Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

Ty*??1 HULINDS THIS WEEK: Confirmed as OPA Administrator Thursday, without any Senate opposition, Paul A. Porter wound up his FCC chores this week end, v/as prepared to hand over to Acting Chairman Charles R. Denny Jr. Monday. Meanwhile, the short v/eek (which included the Washington Birthday holiday) again held up both the decision on Washington's TV applications and the opinion on the rejection of the Zenith-GE petition to widen the FM band. Porter conducted the TV hearing, in vi^ich 6 applicants seek 4 available TV channels, so his vote presumably has been recorded but decision requires full Commission action and should be forthcoming next week. fiTH.^TOVISION PBfiVINC OUT: Westinghouse reported this week that first stratovision flight tests — over Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York City, New Haven — show that usable TV and FM signals can be transmitted over a distance of 240 miles from a 25,000-foot altitude with 250 watts of power. First airborne station, a twinengined medium bomber obtained from war surplus and refitted by Glenn L. Martin and Westinghouse engineers, used 3 frequencies between 100 and 550 me. Plans call for tests up to 2,000 me. If'IOEE TV FHA}IC2iISES: . Newest applicant for TV (in Toledo) is George B. Storer's Fort Industry Co., which Lee B. Wailes, recently-resigned manager of Westinghouse stations, joins shortly in an executive capacity. Company proposes $189,000 initial outlay, plans TV applications for other cities later, presumably where its AMs are located. It also now has full house of FM applications on file: Toledo, Atlanta, Miami, Wheeling, Lima, Zanesville. Farnsworth Television & Radio Co. , this week secured reinstatement of its lapsed CP for experimental TV station W9XFT, Fort Wayne. Also granted this week was a CP to Los Angeles Times for an experimental TV in Pasadena, visual power 1 kw, aiiral 5 kw and channel to be assigned. KDTiHEi? TV CiHICKS: Our London correspondent reports that British TV plans are .slowly but surely getting under way, with current project for reviving pre-v/ar Alexandra Palace transmitter to serve London and to act as "mother" station for 6 other transmitters which will serve some 75% of Britain's population. These presumably will be linked by coaxial with Alexandra Palace, v;hich resumed experimental signals (a tuning note and a black cross on a white ground) in mid-February. Discussions are also under way with the "cinema trades," says our report, v/hereby public in non-reception areas may get service through looking-in posts probably at local theatres. Maurice Gorham, in charge of the "Light Programme" since its inception, has been appointed BBC officer in charge of TV when it resumes. Meanwhile, London dispatches report Britain's 10,000,000 radio set license fees, which support the BBC, have been doubled from 10 shillings to £1 ($4), and that when regular TV service starts in on May 1 TV set licenses v/ill be twice that, or $8. MEWS VIEWS: Newly formed Lafayette Television & Motion Picture Studios Inc. headquartering for time being in N.Y. offices of Jaffe & McNulty, 400 Madison Ave! announces it has acquired Brooklyn Elks clubhouse, is spending $500,000 to convert it into "largest motion picture and television studios in the East" ; officers are Henry Pederson, president; Philip Konof, v.p. ; Hyman Goldman, treasurer .... Working under Paul Mowrey, head of the Television division of ABC's Program Dept. Richard B. Rawls, former studio operations manager of CBS, has been named manager of ABC's television operations handling administrative duties .... Latest book due in bookshops Feb. 27 from prolific and authoritative pen of Orrin E. Dunlap, exNew York Times, now RCA information chief: Radar: What Radar Is and How It Works (Harper & Brothers, $2.50) Capt. C. W. Horn7 wartime special a.qgi tn tino chief of Naval Communications, ex-general engineer and research-development director of NBC, was mustered out last week, leaves Washington in about a month to realize his long-cherished ambition to go into business in Mexico..