Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

nONOCHHOME TO UH?? KORS TVs D5JOP: Next strategic step in the v;ait-f or-color campaign will probably be to ask FCC to shift all commercial TV, whether black-andwhite or color, to the now experimental uhf band 480-920 me. Thus whereas there are now only 13 low-band channels for 525-line black-and-whj-te , there would be nearly 6 times that many in the high band for the same definition monochrome. And there might be 2 to 3 times as many channels available for color. Moreover, so it's argued, any eventual shift from monochrome to color would render neither transmitters nor receivers completely obsolete if everything is centered now in the uhf band. This is supposed to be the latest tack taken by CBS's Dr. Goldmark. Let those that want to operate black-and-v/hite do so ; let the color school go ahead too — but do it all on 480-920 me. That may be the big argument advanced when CBS proposes its new standards for uhf TV. Against this argument, of course, will be the go-ahead-now proponents' conviction that v/e haven't had enough experience yet with lohf, don't knov/ much about those channels; also that low-band offers better coverage. Meanv/hile, CBS undertook to refute argument that color TV is not feasible for network relay because coaxial cable cannot carry such high definition. On Friday, with Bell and CBS engineers present, it transmitted its color images via coaxial from its Madison Ave. studios to its Grand Central controls, thence on AT&T's coaxial circuit sent uhf color images to Washington and back to Nev; York again where images were transmitted from its VV2XCS atop Chrysler Tower. Though some decrease in definition was noted, CBS President Stanton stated test proved that network TV for color is as feasible now as for monochrome and that no modification of coaxial is necessary. AT&T is shutting dovm coaxial for awhile for technical changes, but CBS promises public demonstrations of cable color transmissions again v/hen it reopens. This week there were still more withdrawals, making 41 in all since we published the list of TV applicants as Supplement No, 18. First, stating it would • wait for color, Disney withdrew its Los Angeles application (as M-G-M did 2 weeks ago), leaving 11 competitors for that city's 7 channels, all to be heard there May 20. Then United (Cleveland Plain Dealer) withdrew its Cleveland, Columbus and A-kron applications, stating it v/ould file immediately for uhf ; that leaves only 4 applicants for Cleveland's 5 channels, and May 13 hearing has already been dropped. Also withdrav/n this week were Capitol (WISH) for Indianapolis, leaving only 3 applicants for 5 channels; Johnson-Kennedy (WIND) for Chicago, leaving 4 for 6; Louis Wasmer Inc. (KGA) for Spokane, leaving none for 5; and Hearst (San Francisco Examiner) for San Francisco. But this week the San Francisco Chronicle filed for that city, proposing to spend §343,000 on plant and §30,000 per month on operation, so that there are still 7 for 7 for the hearing scheduled there July 15. Next hearing is set for Pittsburgh, April 25, but since only DuMont and Westinghouse remain as applicants for that city's 4 channels it is practically a certainty that hearing v;ill be called off just as were the Detroit and Cleveland hearings (Vol. 2, No. 15). Fn U? FOB SALE: Ever since FCC ordered Evansville-on-the-Air Inc. to divest itself of one of its two AM stations (WGBF and WEOA) , it has been shopping for another station somewhere else. This week, it looked as if it had found a buy — Associated Broadcasters' Indianapolis FM station WABW and its CP for AM station WBBW (250 w daytime on 1550 kc). Price, according to brief on transfer filed with FCC, is 1,350 Class A shares (no par value) of Curtis Radiocasting Co., holding company for the Evansville licensee. Associated's reasons for soiling include more than §10,000 deficit WABW operation since October, 1945, when it went on the air. Application for transfer says equipment is v/orth §8,780. Evansville-on-the-Air also has an FM, WMLL, which it has operated since 1941.