Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOL. 16: No. 2 23 GOVT. ELECTRONICS FORECAST: “Excellent” is the outlook for all electronics in 1960, according to the Commerce Dept.’s Business & Defense Services Administration, in a report prepared under the supervision of electronics chief Donald S. Parris. BDSA envisions all electronics achieving a $10 billion total for the first time in history — with consumer products rising from 1959’s $1.95 billion to $2.2 billion. Black-&-white TV is seen rising, but at a slower rate than last year. The bullish factors are agressive promotion of sets with advanced styling, new 19-in. & 23-in. tubes, population growth, new households. Bearish: “The recognized near-saturation of the market for ‘first’ sets.” Home radio sales are also expected to rise at a rate slower than in 1959, but it’s anticipated that American producers will counter Japanese penetration “with more automated production, vigorous promotion and competitive pricing.” Auto radio is expected to increase, but at a slower rate than the anticipated 20% increase in cars — because fewer small cars have radios. Continued growth is anticipated for stereo, tape, hi-fi components. Military electronics is expected to rise 15%, commercial & industrial 10%, tubes 5-6% (picture tubes 4%), semiconductor devices 30%, components 12%. The reasons for electronics’ bright 1960 outlook, according to BDSA: “The very favorable prospects for the economy as a whole, the rising trend in consumer spending, the continued need for more sophisticated weaponry, the rapidly expanding space programs, and the increased demand for more efficient time & labor-saving equipment in commerce & industry.” * * * Two more predictions by industry leaders, received last week, complete our roundup of forecasts of the home electronics outlook (for other opinions, see Vol. 15:51 pl5). GE TV receiver dept. gen. mgr. Herbert Riegelman: The ’60s will be outstanding for the TV industry. Retail sales of TV sets may well reach 6.4 million in 1960. Three dynamic factors which were first felt in 1959 will influence TV sales to an even greater degree in the next decade: the growing demand for individualized sets, the yet untapped replacement market and vast new technical improvements in reception & transmission techniques. Hoffman consumer products vp-gen. mgr. Ray B. Cox: New developments & innovations in products as well as the general upturn in business should enable TV & stereo hi-fi phonograph sales to show increases in 1960 over 1959. Other factors that brighten the 1960 TV sales outlook are an expected increase in the TV replacement market and the traditionally higher sales in an election year. An innovation that is expected to have as heavy an impact on industry TV sales in 1960 as did the 23-in. tube in 1959 will be the introduction of the 19-in. tube in 1960. Factory production of TV receivers in 1960 should reach 6.3 million units. Stereo sales should also increase because the public is becoming better informed. As for Hoffman, we expect significantly higher sales in both TV and stereo in 1960. We expanded our national distribution substantially during the past year and expect to continue expansion at the distributor and dealer level. We expect Hoffman TV sales in 1960 to be 30% higher than in 1959. Our TV sales in 1959 were up 39% over 1958 sales. Sales of Hoffman stereo hi-fi equipment during 1959 were up 39% from 1958 and we predict another 25% increase in 1960. We also expect increased popularity for TV-radio-stereo home entertainment units. trade Personals: Leonard C. Truesdell, Zenith mktg. exec, vp, named pres, of Zenith Sales Corp., new wholly owned marketing subsidiary for TV-radio-stereo and parts & accessories in U.S. & abroad. Other officers of the new marketing company are Clifford J. Hunt, vp-distribution; Erik Isgrig, vp-advertising; John A. Miguel, vp-export . . . George W. Chane, ex-finance & management engineering vp, appointed to new post of RCA vp for finance & administration. James R. Oberly promoted from appliances vp. Admiral Corp., to international operations vp and chmn. of Admiral International Corp. & its subsidiary companies, a new post. B. H. Melton promoted from appliance div. national sales mgr. to succeed Oberly as appliances vp . . . Albert G. Nelson named Magnavox asst, treas. Henri Busignies promoted from ITT Labs pres, to vp & gen. technical dir. of parent ITT; I. Nevin Palley, exTemco Aircraft, succeeds Busignies as ITT Labs pres., and becomes also pres, of ITT Federal div.; A. G. Kandoian promoted from vp-communication systems to vp & gen. mgr., ITT Labs; P. C. Sandretto promoted from vp & technical dir.. Labs, to deputy group exec.-U.S. defense group; E. J. Whalen named contract admin, dir., defense group. Chester J. Antognoli named Standard Coil sales vp . . . W. W. Bullock promoted from vp-mgr., RCA Victor commercial records creation dept., to new post of vp-mgr., mkt. service & business affairs, succeeded in his former position by Robert L. Yorke, ex-West Coast operations mgr. . . . Leslie D. Catlin appointed management services dir., Stromberg-Carlson electronics div.; David Y. Keim named engineering dir. . . . Mario A. DeMatteo, ex-CornellDubilier Electric Corp., named gen. sales mgr.. Pyramid Electric Co. (capacitors & rectifiers). Barnard I. Belasco appointed ad & sales promotion mgr., Raytheon semiconductor div. . . . Gail K. Pinkstaflf, ex-Master Photo Dealers’ & Finishers’ Assn., Jackson, Mich., named exec, vp & managing dir., NARDA, succeeding A. W. Bernsohn (Vol. 15:49 p21) . . . Roderic L. O’Connor, pres, of Eidophor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ciba States Ltd., elected a dir. of Ciba States Ltd. and Ciba Pharmaceutical Products . . . C. Carver Pope elected to new post of personnel vp, Clevite Corp. . . . Vincent (Tom) O’Brien named Emerson NE regional mgr., military mktg. R. Burton Power Jr., former chief scientist in the office of U.S. Chief of Ordnance, elected Tung-Sol engineering vp . . . Kenneth A. Hoagland, ex-DuMont Labs, named to new post of engineering dir., Thomas Electronics . . . D. L. Richter named mgr., recording, RCA Victor Record div. . . . Charles A. Parry named head of telecommunications directorate set up by Northrop’s Page Communications engineers to supervise project engineering and research & development . . . James Y. Nishimura, ex-Audio Labs and ex-Jerrold, named CATV systems & components mgr. of Intercontinental Electronics Corp., Mineola, N.Y. . . . William N. Krebs, chief of FCC marine radio div. who started govt, radio service with Navy Dept, in 1926, retires. Herbert H. Hughes named acting administrator. Business & Defense Services Administration, succeeding Horace B. McCoy, who resigned after 40 years with govt, to become pres, of Trade Relations Council of the U.S., 19 W. 44th St., N.Y. . . . John R. Collins named chief of components & military applications branch, electronics div.. Business & Defense Services Admin., U.S. Dept, of Commerce. He was chief, electronics & scientific equipment section, industrial, scientific & technical div.. Bureau of Foreign Commerce.