Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)
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9
RCA SHIPPED 25-kw amplifier Nov. 30 to KID-TV, Idaho Falls, Ida. (Ch. 3), to be used in conjunction with GE 5-kw transmitter formerly used by KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, and station is aiming for early Dec. start. Its ownership interlocks with KSL-TV, and it’s headed by C. N. Layne. RCA on Nov. 30 also shipped 10-kw transmitter to CBWT, Winnipeg, Man. (Ch. 4), being built by Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
There were no other shipment reports from the transmitter manufacturers this week, though at least one stated it has equipment ready to ship but has been asked by customers to hold it up while transmitter houses, towers, etc. were being built.
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In our continuing survey of upcoming new stations, these were the reports received this week:
KARK-TV, Little Rock, Ark. (Ch. 4), is remodeling recently purchased 1001 Spring St. building for combined TV-AM offices & studios, now plans start next March or April with RCA equipment, reports v.p.-gen. mgr. T. K. Barton. It will be first vhf competitor for KRTV (Ch. 17), which started last April. Rep not yet chosen.
WPBN-TV, Traverse City, Mich. (Ch. 7), granted last week to Paul Bunyan Radio Network (operating 5 AM locals), has ordered RCA studio equipment only, will choose transmitter, antenna and tower makes later, according to WTCM pres.-gen. mgr. Lee Biederman. Construction of transmitter house and adjacent 6,000-sq. ft. studio is expected to require approximately 2 months during winter; tower construction is scheduled for April 15 start; tests patterns for May 15. Hal Holman will be rep.
KETC, St. Louis (Ch. 9, educational), didn’t make previously promised fall start because of delays in RCA equipment deliveries and move of Ideco tower from main campus to site between St. Louis U High School and Oakland Stadium, now has target “at least 2 or 3 months off,” according to gen. mgr. Richard J. Goggin. Charles Guggenheim named operations & production director; John F. White, business mgr.; Jack Chenoweth, chief engineer.
WMAM-TV, Marinette, Wis. (Ch. 11), has part of its equipment on order from RCA, has begun construction, plans start 6-9 months from now, according to pres. William E. Walker. Call letters may be changed before debut. Rep not yet chosen.
KPAR-TV, Sweetwater, Tex. (Ch. 12), has ordered DuMont equipment for mid-Jan. delivery, but hasn’t set target date yet, according to pres. W. D. Rogers. Same owners also operate • KDUB-TV, Lubbock. Rep will be Avery-Knodel.
WGAN-TV, Portland, Me. (Ch. 13), already has 5-kw GE transmitter and temporary 2-bay antenna, gets Dec. 20 shipment of 20-kw amplifier, plans first tests Feb. 1, goes on with full power May 1, reports gen. mgr. C. E. Gatchell. Owner Gannett Co. Inc. publishes Portland Press-Herald and Express and other Maine newspapers. Avery Knodel will be rep.
KCEB, Tulsa (Ch. 23), first scheduled for Oct. start, then Nov., now plans to turn on juice shortly after Dec. 15 with 1-kw RCA transmitter atop Lookout Mt., reports gen. mgr. N. Ray Kelly, ex-NBC. Backed by oilman Elfred Beck, it will be first competitor to pre-freeze KOTV (Ch. 6). Hourly rate will be $200. Bolling will be rep.
WCOC-TV, Meridian, Miss. (Ch. 30), bucking up against local Ch. 11 WTOK-TV which went on air Sept. 25 (Vol. 9:40), has had 100-watt GE transmitter since Aug., has occasionally tried it out, but won’t go on regular tests until its new GE 12-kw is ready; it’s now being installed, looks like Jan. 1 starter. Owner Withers Gavin, who has 3 AM stations and publishes weekly religious Clarke County Tribune in Quitman, Miss., has announced CBS affiliation, no rep.
WCMB-TV, Harrisburg, Pa. (Ch. 27), awaits FCC approval of increase in tower height to 404 ft. at new location adjacent to WTPA installation, now plans March 1 start with 5-kw DuMont transmitter, according to gen. mgr. Ed K. Smith, who heads radio WCMB, Lemoyne, Pa. Building next to present downtown studio-office is being remodeled for TV. Rep will be Donald Cooke.
WKNY-TV, Kingston, N. Y. (Ch. 66), has its 1-kw RCA transmitter, is working on 600-ft. Stainless tower located 3 mi. from Kingston and 10 mi. from Poughkeepsie, now has tentative mid-Jan. target, weather permitting, according to TV operations mgr. Robert L. Sabin. Base rate will be $100. Rep will be Meeker.
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CBUT, Vancouver, B. C. (Ch. 2), plans to start on or about Dec. 16 as CBC’s fourth outlet, transmitting from 2700-ft. level of Mt. Seymour with old RCA antenna of CFBT, Montreal, permitting 2%-kw ERP pending installation of 12-bay Canadian Marconi antenna allowing for 100-kw. Unique construction feat was laying of 16,000 ft. of power cable in 2-ft. trench along rugged mountain side. Two-story chalet type transmitter house has living quarters because weather and remoteness render transportation difficult. Communication with downtown studiooffice building will be by radiophone. Peter McDonald has been named director; Marce L. Munro, program director; Ross L. Whiteside, technical director; R. L. Elson, newsreel editor. Hour rate will be $175, and CBC will be rep.
CFCM-TV, Quebec City (Ch. 4), recently got city council’s approval of transmitter site near suburban Ste. Foye, where construction is now underway, according to technical director Ernest Miller. Its 500-watt DuMont transmitter is on hand and programming is scheduled for next April. Weed will be U. S. rep.
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Amplifiers permitting transmitter power boosts directly from 5 to 50-kw are being produced and installed “right now,” Standard Electronics Corp. reminds us, taking issue with item in last week’s Newsletter (Vol. 9:48). Writes Standard sales engineering mgr. Edward W. Stone: “A Standard Electronics amplifier (operating at about 40 kw) enabled WABT [Birmingham] to go to the maximum 316-kw ERP on Ch. 13 in Sept. This amplifier is driven directly by [a 5-kw] transmitter. The Empire State installation of WOR-TV, presently under test, uses a Standard Electronics 50-kw transmitter. Here the final amplifier operates from a 5-kw driver. In Jan., Crosley’s WLWA [Atlanta] will install a Standard Electronics 50-kw transmitter.” Last week’s item described new GE 25-kw vhf tetrodes making possible 50-kw transmitter driven directly by 5-kw driver.
Transatlantic telephone cable, announced this week by AT&T for completion in 3 years, cannot be used or equipped for TV because it won’t be able to accommodate sufficiently wide band. Nor will it be equipped with the proper repeaters for TV. However, it’s expected to be used to supplement overseas radio program service, currently carried by shortwave. Jointly owned by AT&T, British Postoffice and Canadian Overseas Telecommunication Corp., cable project will cost $35,000,000, involves laying 2300 miles of cable and numerous electron tube repeaters on ocean floor, will be capable of handling 36 simultaneous conversations. Undersea cable from Britain will connect with 350-mi. overland microwave system from Nova Scotia to U. S. border. Although this microwave route could conceivably some day be converted for TV, AT&T says this move is “not contemplated.”
FCC extended deadline for compliance with new regulation limiting TV stations’ upper sideband radiation to July 1, 1954, because of unavailability of filters needed to do the job in some transmitters (Notice 53-1567).