Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

more than, 510,000 per month for an 8-hour-per-day hookup with New York — that is, until Philadelphia, Baltimore and other way-point customers tap into line and bear their share. DuMont's WTTG, Washington, is already preparing to hedge against new cost burden with minimum inter-city, maximum local service. Rates are based ;on circuit miles, cover one-way video transmission only, apply to wire, radio or combination of both, path approximately 3 me wide. Sound channel is separately charged, at prevailing audio rates of $6 per airline mile per month for Class A channel (100-5,000 cpS) , $9 for Class AA (50-8,000 cps). Inter-connections with any other circuits are forbidden, which has decided, implications for STLs and remote pickups. These are the rates: Monthly (8 hours per day, 7 days per week) — $40 per circuit mile, $2 per additional hour; $750 per station connection to line, $50 per additional hour. Occasional service — $1.25 per circuit mile for first hour, $.3125 per additional .15 minutes; $250 per station connection, plus $15 per hour or fraction thereof. Circuit mileages are set as follows: New York-WaShington, 237 miles; New York-Baltimore , 194; New York-Philadelphia, 96; Philadelphia-Washington, 141; Philadelphia-Baltimore, 98; Washington-Baltimore , 43. WHY THE FM DOLDRUMS? June 12 FCC meeting, v/ith spark-plug Chairman Denny due in from Atlantic City, ought to do .something to current peculiar FM hiatus. In last month, a mere 3 stations have asked for and were granted STAs and only 11 conditional grants were made (see Supplements No. 50 to 50-H) . Most hoped for is final action on reallocation plan (Vol. 3, Nos. 19, 20). "How can we order equipment," many ask, "when we don't know what our frequencies are?" Another thing Commission will have to take up is what to do about channel reservation which ends June 50. It's unlikely reservation will be extended, since most of its onetime ardent proponents (Senate Small Business Committee, veterans' groups, cooperatives, unions) seem to have forgotten all about it. Next question, then, is how best to utilize new channels provided by reallocation and end of reservation. Reallocation alone will permit immediate grant of some 20 applications and quick issuance of decisions involving 35-plus. As for reserved channels,, FCC can either pull them into the hearings and grant more contestants or make decisions final and allow denyees to apply for newly unfrozen frequencies. As to why more aren't going on the air with STAs, there are several quiteimportant non-FCC reasons: (1) Full equipment, in many cases, is so near delivery it doesn't pay to Set up interim operation; (2) AM broadcasters are busy improving AM facilities, choosing new sites, building new towers, etc., and since so many are putting FM antennas on AM towers, FM must wait. SOMETHING HEW BEING ADDED: Built-in clocks, bars, shelves — these are commonplaces among post-war radios. But Ansley's electric piano, called Dynatone, is now offered with an AM-FM-SW-phono unit built in, to sell for about $1,200. And a Paris Fair report to "Retailing" tells of a French radio receiver with a built-in movie projector, a 30xl2-inch glass frame in the set itself serving as screen. Another late wrinkle is Sears Roebuck's projected addition of FM to its $199.50 AM-phono-wire recorder console now being released in East, made for its brand-name by Colonial. New and bigger job will include clock selector for recording radio programs, for later playback, when listener can't be home to hear actual broadcast. HOW TO BUILD AH FM NETWORK: Regional groupings of stations linked by wire or radio relay, each group tying into a larger hookup — that's the operation plan of Continental Network, FM'S first chain which resumed Wednesday. Basic hookup is Everett Dillard's WASH, Washington, and Maj . Armstrong's W2XMN, Alpine, N. J. , for which they buy lines Wednesdays, 7:30-7:45 p.m. (Dona Mason, singer), 8-8:30 p.m. (Army Band), Thursdays 9-10 p.m. (Army Air Forces Band and talent). To those seeking to join this hookup, Dillard's advice is: Get a regional group of FM stations together So they can exchange programs via landlines, relays, etc. This is v/hat 8 New York FM statipns have done to form Empire State Network; there are also nuclei