Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

FM CHANNELS SETTING SCARCER: .FCC scrapsd bottom of the barrel, using its reserved Class B channels to make FM grants in Detroit, Norfolk, Scranton areas this week (Supp. 53-F herewith). And you can expect slimmer picking in more and more cities from now on. Stage is rapidly being approached where most choice markets, and some not so choice, won't have channels available any more just for the asking. Burden' is on applicants to show FCC how it can be done, engineering-wise. Clue to FCC's planning for Class A grants in major metropolitan areas is apparent in New York area authorizations this week, too. Since 12 had already been granted there (Supp. 53), the 9 pending applications had reason to worry lest channel scarcity precipitate a hearing. But Commission engineers solved problem by doubling up — putting widely separated stations on same frequency. Chances of any new applicant getting grant there depend on where he applies ; applications for peripheral towns would stand best chance. New York plan should avoid disappointing most Los Angeles applicants now scheduled for hearing, date not yet fixed. New York area, by the way, is assured at least 41 FM stations — 20 Bs, 21 As. HIKING TV SPONSOR HATES: More sets, higher rates, is current TV trend. Paramount's Balaban & Katz station WBKB, Chicago, raises basic hour rate (for studio shows) from §200 to §375 on Aug. 15, date when Chicago TV sets are calculated to reach 5,000 (last count, as of July 18: 4,112). The §375 rate prevails until 15,000 sets are counted then rate goes to §500 at 25,000, §800 at 35,000, §1,000 over 35,000 (Vol, 3, No. 5). Film rates are half or less. DuMont's WA3D, New York, on Sept. 1 hikes $300 basic hour rate (for studio shows) up to §800, justifying this not only on proved pulling power for TV sponsors but also on estimated 44,000-plus sets in New York area. It figures 6.2 persons per home set, 100 per tavern set, so top events enjoy audiences exceeding 500,000. Rates are less than one-third for film subjects. There's enough sponsor demand in sight to lead Dr. Allen B. DuMont to tell us he confidently expects company's telecasting operations to achieve break-even point in 1948. It's expected NBC's WNBT rate of §750 per hour (§250 for films, various charges for field pickups) and CBS's §150 for 30-60 minutes of either rehearsal or actual broadcast (same for film) will also shortly be hiked. Growing use of TV in bars, restaurants, etc, is indicated by report this week Commercial Television Corp., New York, offshoot of a refrigeration business, is renting out large-screen sets (UST) for that purpose, installing 10-20 per week. Speedup in set sales, hence faster growing audience, is seen in installment sale ads appearing in newspapers in cities with TV service; Philco dealers, introducing §395 Model 1000 in New York market on big scale this week, offered sets at §3.95 weekly after down payment. [Note: For copies of TV rate cards, which show detailed rates for various classes of time use, also for time segments, write operating stations as listed in our TV Directory, Supp. No. 18-C] . HEWS, SPORTS ARE TV STANDBYS: What's TV going to do for programs? News events and sports — these will be mainstays even when network TV makes large-scale productions economically feasible and when more and better films are made available. In fact, "Variety" recently quoted an unnamed "newsreel topper" as saying TV will render today's newsreels "deader than a doornail within 3 years." In those cities having TV stations, hardly a sports event — from baseball and football to billiards and miniature auto racing — is being overlooked by the telecasters. And the sports promoters aren't looking down their noses at TV either, not even the baseball own-^ ers ; their deal usually is for fixed fee for rights' cut on sponsorship, if any. In the 8 cities now having TV service (Supp. 18-C), all 6 that have big league ball teams can see their home games on TV. the seventh (Los Angeles) carrying local baseball too, the eighth (Schenectady) having no baseball. Big-league home baseball schedules now being telecast: Brooklyn Dodgers, WCBS-TV; New York Giants, WNBT; New York Yankees, WABD ; Chicago’ Cubs, WBKB; Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics, WPTZ ; Detroit Tigers, WWJ-IV; St. Louis Cardinals and Browns, KSD-TV ;