Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

EXIT RTPB RMA-IRE PUKDITS PROBE UHF: Report on TV in uhf is first .job of newly formed RMa'-IRE Joint Technical Advisory Committee which replaces old RTPB. Committee under chairmanship of Phil Siling of RCA's Washington Frequency Bureau, really doesn't have much time to marshal information before FCC's Sept. 20 hearing (Vol. 4 No. 19, et seq). Actually, with Siling overseas until about Aug. 13, vice chairman Don Fink of Electronics Magazine will be in charge. Other members are: Dr. Ralph Bown, Bell Labs ; Melville Eastham, General Radio ; John V. L. Hogan, WQXR and Radio Inventions Inc.; E. K. Jett, Baltimore Sun; Haraden Pratt, Mackay ; David B. Smith, Philco. IRE technical secretary Laurence G. Gumming is committee secretary. Fink's opinion on uhf for TV is well known. Here's quote from his editorial in July Electronics; "We didn't know how to use this space [475-890 me] for color television a year ago... We still don't knov/ how to use it... Any immediate shift to the uhf bands would bring many more problems than it would solve ... There is no great clamor at present from the public for additional television service ... Certainly the pressure for additional channels, so long as it resides so largely in the broadcasting camp and so little in the body politic, must be resisted until the technical implications of a new allocations policy are thoroughly explored." POLITICS AND THE SET OUTLOOK: TV setup for Democratic convention starting Monday is just about same as for GOP — same pooled coverage, same rival hookups, same 30 stations getting network or film services. Stimulus to TV set sales noted during GOP week, which had added impetus of Louis-Walcott fight, is expected to be repeated but on somewhat lesser scale. It's almost too much for dealers to hope for repetition of windfall during traditionally low summer season they enjoyed w^eek preceding and week of GOP show. Distributors in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington reported enormous demands then; typical of dealers' reports were those of Macy's and Davega Stores in New York, Gimbels in Philadelphia, highly enthusiastic. Actually, normal demand plus hypo of big events had TV receiver output running at accelerated rate during June, according to preliminary reports. Whereas RM*A total for May was 50,177 (Vol. 4, No. 26), June's first week ran around 12,000, second week about 15,000; and 5-week month probably means w'ell over 65,000 w'hen finally reported. July vacation shutdowns may decelerate this pace, but even so one big manufacturer tells us he won't be surprised if by mid-Sept. factories can't meet demand. As for next convention telecasts, everyone expects to profit from GOP errors by exercising more care under cameras, use of makeup, etc. But New York Times political pundit Arthur Krock, in full Sunday column July 3 devoted to TV at conventions, told how many viewers w'rote in incensed over shenanigans, but doubted whether TV will "hold down to a minimum the time-wasting, the artificialities and the monkey-shines." Post mortems on GOP coverage lead technicians and producers to believe they have some problems licked. They're also planning to carry Henry Wallace convention July 23-25 but haven't decided whether to handle it on pool basis. SOME PLAIN TALK ABOUT TV vs. FM; Take it from an FM specialist, consulting engineer Murray G. Crosby, this TV boom isn''t a mere flurry — it's a popular refaction that can't be stifled. He calls TV the "new look" of radio broadcasting, opines it will slow up FM's progress' somewhat, but thinks there's no reason why FM shouldn't take its rightful place as the basic medium of aural broadcasting. We quote Crosby's thoughts, as conveyed in an \insolicited letter, because' his' engineering forte (while with RCA 1925-44 and with Paul Godley until recently) has been FM and phase modulation — fields in which he is recognized and highly regarded as an authority. So there's complete frankness when he adds; "In my mind, the most important factor in this [TV] boom is that its determining factor was the people. We engineers can cook up dishes for the public, but if they are not hungry for them, or if we misjudge their appe'tities, they will not consume the meal. The fact [is] that the people want television. ... and are therefore bound to be lukewarm toward the procurement of an FM radio. But there's no reason why FM cannot be sold to the public. Look what was done about skirt lengths, abviously against wishes of the women!"