Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1949)

cant that we could count 21 different brands advertised in Plain Dealer's ad-packed 24-p. special TV section Dec. 18. Occasion was inaugural of city's third outlet, Vi/XEL. The brands; Admiral, Arvin, Capehart , Crosley, DuMont, Garod, GE, Hallicrafters, Magnavox, Meek, Motorola, Muntz, Philco, RCA, Silvertone (Sears), StewartWarner, Stromberg-Carlson, Tele King, Trav-Ler, Westinghouse , Zenith. Dept, of Justice is looking into alleged tie-in sales by radio-TV manufacturers, seems particularly interested in complaints that dealers had to take newspeed record players and records in order to get TV set deliveries. Anti-trust office in Philadelphia, which calls action an "inquiry", has subpoened RCA and "half-dozen others of largest TV set makers," as well as many distributors. It wants data on sales practices in time for Feb. 14 grand jury. If indicted, companies must stand trial; penalty is $5000 fine for corporations, year in jail for individuals. Last few months, or ever since TV market got hot and sets scarce, unconfirmed reports have been bruited that RCA distributors were forcing tie-ins with 45rpm players (Vol. 5:45,48). RCA and distributors have denied this, and this week RCA in formal statement after Justice Dept, subpoena declared; "We know of no tie-in sales. The fastest-selling records in America are RCA Victor's 45's.,.." Trade and financial notes: Emerson dividend of 30^ per share on 879,805 common outstanding is payable Jan. 16 to stock of record Jan. 5; it’s in addition to Dec. 23 stock dividend of 10% . . . Packard-Bell pays 25(i dividend Jan. 25 to stock of record Jan. 16 . . . Admiral buys 64,000 sq. ft. General Mills plant at Bloomington, 111. for TV-radio expansion; it once was owned by Colonial Radio (Sylvania) . . . Belmont Radio (Raytheon) advertising in trade press that certain important markets are still open for Raytheon distributor franchises; now distributes in 10 markets, will announce 6 more soon . . . Sylvania leases 3 floors (47,500 sq. ft.) of space in new Mutual Life Bldg., nearing completion at Broadway & 55th, for New York executive offices. This is what Magnavox tells public about color TV in its widely publicized cartoon-animated booklet titled More Fun for Your Money: “The cost of a color TV receiver (when it is practical) will probably be 3 times as much as that of a black-and-white receiver. The best guess of today is that satisfactory color TV reception is in the distant future ... at least 5 years! Meanwhile, black-and-white TV is here to stay . . . your present Magnavox will not be obsolete.” ARRL has released film on TV interferences for showing to “hams” and TV servicemen, demonstrating various types of interference to TV pictures and corrective measures. Motion picture is part of ARRL effort to educate members and servicemen so “hams” won’t be blamed for all TV interference. For details, write Geo. Crammer, technical director, American Radio Relay League, W. Hartford, Conn. Bureau of Standard’s Central Radio Propagation Laboratory is being moved to 210-acre site near U of Colorado, Boulder, where new $4,500,000 installation will be constructed beginning in 1951. Lab will have 200-300 technicians, mostly transferred from Washington. Dr. Newbern Smith is director. Dr. Kenneth Norton, chief of frequency utilization research branch. Never-ending controversy over viewing distances is given more impetus by Dr. Theodore Conklin, president of New York State Optometric Assn. He says 6-10 ft. from 15 to 19-in. pictures is most comfortable and practical. After hearing engineers firmly recommend 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10 times picture height, we’d like to see study of actual viewing habits. Trade personals: E. F. Peterson named sales mgr. of GE tube divisions under J. M. Lang; K. C. DeWalt new mgr. of CR tube division, Syracuse; L. B. Davis, mgr-, of receiving tube divison, Owensboro, Ky . . . Clarence G. Felix promoted to asst, to John W. Craig, Avco v.p. in charge of Crosley Division . . . Commodore John D. Small, new aide to Emerson president Benjamin Abrams, elected v.p. . . . Charles H. Andress, from Washington, named sales supervisor for Admiral-New York. Vhf-uhf allocations problems, obscured by color, were brought to light again by consulting engineer Stuart Bailey, president of IRE, in Dec. 13 speech before Kansas City section of IRE. He questioned feasibility of FCC’s proposed “priority” system of coverage, concluded that first priority — “to provide at least one television service to all parts of the United States” — would never be realized. “Here,” he said, “for the first time in TV history, do we have a proposal to give square miles priority over people in the assignment of channels.” He also warned that station coverage estimated in FCC’s proposal is based on skimpy data, even though it was best available. Color was treated circumspectly, naturally, since Bailey is member of Condon committee advising Sen. Johnson. From December Cosmopolitan Magazine, dept, titled “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You:” “Because TV is admittedly in its evolutionary stage, even the latest sets are likely to become relatively outdated. Impartial observers therefore advise the customer to purchase the best TV receiver he can afford, but to hold off buying one of those attractive TV-radio-phonograph combinations for the present. In other words, buy the TV unit alone, so that you won’t have to take a loss on the more stable units when you trade in your set.” A TV set between front bucket seats of 1950 British Vanguard automobile was demonstrated in London recently. In U. S., many State legislatures have prohibited TVs in autos where driver can see it. Second volume of RCA’s “Pict-O-Guide” is off presses, offered through distributors for servicemen. Like first volume (Vol. 6:28), book contains photographs of video troubles, with correction advice. Annual Parts Distributor Show is set for May 23-25 in Stevens Hotel, Chicago. And National Electronics Distributors Assn has tentatively set Aug. 23-31 as time of 1950 show in Cleveland’s Convention Hall.