Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

WASH-FM, for example, now has 21 accounts, has 25% of its 6-hour day sold out; KOZY, Kansas City, under same ownership, has 20% of its programs now sponsored. Indicating advertising agency interest in medium is speech of McCann-Erickson' s Hugh D. Lavery before Washington ad club last week. It's full of good stuff for FM commercial hopefuls. Write FMA's Bill Bailey, Denrike Bldg., Washington, for copy. CLl-AiJ CHANELS AHiu F i*l : When clear channel hearings resume June 2 for probable "home stretch," Clear Channel Broadcasting Service's Col. Jack DeWitt is going to present FM coverage findings that may not Sit well with FMers. Preliminary results, CCBS officials say, indicate a much more restricted coverage than is claimed for Maj . Armstrong's system — due to shadow effects and other technical limitations. CCBS emphasis on FM grows out of CBS proposals to maintain AM Status quo. CBS contended FM will eventually dominate (Vol. 2, No. 17) — which idea the high power clear channel operators don't like even though most of them are in for FM. It also stems from FCC Chairman Denny's remarks about FM covering "every inch of every State from the Atlantic Ocean west to the ’middle of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas... and the Pacific Coast states," made at NAB convention last October (Vol. 2, No. 43) ; clear channels, regard rural coverage as their natural function. After clear channel hearings are concluded, CCBS director Victor SholiS takes over general managership of WHAS, Louisville, succeeding Lee Coulson, resigning because of ill health. • SIGHT AND SOUND : — — ■ FM receivers r.re being tested as soon as they arrive at FCC labs, but not all have been received yet. Until then, Commission isn’t making any move to change FM allocations due to interference (Vol. 3, No. 13). Staff discussions of problem took place this week, to make certain any change doesn’t toss FM from the frying pan into fire. Death of CPA doesn’t mean end of VHP-1 limitations * on non-housing construction (\ ol. 2, No. 13). Program, with its bars to commercial construction, continues under Housing Expediter Frank Creedon. One of last CPA reports this week showed almost 2,000 “stop-orders” against VHP-1 violators. But, both industry and government circles agree construction limitations are being honored more in the breach than in the observance. Boon to TV camera work is seen if “Zoomar” lens proves out. Developed by Dr. Frank G. Back, lens was demonstrated to TV engineers in New York this week, elicited enthusiastic comment on possibilities for sports and spot news coverage as well as in studio. Principle is same as zoom shot in motion pictures, permits change from long shot to closeup or vice versa without moving camera. FM Primer which trade papers have been reporting planned by FMA is very very tentative. In fact, FMA has made no commitments, nor has it any plans at present along these lines. Martin Deane Wickett, ex-WTOP, Washington, is working up book, but he’s doing it on spec solely. In new jobs: John J. Wild, ex-GE video equipment sales, is now sales manager of Potter Instrument Co. Flushing, N. Y., electronic control equipment. . . . Bill Barlow, ex-WLW and WINS publicity chief, joins Bill Bailey, former WLW colleague, to handle FMA publicity. Circular polarization’s developer, Carl E. Smith, WHK, Cleveland (Vol. 2, No. 45), is author of Applied Mathematics for Radio and Communications Engineers, just off presses of McGraw-Hill Book Co. ($3.50). Paper on large-screen color TV will be delivered by RCA’s Dr. Vladimir Zworykin before Franklin Institute in Philadelphia April 30. Whether he will demonstrate talk is not certain yet. Latest of usually apperceptive CBS surveys, first such post-war, says 35,900,000 U. S. homes (93%) now have radio sets in use, an all-time peak; that 1 out of every 3 U. S. families has more than one radio; that 20.5% of U. S. families bought a new radio in 1946; that 8,500,000 home sets were bought in 1946 for $330,000,000. EMA 1946 production figures (Vol. 3, No. 4), quite accurate, reported more than 15,000,000 sets — but not all were marketed last year and many were for export. Big 54S-page 1947 Broadcasting Yearbook is off the presses, somewhat belated because of printer problems, reports all U. S. stations and networks did dollar volume of $325,890,000 during 1946, up 7.2% from 1945. AM-FMTV dh’ectories in Yearbook cover up to Jan. 1, 1947. Radio Daily's 1947 Radio Annual is also out, with similarly belated station directories. Only 11,700 TV sets were produced in January and February (Vol. 3, No. 12), with March RMA figures not yet available; only 160,000 sets planned for production by big RCA this year (Vol. 2, No. 50) — but NBC’s TV sales manager Reynolds B. Kraft told Chicago’s TV-promoting Edison Electric Institute Wednesday that total 1947 video sets will mount to 400,000. FCC’s video engineering dept, lost 2 aides this week: Bill Boehse, handling applications since his return from military service last year, reassigned to Technical Information Division; Miss Eva M. Judy, staff secretary, resigned to join George C. Davis, engineering consultant. No replacement has yet been announced for Boehse; Miss Judy’s successor is Miss Agnes B. Carr. Class A layaway plan until July 1 of this year officially went into effect April 3 when Commission made final its proposal to reserve Channels 297, 298, 299 and 300 (Vol. 3, No. 4). Comr. Jett repeated dissent. Raytheon’s broadcast equipment manufacturing division, now in Chicago, is being moved to home plant at Waltham, Mass., where company (though not a TV manufacturer as yet) holds CP for TV channel No. 2 (Supplement 18-B).