Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

models won't be rendered obsolete soon. As to lower prices, he said "our problem is to maintain the present price level next year in the face of possible increases in materials and labor costs." He also said his firm isn't selling the 7-in. $250 model any more, because demand fell off when 10-in. at $325 was introduced (though Camden says 7-in. sets are still being made). RCA has ordered its distributors not to sell the less sensitive sets in so-called marginal areas, i.e., suburban weaksignal and other poor reception spots, for fear of bad effect on future markets. To talk about a "TV price war," RCA Victor's Frank Folsom replies: "Quality of receivers must be our paramount consideration. ... [we] will never lower prices at any sacrifice of quality, and we're confident this attitude is shared by other television receiver manufacturers." V' a. j. J/ J. v *t* *T 'P Trust the gadgets to follow in the wake of any new development. RCA's image enlarger with the "Nujol magnifier" (Vol. 3, No. 45) is now being marketed at $59.50. Newly reported is Walco Tele-Vue-Lens , said to enlarge picture 3 to 4 times kinescope size, selling for $59.95 (dealer price, $38.50), made by E. L. Cournand & Co., 3835 Ninth Ave., New York City, sold through Walco Sales Co., 76 Franklin St., East Orange, N. J. Then there's the Transmirra Image Definer, a plastic attachment said to reduce glare, intensify black and whites, improve contrasts, price unstated, offered by Transmirra Products Co., 1650 Broadway, New York City. TV merchandisers haven't been backward either. Macy's, New York, took RCA's 10-in. table model (No. 721 TS at $325), -put it into Queen Anne highboy, sells it for $394. And — an indoor TV antennal It's offered at $9.95 retail by Bermac Television Corp., 1381 Lexington Ave., New York City. HEWSPAPEBS MAJOR FACTOR IH TV: Scripps Howard will file for Cincinnati next week, its third video venture — early this month it inaugurated WEWS, Cleveland, and its WMC-Commercial Appeal holds CP for Memphis. Major role newspaper interests are assuming in TV is manifest from fact they are identified with 7 of the 16 stations already operating, 17 of the 55 CP holders, 30 of the 79 applications pending (19 of the 31 filed thus far this month alone). For detailed lists, see TV Directory No. 1 and Addenda to date. Four more applications were filed this week : Empire Coil Co. for Buffalo Niagara Falls, seeking Channel No. 13 — same New Rochelle, N. Y. company that holds CP for Cleveland, has applications pending for Boston, Pittsburgh and Waterbury; Stromberg-Carlson Co., Rochester, N. Y. (WHAM), No. 6, first to apply there ; WWSW, Pittsburgh (Paul Block's Post-Gazette), No. 10, making 5 for 3 channels; WOW, Omaha. No. 6, first from there. For further details, see Addenda 1-D herewith. COAXIAL FiATSS DUS BY APRIL: Once rejected as being so high they might stifle intercity TV via coaxial and force exclusive use of radio relays (Vol. 3, No. 24), it's likely that new schedule of rates for New York-Washington coaxial will be ready by April 1948. Tariff for that circuit will probably set pattern for all. Meanwhile, TV is using coaxial free on experimental basis, with FCC blessing. AT&T gave intimation of probable tariff date when schedule for dividing time on New York-Washington coaxial (one northbound circuit, one south, second south due next year) was worked out for first 3 months of 1948. Not only NBC, CBS and DuMont got time segments, but also Philadelphia's WFIL-TV, Baltimore's WBAL-TV. Meanwhile, proposed microwave tieup between Philadelphia and Chicago for next summer’s political conventions (Vol. 3, No. 50) was dropped in favor of TV newsreel coverage, rea» son being uncertainty of getting requisite equipment. WFIL-TV s Ken Stowman was named head of plans committee, plans including daily film deliveries to stations. THE FLESH PEDDLERS LIKE TV: Surest of the sure symptoms of TV's growing stature is the way the major talent bureaus are plunging into it full force. "Doc" Alfred H. Morton's National Concert & Artists Corp. has been at it a long time, but that's to be expected from an ex-NBC v.p. Jules Stein's big Music Corp. of America, with his wholehearted blessing, is up to its ears in TV and its increasingly active Televi