Variety (Jan 1935)

106 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tuesday, January 1, 1935 Television . (Continued from page 89) the transmitter etaged demonstri- tlona by television by wireless, as . did the pioneer Frances Jenkins, who shared with Balrd the .hoiiors of first traiismittlng silhouettes ind outlines by wireless. In ,1931 a,ctu8il progriams were broadcast-from various Jenkins Tel- evision Co. owned visual broadcast- ing stations by the engineer Re- . plogle, with the purpose of estab- lishing commercfal television. This ambitious : project was doonjed to failure ..due primarily to lack of public acceptance of the In- ferior [ quality, of picture3.^ (^^^ bla Broadcasting System vied with •the Jenkins, Company in transiblt-r tlhg programs for over a; year from their New. York city station to a curious public. It soon becaime ap- parent to all that a superipr quality of moving picture -must be. devel- oped In the laboratory to be later introduced to the public. ■ Televlslori hi the Eastiay donniant during the next two Vears. Farns- worth, the inventor, through the ef- forts of the engineer Lubke, contin- ued to serve visual programs'to the public from a; Lios Angeles station, utilizing for first time in the U.;^;, Seasons Creetirigs PHILIP MORRIS PROGRAM NBC "MANHATTAN MERRY-GO-ROUND" NBC ■■" "LET'S . DANCE" NBC if niot In the. world, the electrical, method of cathode ray Bcajmlng. / Meanwhile the reBearlBh labora- tories ot the world! were busy. Ka- dlo Corpbrtitlon' of America^ Victor Xtabonitorles, Caniden, N. J.,. Thllco Radio and TelevlBlOn Gov' Phlladel- phUu Manfred Von Ardenne of Ger-. niaiiy wiere all experimenting with the cathode ray and it is under- stood that Balrd , waa dOlhg: like- wise;. ,'. Two schools of thought developed. Those: favoring the mechanlciil or scanning disk syatem and others more numerpua espousing the cause of the electrical oalthode ray method. Meanwhile Peck had per r fected hla mechanical system em- ploying the scanning disk, ellmlnat- Jniiph »■ phwihift thft mot or vibration..: McKay of the National Television Co. was improving: his new mechanical system; As Good as 16 mmi. v . In the late spring of 1984, a few wellilnformed . Individuals started to acquaint the publlo; with the fact that high quality television waj3 be- ing demonstrated in the laborator- ies. The detail of the picture was equal In quedlty to that of home 16mm. films. : - Instead of the experimenters con-. flnlng ~ themselves to close-upsi scenes w^'^ photographed regularly. One radio company transmitted images over 90, inilea 'AVith but one booster or relay statlph Intervenlnisr 60 'miles froin» the ti'ansmltter. : In June, 1934, . Vlce-Pi:esldent BjEiker, RCA Yictpr Co., ititide ah ex- temporaneous, address at the Insti- tute of Radio. Engineer's' convention in Philadelphia. Enormous expense, according to Mr. Baker, would be entailed In launching television... Grealt sums of money were necessary fp^ the building of stations, cost and installatlbn of transmittersi, ilnklng of interconnecting network, and up- keep of the chain...The programi situation was a serious problem. There Is a dearth of material, said Mr. Baker, aiid ari; estimated 2,000 hours of fiims, plays, shorts, - and hewsreels, the : present ; capacity of thfi nTiin«f°"">nt, w"*"^*^ would fall short of requirements. Technical problems still must be solved before teievlsiori would graduate from the labpratorir, and a satisfactory pro- gram must first be shown to the ad- vertisers, who will pay for the scen- ery and the high cost of perfprmerSi System of g:overnment control of radio: In foreign countries ms^de It easier to launch televlsibn. The United States would have to be sat- isfied to laig behind other nations. Objections laid down by Mr. Baker were all that was necessary for many Individuals to be galvan- ized Into action, to, find a solution. Surveys were made of advertisers, the public, broadcasting executives, by an Independent. Investigator, ,an(|l a cpmjplete technical survey made. by O. h; Ca;idwell, editor of Elec- tronics and former Radio Commis- sioner of the. United States. .;, English -Surveys In : November, 1934, an English commission arrived In the United States for the purpose of Investigat- ing television progress in the United States. Vladimir Zworyliln's Icono-. scope (RCArVlCtor) was ihspeqted, as was the systems of Farrisworth and Peck. . It Is particularly unfortunate that an aidjustment with the presierit n;p- paratus. In radio stations cannot be made by the addition of television equipment. This would reduce the expense materially. ■ This cfthnpt be accomplished.. Alfred McCosker. former . National Association of Broadcasters' head,, is authority for this statement. Summing up the television situa- tion, we find these heeds: a further refinement of the pictures; experi- ments to enable pictures to be trans-, mltted nationally by the means of booster stations;: the securing of sufficient money to coyer the cost of building 80 to 100 television stations .and transmitters; arranging with the film and theatrical interests for the use of films and;play8. . - HIGH-CLASS GREETINGS FROM ON THE AIR WITH FEEW-A-MmOLllAtlONAL AMATEUR NIGHT Sundays^ 6 P.M., EST—WABC, Columbia Broadcasting System SEDLEY BROWN, Bus. Rep.. Rockefeller Centre. New SEASON'S GREETINGS! and HIS ORCHESTRA STATLER'S ROYAL POMPEIAN ROOM IN CLEVELAND SUSTAINING FEATURE OVER WCAR ANI> THE WGAR ARTISTS APPEARING AT STATLER'S ROYAL POMPEIAN ROOM IN CLEVELAND SEND SEASON*S GREETINGS TO VARIETY