Variety (January 1950)

JaniBuy 28, 1>50 TBIAVISION _ A Washin^Oit/Jan; 24^ Aside frOni the impact of its color TV demoiistratidns? here, CBS has heen enjoying a flood of publicity from ne^^spaper accounts of home-made converters. Following Ap and UP stories of a Roselle, electrician whp adapted his video set for color with 30 cents worth of red, blue and green cellophane, an old phonograph motor and some plywood, local papers dug: around and learned that a number of Washingtonians have been doing the same thing for liibnths. Demand for colored cellophane is evidently mounting. The Washington Post surveyed thd situatiph and fouhd that seven WTOP engineers; Several employees of the FGC, and several Navy laboratory wprKers converted their sets at costs ranging from 30. cents to $5;87, dbpendihg on materials available, The Washington Star discovered a television serVicemah and it Bureau of Standards techniciah, who have been entertaining friends every evening since CBS has been broadcasting in color. The B of S man said six of his friends are building converters. ; .All those inteirviewed said it’s a simple thing to make a con- verter. “Anybody could do it/’ said one. /‘for almost nothing-’ provided one knows a little about the workings of television. hast September PCC engineers rigged Up a color converter at a cost of four dollars, and tuned in CBS colorcasts; M of this, was made; by Commissibrier Frieda Hennock in the early phases of the color hearings^ but the disclosure was given little; attention in the welter of industry testimony at the time -to the CBS system. ’Dr. Peter Goldmark, inVentpr of the CBS whifUn . gave a one-sehtence rep^^ herb recently to a question bn the ad- vantages of his/syrtem. “It works arid it’s chebp/’ he s^^ CBS meanwhile; is trying to ^ how big an audience its Color video demonstration program^ are gettirig: Spurred by activ- ities of TV -‘hams!- in building their own converters, the web liow sends put, announcements with its test shows requesting those who have built converters to write in. CBS says it will tUrn over data ■tovFCC." Washington, Jan. 24. f There are now about 4,000,000 television sets in the U. .S*. This is the estimate of the Radio Manu- facturers Assh. in its report on peceinber receiver output, which puts production for the year 1949 at more than 2,800,000 sets. RiVIA estimated 1948 turnout at 975,000 "sets.-^ ^ Last year’s output, it appeared, far surpassed %idustry expecta- tions that 2,000,000 receivers would be produced. The Conserviativeness pf the prophbtri was based on ber J lief that not more than that num-1 her of cathode ray tubes would ! be available. BUt the tube bottle-j neck was broken in the fall of the j year and production zoomed. While no dollar Valuations were given in RMA’^s rOport, simple “cal- culations showed that the public has iiow invested at leart/$1,000,- 000,000 in Tv receivers. . This figure is based on A*' average- rer tail cost of $250 per set, probably a low average considering higher prices of sets In 1948, and much of 1949. Nor does it include cost of installation, which was ai substan- tial item on most earlier types of sets. ■ Applying the $250 average to 1949 sales, it would appear that the public spent $700,000,000 last year for television sets. Despite factory emphasis bn video, production pf radio sets Was stil^l .^considerable, ampuntirig to over 10;000,000i This was about tvvo-thirds of the 1948 output arid about half the record turnout bf ,1947. ; Washihgton, Jan. 24. With its public color TV demon- strations here attracting national attention, CBS is now mulliug the idea of a ti’ump play to Wind up field tests of its system before FCC resumes its video hearings next month. While nothing definite has yet been arranged, it’s reported the web is considering public shpw- ings in New York, with a Broad- way locatioii to accommodate larger audiences, than can be squeezed into Its father limited quarters here, which hoi: about 500, lnclu(iihg standees, at brie time, Should the stunt, materializc, it would probably be staged for a week dr. 10 days prior: to tlie offi- cial comparative demonstrations of the yaripus systems (RCA, \C.BS and (GblOr, Television, Ihc.) to. be held here Feb. 23 in conjunefTon; with the final phases of the FCC color hearings. CBS has committed Hooper s TV Top Texaco Star Theatre . .. Talent Scouts ToAst of the Town ;. Godfrey and Friends Fireside Theatre Gilletfe Sports Stop the Miisic V Lone Ranger ;,. Ford Theatre The GoldbergA . ^ 4 » • ^ • • A .« • • ». 9 • • 4.4 * 10 .58.6 ;52,1 .46:9 ■ 42;5 40.3 ;37.4 .37.2 .36.1 ;35.1 .34.9 if., - Proposed transfer of all sCven Empire State Bldg, tower, which strations Feb. 8 in Atlanta arid any New York showings, therefore, would presumably follow this date; The current public demoristfationS Hollyvvpod, Jan. 24. An all-Negro Variety show is be- ing packaged for television by Mu- sic eprp. bf America. Agency will supply productipn staff and per- formers, with Bob “Smokey” Whit- field already biked to emcee the show. Thesp will soon do a. role iri Metro’s ^‘Right Cross.’' Show is as yet urisponsored. Addition by WOR-TV, N. Y., of three kid shows , and consequent axing of other airers points Up the high mortality rate of video stan- zas on the butlet. Of the 15 pro- granis with which the station took tp. the air thibe months ago, only Dodge MotPr Co. iriay be the, next autompbile manufacturer to j shift into high on television. Com- pany is now Gorisidering an KoUr- long variety show being pitched by the Music Corp. of America, Which calls for a time and talent: budget of $50,000, If the deal jells, the slvoAM vyill be aired on CflS-TV on an alternate week basis. Agency for Dodge; is Ruthrauff & Ryan. Program will combirie the for^ mats of the radio show formerly PVodueed by Howard Telchman for the American National ThCaitre and Academy And a projected package of indie producer Martin Gosch. Show is to be labeled “Make a Hit V'ith America,” title of Gosch’s package, in order to provide the (Continued on page 48) remain. The five “veteran” series of the 20 airers now on WOR’s sked are “Dinner at Sardi’s,” “What Hap- pens Now?’’ “Al Siegel’s Music Shop,” “Apartment 3 C” arid “Old Knick , Music ;Hall.”^ These have seen more ori less radical fbrmat Changes, such as “Apartment”: switching from a domestic cbmedy to a comedy With a whodimit ap- ;proach-; ■ While other stations have lauhched arid scrapped riew pro- jgrams, the drastic turnover at WOR reflects the fact that it has been ‘‘auditlprting” shows bn the aiL rather than pre-testirig therti. When the outlet preemed, OCt, 11, (Continued bn page 48) bufliont’s 2 New Sponsors DuMont televisibri this week AM’apped up sponsors for two shows which have, been aired on a. su.s-- taining basis for thc; ia$t beVeral months. Uriicbrn Press, publishers of Funk & Wagnall’s encyclopedia, bought the Friday night edition of George Putnam’s “HeadUne Glues” for 13 weeks, starting this Friday (27). Contract calls for cov- erage, pn WABD- N. Y.; WAAM; Baltimoi'e, and WTTO, , Washipg- ton.. . . Dictaphone Uorp: of N>. Y. start- ed sponsorship Monday (23) of Chuck “Manhattan Spot- light” for local coverage only of the N. Y. market. Show Is aired I Mondays from 7 :30 to 7:45 p.m. CBS Tells Macy> Washington^ Jan. 24. CBS color deinonstration programs in Washington Were put on the coaxial yesterday (Mon.) for the benefit of exec- utives of Macy’s and Baniber- Ager’s, W'ho Viewed the shows from Macy’s board rooih in New York. A color set Was installed by the web as a coiu'tesy to Bamberger’s, CBS said, for making available their, TV .stations in New York and Washington for test pur- eposes.-;;-;; It was learned; however, that Macy’s is considering the possibilities, of color video for advertising. in Washirigtori are;. scheduled to wind Up at the end of this month. The web, meanwhile, is Utilizing Its facilities here to obtain the greatest possible impact. Last night it showed its color to ah invited audience of senators, Cabi- net members, White House staffers. and Supreme Court jiidges. To- iribiTow ahd Thursday night show- ings wiU be held for members of the House of Represehtatives. Next Monday night it will entertain heads of the executive agencies. In all casek invitations include ri’ives;’ 10,090 Sec peihonstratioiis The demonstrations here have now been seen by about 10,000 people. So far, about 6,000 ques- tionnaires have been turned in. According to CBS bfficials, the re- sults bear out-rthe- re-tur-ns of- thri Washington^ Jari. 24.; NAB prexy Justin Miller whs ac- cused today (Tries.) by FCC Coira-^ riiissiorier Robert; Jones of joining those forces who arc allegedly try- ing to block color television. Miller’s attitude, J ones phhrged, lends support to beel’s by small broadcasters that ■ NAB “speaks for the ppWer segments of the indus- try.”'' .; In a hot exchange of letters fol- iowing Jories* speech last week iii; New York to the American Market- ing Assn., the Commissioner tore into Miller for aligning himself “With those w'ho wish td preserve an exeCusive hlack-and-white re- ceiver iriarket” and “who wish to lick color with hothing.” . He chal- lenged the NAB head, “as a real demonstration of good Taith/’ to call on the industry to answer questipris which witnesses have iaised aboitit color. Jones’ remarks were in reply to a letter from Miller commenting pn the Commissioner’s criticizing “industry attempts ; . . to use the Commission to eliminate " the nat- ural forces of competition between established black-and-white arid in- fant color.” Miller wrote Jdries he rigreed with his conclusion but that he would “resent , ,the Use of the power of Government to force as- sembly-line production, before the laborc.tpry work has been done, (Continued on page 46) would ease considerably the recep- tipn probteiri in the .metropolitan area, is believed unlikely;/despite the first movesmade in thM direc- tion this Aveek. ABC’s WJZ-TV is; scheduled to begin sharing the tower . before the end of this week with NB(/’s WNBT, which has held it exclusively until now,, and ne- gotiations are in the works for DuMpnt’s WABD arid the N. Y. Daily ^News’ WPIX to follow. Other thre e N; Y. stations, however, are expected to retain their pres- ent transmitter sites. Move of the other stations to the tower; was inade possible this week through the. signing of an agree- ment by NBC and Empire State, Inc., for construction of a new multiple-use tower atop the buildr With television network, station ing, highest in the world. Pro-; and agency execs participating, the jected cost of the; new tower, which j Television Broadcasters Assii.’s one- will add 199 feet tP the btiilding’s j day clinic at the Hotel Waldorf- height, will be over , $500,000, I Astoria, N. V., Feb, ;8,. is; expected which is to be shared by the sta- j to give broadcasters orie of their tions'using it. Plan.s fpr the edi- fice have not been okayed, which means eohstruetioh probably will not be completed until some time next year. WNBT's present 61 -foot antenna Will be taken dpWn but the station will operate on a temporary . best chances yet to kick around; video problems, Full schedule of speakers , was revealed this week by ABC veepce Charles (Bud) Barry, who wiir preside at the sessions. Young and Rubicam tele yeepee antenna meanwhile, ^ i Wiliiam Gillett is to kick off the . Of the three stations that have j discussions on “Program Prpduc- made no plaris yet^to share the tion Problems—Agency Style’’ and tower, WCBS-TV, the CBS outlet, : Klaus Landsber.g, mahager of iS' believed to, be the only possi- i RTLA. Hollywood, Will speak on bility. Web’s engineering veepee, ‘ local station production problems. William Lodge, declared this week that CBS has discussed it with Em- pire State execs but has not ma’de up its mind yet. He noted, though, that WCBS-TV has increased its power and improved its signal con- siderably during the last year, Session on buying and selling is (Continued on pagp 48r EVERYBODY’S OUT SATONNBG which would* indicate the web, is satisfied wUH Its preselit: antenna.| nbC, still trying td line up.the atop the Chrysler Bldg. ' requisite number of .participating i Tw o .Oth er station s, W^R-TV and 4,spQnsiM:s/fDX-rik_pcoj£Cl£iL twn-a ndr first 300 tabdlated which showed j each spent close to a-haU-hour Saturday night spread. about 90% of the viewers highly impressed 1 the systjem; Last week the web put oh sev- eral special colpreasts in addition $5d0,000 on, their transmitters in . this week put its top salc.smen on linpressed hy the performance of » resuU, th^eyjife,: fee .job/ cvcfgsm I not expected to move into trie Em-; Trammell, together vvith tele pire State plan. ; According • to ; veepee Sylvester L; (Pat» Weaver video engineers,: ;triere is little j and video sales chief George Frey j problem of one Ghanher iritefferi|ig I have been hitting the top agencies, j with another atop the tower, so indicatihg that plan.s for the show, • ° r, P’ rim that space,;.iinight be available on which it was rumored NBC^ was ence drawn fioni music, ai.t and lit- i Empire ■;State, for projected dropping, are still definitely in the ierary cirdes^ H earned its wnjora ! stations, when j equ^m^ to rn National^allwy ^ they are; bkayed by the FCC. of Art Thursday night, where far. ^ .• • mous masterpicce.s by Renoir. Ce- zanne, Fragonard and Van bogh were televised in color for the fir.St I time. Altbough as highbrow a pro- i gram as a TV audiehce, ha.s ever ■seen, observers felt the advantage TS. and w( Web this week refused to Com-i : ment on DuMont’.s/ allegations to i the FCC' that NBC is attempting j to monopolize network lime in lin- ing up stations for the Saturday night show. NBC filed its an.svVer to ’ the DuMont Charge.^ la.st week. r y :.r- *u- t .. Extending the juri.sdictipnal conr Ciaim.ing its pitch to affiliate: oiit- 01 .color \youid give ims- ‘■ypp; m trol of Broadway legit unions into lets was nothing more than an ex- subject ^att^- wide audience ai^ j yidep; theatrical wardrobe attend- tension of its standard affiiiatipn P? y J- ■ ! ants’ Local 764, International A1- ; contracts. FGC ha.s not yet acted Fin^y^ d^ector ^of the^ Galley, to g of theatrical Stage Em- on the charges, but NB(j, ;still try- [pieaict that color video, snouiq^^ p won its collective bargain- ing to sell the sliow, evidently he- r^dio has .done; i^g giggtiPn at CB^TV. Local 764 . lieyes the FCC will decide in its tor ^ • ihaS filed a petition with the Nation- favor. I On Sunday night, the weh colpr- al Labor Relations, Board for a Under NBC’s plan, \vhich w^?* cast a Catholic University Player.^’ at NBC. deVised by Weaver,; ;sponsors Will ! performance ^ of a one-act play by j a second electioii at CBS; ba^ pay Qiily for participating spots at fThpriitort Wilder. Previously, the/also resulted in a victory for various break-in points during trie same day, two outdoor progranis ; iAtSE T^ocal 798, repping makeup two-and-a-half hours. Thus^ while weie hroadcast from the iiniyersity j artists ahd Itair styli.sls. 'This local ; no sponsor Will be nicked for an campus, with John Nagy, illustra-/recently won in balloting conduct-1 entire segment. Viewers will ie- . tor; Betty Furness, film star, and l ed among NBG employees In that' ceive the impression that each is I (Continued on page 48) i category, I bankrblllng part of tile program.