Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

Here's what one wrote us; "We have a CP.... and are about to get ahead with antenna construction, expecting fully to be on the air in December. Willoughby's remarks have thrown up a yellow light, which could easily turn to red, because if we are actually faced with the possibility of losing the channel, and all our effort and investment, before we barely have the opportunity to take in a dollar, there is lititle point in being a pioneer." There's a disposition (and hope) in some quarters to believe there's some fire behind this smoke — particularly in view of oft-predicted uhf as "ultimate" ihome of IV, of political pressures for TV channels, new members of FCC, etc. But this week's CP grant of Channel 5 in Syracuse (see story in this issue) would not iindicate FCC as now constituted has any "ripper" moves in mind. Nor can Commission blink fact that 23 of the 31 now-operating TV stations, and 45 of the 81 CPs, are assigned to Channels 2-6 (see TV Directory No. 4). ilT'S SWIFTER THAH WE TKOUGHT: RCA's home receiver chief, dynamic onetime Georgia fech grid star Joe Elliott, who isn't usually given to over-statement, has been celling his distributors the TV set market w'ill be short from now through 1950. i^ore than that, he thinks this applies to entire field, not merely to RCA which with i few others (Philco, Admiral, Motorola, DuMont) has pretty well taken lead among aame brands in total unit output. Nor does fact that several dozen more companies are entering TV set field [see story in this issue] promise to mitigate situation. Demand is outrunning supply, Elliott tells us, because (1) more people have iecided to buy sets, thanks to improving programs and recent big telecast events; 2) more TV stations are going on air, opening up more markets, besides fact most Ijxisting stations are doing wider area coverage job than anticipated; (3) cathode i^ay tube production isn't keeping pace with factory needs. Tube bottleneck v;on't be ,)roken until more blanks are forthcoming from glass factories, tube processing ca)acity is increased, and such imponderables as military needs resolved. If Elliott's conclusions are correct, it looks like waiting lists ahead for V receivers, as for autos. Since tubes provide key to situation, we made careful nquiries this week and learned that : ; The 2 main (and practically exclusive) sources of cathode ray blanks. Corn j^ng Glass Works and Kimble Glass Division of Owens-Illinois, are both hiking rate of i,'roduction to meet TV's increasing demands. Neither wull give figures, but good : uess is present combined rate is about 80,000 "bottles" of all sizes per month, ^iorning's president W. C. Decker says expansion of plant for TV blanks will be comjleted by Sept. 1, will mean goodly increases in output by October. "By next year," ['6 said, "we'll be turning out more blanks than we think the industry can use." ■; Corning makes all sizes, sells all the processors, but DuMont takes most of Us now-mechanized 12-in., all of its hand-blow'n 15 and 20-in. Kimble makes only ‘ 0 and 12in. , also reports demand exceeding present capacity, has also mechanized iO-in. Its v.p. Stanley J. McGiveran made a noteworthy observation that's also uite a tribute to TV makers; that TV is demanding such perfection, has set up such , igh quality specifications, that production is perforce slow; he thinks specifications are actually more rigid than TV requires. As for tube processing capacity, figures again are deep-dyed secret, though ';E?/^-RMJ^ first quarter statistics, released Friday, give slight clue: Total deliv Iries of all sizes numbered 170,430 (value $4,555,476), of which 158,706 went to set jakers, 10,742 to distributors (presumably as replacements), 894 to govt., 88 into jxport. Second quarter is expected to show immense increase, for RCA alone is unjfficially reported to be turning out 30,000 or more 10-in. alone per month; Sylania, GE and DuMont are increasing slowly but steadily; smaller buyers like Raul;ud, Lansdale (Philco) and North American Philips, et al, will take all blanks they !an get. And with such a lush market to tap, it's to be expected other tube and :amp makers like Hytron, Tung-Sol, National Union, Amperex, Arcturus won't lag long. ! Note : Another not-to-be-overlooked factor in TV set supply and tube situa iLon is RCA's 16-in. glass-metal tube (Vol. 4, No. 5, et seq.), which should be com ig out in receivers designed for it by Christmas, may attain 1949 total of 300,000.