Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

SIGHT AND SOUND Big TV plans of ABC now include a New York Television Center occupying width of entire block on CGth and 67th Streets off Central Park West (old New York Riding Hall), containing 2 million cubic feet of usable space, executive v.p. Bob Kintner has announced. Transmitter of WJZ-TV is nearing completion atop Hotel Pierre at Fifth Ave. and 61st St., and it’s still planned to start Aug. 10. Microwave relay pioneer Bill Eddy, whose Chicago WBKB was thus able to carry Notre Dame grid games from South Bend last season, is setting up more such links to Champaign, 111. for U of Illinois and to Lafayette, Ind. for Purdue games. Eight hops are planned, using RCA microwave equipment. May inventory position of radio distributors, released by RMA this week, showed manufacturers shipped 492,509 radio sets to distributors, who in turn shipped 64tn47^^w retailers, leaving distributors with 1,122,390 (vs. 1,276,359 in April). TV figures were: 42,322 shipped by manufacturers to distributors, 34,574'"^^''afsTi-ibutors to retailers, 32,061 distributors’ inventory (vs. 24,313). FM figures were 48,897 shipped by manufacturers to distributors, 74,83 / "Ky'”cristributors to retailers, 125,680 distributors’ inventory (vs. 151,621). April figures were reported in Vol. 4, No. 24. Transmitter equipment sales for first 3 months of 1948 add up to $6,085,939, RMA reported this week: AM, $667,435; FM, $1,615,204; TV (including studio equipment), $1,682,615. Remainder was AM-FM studio equipment, $1,193,060; AM-FM antenna equipment, $558,577. Further hearings on revised TV allocation plan may be necessary if corrections to FCC allocation table (we incorporated them in Part V, TV Directory No. U) affect any grantees or contenders. FCC this week, in issuing corrections, gave those interested until Aug. 2 to file objections, until Aug. 9 for counter-proposals, said it would hold hearings if necessary. “Smooth efficiency” about describes improved TV coverage of Democratic convention this week. It was nicely buttoned up in Variety headline over dispatch by its Washington correspondent Herman Low'e: “Tele, Gawky Kid of the GOP Meet, Becomes a Man for the Demo Convention.” Variety, incidentally, also attributes to $3,000,000 TV budget for 1948-49 reason behind current economy slashes at CBS (about 50 employes already let go) and reports CBS now $9,000,000 in “tele red.” GOP in interest of brevity didn’t carry radio plank in this year’s platform, but Democrats included this rather innqcuous paragraph: “We urge the vigorous promotion of worldwide freedom in the gathering and dissemination of news by press, radio and television, with complete confidence that an informed people will determine wisely the course of domestic and foreign policy.” Another TV training clinic for technicians, devoted mainly to building and operating stations, will run week of July 19 at RCA Camden — this one with 60 enrolled, including engineers from stations in Canada, Alexico, Cuba and Australia. Witty & Rhea is new broadcast and TV consulting engineering firm established by W. M. (Bill) Witty and H. E. (Henry) Rhea, both veterans of RCA field service; address is 6923 Snider Plaza, Dallas, Tex.; phone J8-2402. Also announcing new consulting TV engineering service is R. L. Campbell, 150 Causeway St., Boston, Mass. One of last low-band F.M holdouts, Chicago Tribune’s WGNE, has quit 45.9 me, is now on 98.7 me only. From Paramount’s report on June 16 stockholders meeting: “Mr. Balaban replied that he did not know what effect television would have upon motion pictures but that television was developing very rapidly, indeed, the country was on fire about it ... . undoubtedly some people will stay at home for television while others will go to the theatres .... there was a time that radio hurt motion pictures but ultimately radio helped motion pictures. Bing Crosby was in a large measure developed through his appearances on radio. Mr. Balaban suggested the possibility that television similarly will develop stars .... will serve as a screen test for motion picture players.” First New York pro football sponsorship to be announced: Chevrolet Dealers Assn. Inc. (184 dealers), New York Yankee games for 3 years on WABD, thru CampbellEw'ald. NBC Television announces sale of 5:45-6 p.m. segment of “Howdy Doody” to Pioneer Scientific Corp., starting July 15, thru Cayton Inc. New sponsorships reported on WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee: Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee General Tire Co. and Ennis Motors, midget auto races, placed direct; Norcross Greeting Card Co., spots, thru Abbott-Kimball ; Canada Dry, spots, thru Maxon; City Liquor (Villa Wine), spots, direct. More long-distance TV reception: West Newton, Mass., viewer picked up St. Louis’ KSD-TV (960 mi.) for 15 min., gets New York (200 mi.) regularly with 6-element antenna; another receives WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, at Grand Rapids, Mich. (115 mi.) with 60-ft mast and booster; a third picks up New York at Haverhill, Mass. (200 mi.), using 40-ft tower; another reports receiving WCBS-TV, New York, at Little Rock, Ark. (1,100 mi.). Little Bell Television Inc., 147 W. 42nd St., New York, which specializes in rentals and sales of TV receivers to public places, reports as result of 10,000 questionnaires sent to all bars and grills in New York area that: 67% of those replying (number unstated) have sets; of these, 30% used rented sets; 57% said TV has boosted business, 34% said no change, 9% said business down; profit increases ranged 10-60%. Firm plans similar survey in Boston. Long-term working agreement between Don Lee’s KTSL, Los Angeles, and Hearst’s Los Angeles Examiner involves no ownership deal, is largely a deal for exchange of news and staffs, mutual promotion, etc. Rare morsel for those who marvel at the strange ways of the Federal bureaucracy: William L. Gleeson, KPRO, Riverside, Cak, whose CP for Channel 1 is still in force though No. 1 has been deleted, has filed request for extension of completion date! He also has filed for Thackrey’s No. 13 in Los Angeles. Availability of magnifiers, compactness, low price are criteria leading July Consumejs Reports to recommend purchase of 7-in TVs — naming Hallici'afters, Motorola, Philco, Tele-tone. Development of new cathode ray tube for Tt' sets is joint venture of Tung-Sol Lamp Works, Newark, and Cage Projects Inc., Upper lilontclair, N. J. big picture TV installation experts. Tube would handle voltages up to 250 kv. Atlanta’s WAGA-TV (Storer) reports it doesn’t plan commercial operation for several months, yet got ST A from FCC this week to operate commercially July 13-Aug. 31. NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS: If you want your weekly Digests sent to your summer address, tell us vhere and when — and we’ll be glad to oblige.