Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

SIGHT AND SOUND KCA reports gross income from all sources for first 9 months of 1948 as $256,968,537, compared with $224,982,605 for same period last year. Net income was $15,128,783 (92<‘ per common share) compared with $12,233,758 (71(*) for same period last year. Third quarter gross was $80,888,824, net $4,278,495 (25<‘), compared with $70,648,733 and $3,407,845 (lOc*) for 1947 period. I’hilco sales and earnings hit new highs during first 9 months of 1948 — total sales $194,156,000 vs. $157,209,000 for same period last year, up 23<7< ; earnings after all charges $6,631,000 ($4.23 per common share) vs. $5,632,000 ($3.90), Third-quarter sales totaled $69,539,000 and earnings $2,416,000 vs. $49,267,000 and $1,597,000 for same period last year. Sylvania, now building new tube-making plant (10, 12, 16-in.) at Ottawa, O., near raw materials sources, reports 9 mo. gross sales of $71,735,033, net income $2,724,375 ($2.32 per share) vs. $69,394,419 and $1,907,375 ($1.60 per share) same period last year. Third quarter sales were $23,524,962, net income $613,416 (46<*) vs. $21,638,054 and $368,398 (27<‘). New plant will be in full production by mid-summer 1949, will double current output. Lots of publicity has been harvested by one Charles A. Birch-Field, Hamden, Conn., who claims development of single tube that will adapt any AM receiver to TV. Transmitting equipment is supposed to be equally simple. What’s more, he says gizmo takes only AM bandwidth. Birch-Field hasn’t answered our query, and FCC engineers say he hasn’t come to them, though he’s reported saying FCC approval is expected in 2 months. Electronic device enabling blind to read was showm by RCA to New York Electrical Society Tuesday. System uses 8 vertically-arranged spots of light which scan individual letters when moved across line of type. Each letter produces characteristic number of impulses, which are counted electronically, activating magnetic tape with voice recording of letter. Device is still in laboratory stage, handles only alphabet and a few common words. Warner Brothers’ Col. Nathan Levinson, technical father of talking pictures, received SMPE’s Samuel L. Warner Memorial Award at Wednesday convention banquet. Citation included mention of his extremely important current role in “the development of TV for 1 theatre use and as a tool for the production of motion I pictures.’’ Among newly elected fellows of SMPE was I DuMont’s Dr. T. T. Goldsmith. I ABC on lilonday begins moving part of its operations ; to ABC Television Center, 7 W. 66th St., New York 23, I N. Y., phone Trafalgar 3-7000. Murray Grabhorn, sta1 tion’s v.p., and Ted Oberfelder, adv. mgr., are first to ( move away from 33 W. 42nd St. sub-quarters, along with several other departments. I Westinghouse Radio Stations Inc. is currently movI ing headquarters engineering (Ralph Harmon) and legal , (John Steen) activities to Washington quarters at 1625 I K St. NW, will later move broadcast laboratory facilities away from Philadelphia and Baltimore into Washington. I Anderson & Merryman consulting engineering partI nership has been dissolved. Verne Anderson’s new address is 134 Clarence St., Lake Charles, La.; phone 7277. Phil Merryman has opened offices on Heatherdell Road, Ardsley, N. Y., phone Dobbs Ferry 3-2373. Gracious — and rare — gesture to a competitor: WWJI TV, Detroit, put on half-hour variety show last Sunday as salute to new WJBK-TV. WWJ-TV manager Harry Bannister appeared on program with Fort Industry Co.’s president George Storer and general manager Lee Wailes. Transit F'M continues to cook. Topeka’s WIBW-FM has equipped all of city’s 61 buses with Link receivers ($361, installed), finds passengers 909r favorable, is preparing to sell time, expects to be in black within 60 days. Los Angeles is getting hot, with reports that California Transit Ad Corp. has secured FM franchise on lines with which it has car-card contracts — involving several thousand vehicles. Rumors have KMGM on inside track. In Cincinnati, WCTS has equipped 400 vehicles, finds public likes idea better than ever. Several other stations in large cities have transit companies sewed up but aren’t publicizing fact, largely because of slow receiver deliveries. Reaction to Emerson’s $29.95 FM-only set (Vol. 4:42) seems to be good, in Washington at least. Check among dealers, distributor, finds them quite happy with it, pleased with Emerson’s heavy promotion. They say it’s moving very well, one big dealer asserting: “It looks like it’s here to stay, a real beginning for FM and a shot in the arm for the radio business.’’ Rural Radio (F.M) Network gets enthusiastic treatment in Nov. 1 Time, which concludes New York state hookup is giving farmers programs with true home-grown country flavor: hot market reports, soapless operas, localcolor news, “subtleties’’ of home economics, etc. RRN is reported garnering 2 sponsors — Zenith and New Haven Clock & Watch Co. Philadelphia’s WCAU-TV beat New York’s WABD to the draw on daytime programming (Vol. 4:39), as TV stations experiment with means of extracting revenue from blank hours. Station started weekly 85-hr. schedule last week, achieving most of daytime hours with assistance of “Flying Spot Scanner,’’ device which can show time and news tapes moving across test pattern, without use of camera or camera crew. Music serves as background. Ringing of bells calls attention to important news. Station is now preparing rate card for daj-time service. WABD is due to start all-day (7 a.m.-ll p.m.) schedules Monday, says time sold already more than covers cost. Top echelon personnel shifts: Tom McFadden named manager of “integrated” operations of NBC’s WNBC, WNBT, New York; John H. Reber named program manager of WNBT . . . Arthur Hull Hayes, WCBS manager since 1940, named v.p. of CBS San Francisco operations following acquisition of KQW (Vol. 4:43) . . . Haan J. Tyler now manager of KFI-TV, Los Angeles . . . William Murdock, sales manager of Washington’s WOL, on Nov. 15 joins now-building, WOR-owned WOIC, Washington, as sales chief , . . Hugh Higgins, asst, director of NAB Broadcast Adv. Dept., quits to run WMOA, Marietta, O. TV engineering shifts: Neal McNaughten returns to NAB as asst, engineering director, after only few weeks as technical chief of WFIL-TV, Philadelphia (Vol. 4:37) . . . Raymond W. Rodgers, ex-WFIL-TV, appointed acting chief engineer of DuMont’s new WDTV, Pittsburgh, now building for December start . . . Gene Crow, ex-WBKB, Chicago, named chief engineer of Meredith’s now-building WJTV, Syracuse, under director Bill Eddy. Asked to describe TV’s “code” for youth programs, G. Emerson Markham, manger of WRGB, Schenectady, told General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Washington Friday that TV has no code yet, but hopes to develop one. He suggested parental policing meanwhile: “. . . television codes, like personal codes, should originate in the home.” If you don’t have JTAC Report on uhf TV (Vol. 4:39), or don’t have time to read it, read succint summary of conclusions in November Electronics, written by editor Donald G. Fink, committee’s vice chairman.