Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

Wl th Electronics : 1/ Reports MARTIN COREL’S AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND ALLIED ELECTRONICS ARTS AND INDUSTRY ISHED WEEKLY BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU In this issue , WYATT BLDG. • WASHINGTON 5, D.C. • AUG 3 i 7953 Color Promotion Bagi Sis in Big Way, page 1 1 1 Starters Jump Total on Air to 238, page 2 4 VHF Grants, New Priorities in Effect, page 3 UHF Problems — Networks & Conversions, page 4 Mora TV-Radio Stations Changing Hands, page 5 TELEPHONE STERLING 3-1755 • VOL. 9: No. 3 5 August 29, 1953 Canadian TV Sponsorships and Viewing Habits, page 7 All Out Campaign for UHF Conversions, page 8 Transmitter Shipments & Upcoming Stations, page 9 'Hi-Fi' No. 1 Topic of Chicago Sessions, page II Economic Consensus — Mild Dip in View, page 12 Station Deals — Abilene, Newark, Spokane, Etc., page 6 Network TV-Radio Billings — July & Jan. -July, page 16 COLOR PROMOTION BEGINS IN BIG WAY: Not much question about the RCA-NBC purpose — they're going to push color TV publicly for all it's worth, announcing their network colorcasts in advance and launching a series of "color premieres11 starting Sept. 28 designed eventually to embrace all the network's programs and advertisers. Let the commercial chips fall where they may, let competitive networks fend for themselves as best they can — RCA is going all out for color even before FCC authorizes new NTSC standards or factories are ready to begin producing sets. Having won its crusade for compatibility, it's new out to win the colorcasting field — all assuming, of course, that FCC approves the standards, as everybody now expects. Newsmen were invited this week to an experimental colorcast of Kukla, Fran & Ollie doing the opera "St. George and The Dragon" — with the NBC Symphony, no less, and with Dave Garroway narrating — as carried sustaining on NBC, Aug. 30, 5-5:30. It was to be viewable from New York's WNBT experimental adjunct on color receivers in Center Theatre — viewable at same time on all existing sets in black-&-white. It's the first publicly announced major show of kind, though several other name acts have been done in color without telling viewers beforehand. NBC justifies out-and-out publicity on grounds public will actually see show in superior black-&white due to the inherent qualities of compatible color. That the trade isn't going to jump with joy, goes almost without saying. * * * * NBC v.p. Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, detailed to handle color planning, reveals that immediate and long-range plans involve not only the series of "color premieres" starting Sept. 28 — probably 2 a week — but preparation of big Warner Bros, sound stage in Brooklyn for color shows; conversion of Bijou Theatre on W. 45th St. for receiving colorcasts for projection on full-size movie screens; everyday operation already of Colonial Theatre on Broadway for preparing and originating color shows. Tournament of Roses in Pasadena will be colorcast next Jan. 1 from mobile unit, piped to affiliate monitors for studio viewing - for few if any people will have color receivers by then. So far, 55 NBC stations have signed agreements to carry color, and presumably all have ordered equipment — albeit deliveries by RCA, GE, Telechrome, possibly others, are still a nebulous prospect. "All producers and directors are ordered to think of color when planning all shows," said Weaver. All NBC personnel, he added, is being "indoctrinated" in color problems, and "commercial clinics" on the subject are being held for ad agencies. Special showing of another color program to a mass audience, first ever in midwest, is scheduled for Sept. 21-22 convention of Assn, of National Advertisers in Chicago. Piped from Colonial Theatre in New York to Chicago outlet, musical star Nanette Fabray and Hit Parade dancers will be viewed by some 400 admen, along with COPYRIGHT 1999 BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU