Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

mm cooet AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND FREQUENCY MODULATION ARTS AND INDUSTRY PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ports COHHECTiCai AYHLW,17A$IMI)N 6, D.C. TELEPHONE MICHIGAN 2023 • VOL 3, NO. 24 June 14, 1947 FCC SHOOTS THE W0BKS IN FM: Full FCC really sailed into FM this week, and while March of Time cameras recorded Chairman Denny and colleagues in action: (1) It finalized the reallocation plan, as published in Supplement No. 52 herewith. (2) This gave it happy opportunity to make flock of grants (33 CPs, 15 conditionals, 8 STAs, etc., as shown in Supplement No. 50-1 herewith) without finally denying anyone. (3) Licensees, CP holders and conditionals with STAs were assigned new channels , which we'll report in our next quarterly FM Directory as soon as our printer can get it out. (4) It announced end of channel reservation — so now anyone, including hearing denyees, may apply immediately for the 110 channels to be available after June 30. For good measure, FCC issued proposed decision on Bridgeport, set hot New York situation for oral argument June 27, disposed of Springfield, Mass., Indianapolis, Atlanta, San Diego docket cases; it also issued 19 CPs for AM stations, including final decisions (AM Directory addenda 1-E herewith). Big reason for delay (since mid-April) of FM reallocation was Commission's )indecision regarding 400 kc and 600 kc separation. Standards as finally adopted leave interference ratios for those separations to be determined when adequate data is available. Actual reissuance of CPs and licenses stipulating new frequencies is yet to be done; but all are expected to have new channels by Oct. 1. Rules and engineering standards are amended as proposed in our Supplement No. 51-A, only change being an explanation of 400 and 600 kc separation situation. At early date, we ' 11 * republish complete rules and standards incorporating all changes. HOW TO OPERATE INTERCITY TV: Aside from perceptible sense of shock at high rates proposed for coaxial service (Vol. 3, No. 23), most striking impression carried away from FCC's crowded (150 TVers attending) June 9 conference on intercity relays for TV was this: Nobody but AT&T, Western Union and, on limited but low-cost regional scale, DuMont , actually offered to provide intercity network facilities. As for NBC, CBS and ABC, who have hopes but no definitive plans yet for network TV, they made it plain they don't intend to operate their own networking systems, expect common carriers to handle linkage. Status and prospective status of AT&T's coaxial and radio relays (note Albuquerque, N.M., only TV city not embraced) is most vividly shown on map herewith, reproduced from one introduced by H. H. Nance, long lines chief engineer. Western Union's J. Z. Millar submitted sketch of proposed mircrowave relay network (covering 22 of 36 cities now having TV licenses or CPs), suggested it would lease facilities on common carrier basis, told about New York-Philadelphia link WU has operated since 1945, said this could be tied into New York-Pittsburgh-Washington. But he could give no date forecasts because of uncertainty of equipment deliveries. DuMont's Dr. T. T. C-oldsmith, though indicating preference for common carrier operation if rates were right, offered plan for an industry-owned, cooperative radio relay system to link 8 cities in 5 jumps: New York, Trenton, Philadelphia, Reading, Lancaster, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington. He said rate need only be Copyright 1947 by Radio News Bureau