Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

HAVING TROUBLE WITH CAA? Those irksome, time-consuming bouts with Civilian Aeronautics Authority, which almost everyone planning antenna sites has experienced, may be obviated soon — for FCC and CAA are now working out codification of standards on what constitute air hazards. Lawyers Plotkin and Boyle, of respective agencies, have been working on it last 3 weeks, plan code that will let you know Specifically what conditions to meet regarding antenna sites, tower heights. They frankly admit they want to cut out guesswork, hasten approvals. Procedure will remain same, though there's some talk that paper work within CAA may be shifted to airways group in lieu of air hazards Section (whose Wm. J. McKenzie has been responsible for approvals up to now). POPULAR GRIPES ABOUT TV: If anyone should know what public expects of TV, it's the dealer — some 800 of whom in New York area have been canvassed by "The Televiser" Magazine with interesting results. Main gripe is price. Half the dealers said §200-$300 table model would be preferable to $250-5400 present range, though public will spend §500 if set also contains AM-FM-phone ; such models now run §800-§2,500. What impels most TV set purchases is .sports. Otherwise, public doesn't think much of most of today's programs, kicks about their paucity, especially deplores lack of daytime shows. Among other obstacles to selling sets cited: refusal of some apartment house owners to permit antennas ; cost of antenna and receiver installations (§45 up, with year's Service warranty) ; inability to get immediate delivery; small size of screens; fear of obsolescence; color. SIGHT AND SOUND = ■■ FM networking was top subject at Cincinnati FMA Region 2 meeting this week. C. M. Jansky told more than 150 that only in radio relay was FM’s high fidelity characteristics possible today. Everett Dillard told FMers to get in touch with him re extension of Continental Network to midwest. FCC’s Vernon Wilkinson reported requests for « extensions of completion dates were being “carefully, very carefully, scrutinized,” suggested more varied programming (instead of recorded, longhair music). David G. Taft, WCTS, Cincinnati, was elected regional chairman; Paul E. Wagner, WCSI, Columbus, secretary. State chairmen elected; Robert F. Wolfe, WFRO-FM, Fremont, Ohio; Foster Fudge, Crawfordsville Journal-Review, Indiana; E. J. Hodel, WCFC, Beckley, West Virginia. Philadelphia’s big newspaper-radio story (Vo‘1. 3, No. 5, 6) is entering final phases. The Bulletin (purchaser of WCAU, Record, Camden Courier-Post) has now disposed of Camden newspapers and WPEN, latter sold this week for reported $750,000 to Phillip Klein, former local ad agency man, and A1 Sylk, drug chain owner. Next step is FCC authority to sell WPEN, so Bulletin can take over WCAU. NBC’s Washington TV outlet WNBW is telecasting New York NBC programs several evenings a week — they began last Saturday — but the formal opening won’t be till after mid-June. Capital TV fans are already reorienting their antennas. Gulf Oil’s TV renewal for 13 weeks on WCBS-TV of news telecasts has interesting twist. It’s going to include a few minutes of Washington news now and then, will have Washington coaxial pickups by Washington Star cameras (newspaper holds CP, has some equipment, construction just starting) and DuMont’s WTTG. “ Fantastic role of TV, in event of atomic war, with government officials keeping in touch with one another’s underground installations via video, got big news play this week when AP carried story from FCC hearing quoting TBA Attorney Thad H. Brown Jr., son of the late radio commissioner, member of law firm of Roberts & Mclnnis. WOW, Omaha doesn’t have a video CP, isn’t even an applicant, but is going ahead full steam with TV. Owning 2 image orthicons, it has been conducting closed circuit demonstrations in conjunction with local Creighton U, this week applied for experimental portable relay grant so it can use newly acquired 100 watt RCA relay equipment. Budget of $33,000 is for staff training and program experiments against day it will apply for fullfledged commercial TV (for which it once applied, but withdrew at height of color TV controversy). If FM can cure many radio ills, high-powered FM can cure even more. Take this neat bit of showmanship by WTCN-FM, Minneapolis, which radiates some 25 kw: It installed a Philco AM-FM console on a street car and took a number of guests, including members of the Minnesota Assn, of Professional Engineers, on a tour. At no time, says station, was there static, fading or lack of full limiting. This was true even through tunnels and between high buildings. Further, AM was at no time considered satisfactory. FM reservation plan (Vol. 2, No. 29), with only a month to go (June 30), apparently hasn’t attracted applications as expected. Last minute may see a flurry, but so far only 4 (all AMers) have requested the frozen frequencies (Vol. 3, No. 17). Broadcast call letter pinch (which had many broadcasters sweating out combinations not in use) has eased; Commission this week got 1,000 new call sets (in both W’s and K’s) back from Army. John McNeil, ex-manager of ABC’s WJZ, New York, this week took over managership of DuMont’s WABD, post formerly held by Sam Cuff, now with Allied Stores Corp.’s “Television Caravan” (Vol. 3, No. 16). Extra copies of our AM Directory No. 1 are still available to subscribers at $10 each, the weekly addenda (1-A, 1-B, 1-C so far) at $1 each. We also have some more embossed binders, $2.10.