Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

OFF TO Tin: BROADCAST FAIRS: TV and FM forecast a complete metamorphosis of broadcasting, sooner or later, yet they're only sideshows at NAB ' s convention in Atlantic City, Monday-Thursday , Sept. 15-18. But some of the sideshows may dominate thinking and future planning of many who come to hear and see. One in particular is pretty sure to cause a lot of soul-searching among certain broadcasters — a straight-f romthe-shoulder discussion of what TV really means to broadcasting and broadcasters by David Sarnoff. He meets Saturday, Sept. 13, with NBC affiliates in Claridge Hotel. Probably TV's most persistent and consistent believer and promoter, Gen. Sarnoff 's aim is to persuade as many as posisble to get into it while the getting's good. NBC and affiliates already account for 5 of the 12 TV stations now operating , 22 of the 55 CPs now outstanding. It's our guess that many more NBC affiliates who can stand the financial pull, will be "sold" on TV by RCA-NBC's chairman. FM problems are being left largely to FMA's convention in New York's Hotel Roosevelt the Friday-Saturday preceding NAB's. That zealous little organization says it expects 400 delegates, most of whom will thence go to Atlantic City (v/here big Convention Hall had to be hired to handle 2,000 or more anticipated delegates and the exhibits). FMA will talk up commercial side of FM, discuss Petrillo ban, FM audience measurement and other problems, exhibit latest in FM receivers, tuners, etc., sit in (during Friday night banquet) on commercial debut of new Continental Network (Vol. 3, No. 32, 34). TV at Atlantic City, aside from RCA's planned demonstration of large-screen theatre TV, will concentrate largely on exhibits of TV sets and transmitting equipment, telecasts relayed from Philadelphia's newly inaugurated WFIL-TV over 60-mile radio relay link, and RCA exhibition crew doing same job of closed loop telecasting of convention sessions and speakers it did so effectively at last year's Chicago convention. Exhibits will include GE and DuMont TV equipment as well as first showing of RCA's new image orthicon studio camera. VVFIL also plans facsimile demonstration, with complete newsroom operation. Main NAB agenda quite naturally concentrates on immediate topics such as new code of commercial practices ("tough one" is promised, with teeth in it but with no enforcement machinery yet) ; labor relations (with Petrillo ban considered as part of over-all picture) ; legislation (reviewing White-Wolverton bills and what's been done about them) ; radio advertising (several clinics on its various aspects) ; engineering problems (including papers on recent TV developments by NBC's 0. B. Hanson, on FM transmitters and construction by Consulting Engineer Paul deMars). THEATRE TV FHCITSS FHufl FQLH: Lots of to-do about movie industry's concern with TV, necessity of reserving channels for theatre TV, and all that. But not a single firm has yet asked FCC for any such channels, despite fact they're available on experimental basis in 1000-13000 me bands. Movie bigwigs have endorsed — but have done nothing else about — SMPE's request for setting aside theatre TV channels, made at FCC hearing last spring (Vol. 3, No. 6). Endorsement took form of virtually identical letters to FCC from Spyros Skouras, 20th Century-Fox; Paul Raibourn, Paramount; Peter Rathvon, RKO ; John J. O'Connor, Universal; Nicholas Schenck, Loew's. But FCC says they must take initiative, apply for specific channels; it's not up to Commission to guess their wants. Yet there's no doubt about heightening Holly-wood interest in TV. Both 20th Century and RKO are negotiating with RCA for same kind of deal covering large-screen TV as made recently with Warners (Vol. 3, No. 29). Paramount's interest is wellknown; it controls WBKB , Chicago, and KTLA, Los Angeles, and has tieups with DuMont, Scophony. Universal is associated with J. Arthur Rank (British) interests, which own Baird patents, have arrangement with Rauland, are currently battling with BBC over projected London TV-into-theatre experiments (Vol. 3, No. 33). From Hollywood Scripps-Howard staff man Kaspar Monahan reported (in N. Y. World-Telegram and other newspapers) that TV has moviemen "speculating, theorizing, guessing — and reaching for an aspirin." He said TV is "hush hush topic around the movie studios." He indicated the ulcer colony is beset with phobias about possible impact of TV — but no one seems to know just what he fears, for no one seems to know anything about TV.