Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

MARTIN CODEL’s AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND ALLIED ELECTRONICS ARTS AND INDUSTRY PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY MDfO NEtift BUREAU • WYAH BLDG. • WASHINGTON 5. D.C. • TELEPHONE STERLING 3-1755 VOL. 10: No. 3 0 July 24, 1954 in this issues Indiana Starter Makes 390, More Imminent, page 1 TV Investigation Fever Spreads on Hill, page I Showdown on Color Tubes & Sets Yet to Come, p. 3 Epitomizing the Industry's Growth, page 4 World Becoming TV-Conscious — But Slowly, page 5 Transmitter Shipments & Upcoming Stations, page 8 Factory Average $130 in Low-Price Market, page 9 RCA Reduces Patent Royalties 25-55 V2%, page II INDIANA STARTER MAKES 390, MORE IMMINENT: Only new station to take to air this week was vhf WIHI-TV, Terre Haute, Ind. , bringing on-air total to 390 (123 of them uhf ) . The imminent list, however, shows possible week-end starts, or at least early next week, for the General Teleradio-Hartf ord Times WGTH-TV, Hartford, Conn. (Ch. 18) and WPBN-TV, Traverse City, Mich. (Ch. 7). Also slated to test before end of month, but not for sure, are WGR-TV, Buffalo, N.Y. (Ch. 2); WCHS-TV, Charleston, W.Va. (Ch. 8) ; WJNO-TV, Palm Beach, Fla. (Ch. 5). And about a dozen are on the August agenda. Terre Haute’s new WTHI-TV (Ch. 10) began programming July 22 as CBS primary, carrying some DuMont, after first tests preceding day. Nearest other outlets are in Danville, 111., 47 mi. distant; Bloomington, Ind., 51 mi.; Champaign, 111., 63 mi. ; Indianapolis, 70 mi. Equipment is 50-kw RCA plant, 475-ft. Ideco tower, 12-bay antenna at downtown site. Anton Hulman Jr. is chief owner; Joe Higgins, gen. mgr. ; Ben Farber Jr., TV operations director; Louis Froeb, commercial mgr. ; Pat Murphy, technical director; Don Petit chief engineer. Base rate is $400. Rep is Bolling. * * * * Only 2 CPs this week, and 2 more in the works after elimination of competing applications. The grants: Tulsa, Okla. , Okla. Educational TV Authority, Ch. 11; Big Spring, Tex. , KBST, Ch. 4. Due soon is Ch. 46 grant to Notre Dame U, South Bend, Ind., which this week bought competing AM station WHOT for $140,000 plus net quick assets. In line for Ch. 13 grant in Huntington, W.Va. is WHTN, after WPLM decided to drop out of hearing and was dismissed. TV INVESTIGATION FEVER SPREADS ON HILL: Even as the Potter subcommittee was posting "help wanted" sign for a committee of outstanding experts to delve further into the uhf-vhf allocations problem. Chairman Bricker (R-Ohio) of Senate Commerce Committee was pushing for all-out investigation of the entire broadcasting industry. Bricker outlined his plans July 20 to Sen. Potter's communications subcommittee, where he didn't get particularly enthusiastic reception from the group which has just completed exhaustive inquiry into uhf problems. But Bricker said that he intends to put it before full Committee at next meeting, probably next week. Principal legislation involved is Bricker's bill (S-3456) to put the networlcs under FCC jurisdiction, but the proposed probe promises to cover whole broadcasting waterfront. In Sen. Bricker's words, full Commerce Committee would look into "uhf, vhf, all phases of broadcasting — everything that's before the Committee." Bricker's idea is for staff to begin investigation immediately, then for the Committee to hold full-scale hearings when Congress reconvenes. Informally proposed by Bricker to head staff for the probe is ex-FCC Comr. Robert F. Jones, onetime Ohio Republican Congressman, now in Washington law practice. Investigation seems slated for Committee approval — unless Bricker himself changes his mind in meantime. At week's end he told us he intends to push for the OOrvniOHT l••4 vv radio mkws rurkau