Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

Thursday, for Los Angeles applicants the week before, seemed to be, "VVe want to get into television now and are prepared to give it whatever financial injection is necessary to make it pay — and we’re convinced it will pay." ABC’s Mark Woods said his network, seeking stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, as well as New York, plans to spend $10,000,000 on TV-FM facilities the next few years; will spend $1,500,000 for first year’s TV operations in Los Angeles, $1,071,000 in New York. He guessed annual income might run $600,000 in L.A. , $900,000 in N.Y. Amplifying ABC's quest for $14,000,000 of open market financing (Vol. 2, No. 21), Woods told hearing that Chairman Ed Noble last January turned down a $25,000,000 offer for the network. Bamberger (WOR) figures on N.Y. plant costs of $643,000; first year operations, $1,175,604; net sales first year, $335,930. It forecasts 200,000 TV sets in N.Y. by July, 1948. New York Daily News figured $574,971 installation cost, $562,198 cost of first year operations. WLIB Inc. (New York Post) figures $299,415 installation, $416,730 first year. Bremer’s WAAT, Newark (owned by Serutan interests), stressing northern New Jersey service, calculated $211,679 installation, $200,300 first year, $150,000 income first year. Debs Memorial’s WEVD, testifying it would devote two-thirds of time to f oreign-lan,guage programs, one-third to English (reversing its present audio schedule), figures on $284,015 for initial outlay, and up to $994,740 investment; its financing v/ould include $500,000 from the Jewish Daily Forward. Los Angeles cost calculations went even higher. Earle Anthony (KFI) said he is ready to put up $1,800,000 for TV. Los Angeles Times has budgeted $4,340,000 for TV and FM, including $3,000,000 for construction (Vol. 2, No. 13). Hughes Productions would spend $1,850,000 on installation, $109,000 on operations for starting month of January, 1948. Dorothy Thackrey (New York Post) estimated, for her proposed L.A. and San Francisco TV, $500,000 installation cost each, $300,000 operations cost for each first year. Several L.A. applicants figured on links v/ith San Francisco, Hughes stating he v/ill use radio relay if coaxial is not available. HOBS Fj)! nEJMlIHSS IkHD Chicago FM hearing drones into its second week there next Monday, its first v?eek’s routine enlivened by excitement occasioned by Washington attorney Frank Fletcher’s (he represents Chicago Drovers Journal-WAAF) narro'w escape in LaSalle Hotel fire by clambering down 15 flights of fire escape ladder. After hearing started Monday, 4 more applicants withdrew — Raytheon, Dual Engineering, Telair, Nathan Schv/artz. This left only 12 applicants for the 12 available channels (Vol. 2, Nos. 21 and 22). Under the allocations (Supplement No. 21) Chicago got 17 channels but already has 5 occupied by prewar licensees (Supplement No. 32). Next FM hearing is next Monday in Providence , where 6 applicants have filed for 6 channels (sea Special Report, March 16). Examiner Guest will probe particularly into possible overlap of Yankee’s proposed Boston, Providence outlets. The Commission issued 20 CPs for FM this week (Supplement No. 36F herewith) , bringing total CPs to date to 93. SxGHT SOUrlD; Appointment of Ben Cottone as FCC general counsel this week v/as accompanied by other staff reassignments, including move of Ralph J. Renton to NARBA engineering committee ; Edv/ard W. Allen Jr. to head technical information division, with Raymond Asserson his assistant ; LeRoy Schaaff to head broadcast accounting. .. .Even though defendants are still in dispute among themselves, settlement of Dept, of Justice TV anti-trust suit (Vol. 2, No. 17) is still in prospect; | General Precision Equipment Co. (20th Century-Fox), Paramount and Television Productions have been granted extension until July 8 to answer cross-complaints of ‘ American Scophony and Arthur Levey, according to stipulation and order filed by ; both sides in N.Y. Federal District Court ... .Dropping out of forthcoming New York | hearing (July 1) was New York Sun, leaving 20 now applying for 9 remaining chan-” nels. .. .V/ith the acquisition of 22,000 acres of standing timber in North and South Carolina, Philco believes it has licked the lumber shortage for radio and phono ' graph cabinets .... Successful voice communication on shf amateur band was reported this week by G£, which utilized 21,900 me for two-way phone over 800 ft of wave-guides, i