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

7 to other cities sometime thereafter. Company reports over 12,000 responses, uniformly highly favorable, to its requests for evaluation of compatible pictures. Tenor of letters reflects full appreciation of meaning of compatibility. Many respondents said they resent ".iumble of lines" they get from CBS colorcasts, recoil from cost and bother of adapters required to get pictures out of them. RCA is answering each letter with card, signed by president Frank Folsom, advising of future color showings, inviting attendance and reactions. Public hasn't yet seen RCA's latest color, but additional press comments, like those of last week (Vol. 7:28), leave little question they'll react favorably. Anticipating network feeds of RCA color, AT&T July 12 filed new rates, effective Aug. 15, stipulating same charges for all color systems. These are same as black-and-white, plus |450 monthly station connection charge. Other manufacturers* work on compatible system goes on, though slowed by vacations. From Chicago, for example, Hallicraf ters ' Wm. Halligan reports tri-color tube has been put to work, using signal from flying-spot scanner. He plans to add camera chain, hopes to see signal on air soon, for use of all Chicago manufacturers. Sort of climax to press reaction was Time Magazine's July 23 cover story on RCA chairman David Sarnoff which said: "The public scored David Sarnoff's RCA with a lost round last year in the great color TV fight with CBS. Sarnoff did not stay down. Last week he showed the TV industry a new tube that receives clear, true color, and he showed the public that RCA's color system can do what CBS's can not: color programs broadcast by RCA can be received in black & white on present sets without any change. It looked as if radio's miracle man had not run out of miracles... "There was no blurring or running of colors, even in the fastest movement, e.g., a pair of performing lovebirds flapping their wings. As a show topper, an RCA mobile unit focused on a swimming pool near New York where a troupe of swimmers and divers performed. The outdoor telecast, which RCA explained could just as well be a football game or boxing match, came through almost as clearly as the studio show." But Gen. Sarnoff is cautious. Time says, regarding rapid spread of color. It quotes him: "Commercial color TV on a big basis is still 2 to 5 years away. Material shortage, NPA cutbacks on TV production and defense orders will delay it... [And] it will take a long time to get the bugs out of mass production of the color tube." Other TV men disagree, according to Time, which says: "Now, TV manufacturers are up to their ears in unsold sets, are more likely to grab at RCA's system, which they think will get customers buying again... if FCC gives the go-ahead." [For other press comments this week, see page 9.] * 4: * :{c CBS's sorest problem remains — sets. Not only to test public acceptance, but even to get affiliates to take network feeds. [For CBS's receiver plans, see p. 12.] Number of stations are willing to try color, but their refrain seems to be: "We can't put on programs no one can see. " That goes for such stations as Chicago's WBKB, Detroit's WJBK-TV, Louisville's WHAS-TV. Spokesmen for these CBS basic affiliates tell us they need monitors, as well as sets. Typical response was that of John Mitchell, WBKB manager: "We're in a cooperative state of mind, but we'd like at least 10 sets before putting on color. I'm still very cognizant of the million set owners in Chicago. We've ordered a monitor from Gray Mfg. Co., but they gave us 90-day delivery date. We've made no commitment to CBS. One of our problems is that we have no time open for CBS's present color schedule." CBS has to spread very thin its limited amount of equipment. Thus, Cincinnati's WKRC-TV will pick up CBS color for "one week stand" July 20-28 only, broadcasting signals to set rotated among Kroger supermarkets. What CBS lacks in transmitting and receiving equipment, it's trying to make