Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

14 Trade Personals: John W. Bjorkman named militaiy marketing mgr., DuMont Labs . . . Col. Frank J. Shannon (USAF ret.) appointed Packard-Bell technical field service mgr. . . . Michael J. Ranalli resigns as field sales mgr. of Westinghouse TV-radio div.; no successor to be named . . . Dan R. McKennon, ex-Emerson, appointed Olympic Radio regional sales mgr. for north central states, replacing Jerry Allen, resigned . . . Sam Jenkins & Harold Ashbach named Wilcox-Gay v.p.'s, fonner adding duties of gen. sales mgr.. Majestic International sales, and continuing as sales coordinator, latter continuing as west coast rep for both . . . Robert J. Criddle promoted to gen. sales mgr., contract & builder sales div., RCA Whirlpool; Wayne Wolford succeeds him as sales mgr., contract sales . . . Col. Webster F. Soules, mgr. of radio mfg. div., ElectroVoice Inc., cited as “operator of the month” by 5th Army for contributions of his A8HCW to military affiliate radio system (MARS) . . . Merrill F. Chapin, onetime part owner of WSAU, Wausau & WMAM, Marinette, Wis., named mgr. of 8-state GE regional sales office at St. Louis for 2-way radio equipment . . . George M. Arisman Jr. named pres. & gen. mgr. of Mallory Battery Co., div. of P. R. Mallory & Co. . . ■ Roger G. Hall named national sales mgr of Angel Records, now merged with Capitol (Vol. 13:49) ... Charles Harper, ex-Kierulff, Los Angeles (Webcor), named national sales mgr. of Bel-Canto Magnetic Recording Tape Co. . . . John Woodford, ex-Angel Records, named to new post of classical albums product mgr., Columbia Records . . . Herbert J. Oslow appointed adv. mgr. of HiFi & Mtisic Review, new Ziff-Davis magazine. DISTRIBUTOR NOTES: Peirce-Phelps, Philadelphia (Zenith) names Frank Louchheim, ex-v.p. of now defunct Stuart F. Louchheim, to Zenith div. under mgr. Richard Waltemate . . . Victor H. Meyer Distributing Corp., N. Y. (Sylvania), promotes Victor J. Meyer to v.p.-gen. mgr.; Michael Lombardo to controller . . . GE names W. R. Jones sales planning mgr. of new expanded Memphis district of appliance-TV div.; C. H. Middleton named TV sales mgr. . . . Handwerg Distributing Co., Tampa (Motorola), promotes John Bumpus to gen. sales mgr. . . . Emerson names Edward Adis v.p., Lawi’ence H. Carr v.p.-treas. of new factory branch in Philadelphia; they were respectively sales mgr. & controller of Emerson of Pa., independent distributorship recently converted to branch on resignation of founder Irving Witz (Vol. 14:2). Branch retains firm name . . . Samuel Jacobs Distributors Inc., Philadelphia (Steelman, Bell & Howell, Blaupunkt, Ampro), names Ben Freedman service & parts mgr.; moves to larger quai-ters at 2208 Market St. . . . IT&T compo-nents div. appoints Jack Goss Co., 99 Highland Ave., Somerville, Mass. New England sales rep for Federal selenium rectifiers . . . Sylvania appoints The Shield Co. Inc. (Mrs. W. W. Slaughter, pres.), 1010 Macon St., Ft. Worth, for TV-radio-hi-fi in Ft. Worth-Dallas area . . . Decca Distributing Corp., San Francisco, promotes Irving Stimler to branch mgr succeeding Wm. Bisbam, resigned . . . Alliance Mfg. Co. names Collins Havercamp, Kansas City, rep for Tenna-Rotor in la.. Neb., Kan., Mo. Motorola and its N. Y. distributor Warren-Connolly Co. “have decided to sever relations,” says Edward R. Taylor, Motorola exec, v.p.-consumer products. Gi'oup of Motorola executives will take over temporarily at WarrenConnolly location. TV should more than double in dollar volume between now and 1965 and should be a highly profitable business — spurred by color. So said RCA executive committee chairman Frank M. Folsom in Dec. 16 talk before San Francisco Society of Security Analysts. About color, he said : “This past year we feel we found the key to the successful mass promotion of color. We went into 26 major cities and 27 secondary markets with an intensive promotional campaign keyed to one purpose — exposure of the public to color. In most cases the results were good, in some they were excellent, and in some they were spectacular.” [For Folsom’s comment on other aspects of electronics and related defense and consumer industries, see p. 15.] Venezuela imported 35,000 TV sets in 1956, about 12% from Netherlands and most of remainder from U. S., according to new govt, statistics. In 1955, approximately 19,000 units were imported. Venezuela now has 120-125,000 TV sets in use and 10 TV stations, including satellites. In 1956, Germany became biggest supplier of radios to Venezuela, with U. S. participation declining from 40% in 1955 to 28% in 1956, while Germany rose from 27% to 32%, Netherlands from 18% to 25%. Radio imports totaled about 100,000 in each of the 2 years. Australian Broadcasting Commission, seeking bids for equipment for new govt.-owned TV stations in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth & Hobart (Vol. 13:40), placed 2-in. ad in Jan. 12 N. Y. Times announcing March 20 deadline for bids and availability of forms and specifications from Commission office at 630 Fifth Ave., N. Y. Govt, stations in those cities aie due to be in operation in 1959; permits for competitive privately-owned outlets in same city have been promised by March. Pye Ltd., big British TV-radio-electronics manufacturer, is exporting enough radios, hi-fis, recorders and other equipment to U. S. to justify appointing Van Bi-unt & Co., new ad agency at 230 Park Ave., which starts national campaign in March. Pye distributor is Ram Electronic Sales Co. DuMont diversification into auto tune-up and test equipment field is detailed in Jan. 13 Electronic Week, which repoi-ts firm claims 98% of $10-20,000,000 yearly auto tune-up oscilloscope market. Aimed at smaller service stations and garages is “low-priced” $495 IgnitionScope. First FM auto radio to be distributed by American auto manufacturer is new Bendix-made tuner being offered as optional equipment on 1958 Lincoln. As yet unpromoted, tuner carries suggested list price of $120 added to $163 price of AM radio. Retail household appliance-radio store sales totaled $3,536 billion in first 11 months of 1957 vs. $3,617 in 1956 period, reports Census Bureau. Nov. sales were $348,000,000, down $21,000,000 from Nov. 1956. Pre-registrations are being urged by gen. mgr. Kenneth C. Prince for 1958 Electronics Parts Distributors Show at Chicago’s Conrad Hilton Hotel, May 19-21. Coming Glass has laid off about 150 in pressware plant because of adequate inventories of color TV bulbs; black-&-white continues on normal schedule. The 1958 edition of RCA Reference Book — updating information on tubes, test equipment, batteries, transistors, semiconductor diodes — is now available from distributors. Enthusiastic report on color — ease of installation, tuning, improved programming — is contained in Dec. Cosmopolitan article by conti ibuting e<litor Jon Whitcomb.