Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)
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He admitted "we don't know much about cost of color programming yet, though it will be somewhat higher" ; and that good existing color film reproduces well but best color film standards are yet to be chosen and recommended to film producers.
How fast will color sets be produced? Weaver said: "They're guessing about 50,000 next year and a couple hundred thousand in 1955. That's not my guess. I think color will catch on so fast there will be 5-4,000,000 in 1955."
DuMont's Chris Witting asked Weaver why movies haven't converted completely to color, after all these years, if color is so important. Said Weaver: "In the
movies, color isn't real; it's unnatural. In TV, it ' s real . "
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On cost of equipping stations for color, Cox stations' Leonard Reinsch said that RCA salesmen quote $22,000 for equipping stations to rebroadcast color picked up from network, $450,000 for local origination equipment. ABC's Robert Kintner stated it will cost ABC $800,000-$l,000,000 for each studio.
Said Witting, with a grin: "FCC's figures show that networks kept 40 of
each dollar of billings in 1952, while stations kept 350. Looks to me as if the stations, not the networks, ought to finance color."
"Shouldn't we limit our color experimentation to commercials, since sets will be so few?" asked Wm. Weddell, TV v.p. of Leo Burnett agency. Weaver replied that advertisers should get experience in color programs now and that color commercials alone "will hardly move sets."
* * * #
Nothing new on color at FCC this week, though, to surprise of some at Commission, Sept. 23 deadline for filing replies to original comments passed with nary a word from major parties. Messrs. M. Soghoian and S.L. Cooke Jr., of Richmond, pushing both 405-line and 525-line versions of CBS system (Vol.9:37), filed document to support their claims and attacked compatible system. One Otto H. Luther, Woodville Rd. , New Preston, Conn. , said he has system featuring vertical scanning.
Industry is still seeking site for official FCC demonstration Oct. 15, first considering then abandoning Western Union Bldg., New York*. Meanwhile, CBS is aiming to keep its affiliates in competitive color swim with NBC's, has scheduled affiliates meeting Oct. 9, will outline plans then.
8 MORE START, SOME OPEN NEW TV AREAS: One-a-day average of new station starters , a s predicted (Vol.9:38), is holding up firmly. Eight got under way this week, bringing total to 266 now on air — 184 vhf , 82 uhf. Many more are nearing completion, so that no diminution of rate is in sight. There have been 57 starters since Aug. 1.
Three sizeable new areas got first cutlets this week, all vhf ■ — Knoxville , Cedar Rapids, Augusta. Second vhf stations went into Albuquerque , Colorado Springs and Tucson, second uhf into Milwaukee & Fresno. Week's starters:
KVOA-TV, Tucson, Ariz. (Ch. 4) put first test pattern on air at 8:42 p.m. Sept. 25, plans to begin programming in time for first World Series game Sept. 30. It's second station in that city, KOPO-TV (Ch. 13) having started in January. NBCaffiliated, it has $200 base rate, is RCA-equipped. Controlled by radio KTAR, Phoenix, station's pres. & gen. mgr. is R.B. (Bud) Williams, program director Ben Slack, local sales mgr. John C. Underwood Jr. , chief engineer Raymond Holsclaw, coordinator of planning & public relations E.P.H. (Jimmy) James. Raymer is rep.
WOKY-TV, Milwaukee (Ch. 19) began test patterns Sept. 25, reported getting many phone calls describing "brilliant picture throughout Milwaukee area." Commercial programming starts next week, with affiliations with ABC & DuMont. It's city's second uhf, WCAN-TV on Ch. 25 having started Sept. 5. Gen. mgr. Lee Bartell reports "conversions are astounding even the most skeptical" and "200,000 sets before Jan. 1 now a reality." Same interests ( Bartell-Beznor ) also own WMTV, Madison (Ch. 23), which began July 8. RCA equipment is used, with slotted-pylon atop downtown building. Zinn Arthur is commercial mgr. Base rate is $300. Rep is H-R Television.
WMT-TV, Cedar Rapids, la. (Ch. 2) started daily test patterns Sept. 24 on 1-5 p.m. basis, begins special programming Sept. 30 with World Series and goes on 5-11 p.m. schedule thereafter until daytime programs start about Jan. 1. A 703-ft.