Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

WESTERN UNION PROMISES BELAYS: Western Union’s proposed intercity TV relay (Vol. 3, No. 24) must be coming along, for it submitted memo to newspaper TV executives meeting in Chicago Thursday stating that it would have common carrier, microwave networks available in about 6 months at "attractive rates." Naw York-Chicago service is planned via 5 trunk routes: Albany-Cleveland-Detroit , Pittsburgh-ClevelandDetroit, Pittsburgh-Cincinnati-St . Louis. Newspapermen in huddle to discuss common problems (Vol. 3, No. 33) heard plans of big news and photo services (AP, UP, INS, Acme) for TV news coverage, discussed exchanges of newsreels, swapped notes on construction, operation, costs, etc. They plan no permanent organisation. FM OPTIMISM WELL WARRANTED: No use kidding ourselves — there just isn't a chance of 700 FM stations on the air by end of 1947. Actual figure to date:(269. Probable figure then: about 400, But that shouldn't dismay anyone for there's no magic in widely quoted figure first predicted by FCC Chairman Denny last January. FM boosters are currently proving they need no magic to warrant their optimistic outlook, e.g. : Spurt of interest in FM in business publications — Tide making it lead story Aug. 29, Business Week and Kiplinger magazines working up articles ... .Surge of queries from ad agencies, particularly about cost of Continental Network time.... Increased purchases of local FM time, such as that by Philco's Washington distributor (Columbia Wholesalers) which buys one-hour nightly on WINX-FM, quarter-hour on WWDC-FM (duplicated with AM) for dealer demonstrations. .. .Trade success stories like current one from new WJJW, Wyandotte, Mich., which reports starting 18-hour daily schedule with 57 one-year contracts on books. .. .And, responsible for much of foregoing, beanstalk growth of Continental Network (Vol. 3, No. 32, 33) which this week added 2 more stations to total 24: WLOB, Claremont, N. H. , WCFR, Fall River, Mass. TV ON THE PRODUCTION LINE: You need only visit RCA's bustling plants at Camden (sets) and Lancaster (tubes) to get an idea of the bigness, complexity and accelerating rate of TV production. Company's newly opened and even bigger TV factory in Indianapolis , let alone Philco's equally busy TV assembly lines in Philadelphia, also impress you with the feeling that by comparison ordinary radio set production is simplicity itself, will eventually pale to peanut proportions. And RCA pridefully informs you there's no such thing as factory inventory; its dealers are taking all TV sets it can turn out. So watch TV production from now on, particularly these last 4 months which are traditionally radio's best sales period. RCA held clinic at Camden and Lancaster plants this week for about 80 representatives of 35 licensee companies — showed them everything with frank purpose, as RCA Victor's Frank Folsom told them, of urging them to hurry into TV production. No ifs or buts about it: RCA looks on TV "to blossom into one of the most enormous businesses this country has ever known." Mr. Folsom added: "While the initial de tails may look discouraging, the future possibilities are so overwhelmingly favorable that there should be no hesitation. ... to get into television in a big way." Big RCA's stake in other companies entering the field is plain — popularizing TV as a whole, patent license royalties, video station equipment sales, tele Copyrlght 1M7 by Radio News Bureau