Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1957)

8 PURCHASE OF WMUR-TV, Manchester, N. H. (Ch. 9) by Storer Bcstg. Co., conditioned on move of transmitter to about 20 mi. from Boston, 30 from Manchester, came close to FCC decision this week — but final action was deferred until next week because of engineering matter. FCC engineers questioned whether station would provide adequate signal to Manchester, as required by rules, from new site. Storer was asked to supply further proof that it would. Washington Airspace Panel this week approved new site with tower height of 927 ft. Another site-move application was granted — Sarkes Tarzian’s move of WTTG, Bloomington (Ch. 4) to spot 27 mi. northeast of Bloomington, over objections of Indianapolis’ 4 Ch. 13 applicants. Third site-move application was set for hearing March 4 — shift of KOVR, Stockton, Cal. (Ch. 13) to location about 80 mi. east of San Francisco, protested by KCCC-TV, Sacramento (Ch. 40). Uhf translators figured prominently at FCC this week. In addition to receiving record 14 new applications (see p. 14), Commission granted CPs for 2 to Palm Springs Translator Station Inc., Palm Springs, Cal., turning down objections raised by city’s community antenna operator Palm Springs Community TV Corp., controlled by Paramount Pictures. On the other hand. City of Butte was told it couldn’t get Ch. 70 translator grant without satisfying Commission on 2 points: (1) Possibility of harming KXLF-TV (Ch. 4) and prospective Ch. 6 station. (2) Butte Mayor Sullivan’s apparent involvement in unlicensed booster there. Two channel shifts were suggested to Commission: (1) Addition of Ch. 10 to Presque Isle, Me., sought by prospective applicant Northeastern Bcstg. Co., which proposes that Ch. 11 be substituted for Ch. 7 in Matane, Ch. 7 for Ch. 6 in Riviere du Loup, Ch. 6 for Ch. 10 in Ste. Anne de la Pocatiere, all Que. Petition says Canadian Govt, has no objection. (2) Shift of Ch. 13 from Biloxi to New Orleans, proposed in comments by KPLCTV, Lake Charles, La. (Ch. 7), which suggests shift of Ch. 9 from Hattiesburg to Biloxi, Ch. 7 from LaurelPachuta to Hattiesburg, addition of Ch. 11 to Houma and Ch. 12 to Beaumont-Port Ai-thur. Telecasters’ filings in FCC’s allocation proceeding covering frequencies above 890 me are suprisingly light, in view of stations’ need for own STLs, remotes and private inter-city links. Those filing this week: NBC, ABC — plus KTNT-TV, Tacoma-Seattle; KOVR, Stockton; McClatchy stations; WSYR-T V, Syracuse; WSB-TV, Atlanta. Among their arguments: station-owned facilities are more flexible and cheaper than common carrier; present assignments will prove too few as industry grows; some frequencies suffer interference from other services; competition will spur Bell System into providing better service; station purchases will encourage manufacturers into improving equipment. Virtually all asserted that stations’ establishment of own facilities shouldn’t be dependent on non-availability of phone company. Contract for “candelabra” tower to carry antennas of Baltimore’s 3 TV stations — WAAM, WBAL-TV & WMARTV — was awarded this week to Dresser-Ideco Co. Antennas, which will bring total height to 731 ft., will be made by RCA (Vol. 12:50). Another multiple-antenna tower was approved this week by Washington Airspace Panel — 1111-ft. structure to be used jointly by Philadelphia’s WFIL-TV & WRC-TV (Vol. 12:40). Application for experimental on-channel boo.ster to test value in filling in nulls in .Johnstown area has been filed by WFBG-TV, Altoona (Ch. 10). Application .specifies 150-watt Adler tran.smitter, cost of $60,000. EW ANTENNA site is being sought by Nashville’s WSM-TV, following unexplained collapse of virtually completed 1262-ft. tower in which 4 construction workers were killed. Decision to move from residential section was made voluntarily by station, but a proposal was introduced simultaneously in city council to rezone area to bar such structures. No houses were struck when tower buckled Feb. 4. Officials and engineers of Blaw-Knox equipment div., which manufactured tower, and John F. Beasley Construction Co., Muskogee, Okla. erectors whose 4 workers were killed, were still examining wreckage at week’s end in attempt to determine reason for mysterious disaster. Tower was the first to be constructed of U. S. Steel’s new T-1 alloy, said to be 3 times stronger than conventional bridge steel. Alloy has been used for several years in other types of construction and is in no way considered “experimental,” a Blaw-Knox spokesman told us. Tower, including antenna, would have been 1374 ft. tall. “I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been in the business for 34 years,” said GE engineer G. A. Wallenstrom, who witnessed the crash. GE is prime contractor for the fully insured $100,000 tower-antenna job. Collapse occurred while the 4 workers were adjusting tension on guy wires at 700-ft. level; tower buckled at 300-ft. level and “collapsed like an accordion,” according to one witness. One construction engineer was quoted as saying collapse might have been caused by unequal tension on some of the 12 guy wires. Through a freak connection, WSM-TV viewers were the first to know about the tragedy; telephone call from transmitter house was unexplainedly cut into audio of Modern Romances — the show being transmitted at the time. Viewers heard excited voice exclaim : “Oh, my God ! Send help! The tower has just fallen down. Help, quick!” “Flagrant” violation by WGN-TV, Chicago, of professed public-interest policy was alleged Feb. 5 by Action Committee for Freedom of Religious Expression in requesting formal FCC hearing on station’s ban on “Martin Luther” film (Vol. 13:4). It said that WGN-TV “should no longer be entrusted” with broadcast facilities, for which station seeks full-power license. Letter to FCC asserted that cancellation of movie indicates that “WGN-TV believes that its listening & viewing public is not entitled to hear all sides of each important public issue which confronts that public.” Meanwhile 5,000,000-member National Lutheran Council protested “de facto censorship” by station in response to “pressure reputedly emanating from Roman Catholic sources.” Action Committee’s counsel Frank Ketcham also filed letter on behalf of another religious group. Broadcasting & Film Commission of National Council of the Churches of Christ. He asked that application forms be revised to require stations to supply more explicit answers regarding religious programs — i.e., what programs carried, when, sustaining, whether fund solicitation permitted, etc. Highly simplified studio vidicon camera for broadcast and closed-circuit telecasting was announced this week by RCA. Among features of new professional quality monochrome camera (TK-15) : (1) Seven-inch kinescope viewfinder, permitting direct monitoring. (2) Built-in video operating controls, which can be operated at camera or remotely. (3) One-man operation of camera chain. (4) Improved performance with “appreciable reductions” in tube complement and control adjustments. (5) New-type non-linear optical focus. (6) Four-lens turret. 7) Selfcontained variable gamma circuit for gray scale rendition. Approximate prices of the new camera chain with various RCA monitors: With TM-7C, $6015; with TM-6C, $8880; as field camera, with TM-6C, $10,235.