Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU • WYATT BLDG. • WASHINGTON 5, D.C. • TELEPHONE STERLING 3-1755 • VOL. 9: No. 3 8 September 19, 1953 SFCC Asks Facts in UHF-Network Probe, page I One New Station a Day Since Aug. 1, page I 8 CPs Include Shreveport 'Interim' Deal, page 2 Sylvania Asks FCC to Approve Satellites, page 4 2,000,000 UHF Sets & Conversion Units, page 5 'New Directions That Radio Must Follow', page 6 Whither Radio? Sarnoff Looks Into Crystal Ball, pp. 6-8 Transmitter Shipments & Upcoming Stations, page 9 Subscription TV Parley in Philadelphia, page 10 Comr. Webster Discusses Fee-TV, FM & Color, page 10 Official Color Demonstration for FCC Oct. 15, page 11 Fall TV Market Isn't All Milk & Honey, page 12 FGC ASKS FACTS IN UHF-NETWORK PROBE: FCC has decided to take a closer look at postfreeze TV economics — particularly as it affects uhf and network-station relations — culminating weeks of study at both staff and Commission level (Vol. 9:31,33-35). Unanimously, Commission voted to fire out 3 sets of fact-finding letters — to networks, post-freeze stations and equipment manufacturers. Letters to networks and RETMA were sent Sept. 18, same day as FCC decision. Station letters will go out Sept. 21 or 22, after necessary Budget Bureau approval. Replies are due Oct. 15. Complaints by uhf grantees about networks' affiliation policies have aroused deep concern at FCC — some CP-holders even demanding Congressional investigation or Federal regulation of networks. Commission's study showed basic uhf problem isn't merely to get network affiliation — most uhf stations having connections with one or more networks, at least on paper. And they found problems of set circulation and conversion intertwined with most uhf troubles. These questions arose in course of study: What is a network affiliation? How much are stations actually paid for network programs? Are so-called "affiliates" getting any significant number of network shows? Letter to networks seeks answers to these questions — and requests each to supply list of all its post-freeze affiliates. Letter to stations goes to all post-freeze outlets, uhf and vhf. It asks for month-by-month financial statement — revenues , expenses , profit or loss — from the day they went on air. Stations are also asked to comment on any technical problems they've encountered, whether transmitters are working okay, etc. Letter to RETMA seeks figures on production of uhf transmitters and receivers to date, and asks about prospects for higher powered uhf transmitters, as well as report on functioning of existing uhf equipment. ONE NEW STATION A DAY SINCE AUG. 1 : Six more starting test patterns this week — 5 in new TV cities, 2 of them state capitals — brought total TV stations on the air at week's end to 258, of which 178 are vhf, 80 uhf. More are coming along, and fast — our predicted one-a-day prospect (Vol. 9:36) still holding. Nearly 90 CP holders are still listed in our files as promising to start in Sept., Oct., or "this fall". Since freeze was lifted in mid-July 1952, exactly 150 stations have gone on the air (not counting 2 that quit) and 133 of them started since last Jan. 1. Since Aug. 1 (49 days to this writing) there have been exactly 49 starters. This week's: WTOB-TV, Winston-Salem, N.C. (Ch. 26) began test patterns Sept. 18 and first reports indicate "excellent snow-free pictures 50 miles," according to mgr. John G. Johnson. It's first station in city, heretofore dependent for TV service on Greensboro, about 30 mi. away, and Charlotte, about 75 mi. Station for months has been COPYRIGHT 1053 BY RADIO NEWS BUREAU