Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

5 Fifth uhf grantee this week joined subscription-TV petition. It was WACH-TV, Newport News, Va. (Ch. 33) — same station which last week wired Senate leaders asking investigation of networks' reluctance to affiliate with it (Vol.9:34). WACH-TV is affiliated with radio WHYU, is slated to begin test pattern Sept. 15. * ■ * * * First and most important task of any uhf station is promotion — to sell idea of set conversion ; to change tuning habits ; to sell the desire for TV in new homes. To this end, NBC has just published 50-pp. handbook, "Circulation Promotion for TV Stations — UHF and VHF", based on experiences of stations already on air. Much of book is aimed at uhf stations in markets already served by vhf, and new grantees will be most interested in its outlines on planning and pre-broadcast operations. Book, available from NBC on request, stresses these points: (1) Make a basic plan — "Set yourself an air date you can comfortably meet" and set a "quota" or goal for conversions "so you can measure your progress as you approach your air date". (2) "Basic uhf policy - Work with dealers on conversion", starting long enough ahead of time to assure successful launching of station. On latter point — actually the key to successful conversion campaign — the book presents rather detailed timetable. First, it recommends holding distributordealer meetings to discuss station plans and secure cooperation. Working committee of dealers and distributors should be formed to provide continuing liaison between station and trade. Other ideas: Take dealers on tours through station, let them see "inside story". Hold engineering clinics for dealers and servicemen to assure good conversions. Keep trade informed of station's progress, through newsletters or periodic releases. In turn, ask dealers to keep you informed of conversion progress through regularly conducted surveys. Help dealers promote sales by providing posters and photos of TV stars, etc. for their ads and window displays. Promote dealer in your advertising. As to your own promotion, one of first steps is quest ion-&-answer newspaper ad — used successfully by many stations — to tell story of your station: When it will go on air, meaning of uhf, the conversion story, etc. But above all, says the handbook: Keep it simple. For advertising, use of all media is suggested: radio, newspapers, billboards, direct mail, car cards, matchbooks. Other pre-broadcast ideas discussed are : special newspaper supplements; public studio tours; lectures and discussions; TV set show at local armory, exhibiting all makes of sets and featuring closed-circuit telecasts, etc. For reports on how some uhf grantees are promoting their upcoming stations, see story on p. 8. MORE TV-RADIO STATIONS CHANGING OWNERS: So many transf er-of-ownership deals involving TV stations are cooking, that it seems as though venture capital is literally bursting its vaults to get into telecasting. That TV is changing the face of broadcasting, with nearly every AM station operator of any consequence either in it or trying to get in, is indicated by list of present TV operators and by current grantees — preponderantly radio folk (Vol. 9:27). But quite significant, too, is the swift rate of changing ownerships. This was first discernible in the numerous transfers of pre-freeze stations (see p. 33, TV Factbook No. 17). Now, we see more sales and proposed sales coming up, this time involving mostly post-freeze projects, including many AM sales with TV motivations. For example: KRBC-TV, Abilene, Tex. ( Ch. 9 ) , which went on air only this week, has been sold subject to FCC approval; Newark's WATV (Ch. 13) is again being eagerly sought; KXLY-TV, Spokane (Ch. 4) is in negotiation for sale; and several radio stations have filed transfer papers with FCC that have TV motivations, including proposed sale of control of Eitel-McCullough ' s KSBR (FM), atop Mt. Diablo, Cal., Ch. 13 applicant, to big TV-radio sponsor H. Leslie Hoffman, Los Angeles TV-electronics manufacturer. For details about foregoing, see p. G. And to bring record up-to-date, we note here that since our Factbook tabulation of 1949-53 transfers, we have reported