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

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10 Trade Miscellany: More plant layoffs (Vol. 7:30): GE electronics dept, at Syracuse takes 500 workers off TV production lines this week, blaming govt, restrictions on materials; placing most of them on other work . . . Sylvania reports it’s spending $14,000,000 this year on new plant and equipment, including $1,250,000 for metallurgical lab at Bayside, N. Y., largely for work with Atomic Energy Commission . . . Paul H. Wendel’s Television Technical Lecture Bureau, Indianapolis, forms Lecture Bureau Publishing Co. Inc. to publish National TV Tuner, trade paper for servicemen, first issue due Oct. 15. Paul V. Forte, ex-TV Contractors Assn., Philadelphia, is editor . . . “Webcor” will be used as trade name on all consumer products of Webster-Chicago Corp.; it’s already label on its magnetic tape recorder, will be put on wire recorders, phonographs, record changers, amplifiers, etc. . . . Superior Tube Co., Norristown, Pa., acquires 15,000 sq. ft. factory in Wapakoneta, 0., where in December it plans to produce seamless nickel cathodes . . . RCA has tied up with Allied Laboratories Inc. (pharmaceuticals & biologicals) for closed-circuit telecasts of American Veterinary Medical Assn, surgical demonstrations during Milwaukee convention, Aug. 21-22 . . . DuMont sues Tel-O-Tube in Newark Federal court, charging patent infringements . . . Delco Radio Div., General Motors, buys Reliance Mfg. Co. plant in Kokomo to add 150,000 sq. ft. for expansion for defense work and later more auto radios. * * * ♦ Official report on TV-radio and appliances at last month’s Western Merchandise Mart, San Francisco, is almost carbon copy of reports on recent Chicago marts, notably Music Trade Show (Vol. 7:29). Writes market analyst Marion West: “Price was definitely the objective of appliance and TV dealers . . . Those distributors who did not offer some sort of ‘deal’ [got] little attention ... hit by ‘closed purse’ policy of retailers, mainly because this is where retail inventories are still the biggest. “Contrary to past Markets where branded merchandise was most important, firms with off-bi’and goods were attracting customers if prices were right. Regulation W [was] taking much of the blame for the present slump in retail sales. [But] most dealers were fairly optimistic about business this fall, and both salesmen and buyers expect October to usher in increased activity.” Hoffman Radio’s Leslie Hoffman, in speech, said radio for 20 years before TV did one-third of its business first 6 months, two-thirds second 6 months, and forecast that “the fall of 1951 will follow the historical pattern, and inventories will be fully absorbed by Oct. 15.” * * * * Merchandising Notes: Washington Electric Institute figures may be indicative of national trend, showing 2710 TVs sold by distributors to capital area retailers in June vs. 2974 same month last year. Total for 6 months was 23,616 vs. 31,358. On other hand, radios ran ahead, cumulatively: 21,086 straight and 2933 combination models sold first 6 months vs. 18,003 & 1794 same period last year . . . By reason of heavy promotions, 3 of the 11 New York City dept, stores surveyed by Herald Tribune reported July gains of 14, 32 & 65% in dollar volume of TV-radio set sales over same month last year ; but 8 stores showed these percentage declines: 6, 28, 42, 43, 50, 57, 75 & 75 . . . Most exciting junket of them all seems to be that of GE Supply Corp., Newai'k, for 70 area dealers — 10-day allexpense flying trip to Paris on chartered Stratocruiser as reward for TV sales results . . . Meek extends TV price guarantees to Nov. 15, superseding previous Sept. 15 limit. Trade Personals: RCA chairman David Sarnoff returns from Europe Aug. 12 on Queen Elizabeth; president Frank Folsom back Aug. 2 from Bohemian Grove, Cal. . . . B. Bion Howard named acting director of OPS Consumer Durable Goods Div., succeeding Harold B. Wess, resigned . . . Walter G. Whitman, MIT chemical engineering dept, head, named chairman. Defense Dept. Research & Development Board, succeeding William Webster; Lawrence W. Bass, ex-Sears Roebuck v.p., head of MIT’s Sloan School for Industrial Management, appointed chairman of board’s committee on equipment & materials . . . Harold Coddington, gen. mgr., TV-radio div., Sparks-Withington Co., elected v.p.; B. G. Hickman, asst, sales mgr., promoted to gen. sales mgr., replacing Henry L. Pierce, resigned . . . Ray F. Sparrow, sales v.p., P. R. Mallory & Co., elected exec, v.p., succeeded by Harold C. Buell . . . Albert Kahn, president, Electro-Voice, named chairman of RTMA’s newly revived amateur radio section . . . Fred A. Mann, exTrans-Vue and Aireon, named sales mgr., Jackson Industries, succeeding Henry Goldsmith, who joins Pathe as sales mgr. . . . Robert E. Giannini, from Schenectady tube headquarters, appointed district representative for GE tube div. in Los Angeles, under Gordon E. Burns, field mgr. of replacement tubes . . . D. W. (Wiimie) May, ex-Philco and GE distributor, named Hoffman Radio regional mgr. in New York City and northern New Jersey, with offices at 30 Church St., N. Y. . . . Elwood Reeves, ex-Motorola Div., Kieruff & Co., named Los Angeles district sales mgr., Magnavox, succeeding M. D. Schuster, now Hoffman sales. TV picture tube sales to manufacturers first 6 months of 1951 were considerably under period’s receiver output of 3,334,505 units. Tubes totaled only 2,552,757, or 20% fewer than the 3,171,660 in same period last year. RTMA states 86% of all the tubes were rectangular, 92% were 16-in. and larger. First 6-month sales to manufacturers were valued at $66,546,932. June sales totaled 221,759 valued at $4,664,744. Huge drop in excise tax collections on TVs, radios & phonos in June, reported by Bureau of Internal Revenue, illustrates how dollar value of manufacturers’ output has declined dxiring trade slump. Bureau collected $9,754,385 for June — $7,572,700 less than May (Vol. 7:26) and $13, 636.000 below high of $23,390,352 collected in March (Vol. 7:18). Sales of TV-radio and appliance wholesalers dipped 10% from May to June, but inventories also dropped 3%, Census Bureau reports in its Monthly Wholesale Trade Report. June’s wholesale sales were 17% below June 1950, but sales for first 6 months of 1951 were 16% ahead of same period last year. Inventories were 63% higher than June 1950. Stock-to-sales ratio at end of June was 240 vs. 227 in May, 115 in June 1950. * * ♦ ♦ Philadelphia’s Better Business Bureau has printed 200.000 copies of instruction book titled What Can You Rightfully Expect from Your TV Set and Your Dealer? designed to help consumer purchasing, financing, servicing, etc. Major local distributors-dealers cooperated in preparation of booklet, which advises on set buying and tells existing set owners: “There is nothing about a TV set that a good servicing organization cannot fix if the parts required are available.” IRE West Coast Section holds its 1951 convention Aug. 22-24, coincidently with annual Pacific Electronic Exhibit in San Francisco’s Civic Center. Arthur L. Brown, 65, president of Dominion Sound Equipments Ltd., sales v.p. of Northern Electric Co., thrice president of Canadian RMA, died July 30 in Montreal.