Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

MARTIN COREL'S AUTHORITATIVE NEWS SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND ALLIED ELECTRONICS ARTS AND INDUSTRY PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU • WYATT BLDG. • WASHINGTON 5, D.C. • TELEPHONE STERLING 3-1755 • VOL. 9: No. 3 6 Mf SEP * 1953 September 5, 1953 1 um L i L' yJ m In this issue : New Starters — One-a-Day for Rest of Year, page 7 8 UHF Among Week's 9 New Starters, page 7 4 CPs, 'Profit' Deals Prompt Dissent, page 2 Intense Struggle for Color Pre-Eminence, page 3 Transmitter Shipments & Upcoming Stations, pp. 6-7 RCA & Zenith Raise Some Prices, Too, page 9 New List Prices Posted by RCA & Zenith, pp. 70-7 7 Storer Seeks Ch. 10 in Miami; Station Deals, page 72 NEW STARTERS-ONE-A-DAY FOR REST OF YEAR: If we can accept promises of CP holders and assurances of transmitter manufacturers, we may see 50 or more new starters this month alone — these in addition to the ones reported below as having gone on air during last 8 days. In fact, our carefully kept records show nearly 60 reporting that they expect to begin testing during Sept., and of course we count all new stations as being on the air from the moment of their first test patterns. Add 6 who said they would start in Aug. , but didn't, plus some 90 who have thus far reported to us that they plan to get under way during Oct . -Nov. -Dec . — and the grand total of "promised starters" rest of this year exceeds 150. Even discounting those who can't or won't make it — though most of the ones reporting have been checked against equipment makers' orders and shipments — and it is a fair assumption that average will run one-a-day during the nearly 4 months left. We figure about 120 more, which means total on air at end of 1953 will exceed 360. That means at least 235 new stations will have started this year, for at end of freeze total was 108 and at end of 1952 it was 125. Thus our prediction in May (Vol.9:18) was quite pat when we stated, "Unless grantees give up CPs in wholesale lots, and that isn't likely, 200-400 new stations could begin telecasting this year." At guesstimated average of $250,000 per station, 250 post-freeze stations represent investment of $62,500,000. As for impact on telecasting as whole, on radio and on structure of the networks — well, your deductions are as good as ours. It's our conviction that the new markets being opened up — for the new stations to great extent are going into new TV cities, large and small — are providing an outlet for enough new TV set sales to assure a good year to manufacturersdistributors-dealers as a whole. New markets should more than offset the retarding influence of color publicity on the let ' s-wait-f or-color consumers. Note : We'll shortly publish a new up-to-minute log of TV stations on the air, with additional list of those among the nearly 300 present CP-holders who have reported, in our continuing survey, that they expect to start before end of 1953. 8 UHF AMONG WEEK'S 9 NEW STARTERS: Buffalo and Pittsburgh, each with one vhf and one uhf on air, got second uhf outlets this week as Milwaukee and Boston areas got their first uhf — thus intensifying competition and stimulating buildup of uhf. Only new vhf went into Macon, Ga. , where uhf WETV got head start last July 25 (Vol. 9:31). Uhf also got good head start this week in Columbia, S.C. There are now 247 stations on the air, 173 vhf, 74 uhf. The latest starters: WCAN-TV, Milwaukee (Ch. 25) wired Sept. 4 that test patterns begin Sept. 5 weekend and that programming begins week of Sept. 7. RCA-equipped station has published notarized statement that 16% of sets in area are already equipped for uhf (nearly 70,000) and claims 46.1% more will be ready within 3 months (192,000). It becomes primary CBS-TV outlet as of Sept. 15, has base rate of $300. Veteran broad COFTilfKT Ur RADIO NIWI BUREAU