Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

TV-FM PBDJFCT Yi.T: By all odds the biggest investment in TV and FM contemplated by any single entity thus far, is the nearly $5,000,000 v/hich the Los Angeles Times proposes to spend. Onetime owner of what is now Don Lee's KilJ, the newspaper is already holder of a CP for uhf color experimental TV station in Pasadena (Vol. 2, No. 9), being developed in cooperation with California Tech under a $60,000 budget the newspaper is underwriting. The Times-Mirror Co. has also applied for a commercial (black-and-white) TV and an FM outlet to be housed in a Hollywood building and to utilize a common transmitter site atop 5,995-ft. Mt. Disappointment, near Hollywood's famed Mt. Wilson. It is undoubtedly the most ambitious venture into the new radio arts yet reported, and it is sparked by Publisher Norman Chandler and his consulting engineer, Col. Herbert L. Wilson, who has set up Los Angeles offices at 1000 North Sev/ard St., with Engineer Edward lannelli in charge. A 10-Story studio and office building, at an as yet undisclosed Hollywood location, will cost $3,000,000, the real estate already having been purchased for $100,000. Both the TV and FM applications must yet go to hearing, but the company is so confident of winning out that it has already had complete architectural and technical plans drawn up and has filed them with the FCC. The FM station alone represents $279,500, not counting real estate — transmitter, $94,500; speech input and associated gear, $170,000; antenna, $10,000; lighting, $5,000. The TV items include; transmitter building, $148,000; RCA transmitter, $99,500; antenna, $15,000; water supply, $60,000; auxiliary power, $100,000; cameras and audio equipment, $425,000; scenery and parts, $205,000; furniture, $100,000; film equipment, $20,900; lighting, $10,000; installation, $15,000; engineering, $5,000. FM LOW P0WSI5 GO-^iiMSAD: in line with its stated policy of encouraging FM stations to get on the air at earliest possible moment, FCC v/ill grant Special Temporary Authorizations (STA) to CP holders. STAs will permit them to broadcast commercially ‘With reduced power until full-power transmitters are available. Nearly all transmitters are made so they can start v/ith 250-watt or 1-kw unit, adding units to achieve higher powers. The STAs are in addition to the several authorizations we reported last week, allowing certain conditional grantees to go on the air noncommercially for 90-day period; frequencies assigned latter are not necessarily the ones they v;ill get when their CPs are issued. Commission this week also gave assurance that 20 kw, 500 ft. standard discussed by Asst. Chief Engineer Willoughby at Ohio State conference last week (Vol. 2, No. 12) is merely a "guide" for Metropolitan Stations in Area II, not a rigid requirement. Real criterion will be adequate coverage, which v/ill dictate power-height requirements. Examples of variations are the 10 Engineering Approvals for Metropolitans reported in Supplement No. 33. FEBSEAL QUOTING PEICES; Federal Telephone & Radio Co. is quoting $150,000 as price of its 1 kw color TV transmitter with film dissector and basic accessories. Having custom-built some of CBS's uhf color equipment, it has taken no firm orders as yet but says it has "about 6 good prospects." However, it adds, these await establishment of technical standards (which FCC has shown no disposition to do yet) and the issuance of uhf commercial instead of experimental licensees. FM FOEMS SHOETEB, SIMPLER: FCC is revising, says it is making shorter and simpler, its Form No. 319 — "Application for New High Frequency Broadcast Station Construction Permit . " Major purpose is to make job of applying for FM stations simpler, particularly for newcomers. Questions will be more directly concerned with FM. Included will be a new Proposed Service section (now Sec. 32 to 35) covering the new program analysis requirements recently propounded. Also, financial statements and engineering exhibits will be "streamlined" for compactness.