Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1951)

PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU, 1519 CONNECTICUT AVE. N.W., WASHINGTON 6, D.C. TELEPHONE MICHIGAN 2020 • VOL. 1, NO. 13 / Blue Chip Business of Telecasting, pages 1-2. \ Critics Dissect End-of-Freeze Plan, page 3. In This Issue: Film People Bridle at FCC ‘Advice’, page U I ‘Hidden Assets’ in the Film Vaults?, page 5. \ Color Case Puzzles Supreme Court, page 6. March 31, 1951 Pros and Cons of Presidential Board, j)age 7. Full Military Impact in ’52 — Wilson, page 10. Second Quarter Controls Will Bite, 2^0ig^ 10. Blue-Bcok for TV Trade-Ins Proposed, page 13. Output and Trade at Lower Levels, page 13. I-BLUE CHIP BUSINESS OF TELECASTING: When we tell you that one telecasting station alone grossed ^4, OOP, OOP in time sales last year... that a dozen or more skirted or exceeded the $1,000,000 mark... that deficit operations among the existing 107 stations are now the exception rather than the rule — When and if FCC*s third and latest freeze-lifting plan (see Vol. 7:12 and text of TV Allocation Report) is actually adopted. .. even with its big slice of noncommercial educational channels, which "educators" may or may not apply for — yyhen it becomes clearer that the freeze really is going to be lif ted. .. that transmitters and towers etc., despite the defense economy, can really be had... that the uhf are practicable and receivable — Then you're going to see a veritable "gold rush" for commercial channels, mainly by existing radio broadcasters but also by new enterprisers. Immediate quarry of most, of course, will be the tried-and-proved vhf, with uhf facing prodigious task (as did FM) of building audience from scratch. Actually, some 400 applications are already on file (see TV Factbook No. 12 with weekly Addenda to date) — but most of these will need overhauling in light of new channeling, new power and antenna standards, new local situations. That is, presuming the proposed new allocations are finalized — still long way off (Vol. 7:12). ^ ^ ^ ^ Station grossing $4,000.000 last year was WNBT, NBC's New York key, with base rates of $2000 or $2500 per hour, $400 or $500 per minute, prevailing most of the year. (Rates currently quoted are $3250 & $675. ) WNBT's gross v/as doubtless highest of any station, though it can be assumed other network keys in New York did well into 7 figures, too. Indeed, 4 of NBC's 5 TV outlets operated in black last year — Chicago's WNBQ pushing $2,000,000. Only one in red is its Hollyvjood KNBH (though other Kfollywood stations are in black) and its excessive overhead is now being reduced for hoped-for profitable 1951 operation. Figures are cited to point a trend — namely, that this telecasting business is going like the proverbial house afire. For if WNBT did that much business in 1950, it's fair assumption it v;ill do half again more this year — considering its higher rates and the unabated demand for time. And it's fair to assume that v/ill be pattern of other existing station operations — in the smaller cities as well as the big. Small 'wonder the "ins" are all delighted with their pioneering TV ventures (which generally didn't turn profitable until latter part of last year and still represent huge investments and losses yet to be written off). Small wonder, too, that you seldom hear of a TV station for sale. Gross and profit figures of individual stations, TV or AM, are seldom made public — for understandable reasons. But AM stations grossing $1,000,000 or more Copyright 1951 by Radio News Bureau 2 1951