Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1950)

3 dation for an important part of its decision, it was an abuse of [FCC's] discretion not to have indulged this speculation and hope in the public interest." Next possible legal moves are these; (1) FCC and CBS can ask either Chicago court or Supreme Court to permit CBS to go commercial before April 1. (2) RCA and interveners can appeal to Supreme Court ; they have 30 days. FCC-CBS will scarcely go back to Chicago court in attempt to get restraining order lifted earlier. But it's considered extremely unlikely Supreme Court will throw out Chicago court's ruling now, before studying whole case. RCA, for one, will appeal, said so in statement following decision. The 7 interveners on its side haven't said what they'll do. >}: * * * Each ma.ior litigant found sustenance in decision: FCC ; "Highly gratified by the decision [which] clearly settles the question of whether or not the Commission exceeded its authority and acted capriciously in approving the field-sequential standards [CBS] for color TV. It is a great victory and the Commission is confident that the temporary restraining order... will be dissolved, and [the decision] will be sustained by the Supreme Court, thus ending the controversy." (Comr. Hennock was absent when release was drafted and issued.) CBS ; "This is a great victory. The Commission's adoption of the CBS system as the best and most practical means of bringing color TV to the public has been completely upheld. There is no question in our minds that the Supreme Court will also uphold the Commission's order, if RCA insists on carrying its case further. In any event, we are now assured that the matter will finally be disposed of within a few months." (CBS at week's end sent wires to newsmen inviting them to view a "new development in color TV" at 401 Fifth Ave., New York, at 12:30 p.m. , Dec. 26; speculation is that it's Lawrence tube and/or telecast of horizontal interlace. ) RCA: "By staying the execution of the order until it has been subjected to further review by the Supreme Court, the court has clearly indicated its awareness of the great public interest at stake. Ever since the FCC adopted the only incompatible color TV system, we have maintained that this would compel the American public to pay a tremendously expensive and unnecessary price for color TV. "An incompatible system actually is an 'unready' system. Compatibility is of first importance to color itself. Compatibility must be achieved in the laboratory. ..We will, of course, appeal the decision, confident that the Supreme Court will recognize that the public should not be denied compatible color TV. In the meantime, we shall continue with the scientific development of RCA's compatible, high-definition, all-electronic color TV." ♦ * * * Background battling continued, but no one could get really worked up about it. In normal times, some of it would have been sensational. Admiral's Ross Siragusa, with the air of a man letting revelatory cat out of the bag, said that CBS's Frank Stanton had asked him, shortly before early June 1949 medical color demonstration, why Admiral and/or other manufacturers didn't "bail us out of this color development." In speech Dec. 20 before Investment Analysts' Club of Chicago, Siragusa said; "We turned that offer down flatly because we did not then think it was the answer to color for TV and we have seen nothing since to change our opinion." He said figure quoted was $3,000,000. Stanton whipped out total denial, saying that he was in Europe at time Siragusa said offer was made, that he never talked to Siragusa on any subject during 1949, that he has never made any offer on color to Siragusa at any time. Vehemence of argument is presumably due to implication that CBS wanted to get rid of system, had little faith in it. At least two other major manufacturers also claim CBS offered to sell its color system to them. National Production Authority found itself pulled into color fracas in unusual manner. On Dec. 20, a task group, comprising 7 members of Radio, TV & House