of color sets was almost sold out, urged whole advertising & manufacturing industry to get behind color TV. (For further details on Elliott’s remarks, see Trade Report, p. 13.) CBS pres. Frank Stanton had role of summing up, and he put it this way: “Right now it looks to me as though [color TV] is on dead center. Color TV is in a locked-in situation because of the interdependence of the problems of the manufacturer, the broadcaster and the advertiser.” “The key to the lock,” he said, “is the color tube.” He said he couldn’t predict when proper tubes would be developed but stated, “I suspect it will be sooner than most people think.” Once manufacturers are ready to mas? produce sets, he went on, “it is of the utmost importance for them to get together on a comprehensive campaign to promote the sale of color TV receivers.” Stanton called on broadcasters to minimize duplication of colorcasts, so as to gain maximum exposure of public to color. And, he told the advertisers, “The time is rapidly approaching when a substantial competitive advantage will attach to getting into color TV early.” Concluding, Stanton said: “Color has probably been carried farther in the laboratory than any invention of comparable significance. [However,] because the universal adoption of color TV by the American public still awaits further technical development, there is a natural human tendency to suspend action until perfection is achieved. This implies a misunderstanding of the process of technical improvement . . . What we can hope for, and what we are on the threshold of achieving, is a degree of performance and reliability that makes the widespread acceptance of color TV inescapable. The acceleration of this end-result is likewise inevitable if only because of the inherent appetite of the public for color TV, the technical probability of satisfying that appetite, and the contribution which color TV will make to our national economy.” Color Trends & Briefs: First color efforts of individual stations are gradually developing. Following expansion plan reported last week by WMAR-TV, Baltimore (Vol. 10:16), first sale of a locally-originated live program was announced by WKY-TV, Oklahoma City, the first to get RCA camera. Second station to get cameras — 2 chains — is WBAP-TV, Ft. Worth. Next RCA cameras go to CBS and NBC. WKY-TV’s initial commercial colorcast was half-hour variety show April 21, sponsored by Dulaney’s, local RCA distributor. On April 26, station inaugurates regular daily 1-2 p.m. cooking show in color. Mgr. P. A. Sugg says: “We’re in color all the way and we hope to expand our schedule of live shows as quickly as possible.” WMAR-TV has set up a system of prices for color slides, calling it a “service charge.” It compi-ises: (1) monochrome rates plus 10%, (2) production costs equal to out-of-pocket expenses plus 10%. If advertiser supplies color photo suitable for reproduction in 2x2-in. slide, station charges $3 for processing it. WMAR-TV sold first slides April 22 to Schmidt Baking Co. whose president Harold A. McManus said: “The package showed up beautifully, and the bread slices looked not only good but appetizing.” * * * NBC-TV color network will comprise 54 stations by year’s end, 31 more than now carry colorcasts, engineering v.p. 0. B. Hanson reported this week. The 54 stations will put color signals in reach of 27,100,000 homes and 22,000,000 set owners. The 31 additional stations that will be able to broadcast signals obtained from AT&T “color guaranteed” facilities are, according to NBC: WDAF-TV, Kansas City; WKY-TV, Oklahoma City; WBAP-TV, Ft. Worth; WFAA-TV, Dallas; WBRC-TV, Birmingham; WFMJ-TV, Youngstown; KMJ-TV, Fresno; WLWD, Dayton; WLWC, Columbus; WSAZ-TV, Huntington; WRGB, Schenectady; WKTV, Utica; WSYR-TV, Syracuse; KPRC-TV, Houston; WOAI-TV, San Antonio; WSJS-TV, Winston-Salem; WMCT, Memphis; WDSUTV, New Orleans; WSB-TV, Atlanta; WOC-TV, Davenport; WTTV, Bloomington; WAVE-TV, Louisville; WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids; WTRF-TV, Wheeling; WSLSTV, Roanoke; KFSD-TV, San Diego; KPTV, Portland; KOMO-TV, Seattle; WFTL-TV, Ft. Lauderdale; WLBT, Jackson; WEEK-TV, Peoria. Some of these now get color via their own microwave facilities or through unguaranteed AT&T facilities. Color dot generator, serviceman’s instrument for testing picture tube beam convergence, is offered by Sylvania at list of $129.50. Color monitor, type IT-146R, now being offered by Industrial TV Inc., 369 Lexington Ave., Clifton, N. J. Color set census has been started by WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, which found 55 in use in its area as of April 23. ■ American Assn, of Advertising Agencies, at White Sulphur Springs convention this week, elected Wm. R. Baker Jr., Benton & Bowles, as chairman of board to succeed Earle Ludgin, Chicago; Henry G. Little, CampbellEwald Co., Detroit, vice chairman; Robert E. Grove, Ketchum, McLeod & Grove Inc., Pittsburgh, secy.-treas. Elected directors-at-large for 3-year terms: James M. Cecil, Cecil & Presbrey; J. Davis Danforth, BBDO; George C. Reeves, J. Walter Thompson; Ken R. Dyke, Young & Rubicam.