Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

believe that 4 years hence, when transcontinental networks afford national coverage and more pickups, they can improve the basic job much. It was top-flight journalism with a new dimension — for finesse, fine reporting, sparkling human interest. Noteworthy is fact that radio and TV, unable to take sides in the campaign (though some may have liked to), were spared the queasy task of eating crow. Standout impressions of TV coverage, from viewpoint of our staff as we looked, in our respective homes, at offerings of 3 Eastern networks (CBS unavailable in Washington): NBC-TV and Time-Life did elaborate, smooth job, stayed on from end of Texaco Star Theatre at 9 p.m. until 11:39 a.m. Wed., after Dewey conceded. Ace telecaster Ben Grauer did his usual intelligent job at main desk, with ubiquitous NBC-Life reporters doing good to excellent work. NBC's neatest trick, aside from easy-to-read scoreboards and flashing signs, was to let viewers see the inner operations of TV — like being inside a movie studio during the shooting. NBC figures its Midwest coverage, out of Cleveland, reached 650,000 viewers on 88,000 sets. ABC-TV couldn't be beat for color and shirt-sleeve excitement, with big names like Walter Winchell, Drew Pearson, Elmer Davis, George Gallup, George Sokolsky. Though some have doubtful telegenic qualities, it was wonderful to watch gyrations of "experts" perched on ends of limbs being sawed off. Like NBC, it often showed televiewers how TV operates. Commercials were something else: Kaiser-Frazer ' s pleasant -voiced narrator wore out his welcome, got intrusive and boresome to exasperation before the long night ended. ABC carried on solidly until 9 a.m. On its Midwest network out of Chicago, ABC had Baukhage, Earl Godwin, Tris Coffin, et al. DuMont and Newsweek showed what could be done without heavy expenditures but with competent, tight reporting — Lindley-Crawf ord-Shaf f er team doing top-hole job. DuMont signed off at 4:30 a.m. in Washington, though WABD stayed on till 11:30 a.m. CBS had no Washington outlet — indeed, came very near to having no TV network because all AT&T circuits had been taken up. It wasn't until Philco and NBC, as a friendly gesture, released their respective New York-Philadelphia and Philadelphia-Baltiraore microwave circuits that CBS got network service at all. The relays performed splendidly, every bit as good as coaxial. CBS carried on until 5:45 a.m. We really regret missing CBS, because it couldn't help clicking with its traditional know-how and lineup of such men as Quincy Howe, Doug Edwards, Red Barber, Lyman Bryson, Eric Severeid, Ted Malone, Ed Murrow, Elmo Roper, et al. Note : TV set owners, by and large, tuned in no radios, went to no movies. With some 750,000 sets in TV cities (Vol. 4:43), it's reasonable to assume there were 3 to 4 million viewers of the 1948 election returns. That's sheer guesswork, to be sure, but Hooper Report says 74.1% of New York area's TV sets were in use 9-11 p.m., and our guess is an average of 6 persons per set. PITTSBURGH & OTHER UPCOMING TV TOWNS: DuMont has offered time on its now-building WDTV, Pittsburgh, to all 4 networks — thus may become first to "affiliate" for offthe-line service with all of them. WDTV starts tests Dec. 1, may get going commercially Jan. 12, which is date for opening of East-Midwest coaxial hookup. It's in strategic bargaining position, for it's the only Pittsburgh station thus far authorized, all other applications being held up by freeze and delayed year or more. Probable next now-testing TV to go commercial, Louisville's WAVE-TV reports excellent Channel 5 reception when it put first patterns on air Wednesday; scheduled test patterns for aligning sets start next week, commercial debut Nov. 24... About to test are Memphis Commercial Appeal's WMCT. Seattle's KRSC-TV, New Orleans' WDSU-TV — all, like Pittsburgh's WDTV, opening up brand new receiver markets... Baltimore's WAAM began second day of commercial operation Nov. 2, stayed on air continuously with elections, etc. for 23 hours, 5 min., some kind of record. . . Farnsworth has sold its AM station WGL to Fort Wayne News-Sentinel for $150,000 — but that doesn't include Farnsworth's TV; company retains its present TV experimental station and commercial application. . .Meredith verifies Jan. 1 target for new WHEN. Syracuse. (ex-WJTV), thus opening up still another new TV market; topkick Bill Eddy and chief engineer Gene Crow working hard with GE, which wants to make this a "showcase" for its transmitters in its own bailiwick.