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

12 Count oi TV Seis-in-Use by Cities As of August 1, 1951 Estimates are sets within .1 Mv/m contours (60ml.)> excluding overlaps, as established by NBC Research. Rate of increase in TV sets-in-use, according to monthly NBC Research “census,” receded to lowest ebb in July — and month’s additions to national total were mere 183,100 units. Thus, as of Aug. 1, total reached 13,271,700, compared with 13,088,600 on July 1 (Vol. 7:29) and 12,769,300 on June 1 (Vol. 7:25). Even in New York area, only 20,000 sets were added during month. July is expected to be lowest month of year, for nice pickup in sales was observed in latter August (see Trade Reports) and everybody expects “normal” sales season to resume after Labor Day. These are the Aug. 1 sets-in-use by areas (consult individual stations for estimates of number of families within respective service ranges): No. No. Area Stations Sets Interconnected Cities Ames (Des Moines) 1 61,000 Atlanta 2 122,000 Baltimore . . _ 3 308,000 Binghamton — 1 41,300 Birmingham — 2 59,300 Bloomington, Ind 1 17,000 Boston 2 754,000 Buffalo 1 210,000 Charlotte 1 84,400 Chicago 4 942,000 Cincinnati 3 263,000 Cleveland 3 486,000 Columbus 3 150,000 DavenportRock Island— 2 59,500 Dayton 2 132,000 Detroit 3 526,000 Erie . — 1 50,000 Grand Rapids _ 1 79,500 Greensboro 1 71,700 Huntington — 1 48,000 Indianapolis 1 151,000 Jacksonville — 1 35,000 Johnstown I 104,000 Kalamazoo 1 42,500 Kansas City — 1 127,000 Lancaster 1 106,000 Lansing 1 57,000 Louisville — 2 94,500 Memphis 1 89,000 Milwaukee 1 251,000 MlnneapollsSt. Paul 2 271,000 Nashville 1 35,100 New Haven 1 168,000 New York 7 2,455,000 Norfolk 1 72,800 No. No. Area Stations Sets Interconnected Cities —(Cont’d) Omaha 2 80,900 Philadelphia ... . 3 874,000 Pittsburgh 1 312,000 Providence 1 157,000 Richmond . 1 85,100 Rochester 1 86,100 Schenectady 1 161,000 St. Louis . 1 300,000 Syracuse 2 126,000 Toledo 1 100,000 Utica 1 47,000 Washington 4 278,000 Wilmington ..... 1 74,800 Total Inter connected 81 11,205,500 N on-interconnected Cities Albuquerque 1 9,400 [Dallas 2 126,000 (Fort Worth 1 Houston 1 84,100 Los Angeles 7 1,003,000 Miami 1 75,000 New Orleans .... 1 59,500 Oklahoma City 1 92,300 Phoenix 1 38,500 Salt Lake City. 2 49,300 San Antonio 2 48,800 San Diego 1 104,000 San Francisco .. 3 210,000 Seattle 1 88,800 Tulsa 1 77.500 Total Non-Inter connected .... 26 2,066,200 Total Interconnected and Non-Inter connected .... 107 13,271,700 Flurry of station changes, granted and requested, has followed FCC’s authorization of power boosts (Vol. 7:3034): (1) WBEN-TV, Buffalo, was granted move of sta tion to Golden, N. Y., 22 miles away, to operate from 1196ft. tower with .88 kw. Then station was given permission to increase ERP to 50 kw when it gets going. (2) WFMY-TV, Greensboro, and WICU, Erie, were allowed to install 5-kw transmitters in lieu of present .5-kw units. (3) KRON-TV, San Francisco, asked permission to concentrate signal directionally to serve city better, eliminate waste of signal over Pacific. (4) KTSL, Los Angeles, asked for authority to get going on Mt. Wilson as soon as reconstruction completed (Vol. 7:34). (5) WOW-TV, Omaha, was permitted to hike ERP to 17.5 kw. The Buffalo type of move may become more common. Over the years, number of stations have applied for tall towers and high power. If they amend to reduce powers, as WBENTV did, they’re in line for grants to move. Then they can ask for authority to radiate 50 kw. FCC is querying such applicants about plans. Connecticut Board of Education said Aug. 31 it had applied to FCC for “network” of 4 uhf channels. Gov. Edward N. Allen said he’ll ask legislature for $1,200,000 to get project started. Merger of ABC and United Paramount Theatres, including CBS’s proposed purchase of Chicago’s WBKB for $6,000,000 (Vol. 7:21-24,27,32), was put on ice this week— nobody will say for how long. FCC threw proposed consolidation and station sale into pot with hearing previously ordered on old Paramount anti-trust case (Vol. 7:32). No date for hearing was set in Aug. 27 action (Public Notice 51-873), Comr. Jones dissenting on procedural grounds. Complexity of issues, holding of hearing, arriving at decision, render it fairly certain big merger deal won’t go through by end of this year, if at all. Since UPT is theatre-owning half of old Paramount company, which was split by Dept, of Justice consent decree, FCC wants to probe its management in relation to anti-trust violations which brought about split. But looming more important is FCC’s old question: Should movie interests be allowed to own TV stations? FCC wants to know what merged companies would do about: (1) “Televising of selected programs in theatres to the exclusion of other outlets.” (2) “Restrictions, if any, to be imposed [on] broadcast stations in the use, inter alia, of motion picture films or stations [or] talent ...” FCC also asks whether merger “would substantially lessen competition or tend to monopoly in any line of commerce, in any section of the country.” With ABC now operating in the black (Vol. 7:33), urgency of deal as way to bail it out of fiscal troubles isn’t regarded as quite so compelling as before, and there’s even talk that certain broadcast interests are opposed to merger for fear of new competition bolstered by big movie capital. Meanwhile, stymied deal has arbitrage speculators, gambling on proposed swap of ABC for UPT stock, holding big blocks of stock and standing to lose large sums if it doesn’t go through. Tests of new transcontinental TV circuits this week, with signals relayed via closed circuits from WashingtonNew York-San Francisco and back, were reported to have resulted in images “just as clear as the original.” This augured well for Sept. 4 opening of Chicago-San Francisco microwave relays (Vol. 7 :31-33) on occasion of President Truman’s 10:30-11 p.m. (EDT) speech at Japanese treatysigning conference in San Francisco. First coast-to-coast network TV service will thus be inaugurated, followed by Sept. 5-8 transmissions of pooled network coverage of proceedings, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. (EDT) daily. AT&T is furnishing circuits gratis for this occasion, then plans to revert to original schedule for opening regular service, namely, Oct. 1 for westbound hookups, on or about Nov. 1 for eastbound. Plans for AT&T sponsorship of big premiere Sept. 30 or Oct. 1 have definitely been dropped, AT&T states. Atlanta TV applicants Georgie Tech (WGST) and E. D. Rivers Jr. (WEAS, Decatur) succeeded this week in securing stay, until Sept. 14, of effective date of FCC’s grant authorizing new owners for CP-holding WCON-TV and swap of channels with WSB-TV (Vol. 7:32-33). Charges of concealed interlocking ownership led FCC to hold up its Aug. 8 order consenting to assignment of license while staff studies charges (Public Notice 51-897). Assignees still hope to get station on air commercially (as WLTV) by Oct. 1, though objectors have indicated court action. Hearings on Sen. Benton’s educational TV bills (S. 1579 & S. J. Res. 76) to establish 11-man advisory board (Vol. 7 :15, 20-22, 33) will be held Sept. 5-6 by Senate Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee. To be heard are Benton and co-sponsors Senators Hunt, Bricker and Saltonstall. Other witnesses, from FCC and industry, are scheduled for later date to be announced.