Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

7 COMPATIBLE COLOR TV will be “ripe” for presentation to FCC this summer or fall, in opinion of most of industry (Vol. 8:10). That’s why Dr. Allen B. DuMont and his research v.p. made news in Chicago this week when they told IRE-AIEE meeting that perfected color is 5-8 years away. Dr. DuMont told us it’s not the system he’s concerned about; it’s fact tri-color tube needs more development — to improve registration and bring costs down. He estimated that set with tri-color tube, at present stage of development, would cost 2-2 y2 times cost of monochrome receiver. Tube is coming along, he said, and he gave as example Corning development of a glass mask to replace current metal mask which contains hundreds of thousands of precisely spaced holes. That NPA intends to keep color TV ban on books was indicated again this week, this time in letter from NPA chief Henry Fowler read by WMAL-TV newsman Bryson Rash on special program March 26 celebrating completion of that station’s new Washington studios. Fowler’s letter said, in part: “There is some indication that more of the materials which would be needed for color TV will be available in the third and fourth quarters of this year. However, even if we had a plentiful supply of every raw material needed for the manufacture of color TV, the engineering factor would still remain a significant problem. Our current supply of electronic engineers would be insufficient to meet the demand, at the present rate of military electronic design and production, at least until 1954. To transfer engineers from their defense duties in this field to the time-consuming business of putting color TV into production could deal our defense production program a serious blow . . .” No firm decision has been made on the problem yet; NPA knows it has a tiger by the tail and is proceeding cautiously. While it’s taken for granted ban on home color TV set production will be retained in some form, final order could contain some surprises. It’s certain, though, that order will permit manufacturers all the freedom the defense program will allow; it won’t reflect any partisanship in the color dispute. Said one NPA official this week: “If you think we haven’t been working on that order, you’re wrong. We’re giving it a great deal of thought and considering every possibility.” Demand for uhf transmitting equipment is still “uncharted,” compared with known vhf market — hence emphasis to be placed on uhf by manufacturers at NARTB convention in Chicago next week. DuMont is offering new “three-point program” to applicants: equipment, network affiliation, receiver promotion. Company has called into Chicago its receiver division regional sales managers to describe plans for pushing uhf receivers and converters, before stations go on air and after. DuMont’s summarizes its view of uhf in new brochure, UHF, The New Big Development in Television. None of manufacturers planning uhf transmitters will have complete high-powered units on display. Such units are scheduled for late this year and early next (Vol. 8:5,10). To be shown, however, will be “hearts” of uhf equipment — driver stages, power tubes, antenna sections, etc. GE, for example, will have in operation 100-watt driver of 12-kw uhf transmitter. Studio equipment will also get very heavy play, such as RCA is giving new camera — its first new model since 1947. RCA figures that 130 man-years of design engineering went into it. DuMont will give “glimpse into the future” when it shows unusual 'continuous-motion film system employing flying-spot scanner. Equipment won’t be commercially available for 18-24 months. Station Accounts: Olympic Radio next week starts cooperative campaigns, including local TV along with newspapers and radio, to back up its national magazine & billboard advertising of 1952 line of sets. Local campaigns will stem from 42 distributorships, with color insertions in March 30 American Weekly, April 7 Life, April 19 Saturday Evening Post, handled by adv. mgr. George F. Bart . . . Boston Red Sox home games will be sponsored alternately on WBZ-TV & WNAC-TV, with 31 of the 77 also going to WJAR-TV, Providence, by Narragansett Brewing Co. & Chesterfield, both thru Cunningham & Walsh, and Atlantic Refining Co., thru N. W. Ayer; Atlantic with Adam Scheidt Brewing Co. also sponsoring rotating schedule of Philadelphia Athletics & Phillies on WCAU-TV, WFIL-TV, WPTZ . . . Daily 6:45-7 p.m. on WNBT, New York, opened up when Tex McCraryJinx Falkenburg show was cut to 15-min., now has 5-min. news sponsored by Phillips-Jones Corp. (Van Heusen shirts), 5-min. Bill Stern’s sports by Kruger Beer, 5-min. weather report by Consolidated Edison . . . Ruppert Brewing Co.’s Candid Camera shifts from WJZ-TV to WCBS-TV, April 1, Tue. 10:30-11, My Friend Irma shifting to Fri. 8:30-9 . . . Buildup toward more timebuying to plug current movies is seen in WJZ-TV’s What’s Playing ? Mon.-thruThu. 6:45-6:55 p.m.; carried are “preview” clips of new films, with stars appearing live as commentators . . . Unusual TV advertiser is Universal Concrete Pipe Co., Columbus, O. (sewer pipe & blocks), sponsoring 15-min. newscasts twice weekly at 10 p.m. on WSM-TV, Nashville . . . Among other advertisers reported using or preparing to use TV: Monogram Sales Inc. (Gardgum Chlorophyll chewing gum), thru Brown Radio Productions Inc., Nashville; Dick Knox Productions (ceramic dinnerware & artware), thru Walter McCreery, Beverly Hills; De Pree Co. (Nullo Deodorant tablets) ; thru Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample, Chicago; S. E. Mighton Co. (Doggie Dinner dog food), thru Schoenfeld, Huber & Gi’een, Chicago; Lewis Howe Co. (Turns), thru Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample, N. Y.; Bandini Fertilizers Co. (plant foods & fertilizers), thru Mayers Co., Los Angeles; American Institute of Laundering (trade assn.), thru Willsted & Shacter, N. Y.; Eclipse Sleep Products Inc. (springs & bedding), thru E. T. Howard Co., N. Y. CBS is planning huge “TV City” on outskirts of New York, says Variety’s George Rosen in March 26 issue. “It’s known that CBS has already completed a preliminary blueprint of a TV City adjacent to New York, probably in Westchester County, [with] large-acreage tract under longterm lease,” Rosen states. Article makes these other points: William Pereira & Charles Luckman, West Coast architects who designed CBS’s now-building $12,000,000 Los Angeles TV City, are opening New York office. CBS-TV has 17 theatres and studios scattered throughout New Yoi’k City (NBC-TV has same number, but many of them are in Radio City). “Network’s trucking bill alone for carting of scenery and equipment to various theatres costs $40,000 a month.” Rosen speculates that Howard Meighan, recently replaced as head of CBS Radio by Adrian Murphy, has been put in charge of new project. He also reports that CBS president Frank Stanton once approached RCA with proposal to team up in building “one big TV City”. Gen. Eisenhower was filmed and tape-recorded this week, reading 7-min. report on progress of western Europe’s military building — and at week-end the news editors of TV networks were studying his words closely for political implications. Film is for release at midnight, Tue., April 1, will be given first priority depending on what lie says. America's Town Meeting on ABC-TV has invited the General to appear on show to answer questions put to him by representative citizens.