Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

2 with vhf, must be converted to uhf — and quickly. Every possible promotion will be put behind forced draft to push uhf; there's even a project to bank conversions (costing $25-$75 per set) on basis of $2 down and as little as 500 a week. RCA and NBC advance men are already on the ground, holding dealer meetings, laying campaign plans with servicemen and with WVEC-TV pres, lom Chisman. Terrain is ideal for uhf propagation and, with receiver manufacturers wholeheartedly behind uhf, it could be only matter of time before program service will rival vhf. Chisman 's avowed goal is 75,000 sets capable of tuning in Ch. 15 by Oct. 1. He has firm promise of July 15 delivery of 12-kw transmitter, has 500-ft. Stainless tower already on way up, will have new transmitter building ready by mid-July, plans first test patterns Aug. 1, commercial operation Sept. 1. Two GPL cameras already are on hand, being used for dealer displays ("see yourself on TV"). New station is licensed to Hampton, but will have offices and studios in Norfolk, will identify itself with Norfolk area as a whole, competing with WTAR-TV. And unless sponsor Gillette dictates otherwise, WVEC-TV may be only station in area to get NBC exclusive of World Series, which would give station tremendous impetus in its inceptive stages. So bitter is network rivalry, that NBC-TV makes no secret that it would prefer to pipe baseball classic to own affiliate exclusively rather than to WTAR-TV, which CBS-TV weaned away in recent "raids" (Vol. 9:21). In fact, WTAR-TV mgr. Campbell Arnoux asserts he offered NBC-TV more time clearances than CBS-TV, pending transition, but has been told NBC proposes to make the break complete as of Sept. 1 — this, he says, despite protests of some network sponsors. * * * * There are several litle ironies in the Norfolk situation. For one thing, transmitter is GE, not RCA. For another, WVEC-TV promotion will lean heavily on all area newspapers , which includes Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot & Ledger-Dispatch, whose owners operate rival WTAR-TV. The uhf station itself, to say nothing of set makers and dealers, says its is already reserving splash space. WVEC-TV 's companion radio WVEC isn't going to get NBC radio affiliation because it's not powerful enough (250-w on 1310-kc). Radio network shift from WTAR, though not yet decided by NBC, will be either to WCAV, Norfolk (1-kw on 850-kc), an independent recently purchased by Larus & Bro., Richmond tobacco firm owning the 50-kw WRVA there (CBS) ; or WGH, Newport News (5-kw on 1310-kc), owned by local newspaper and now ABC; or WSAP, Portsmouth (5-kw on 1350-kc), also an independent, said to be optioned to one of 4 applicants for area's only other vhf, stymied Ch. 10. NEW MARKETS OPEN AS 3 MORE START: Two brand new vhf markets are opened up, and a second uhf gets under way in Harrisburg, Pa., as result of this week's addition to log of stations now operating. At week's end, total on air was 189. Latest starters: WCSC-TV, Charleston, S.C. (Ch. 5) began testing DuMont transmitter June 17, started commercial operation June 19 with kine service from all 4 networks pending interconnections due in fall. Station is owned and managed by veteran broadcaster John M. Rivers. National sales rep is Free & Peters. KSWS-TV, Roswell, N.M. (Ch. 8) began tests of video with Federal transmitter and 8-bay antenna on June 18, starts programming June 24, joins ABC-TV, gets Federal ' s first 16-bay antenna later. Federal reports good picture over 100-mi. radius of state's southwest corner. Station is owned by oilman John Barnett, managed by J.C. Porter. Rep is Meeker, with Melville Co., Dallas, handling Southwest sales. WTPA, Harrisburg, Pa. (Ch. 71) was driving dummy load on RCA transmitter on Friday, expected full patterns by that evening or morning of Sat., June 20, so we're counting it as on the air. It's city's second uhf, the first being WHP-TV (Ch. 55), which started April 5 (Vol. 9:14). It has no local AM affiliate, is owned by Donald Newhouse of newspaper family (Harrisburg Citizen-Patriot), managed by David Bennett. It starts with $300 base rate, with 30,000 converted sets already claimed for area thanks to cluster of other nearby uhf stations. Headley-Reed is rep. Note : Our Special Report listing all stations in operation as of June 13, accompanying last week's Newsletter, erroneously noted 148 vhf, 38 uhf. It should have read 3,46 vhf, 40 uhf. With this week's additions, count is 148 vhf, 41 uhf.