Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

11 Philadelphia Experiment: Proposing to operate experimentally from transmitter located in Philadelphia while also maintaining current site at Pitman, N. J., Storer Broadcasting Co.’s WVUE, Wilmington-Philadelphia (Ch. 12) this week asked FCC for permission to carry out oneyear test of newly designed directional antenna. Under proposal, experimental transmitting antenna would be located on the “antenna farm” now being used by Philadelphia’s 3 stations and would be operated alternately with existing antenna for purposes of test measurements. Proposed experimental site is 7 mi. NNW of Philadelphia center and 26 mi. northeast of Wilmington; height of 1098 ft. is requested. New site would be 144 mi. from co-channel WNBF-TV, Binghamton vs. 167 mi. for current site. Storer plans to alternate use of Pitman and Philadelphia transmitters at 10-min. and 30-min. intervals during various broadcast and non-broadcast periods. Regular programming of WVUE would be used during broadcast day. Tests would be conducted under supervision of Dallas consulting engineer A. Earl Cullum Jr. and Boston antenna expert Andrew Alford, who designed special directional antenna. Storer claims proposed operation would impi-ove coverage of both Wilmington and Philadelphia and enlarge WNBF-TV’s coverage area by reducing interference. At same time, WVUE announced it’s accepting bids for permanent Wilmington $250,000 studio-office building. TV-Radio Reciprocal Trade: Slow start on proposed TV-radio exchanges with USSR following signing of cultural agreement (Vol. 14:5) was reported by U. S. negotiators this week. State Dept, arranged conference with NAB pres. Harold E. Fellows Feb. 24 to explore participation by American broadcasters in pact negotiated “in principle” with Russia. Preliminary discussions with industry leaders here are expected to “help set up a tent for us.” Preparatory to scheduled meeting in Washington with Ambassador Wm. S. B. Lacey, chief U. S. negotiator of trade pact. Fellows conferred in N. Y. with heads of 3 networks. No firm plan for program exchanges was reported, however. Meanwhile, new Soviet Ambassador Mikhail A. Menshikov told Marguerite Higgins in copyrighted N. Y. Herald Tribune interview that he “would not exclude the possibility” of Russians showing panel-type TV shows on which U. S. leaders, including President Eisenhower, would appear. Earlier, Ambassador Lacey said he was optimistic about outlook for actual TV-radio trade. New CBS-IBEW pact was rejected this week by union’s N. Y. & Los Angeles locals, forcing resumption of national negotiations to replace contract which expired Feb. 1 (Vol. 14:6). Locals objected to job security & jurisdictional terms of network contract which was submitted by leaders for rank-&-file approval. Further CBS-IBEW talks probably will be delayed 2-3 weeks pending union action on similar agreements between NABET and NBC & ABC. Meanwhile, no new network strike threat has been raised. Jobs Wanted Note to TV Station Owners: We have names of several station management sales and program executives presently available for employment — and will furnish them for direct contact by employers addressing bona fide descriptions of job openings to the publisher. Television Digest. UHF Fill-in Technique : Analysis of “multicasting” — use of 2 or more uhf transmitters on different channels to provide a single service — was issued this week by FCC’s technical research div., prepared by chief engineer Edward W. Allen and engineers Harry Fine & Jack Damelin. Use of several transmitters to fill in each others’ shadows seems to be promising, according to report, which is a “preliminary analysis.” System differs from once-proposed “polycasting,” in that latter requires transmitters use same channel. Report says indications are that “2 or more uhf transmitters of like power and judiciously placed will provide a better service than a single transmitter of the same total power.” Seeking to answer question as to whether system is wasteful of spectrum, researchers suggest that if co-channel spacings are reduced to 50 mi., using 3 channels per station, “a given number of channels would provide 4/3 as many equivalent service areas in a given large area” as would single-transmitter stations spaced 100 mi. apart. Study concludes, however: “In order to take advantage of multicasting and to keep the channel efficiency high in congested areas so as to meet the probable demand for service, uhf-TV receivers must be improved to the point where the FCC table of ‘taboos,’ involving the additional station assignment limitations, can be greatly reduced or abolished.” Document (8 pp.) is labeled “T.R.R. Report 5.1.1,” available from Commission — or we’ll get you one. Subliminal Gimmicks : Bill to outlaw subliminal advertising on TV (HR-10802) was introduced Feb. 18 by Rep. Wright (D-Tex.). Proposed ban would be administered by FCC, caiTy maximum fine of $5000 and/or 30 days imprisonment for each offense. Explainiqg his bill, Wright charged subliminal advertising seems “clearly to constitute an invasion of the individual light of privacy” and, in hands of unscrupulous politicians, could be used to “brainwash” the public. However, brains of some 300 broadcasters and ad men attending Western Radio & TV Conference in San Francisco last week end apparently remained imwashed after 30-min. demonstration of subliminal advertising in which they acted as guinea pigs. They viewed film which included repeated subliminal message advertising Coca-Cola, and then were asked to answer series of questions in writing. Guessing what product was advertised, viewers mentioned Chrysler Corp. and Wrigley’s gum most frequently, but none mentioned Coca-Cola. Viewing the film made 35 nervous, 23 lethargic, 23 tired; 42 felt like smoking, 26 drinking, 21 eating, 10 chewing; 59 were happy, 39 moody, 4 mad, 2 sad. Total of 74 felt like walking, 13 felt like dancing, 8 like skating, 6 running. Some 32 did say they felt thirsty, in answer to questionnaire, but another 52 just felt anxious, 10 hungry, 7 sexy. ASCAP-BMI dispute will be aired on both sides of Capitol week of March 10. Because of illness of ASCAP pres. Paul Cunningham, Rep. Roosevelt (D-Cal.) has postponed to March 13 the start of hearings of his Small Business subcommittee on ASCAP policies and whether they are prejudicial to small music publishers (Vol. 14:4). Senate Commerce communications subcommittee under Sen. Pasture (D-R. I.) still has hearings scheduled to begin March 11 on S-2834, introduced by Sen. Smathers (D-Fla.), to divorce broadcasters from music publishing and recording business (Vol. 13:34,14:4), and subcommittee indicates they will continue at least through March 13. Spokesman for Roosevelt’s subcommittee, however, told us that while “the March 13 date is finn,” staff will see to it that there is no date & time conflict with Senate hearings.