Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

11 Said DuMont tube manager Fred Rice: "lubes are short, and the outlook is not good. " The larger tubes (notably the top-selling 21-in. ) are slower to produce than the old sizes, he added, and he looked to continued shortage of 21-in. "Next year it's going to be worse, when you consider the replacement market." RCA says it increased 10, 12, 16 & 19-in. prices about month ago because volume had dropped off so greatly as to preclude mass production. They're now sold almost entirely for replacements. * * * * Tuner situation, seems to be getting better in new Portland market. Biggest strip manufacturer Standard Coil has assured its customers all they need within week or two; Crosley , Mallory, RCA converters are coming along. Success of that market, from standpoint of availability of receivers, seems assured. "It's another Denver." Axiomatic in the trade is fact that second station in any one-station area stimulates sales — and that's what's already reported from Denver, even though new KBTV is only testing as yet and won't go on schedule (with CBS-TV programs) until end of next week (Oct. 12). Anticipation of this station, to say nothing of World Series and new fall programs, jumped sales to Denver area's 500 dealers some 25,000 during August. Claim is now made that there were 58,919 sets-in-use as of Sept. 1 and that 50,000 will be in use by Oct. 12. World Series also helped keep Portland on fire with TV enthusiasm, say local reports. Whole trade is still looking to that city not only as testing ground for uhf but, like Denver, as example of what will happen in other new TV areas. Resentment toward KPTV owner Herbert Mayer, for his failure to take trade into his confidence while planning his sudden start (Vol. 8:38), has pretty well worn off in view of (1) the excellent trade now being enjoyed, helped by new influx of tuners; (2) Mayer's explanation that he couldn't be sure either that he'd get his transmitter on the air so soon or that FCC would authorize immediate operation, and (3) this statement to the Portland Oregonian: "We weren't sure ourselves whether it [uhf] would be successful, and also we wanted to help prevent sale of bootleg sets. I'm glad that condition has been avoided in Portland." Stable elements in the industry can hardly quarrel with that. PREVIEW TELEVISION CORP., 224 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, subject of numerous inquiries growing out of its current efforts to enfranchise local interests throughout the country, including some broadcasters & telecasters, looks like the most ambitious Venture yet undertaken in coin-operated TV field. Its plans are built around novel Electronic Program Preview System, or “previewer,” a device which automatically turns on set for free 4-minute preview at beginning of each program to entice viewers to drop quarter into coinbox to see rest of program. It’s proposed to place previewers primarily in the nation’s 40-50,000 motels having total of some 1,000,000 rooms, according to principals, and secondarily in another 1,500,000 hotel rooms. Current goal is 7500 “demonstration” receiver installations in some 300 motels by end of year. Company spokesman tells us sample sets have already been installed in 200, claims 400 motels have signed 10-year contracts, says hope is to have 50,000 sets-in-use by end of 1953. He estimates 300,000 coin-operated TVs of all kinds are already in use in nation’s hotels & motels. Preview’s TV sets and previewer device are manufactured by Transvision Inc., New Rochelle, N. Y. While it has been building Preview receivers for some time, Transvision hasn’t yet gone into mass production of previewer device itself. Receivers are 17-in. consoles and table models employing heavy-duty circuitry and believed to cost about $400 each. Previewer and coin device can also be attached to existing sets. Under Preview plan, an exclusive franchise operator or distributor is appointed for each area. He’s responsible for installation of sets, emptying coinboxes, arranging re pairs, etc. For his franchise, he pays $2 per month per set to Preview Corp. TV sets cost motel operator nothing, and he receives 25% of coinbox “take” in exchange for longterm contract; franchiser gets other 75%. Of the $2 per month franchise fee, parent company pays 75<j to American Institute of Television Manufacturers, Sheraton Bldg., Washington (Wni. Robichaud, exec, secy.), organized primarily to own and manage patents on previewer and other electronic inventions (Vol. 8:24). Of this 75 </’, previewer inventor E. C. MacReady, Chicago, gets 15tf. Franchise operator sets up control room in each motel or in area where it can service sevei-al motels. All receivers in motel or area are keyed by automatic timingdevice connected by wire from control room, which turns them cn every half-hour in evening, after first commercial at beginning of program. During the 4 minutes of free viewing, motel patron may switch from one station to another, or turn set off if he wishes. Preview Corp. estimates this “free sample” viewing increases coin TV take sixfold. Preview TV Corp. is headed by 35-year-old Bruce Hantover, who entered TV field in 1948 when he formed Chicago company called Bedside Television Co. to rent sets to hospital patients. Statement by firm says it has 90 engineering and administrative employes, lists total assets at $236,873, claims to have spent some $750,000 on development of previewer. August excise tax collections on TVs, radios, phonos were $8,152,145, compared with $5,165,031 in Aug. 1951. On refrigerators, air conditioners, etc., Govt, collected $9,862,115 in August vs. $5,644,944 in Aug. 1951.