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

Record Details:

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Minneapolis' Radio City, Binghamton's Capitol, Pittsburgh's Stanley. As in case of RobinsonTurpin fight, IBC made theatre-TV rights contingent on theatres' guarantee of $200,000 for the fight films. Theatres have also signed up 13 Eastern colleges for exclusive telecasts of some of their football games: Army, Penn State, North Carolina, Maryland, Colgate, Boston, Navy, Princeton, Pitt, Yale, Columbia, Fordham, Dartmouth. These are apart from NCAA-arranged schedule of telecasts via NBC-TV (Vol. 7:36). And 5 Notre Dame games — with Indiana, Purdue, Iowa — have been signed up by United Paramount for its theatres in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis. These games will also be made available to the Eastern theatre-TV network, * * ♦ ♦ Plan for permanent sports-sponsoring organization of TV set manufacturers is under study by RTMA sports committee under RCA v.p. Joseph Elliott. Committee will consider proposal to set up fund to buy sports events away from theatre TV through voluntary assessments based on set sales — and already has been offered a 50-50 deal with one of telecasting's biggest sports sponsors. But it's \inlikely RTMA will undertake such a project — more probable that any such joint-sponsorship setups will be formed outside RTMA, as was group of 8 major set makers who pooled to sponsor Walcott-Charles bout July 18 (Vol. 7:28-29). ZENITH READY TO START FEE -TV SCRAMBLE: Zenith is about to petition FCC for hearing looking to establishment of Phonevision as regular commercial service. At week's end, word was that it would file for rule-making hearing next week — thus opening way for first formal official consideration of principle of pay-as-you-look TV. But keep this in mind: If Phonevision or any other system of fee-TV is ever authorized — and there's no assurance that it will or will not be — it's probably years from actuality as day-by-day service. Reasons are simple: TV freeze is far and away FCC's first concern, and it can scarcely be melted before first of year (Vol. 7:36). Then theatre-TV hearing, set to begin Nov. 26, is going to be killer-diller — furore following Robinson-Turpin bout is proof of that. Theatre-TV hearing could generate as much heat as color fracas, even take as much time, though there's talk at Commission of assigning an examiner to that case, rather than hearing it en banc — unusual for so important & controversial an issue. If fee-TV hearing starts before mid-1952 it will be surprising. In any event, it shapes up as tug-of-war whose political pulling and hauling — with movie industry so vitally involved — may well make color business look like demure afternoon tea. As we pointed out (Vol. 7:34), you don't need a diagram to explain the central issue — "to pay or not to pay." Engineering complexities can't obscure it, and several commissioners are openly doubtful about it. At least 3 other projected subscription systems will be in with both feet — Paramount ' s Telemeter, Skiatron' s Subscriber-Vision, RCA' s "mystery" system. And, although he's been quiet for several years, one Thomas E. Corbett. Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. , once offered a meteredTV proposal that may turn up again. What prompted Zenith to choose this moment to file is anyone's guess. Its publicity-wise president E.F. McDonald may have found catalyst in uproar currently generated by set-owning fight lovers enraged over absence of Robinson-Turpin match from their screens. Or it may be part of pitch to hang onto now-precious Channel 2. which he has been licensed to use experimentally for Phonevision for some years. At any rate, Comdr. McDonald last week wired Congressmen, newspapers, all Zenith distributors, probably others, as follows: "How can TV, now without a boxoffice, expect to compete for great events against the tremendous boxoffice that will exist when thousands of these theatres are equipped with theatre TV unless TV itself secures a boxoffice? "Zenith is not opposed to theatre TV, but we are opposed to theatres monopolizing great events. Our only hope to keep great events on the air is some system of subscription TV — whether or not it is Phonevision — where the public can pay as they see."