Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

August. Sears' merchandise-wise radio director, A. T. Chameroy, told us' so this week. It will include AM-FM, sell for "about $500," lowest yet for such a unit. DuMont's first low-priced teleset, table model TV with FM, is due this fall, priced around §450; in §800 range, DuMont is readying TV-AM-FM-SW-phono console to compete with RGA's and GE's. Motorola announced this week its advent into TV Set field with its "Golden View" receiver for fall 1947 delivery, and Belmont (Raytheon) next week puts limited quantity of its table model, with 7-inch screen, on market, §250. "TELEVISION IS REALLY HERE": Hollywood likes superlatives, sometimes delivers, often is far behind reality — as witness fact so few movie interests are in TV (see TV Directory, Supplement No. 18-0) and so little attention is apparently being paid TV by the movie bigwigs (Vol. 3, No. 17, 18). But TV operators and planners will welcome announcement by substantial Short-subject film producer Jerry Fairbanks Inc. in page ad in June 4 "Variety." Firm promises to help fill TV's greatest vacuum, top quality programs, by producing reasonably priced films 'especially for TV ; plans mystery and comedy series this year, 3 more next year. These should offer happy respite from ancient, hashed-over travel and industrial films that seem to be best that TV can wangle to date. Handsome is as handsome does, and Jerry Fairbanks Inc., admitting it can't make all the subject matter TV needs, says it hopes other film producers will enter this wide-open field. But even so it cannot refrain from tall talk from Hollywood's Olympian heights: "There's been entirely too much blue-sky talk about television — too many exaggerated statements — too many extravagant claims. But, television is really here. Four hundred thousand sets will be built and sold this year [only 25,355 thru April, by official count ; Vol. 3, No. 15, 21] and almost 40 stations will be operating by January, 1948" [we'll settle for a half dozen in addition to today's 11, as we said in Vol. 3, No. 19]. There are some other bright rays, in addition to the welcome advent of Jerry Fairbanks into field RKO Television has also skimmed. It's reported that 20th Century-Fox as well as Warners is now interesting itself ,in theater TV (Paramount's interest has never flagged, and it did not withdraw from station field). And DuMont's WABD, New York, has signed up three 15-minute sponsored programs to plug the film "It Happened on Fifth Avenue." This led "Variety" to observe that deal is "evidence that the film companies are gradually* lowering the barriers currently in effect against any form of cooperation with the video industry." •J' ^ ^ Shot-in-the-arm for large-screen TV (Vol. 3, No. 18) is John M. Cage's video projector exhibited for first time Thursday in Newark’s Hour Glass Restaurant. Custom-built for §3,600, set uses commercial TV receiver with 10-inch Rauland metallized tube having input of 60,000 volts. Patented Viewlex lens magnifies images to 6x8 ft or larger. Detail is said to be equivalent to 16 mm film. Screen is 16 ft from oscilloscope. Cage heads Cage Projects Inc., 393 Grove St., Upper Montclair, N.J., reports he will produce 100 more sets for hotels, bars, and restaurants, is planning to show sets to movie people soon. COAXIAL COMPOUNDS TV COSTS: Any way you figure^ it, use of coaxial cable for intercity TV is going to cost a lot — so much, in fact, that it may prove greatest impetus yet to radio relay. Having permitted no-cost use of New York-PhiladelphiaWashington coaxial for an experimental period, AT&T this week filed proposed schedule of TV rates with FCC to go into effect Aug. 1. It came virtually on eve of June 9 conference on inter-city relay methods for TV (Vol. 3, No. 20, 22), at which GE, Philco, Raytheon, Western Union, perhaps others, are expected to tell how they can do the job via radio only. Big AT&T won't be any more popular with revenue-poor TV than it was with broadcasting in early days of networks and remotes. It's expected to explain that the rates are arbitrary as yet, based on limited experience; that, depending on improvements and use, they're bound to come down. But telecasters look forward to them with less than enthusiasm. It would cost a Washington station, for example.