Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

3 Program came from studios of WNBT, New York, via temporary AT&T microwave. To avoid distracting audience by program content, performance was limited to activity of only one person, actress Margaret Hayes. Programs recorded a few days previously, both black-&-white and color, were first. Then came live color on both sets; during this phase, which was being recorded in Princeton, one receiver was switched to tape so that audience could watch both live and tape simultaneously. Noticeable in tape was some reduction in resolution, plus slight change in colors and tendency of picture to jiggle a bit. Huge audience of top newsmen applauded spontaneously several times, bubbled over with questions — and their stories reflected tremendous enthusiasm. Unfortunately, reporters for New York dailies were mute because of newspaper strike. * * * * Large audience of movie executives attended afternoon session Dec. 1 and reacted very much the way newsmen did. Despite the unknowns tape presents to their industry, they applauded vigorously. We recalled the doleful remark we heard after one of the Hollywood color showings — "This is the end" (Vol. 9:45) — when we heard quip by one big chain operator: "This is more frightening than Spyros" — referring to the flamboyant Spyros Skouras, pres, of 20th Century-Fox. Scanning the audience, we saw: Nicholas Schenck, Joseph Vogel & Edward Mannix, MGM ; David Selznick; Wm. Goetz, ex-Universal ; Loren Ryder, Paramount; Herbert Barnett, pres, of SMPTE ; Wm. P. Kelley, Motion Picture Research Council; Harry Kalmine, Warners; Sol Schwartz, RKO ; Edward Cooper, Motion Picture Assn. ; Jack Clark, Technicolor; Dr. C. J. Staub, research director, Eastman Kodak; Joseph Hazen, Wallis-Hazen ; Frank Cahill, Warners; Alex Harrison, 20th Century — among others. Also attending the second showing were CBS pres. Frank Stanton, with major stockholder Leon Levy and onetime stockholder Isaac Levy. * * * * We asked Eastman Kodak v.p. Edward P. Curtis to evaluate possible impact of tape on kines and TV film. He said merely: "We don't know. It was an extremely interesting laboratory demonstration, but a lot of work needs to be done before it's commercial. Assuming it becomes commercial, I'd say it has a potential of replacing kines, but I don't know about film." No one has made color kines yet, except experimentally, Curtis said, adding: "I'd hope kines could be made better in color than in black-&-white. " Technicolor pres. Herbert T. Kalmus foresaw no adverse effect on his company's business, though he did say tape could "reduce the amount of photographic film that will be used in the TV business" and produce savings by enabling directors to view scenes immediately after shooting. Credited with development was team under Dr. Harry F. Olson and William D. Houghton, including Maurice Artzt, J.T. Fischer, A.R. Morgan, J.G. Woodward and Joseph Zenel. Dr. Olson is famed for work on speakers and microphones. Credit for first public showing of tape goes to Bing Crosby Labs (Vol. 9:1), though RCA is first to show color. We didn't see Crosby demonstration, but some who did tell us that RCA's work is considerably more advanced. Not that others have been asleep, either. GE, for one, is known to have made progress. 13 CITIES DEFINITE FOR COLOR BY JAN. 1: Our story listing first cities to get color (Vol. 9:47) was confirmed this week, with one exception — Pittsburgh. AT&T has definitely promised to deliver NBC-TV's colorcast of Jan. 1 Tournament of Roses from Pasadena to the following 13 cities and stations, no others: Los Angeles, KNBH ; San Francisco, KRON-TV ; Salt Lake City, KDYL-TV ; Denver, KFEL-TV ; Omaha, WOW-TV; Chicago , WNBQ ; Toledo , WSPD-TV ; Cleveland, WNBK ; New York, WNBT; Philadelphia, WPTZ ; Wilmington, WDEL-TV ; Baltimore , WBAL-TV ; Washington, WNBW. What complicates situation is fact that stations can receive certain amount of color signal over the networks, even if AT&T doesn't do a thing to its facilities