Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

ads Friday replying to attacks on black-and-white, asserting; "Practical color television for the public is not yet in sight. Black and white television is ready to serve the nation now." ByiLDING FM-TV CIHCULATIO)!: ^ cond gleanings and thoughts on FCC's radio set production report of last week (Vol. 2, No. 14), showing that 85 out of 300 manufacturers surveyed calculate they will produce slightly more than 21,000,000 receivers this year — of which less than 10% will include FM and only about 115,000 units will be TV; 1 . RMA board members, meeting in New York this week, expressed skepticism , can't See that much production in sight in view of fact that only 550,000 radios were produced in January, 700,000 February, 1,000,000 March. Prospects of larger production are still dimmed by material, labor and other problems (with Westinghouse, supplier of 90% of all tubs bases, still strike-bound) — and best hope is that production m.ay. reach up to 2,000,000 per month by summer. RIAA sources predict not more than 15,000,000 sets this year. 2. Small proportion of FMs may or may not be correct, for FCC admits 4 major firms failed to supply figures. Names of 4 are v/ithheld, but Zenith admits it is one of them, and its line is preponderantly FM. As for TV, Niles Trammell, president of NBC, which is an RCA subsidiary, was quoted this week as predicting 300,000 sets in hands of public by end of this year. 3. Biggest immediate threat to FM — and TV, too, to some extent — is flooding of market with cheap table models that cannot possibly give high quality reception; yet they may sell like hot cakes in absence of anything better. 4. It isn't the small number of FM and TV sets to be produced this year that counts — it's where they are placed. In other words, FM and TV broadcasters, as they go on the air, must urge their local dealers to stock and push FM and TV. The dealers are their "circulation departments." FCC must be prodded to help get stations on the air quickly, and manufacturers must channel their sets to communities where reception is available. That means a big local promotion job ahead for each FM and TV broadcaster. HB13BLS CF FM GHAHTS: All 4 of Seattle's FM applicants, all also AMers, got Engineering Approvals this week (Supplement No. 33D herewith), but EAs went to only 4 out of 6 Conditional Grant holders in Portland, Ore. Each city has been allocated 12 channels, so there are still plenty to go around. Actual CPs were issued to 6 Area II EA grantees of last month, each having furnished the requisite program data. And the FCC noted a new FM category — Conditionals to applicants having program approvals but who must yet have their engineering data approved ; these are noted in Supplement 33D footnotes. Keep all our pink supplement series on file with Supplement 33 and you have a complete record of Conditionals, EAs and CPs to date. FM RULES AMENDED: joint program logs and station identification announcements for operators of AM and FM stations who duplicate transmission simultaneously were okayed by the FCC Thursday. Action was based on NAB petition, filed last November. Commission, however, denied NAB request that FM licensees be permitted to judge best hours of operating (Section 3.261). Because you should keep your FM Rules up-to-date, we are reprinting amended sections (Part II, Supplement No. 34), which we suggest you clip and paste over the proper portion of Supplement No. 7. TVs TO GST CPs DIRECT: There will be no conditional TV grants, FCC announced April 11; CPs will be issued direct for cities where applicants do not exceed available channels. Before applications can be processed. Commission pointed out, they must be up-to-date and completely filled out, vinless information is unavailable — such as equipment data. If not, FCC warned, applications will be dismissed.