Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

MARTIN COREL'S AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND ALLIED ELECTRONICS ARTS AND INDUSTRY PUBLISHED LYJY RADIO NEWS BUREAU • WYATT BLDG, • WASHINGTON 5, D.C. • TELEPHONE STERLIN6 3-1755 • VOL. 9: No. 13 MIS LlilM! MAR 3 March 28, 1953 In this Issue: Compatible Color — Everybody Wants It, page I Storer Buys WBRC-TV; Other Deals Pend, page 3 TV Profits Jump 31% in '52, Vie With AM's, page 4 1 1 More CPs, Post-Freeze Total Now 325, page 5 FCC 'Protest7 Procedure — What It Means, page 5 Onrush of New Station Starters Soon, page 6 Reports on Upcoming New Stations, page 7 New GE Picture Tube Simplifies Set Design, page 10 Progress on High-Power Tubes for UHF, page 10 Transistor Is Star of IRE Convention, page 11 Closed-Circuit TV for Home & Business, page II Color Again — Possible Effect on Trade, page 12 Color Sets — How Much and How Soon? page 13 Video Tape Recorder — RCA Reports Progress, page Id COMPATIBLE COLOR-EVERYBODY WANTS IT: Color TV is undoubtedly somewhat nearer , as result of this week's hearing by House Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee — but no one has any idea whether it will come this year, next, or in 5-10 years. The pressure is on — and it's heavy. A slightly bewildered FCC, which goes before Committee March 31, finds itself focal point of these developments: (1) NFA ban on color set manufacture was removed this week (Order M-90). (2) Congress showed it's in no mood to brook slightest unnecessary delay. (3) RCA recommended that FCC adopt compatible color "tomorrow". (4) Rest of industry, through NTSC, said it's quite sure it has the "right system" (same as recommended by RCA) but pleaded for 4-6 months of field testing to make sure its standards are absolutely ironclad. (5) CBS said it's "quixotic" for it to resume with incompatible system. & # # # , It all makes highly probable the adoption of compatible color this year. FCC would be extremely hard put to refuse approval of a compatible system unless something is grievously and obviously wrong with it — and not even most vigorous critics of the industry claim there is. Pressures are likely to increase after House committee sees the system work in New York and Princeton April 14-15, but indications are that it will give NTSC the 4-6 months it requests before it begins to get impatient again. Actual production of color sets is something else. Everyone, including CBS president Frank Stanton — now a set maker ( CBS-Columbia) and cognizant of production problems — says that tooling up would take time after the FCC acts. [For impact of developments on trade, estimated cost of color sets, see pp. 12-13.] Pressed for guesses on color timetable, witnesses offered these estimates: RCA's E.W. Engstrom — Color can be adopted immediately, and NBC will begin colorcasting while RCA "expedites" manufacture of sets. CBS's Frank Stanton — FCC could approve system in 6-18 months, then the industry will tool up. Chromatic TV Labs' Richard Hodgson — If NTSC doesn't come to FCC within 4 months, Commission should call hearing on its own motion. Dr. Allen B. DuMont — It will take 5-10 years to put color in the home, assuming one year for NTSC to come to FCC, 3 years for Commission to act, 1 year to get into production. GE's W.R.G. Baker, NTSC chairman — The 6-18 month estimate by Stanton is "reasonable", though he hopes hearing can be eliminated to telescope time required. Dr. DuMont startled the committee with his 5-10 year estimate, as you might COPYRIGHT 1083 BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU