Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1957)

10 Color Trends & Briefs: Who are the buyers of color TVs? Not necessarily the carriage trade, it seems, for First Pennsylvania Banking & Trust Co., handling most TV-appliance credit paper in the Philadelphia area, reports that an analysis of credit status of color set purchases shows that about 90% of the sets financed are for average type workmen of today with a salary range from $80 to $90 per week.” Adds John Reilley, v.p. of big Philadelphia bank now among those financing color set purchases at 10% down and 36 months to pay (Vol. 12:34) : “We have had no repossessions to date and our collection dept, tells me we have had no delinquencies occasioned by service complaints.” Raymond Rosen & Co. pres. Thomas F. Joyce, tubthumping for color as enthusiastically as ever, at open house for dealers this week told them that his firm s 1957 color goal is 25,000 sets ($15,000,000 billings), and reported that during last 18 months it sold between 8000 & 9000 RCA 21-in. color sets in its jobber area. The 25,000 would represent 10% of RCA’s 1957 production & sales goal as enunciated by Gen. Sarnoff last week (Vol. 12:52). “Man-made roadblocks” are being removed from color’s progress, said Joyce, and while RCA lost some $14,000,000 (about $6,900,000 after taxes) on all its color operations in 1956, it fully expects to earn a profit in 1957. Selling well over its area quota, Raymond Rosen & Co. has own color specialist staff of 11, who do considerable inhome demonstrations and trials, and this week it announced plan whereby TV-radio-appliance salesmen themselves can buy color sets for their own homes for $50 down (including full service policy) and may liquidate balance with commissions in color set sales. Rosen firm also plans 1957 dealer prizes of deluxe air trips to Paris & Rome. * * * * Analyzing color’s slow progress in Dec. 30 column, N. Y. Times TV-radio columnist Jack Gould concludes that receiver price must drop to $200-$250 to be truly competitive” with black-&-white and that programming emphasis must be placed on quality rather than quantity. He termed price reduction to $500 an “accomplishment of no small magnitude” but said premise that “Cadillac trade” would buy at that price seems out of date. He urged RCA-NBC to concentrate programming in terms of color, without major concern for black-&-white rendition and to curtail quantity. “With the money thus saved,” he said, “there could be more experimentation in doing shows in terms of color alone, with costumes, scenery and lighting all planned for their value in tints. For those who have seen color at its finest . . . the efforts of RCA must be commended; those concerns that propose merely to sit around and cash in after RCA has coped with the economic headaches of pioneering are hardly adding to their own stature.” One of heaviest network color schedules yet is lined up for Jan. 13-19 week— 18% hours— 15% NBC-TV, 3V2 CBS-TV. On Jan. 19, NBC-TV has 2V2 solid hours. Network Color Schedules (January 6-19, 1957) Jan. 6 — NBC: Alcoa Hour, 9-10 p.m. Jan. 7 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.: Robert Montgomery Presents, 9:30-10:30 p.m. CBS: Bob Crosby Show, 3:30-4 pan. Jan. 8 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Noah’s Ark, 8:30-9 p.m.: Break the $250,000 Bank. 10:30-11 p.m. Jan. 9 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Kraft TV Theatre, 9-10 p.m. CBS: Arthur Godfrey Show, 8-9 p.m. Jan. 10 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Lux Video Theatre, 10-11 p.m. CBS: Shower of Stars, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 11 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Red Barber's Corner, 10:45-11 p.m. CBS: Bob Crosby Show, 3:30-4 p.m. Jan. 12 — NBC: Perry Como Show, 8-9 p.m. Jan. 13 — NBC: NBC-TV Opera Theatre, “War and Peace,” 1:30-4 p.m.; The Chevy Show, 9-10 p.m. CBS; The Boing-Boing Show, 5:30-6 p.m. Jan. 14 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Robert Montgomery Presents, 9:30-10:30 p.m. CBS: Bob Crosby Show, 3:30-4 p.m. Jan. 15 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Noah’s Ark, 8:30-9 p.m.; Break the $250,000 Bank, 10:30-11 p.m. CBS; Bob Crosby Show, 3:30-4 p.m.; Red Skelton Show, 9:30-10 p.m. Jan. 16 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Kraft TV Theatre, 10-11 p.m. CBS: Arthur Godfrey Show, 8-9 p.m. Jan. 17 — NBC: Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Lux Video Theatre, 10-11 p.m. Jan. 18 — NBC; Matinee Theatre, 3-4 p.m.; Red Barber’s Corner, 10:45-11 p.m. CBS: Bob Crosby Show, 3:30-4 p.m. Jan. 19 — NBC: Perry Como Show, 8-9 p.m.; Saturday Color Carnival, “Jerry Lewis Show,” 9-10 p.m.; Ernie Kovacs Show. 10-10:30 p.m. ■ Orestes H. Caldwell, dean of the technical trade editors, who retired several years ago as editor of Tele-Tech, was member of the original Federal Radio Commission in 1927, founded McGraw-Hill’s old Radio Retailing and Electronics magazines, in 1943 issued a “season pass” to his “Walden Woods TV Theatre” at Cos Cob, Conn., where he still resides ; he had the first black-&white set in town and offered “showings every evening by appointment.” Now, he has updated the pass (in color) to invite viewing of nightly color shows, and he writes us : “Color TV seems to me inevitable as the ultimate medium. After 15 months of viewing, our family continues increasingly enthusiastic. Set (big RCA) has given little or no trouble. Camera mismatching is sometimes irritating, as flesh-tints change between shots of same scene. And careful color-tuning is needed for each performanceperiod — also at intervals as set warms up. But color compares with b-&-w as a modern streamliner to a covered wagon. We go back to b-&-w with shudders and regrets. Color — s’wonderful.” % :)c ^ All-time best showcase of color was New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena on NBC-TV, including exceptionally effective and unobstrusive commercials for Minute Maid and Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Assn. Particularly noteworthy was almost perfect balance among cameras, scarcely any variation. Chicago Tribune on Jan. 2 published full page of color pictures of parade, shooting them directly from monitor at WNBQ. Tribune TV columnist termed telecast “possibly the most persuasive argument yet in behalf of color TV.” ADVERTISING AGENCIES: Thomas R. Santacroce, exRuppert Brewery, elected Compton Adv. v.p. in charge of west coast operations, San Francisco . . . Mrs. Elinor Fahrenholz promoted to TV-radio director of Cunningham & Walsh Chicago office . . . Trent Christman, ex-KONATV, Honolulu, elected TV-radio v.p. of Holst, Cummings & Myers Ltd., Honolulu, succeeding James Wahl, now in charge of new service & development dept. . . . Stephen R. Wilhelm resigns as v.p.-gen. mgr. of Foote, Cone & Belding’s Texas operations to devote full time to his publishing and TV-radio interests, which include exclusive rights to files of Texas Rangers series . . . Jack M. Bristow, BBDO v.p., named mgr. of Cleveland office, succeeding Elmore E. Haring, retired . . . David Kaigler, cx-gcn. mgr. of WPFH, Wilmington, Del., joins W. S. Roberts Inc., Philadelphia, as TV-radio v.p. Edward H. Weiss & Co. is new name of Weiss & Geller Inc., with new offices at 360 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Name was changed, said pres. Edward H. Weiss, to clear up confusion between his agency and Weiss & Geller of N. Y. He explained that he and Max Geller founded the company in 1938, and 3 years later Weiss & Geller became 2 separate companies, one in N. Y. and the other in Chicago, both retaining original names. Since then, said Weiss, there has been no relation between the 2 companies. Adding to confusion is fact that Chicago agency operates a N. Y. office at 460 Park Ave.