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

8 than it's worth — or he may accept anything in trade on new TV, radio or appliance. He could accept an old crystal set, a doorknob or lead pencil as full down payment on set sold at "list price" — cutting his price on "down payment" end rather than cutting dollars off list price, as is done now. ^ Jic * Production is still creeping forward, fourth July week's output of 50,772 TV units (only 851 private label) comparing with 44,196 preceding week (Vol. 7:30). Total for July's 4 weeks is 106,055, lowest since July 1949. Radios totaled 184,685 (69,936 private label) for week ending July 27, bringing month's total to 734,281. Week's radios were; 112,884 home receivers, 27,606 portable, 44,195 auto. Factory TV inventories rose again — to 761,448 from peak 754,717 the week before. Radio inventories were 384,415, up from 375,066. At beginning of June the factory TV inventory figure was 593,633, at beginning of July 723,309. NPA LOOSENS MATEHIALS STRAITJACKET: All TV-radio manufacturers stand to gain from latest revision of NPA materials control formula for consumer durable products. Effective immediately are sv/eeping changes in Govt.'s method of limiting use of steel-copper-aluminum in consumer hard goods during current third quarter. While limitation percentages are unchanged — 70% of first-half 1950 steel use, 60% of copper, 50% of aluminum (Vol. 7:25) — keynote of Aug. 2 revision of Order M-47A is flexibility. It actually permits set makers to use more material and parts. Principal change is one industry has long sought — allows manufacturers to switch their metal quotas among long list of products, including practically any or all appliances, to meet changing market conditions or seasonal demands. A manufacturer of TVs & radios who also makes other appliances — refrigerators, air conditioners, ranges, anything — may now use the steel, copper, aluminum formerly earmarked for TV-radio to make any product he chooses. Or he may take his appliance quotas and use them for TV & radio. He may even branch out into new fields of appliance manufacture without appealing to Govt. ; e.g., TV-radio company could begin making electric toasters or other consumer durables under wording of order. Color and uhf adapters and converters are among items mentioned in new order and steel-copper-aluminum going into these products may come out of manufacturer's quota of materials for practically any consumer durable product he made during first half of 1950. Other important changes in new order; (1) Manufacturer who uses less metal than he's entitled to under M-47A may step up correspondingly his purchases of ready-made parts and sub-assemblies — and vice versa. (2) Manufacturer may disregard metal content of any parts he buys or makes which are CMP "Class B" products — if he so chooses. In TV-radio, this means practically all parts and components. If he does this, he must subtract this metal from base period use as well as third quarter use under M-47A. This provision could result in availability of more parts to TV-radio manufacturers, since it removes the metal in parts from scope of order's percentage limitations. ^ 'Cl ^ T* New order applies to third quarter only. It's now virtually certain that consumer durables will come under Controlled Materials Plan in fourth quarter. But whether they do or not, best information indicates that their share of materials will be: steel , 65% of base period use (cut from 70%) ; copper. 55% or slightly less (cut from 60%) ; aluminum, slightly less than present 50%. CBS-Columbia Inc., new CBS subsidiary formed from old Air King Products Co. Inc., in open letter to TV distributors and dealers published as trade ad Aug. 1, makes big pitch for franchisers — promising “CRS-Columbia is destined to be America’s leading line in television ... a great new name!” Consumer campaign breaks early in September in Life, Saturday Evening Post, This Week and other magazines, supplemented by local TV, radio and newspaper advertising of both black-&-white and color TV sets (Vol. 7:29). Officers of CBS-Columbia Inc. were named this week as follows: David H. Cogan, president; Bruce A. Coffin, executive v.p. ; J. A. Stobbe, operations v.p.; L. M. Kay, engineering v.p.; M. A. Gardner, v.p. in charge of purchases; Allan Strauss, exports v.p.; John Ward, controller, asst. secy. & asst, treas. ; Sam Dean, treas. & secy. Board members are Bruce Coffin, chairman ; Mr. Cogan, Lloyd H. Coffin, Adrian Murphy, Frank Stanton, Sam Dean, Ralph Colin.