Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

COLD V/AR & THE RADIO IHDUSTRY-I! : You needn't worry much about inroads into radio equipment production, including TV, by govt, electronics purchases during current fiscal year. That's latest consensus of best govt, and civilian informants — barring, of course, any serious change in preparedness picture (Vol. 4, No. 18, 25). This conclusion holds, we're told, despite fact almost $400 million have been earmarked for electronics procurement — $200 by Army, $137 by Air Forces, $51 by Navy, plus requirements of all other govt, departments. Dollar-wise, this $400 million looms very large, considering that manufacturers produced about $1 billion v;orth of goods in 1947 and only about $150 million worth went to govt. Here are reasons given why govt, buying is expected to have negligible effect on radio in general, TV in particular: (1) Military procurement officers say past couple months have seen phenomenal increase in request for govt, contracts from radio manufacturers of all sizes ("including big boys like RCA and Philco") who have plenty of unused capacity. (2) Sizeable piece of that $400 million won't actually be spent on electronic equipment, substantial chunk going to sub-contractors who make such things as mechanical parts for radar. (3) Part of the money (about VZfo in Army's case) goes into research. Western Electric's Fred Lack, chairman of FL\L\'s Industry Mobilisation Policy Committee, says flatly he doesn't expect govt, procurement to have any effect on TV production in coming year — though military procurement officers say they have no way yet of gauging impact of their buying on TV. For example, they don't know how many cathode ray tubes they'll buy; they generally use 5, 7, 10, 12-in. sizes, seldom any larger. R^{A committee hasn't yet met with govt, people to present its ideas on planning (Vol. 4, No. 25) since it still has a lot of intra-committee work to do. Further, says Lack, it will probably take Congressional action to clear up inefficiency and confusion devolving from fact that each service buys equipment independently; it's not services' fault, he points out, but Congress' because of way it appropriated money. Besides Lack, RJiA committee consists of Paul V. Galvin, Motorola; Frank M. Folson, RCA; Harry A. Ehle, International Resistance Co. ; George R. Haase, Operadio Mfg. Co. ; H. L. Hoffman, Hoffman Radio Corp. ; W. A. MacDonald, Hazeltine ; R. C. Sprague, Sprague Electric Co. V -SIGHT AND SOUNDirzz:^— Radio and associated industry tycoons loom large in Treasury Dept, report on 1946 salary-bonus income roll (above $75,000) headed by movieman Charles Skouras ($985,300) — his brother Spyros of 20th Century-Fox being dowTi for mere $201,899. List includes: David Sarnoff, RC.\, $132,083; Niles Trammell, NBC, $75,220; Frank Stanton, CBS, $94,010; C. G. Stoll, Western Electric, $100,700; W. F. Hosford, Western Electric, $75,700; Sigurd Larman, Young & Rubicam, $93,985; and Westinghouse’s A. W. Robertson, $134,698; G. H. Bucher, $132,583; G. A. Price, $114,632. Zenith Radio’s current report to stockholders, incidentally, lists president E. F. McDonald’s salary for fiscal year ending April 30 at $105,000; executivetive v.p. Hugh Robertson, $105,000; sales v.p. H. C. Bonfig, $76,905. AT&T clarified TV tariff this week by filing amendment fo 4-hour-per-day monthly rate ($25 per airline mile) permitting use of non-consecutive, 15-min. segments. Bell System will tote up quarter-hour (or half-hour) periods in arriving at number of hours used. Heretofore, TV'ers Weren’t sure whether each 15-min. interval counted as full iiour or not, since tariff (V’ol. 4, No. 13) referred to rate per hour or fraction thereof.” Edward T. Ingle remains as radio director of Republican National Committee throughout campaign, though Gov. Dewey’s personal radio advisor probably will be his eld friend and neighbor Ford Bond. Among radio’s “knc'.vhim-when.s,” E<J Ingle sang with Dewey in U of Michigan Klee club, also Ann Arbor Methodist Church choir. Next new TV stations and markets: Toledo, where WSPD-TV was to begin Channel No. 13 equipment tests July 10, hopes to go on regular schedule July 19, depending on tests. Albuquerque where KOB-TV expects to start early in August (on No. 4), go commercial as soon as operating properly. Atlanta, where WSB-TV is aiming for latter August tests (No. 8). Also aiming for August starts are ABC’s WJZ-TV, New York (Aug. 10); WAAM, Baltimore. Now testing, not yet ready for commercial ST.A., is KFI-TV, Los Angeles. We’ll let you know about other CP holders’ starting plans as soon as we hear from them. As TV set circulation increases, so do station rates. Both NBC and CBS have announced they w'ill hike basic time rate to $1,000 per hour next October for key outlets WNBT and WCBS-TV, New York. Additionally, NBC’s TV network rates, published in our TV Directory .Vo. 4, will be boosted at same time for 5 of its present 7 TV' affiliates: WPTZ, Philadelphia, .$300; WRGB, Schenectady, $200; WBAL-TV, Baltimore, $2.50; WNBW, Washington, $2.50. No changes arc announced for WBZ-TV, Boston, or WTVR, Richmond. TV manufacturers have really been beating path to door of Bureau of Standards’ Dr. Cledo Brunetti, printed circuit expert, who says you can expect many receivers to have PC coniponents by next year. Currently, he’s tiemendou.dy interested in Bell Lab.s “tiansistor” (Vol. 4, No. 27), calLng it a “true scientific first” which should fit in naturally with printed circuits.