Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

L. Asch, Everett L. Dillard and Ira A. Hirschmann, and to such other FM enthusiasts as Ray H. Manson, C. M. Jansky Jr. and V/ayne Coy, the latter v.p. of FMBI. Tv/o topics will be paramount at this meeting; (1) Whether FMBI should be reconstituted as an independent trade association or its merger with NAB made permanent ; (2) If FMBI is not revived as a separate entity, whether a separate FM organisation devoted only to promoting the new medium should be formed. It is also understood several of the Major's friends will attempt to persuade him to permit low-band FM flame to die out on plea that continuing the controversy v/ill only give sustenance to FM's ill-wishers, will only serve to confuse the public. Our own survey of FMBI board, all but three of v/hom are AM operators, thus far indicates preponderance of sentiment in favor of making merger with NAB permanent at Chicago convention Oct. 21, though some are still undecided and several don't like NAB's handling of FM to date. Non-AM board members are G. E. Gustafson, Zenith; C. M. Jansky Jr., no longer even an FM licensee, having sold his W3X0 to Washington Post; Marion Ayers, Shelbyville (Ind.) publisher, named to succeed Westinghouse's Lee Wailes, whose Shelbyville' Radio Inc. holds conditional for FM. Other board members and their AlA affiliations are: Walter J. Damm, WTMJ, Milwaukee, president; V/ayne Coy, WINX, Washington, v.p.; Arthur Church, KMBC, Kansas City; W. R. David, GE-WGY, Schenectady; Gordon Gray, V/SJS, Winston-Salem; George Lang, V/GN, Chicago; Clarence Leich, WEOA, Evansville, Ind. ; Ray H. Manson, WHAM, Rochester; Cecil Mastin, WNBF,* Binghcimton, N.Y. ; C. VI. Myers, KOIN, Portland, Ore. (recently sold to Marshall Field) ; John Shepard 3rd, Yankee Network; T. C. Streibert, V/OR, New York. FM BAM TO STICK: You can take acting FCC Chairman Denny's word for it: the FM channel band (88-108 me) won't be changed^ The Commission has made up its mind. So manufacturers holding back on FM set production because they fear "uncertainty" of present FM allocation structure are afraid of nothing but a chimera. Radio set manufacturers, in more numbers than is healthy for future of FM, have been talking ^this line whenever asked about their FM production plans. The story goes something like this, told us by one of the country's leading manufacturers; "The main obstacle in the way of providing an adequate supply of FM receivers is the uncertainty in the' matter of channel allocations for FM. It is hardly necessary to state that the delays of nearly a year since VJ-Day to get into production on FM receivers are due mainly to the change of allocation from the 50 me range to the 100 me range in the broadcast spectrum. While the FCC has definitely allocated the 88-108 me part of the spectrum to FM, it is apparent from the shortage of FM channels in the New York area that something must be done to increase the number of FM channels, if FM is to supply the type of service originally contemplated for FM operation. So long as this uncertainty exists, there will be a tendency on the part of receiver manufacturers, as v;ell as prospective purchasers of FM receivers, to hold back and find out how this matter of channel allocations v/ill be settled finally." Denny goes even further. If the Commission got a petition today asking for a change in the FM band, he says, a hearing would be set for the day after tomorrow, the Commission would meet the next day, and a decision would be rendered the following day. And, he intimates, the decision v/ould be negative. "The Commission has only recently reviewed the FM allocation picture," he said, referring to the Zenith and GE petition to widen the band to include portion of 50 me band (Vol. 2, Nos. 3, 4 and 5), "and views the present assignment as final. Receiver manufacturers may safely make plans to go ahead with construction of receivers on this band." About the recent Tobey and Lemke bills, introduced during the last days of the 79th Congress (Vol. 2, No. 31), Denny refused to comment. But from other Commission sources it was learned that the feeling is that Congress will have to legislate any change in the FM structure ; the Commission will not revise the present allocation which it feels is based on the best available engineering evidence.