Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

BBEAK3NG UP FM 3ACKL0G: With .grant of FM conditional to West inghouse-Portland ' s KEX (one of 21 reported in Supplement No. 44J herewith), all vestiges of 1, then 2, then 5-to-a-customer rule have gone by the board. Grant, makes Westinghouse first to get full complement of 6 FMs, since it holds 5 pre-war licenses (Supplement No. 32). Grant points up breakup of artificial log-jam created by now ignored unwritten rule. Fact is, FCC attorneys say, v/hole backlog of 280-odd FM applications not yet acted on (including 117 in hearing) could be cleaned up in 3 months if applicants would submit requisite data. This despite recent rather heavy influx of new applications — 18 in last 2 weeks (Supplement No. 14-R herewith). This comment also in face of Commission's own unaccountable delays in acting on hearings held way back in April (Boston, Cleveland-Akron) , June (Chicago, Providence), July (New York) . Proposed decision on Peoria (6 for 4 channels) would deny Radio Peoria Inc. and West Central (Supplements No. 14-A, 14-K) on basis of out-of-town ownership. Yet latter concern, with Oklahoma's Gov. Kerr and Oklahoma City Oklahoman & Times interests as principals, recently got an AM grant in Peoria. Among week's FM dropouts are 4 applications of Ohio Council of Farm Cooperatives, v/hich decided it can cover virtually entire state with single station just north of Columbus — sought in name of Peoples Broadcasting Corp. (Supplement 14-P) . AHTINHA SITE BOTTLENECK: Still another bottleneck in TV, FM and AM construction is Civil Aeronautics Authority, and it in turn is plagued (1) by lack of inspection personnel, (2) by fact that, as FCC Asst. Chief Engineer John Willoughby puts it, , "the airlines object to anything above ground." Inquiry at CAA reveals William J. McKenzie, chief of aids and hazards staff, handling problems of sites and tower he-ights all by himself. FCC lacks jurisdiction, can't do anything about it. Chairman Deiiny told NAB President Miller when latter asked for relief. Result is 9 CPs for TV are still undelivered, though some were granted months ago; Philadelphia Inquirer, Portland Oregonian, Iowa State College, ABC Chicago, KRLD-Dallas, Westinghouse-Foston (which must ^get FCC approval first for -new antenna site). Fort Industry-Toledo , Crosley-Cincinnati and Columbus. Also, 64 FM grantees have not yet gotten their "slips of paper," among them; St. Louis GlobeDemocrat, New Orleans Times-Picayune , Detroit Free Press, ABC-San Francisco. FM's 10-50 kw TBANSMITTERS: FM's weak-signalled STAs and other grantees, awaiting new transmitter deliveries so they can go to high enough powers to offer decent reception, can look to 1947 for 10 kw deliveries — also some 50 kw. Here is a digest of promise-of-delivery reports we have received from the manufacturers; Federal. 10 kw now ready (deliveries already made to WEW, St. Louis, and WELD, Columbus), first 25 kw due Jan. 20, 50 kw in March; REL, 10 kw in February or March, 50 kw "some time in 1947" ; Raytheon, 10 kw in February or March, no 50 kw "for at least another year" ; Collins. 10 kw by August or earlier, depending ■upon availability of components ; no information on 10 kw now but promises new 10 kw orders within 9 months, 50 kw within 11 months after firm order. RCA says it has "large number" of 10 kw orders, is keeping customers advised, declines further data. COLOR HEARING IN N.Y.: Something unique in FCC procedure is the on-the-spot "hearing" it will conduct in New York City Monday, Jan. 27 as part of its consideration of CBS's proposals for lihf color TV standards (Vol. 2, No. 50). While CBS actually demonstrates its system, other parties to hearing may propound questions about propagation, brilliance, flicker, contrast, etc. In effect. New York session (location not yet specified) will permit a sort of animated cross-examination. After 2 or 3 days, hearing will resume in Washington, mostly rebuttal testimony (though DuMont must yet present case). Significance of New York session seems to be that commissioners were so impressed by recent CBS field demonstration (Vol. 2, No. 51) that they want to hear practical as well as theoretical arguments of "other side." FCC is also offering RCA, DuMont, et al., opportunity to demonstrate their systems under similar conditions.