Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)
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demonstrations of sample commercials developed at recent color advertising clinics. These clinics, incidentally, are continuing "until all advertising agencies and NBC clients have had an opportunity to work in the new sales medium."
Movie color expert Richard Day, 6-time Academy Award winner, has been hired as consultant on color scenery and color research, Weaver announced. And, as if to cap the intensity and seriousness of his (and his boss Gen. Sarnoff's) purposes, he said: "RCA-NBC by end of this year will have spent $25,000,000 developing color, and we will invest another §15,000,000 to establish color TV as a commercial reality."
$ $ £
As for present receivers, the RCA-NBC "party line" — which actually is what whole industry is trying to stress for fear of retarding current sales — was put thus by Weaver, emphasizing compatibility of present receivers and cost of color:
"There is no reason why anybody should hesitate to make an investment in the purchase of a black-&-white TV receiver now, or in the future, particularly since that receiver will continue its usefulness under compatible TV standards.
"We must emphasize that quantity production of color receivers cannot be achieved for many months after FCC approval. But meanwhile the public can get all our colorcasts on their black-&-white sets, as high quality black-&-white pictures.
"Color makes TV more exciting than ever. The first color sets with 14-in. picture size are expected to cost between §800 and $1000. The TV industry now offers superb black-&-white sets at low prices with large screens and with long life ahead."
11 STARTERS JUMP TOTAL ON AIR TO 238: Biggest batch of new stations to begin testing in any one week totaled 11 between Aug. 22-28 — and still more were getting ready to start next few weeks. Since we count all new stations on air from time of their first test patterns, total now operating is 238 — 172 vhf , 66 uhf.
Week's starters include 2 in Minneapolis-St . Paul sharing Ch. 11 plus 8 in new TV cities, some quite sizeable and most getting primary service for first time. In several instances — notably Portland. Me. and Columbus, Ga. — uhf gets in ahead of impending vhf and with good network affiliations. Week's openers:
WTCN-TV, Minneapolis & WMIN-TV, St. Paul, granted time-sharing on Ch. 11, began test operation Aug. 27 from mutually owned RCA transmitter with supergain antenna on Foshay Tower, Minneapolis. RCA 10-kw unit is driver portion of first aircooled 50-kw to be delivered about Jan. 1. Stations split schedule, using separate studios, both affiliated with ABC (KSTP-TV is NBC affiliate, WCCO-TV is CBS). New Minneapolis station is controlled by Robert Butler, ex-Ambassador to Australia and Cuba, with Edward G. Smith as mgr. , Don Kraatz as TV operations director, K.M. Light sales mgr. St. Paul station is headed by N.L. Bentson as trustee for estate of late Edward Hoffman. Base rates are §750. Reps are Blair for WTCN-TV, Taylor for WMIN-TV.
WPMT, Portland, Me. (Ch. 53), opening up brand new market, hit Aug. 27-28 target dates on nose. RCA transmitter with 200-ft. Truscon tower and 40-ft. antenna began testing then, goes commercial Aug. 30 with CBS's Toast of the Town. It gets live service from all 4 networks via AT&T microwave from Boston, already available. First vhf isn't promised before "end of 1953" by Ch. 6 grantee WCSH-TV (Vol. 9:32), so uhf gets good head start. Chief owner Frank S. Hoy, of Lewiston, is gen. mgr. ;
F. Parker Hoy, asst. gen. mgr.; George E. Curtis Jr., station mgr. Base rate is §200. Reps are Everett-McKinney (national) and Kettell-Carter (Boston).
WDAK-TV, Columbus, Ga. (Ch. 28) began testing Aug. 27, getting good head start on this week's vhf grantee on Ch. 4 there to open up new area 95 mi. southwest of Atlanta. New uhf outlet, RCA equipped, is equally owned by WDAK (NBC) and the Martin theatre chain, affiliates with ABC & NBC. WDAK's Allen Woodall is gen. mgr. Base rate is $150. Rep is Headley-Reed.
KHQA-TV, Hannibal, Mo. (Ch. 7) began test patterns Aug. 27 with DuMont transmitter located approximately 4 V2 mi. northeast of Quincy where owner Lee Bcstg. Co., interlocking with Lee newspapers of Iowa, operates radio WTAD. Station covers Keokuk-Hannibal-Quincy area, got on just ahead of WGEM-TV, Quincy (Ch.10). It joins CBS & DuMont network, quotes §250 base rate. Manager is Walter J. Rothschild, who reports to exec. v.p. Herbert R. Ohrt and pres. Lee P. Loomis. Weed is rep.