Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

casting Co. ; Tiines-Mirror Co. (Los Angeles Times) ; Television Productions Inc. (already operating experimentally on No. 5) ; Dorothy S. Thackrey (New York Post), owner of AM station KLAC, Los Angeles (formerly KMTR) . Previous applicants for TV in L.A. v.'ho have dropped are: V/arner Bros,, M-G-M, Fox West Coast, Walt Disney, Consolidated Broadcasting Corp. TV SVSS25TEE: There's talk now — but talk only — about possibility of correlating low and high band TV standards in such a way that a 2-band monochrome receiver might be manufactured at cost slightly more than a low-band set, thus perhaps laying the spectre of obsolescence. Adding color, of course, would make cost of receiver commensurately higher, requiring second chassis in same cabinet. Idea is attributed to FCC Commissioner Jett (though he v/on't acknowledge it) 1 as possible v/ay of resolving current controversy betv/een rival low-band monochrome and uhf color schools. It is predicated on agreement of latter, notably CBS as j chief proponent, to accept 525-line video standard for uhf which CBS is understood to be v/illing to do. It also presupposes that other technical details, including moot problem of uhf propagation characteristics, can be made common to both systems. RMA's video standards committee has received no specific proposal from FCC or anyone else, says its chairman David B. Smith, Philco engineering v.p. Nor has RTPB Panel No. 6 received any concrete recommendations, though FCC Chief Engineer Adair did bring up subject at one of its recent meetings. This highly technical subject inevitably v/ill come up when hearings on uhf standards are called by FCC, v/hich it has promised when asked for. CBS has said it will ask for hearings "soon" but neither it nor any other advocate of abandoning low-band in favor of uhf has indicated when. Meanwhile, though many withdrawing low-band TV applicants have said they plan to go to uhf color, only CBS's experimental license on uhf video band 480-920 me is outstanding. The only CPs for such experiments thus far issued are to Cowles Broadcasting Co., Washington; Kansas State College; Tiraes-Mirror Co., Pasadena (Los Angeles Times in collaboration v/ith California Institute of Technology). Also with license authorizing experimentation i in uhf transmission, though not necessarily color, is Balaban & Katz (WBKB) Chicago ; and holding CPs in this category are Raytheon and Zenith, Chicago ; Sherron Metallic Corp., Brooklyn; North Jersey Broadcasting Co., Clifton, N. J. ; Farns j worth. Ft. Wayne; Metropolitan Television Inc., Lev/ York City; P. R. Mallory & Co., J Indianapolis; Philco, Philadelphia, Washington, New York City. Only applicants thus far for uhf TV (in addition to CBS's additional requests for St. Louis, Boston, Chicago and Pasadena) are Milw'aukee Journal and Continental Television Corp., Boston. Don Lee, already in low band, says it will immediately seek uhf permit "to explore color television," meanv/hile has modified low-band application to ask for 5 kw instead of original 50 kw. AN3 SSeriS; nab officials are still hinting at test case on Lea Bill but can't say from what quarter it may be expected; meanv/hile, there is possibility President Miller and his advisory committee may hold another meeting v;ith Petrillo before AFM June convention. ... GE ' s 16mm film "The Story of FM" can be secured through local dealers or by writing company's Electronics Dept., Syracuse, N.Y. ; there is no charge for loan of 17-minute movie. ... Telecast of Louis-Conn fight June 19, will be piped via coaxial to Washington, where NBC will stage special showings to top VIPs from V/hlte House, Supreme Court, Congress; meanwhile, NBC pulled its TV apparatus out of United Nations conference rooms at Hunter College, needing it for fight and other TV events. .. .Kaufimann' s , big Pittsburgh dept^ store, is inviting producers of goods to take part in its intra-store TV demonstrations with RCA June 17-29.... Emerson will seek to enter TV field in a few months with an "industrial" television system installed in a big New York dept, store. .. .American Optical Co. reports that the corrector plate used in the Schmidt system of large-screen TV can nov/ be made of glass, v/ith attendant superiority and economy over the plastic plates made prev/ar....FCC Commissioner Paul Walker this week got his expected third-term nominatior from President Truman.