Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

18 JUNE 20, 1960 ‘Boycott Japan/ Urges Siragusa: “A counter-demonstra tion to the cancellation of the Japanese govt.’s invitation to President Eisenhower” in the form of a boycott of Japanese products was urged last week by Admiral Pres. Ross Siragusa at an Admiral dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Japanese imports have cost American workers more than 500,000 jobs, including 60,000 in electronics, he said. “While it is true that the dollar volume of Japanese purchases from the U.S. is great, these purchases are primarily of raw materials which do not involve much labor.” Rep. Hosmer (R-Cal.) then called for a temporary boycott, saying he’ll refrain from buying Japanese goods until July 4, inviting all Americans to join him. “I take this course,” he said, “regretting its necessity and with the emphatic expression that it is not to be construed in derogation of the vast majority of the Japanese people who are as dedicated as we are to good relationships between us.” No consumer reaction to anti-American rioting in Japan was reported by importers or buying offices in N.Y., according to the merchandising publication Home Furnishings Daily at week’s end. A June 17 roundup story indicated some importers were concerned lest there be some “temporary hostility” toward Japanese goods, but there were no signs of any increased consumer resistance. * ♦ * Foreign invasions of U.S. markets would be studied by a 12-man Presidential commission under a proposal (S. J. Res. 208) by Senate Minority Leader Dirksen (R-Ill.). He said such a survey should come up with recommendations for “a trade policy which in some measure equalizes the disadvantages under which U.S. producers now operate.” Among disadvantages cited by Dirksen: Lower foreign wage rates, use of American technology “which we have so freely exported,” depreciation allowances favoring foreign producers, export aids. The White House commission, representing industry, labor, agriculture, the public and the govt., would file a report to Congress by July 31, 1961, under terms of the Dirksen resolution. Co-sponsors of the measure — all Republicans — included Sens. Hickenlooper (la.), Wiley (Wis.), Hruska (Neb.), Cotton (N.H.), Dworshak (Ida.), Bush (Conn.), Keating (N.Y.), Aiken (Vt.), Javits (N.Y.), Prouty (Vt.), Bennett (Utah), Scott (Pa.), Bridges (N.H.), Saltonstall (Mass.), Schoeppel (Kan.), Smith (Me.), Case (N.J.), Carlson (Kan.). • ♦ * RCA will open research lab in Japan “to conduct fundamental studies in the physics & chemistry of solids.” The new organization, known as Laboratories RCA Inc., will be housed in a building now under construction in Tokyo. Director will be Dr. Martin C. Steele, now on the staff of RCA Labs. RCA International dir. of license operations M. E. Karns emphasized that the organization will deal only in basic research and “will not be concerned in any way with engineering development for the manufacture of electronic equipment.” It’s understood that Dr. Victor H. Fraenkel of GE Research Lab has been in Japan to study possibilities of setting up research facilities there. Sonotone Corp. may be acquired by Thompson Ramo Wooldridge if “preliminary discussions” bear fruit, according to Sonotone Chmn.-Pres. Irving I. Schachtel. Sonotone makes hearing aids, miniature tubes, nickel-cadmium batteries and hi-fi components. Among TRW’s divisions are Dage TV and Bell Sound Systems. Loudspeaker Innovation: A flat speaker which can double as a microphone and is adaptable to many new designs was demonstrated last week at the Emerson distributor convention by Pres. Benjamin Abrams. Invented by Dr. Robert R. Gamzon of Weizmann Institute in Israel, the device can be used in almost any shape, size or form, according to Abrams. For example, he suggested a “picture-frame of sound” to be hung on the wall, a shirt-button-size hearing-aid pickup or wrist-watch radio speaker. As demonstrated to distributors, a 16-in. model was only % of an inch thick. A microphone the size of a silver dollar was also shown. Dr. Gamzon said the thin speakers can be made for extremely high-quality reproduction — with less than 1% distortion. The speaker was said to operate on a combination of electrostatic & electromagnetic principles, consists of 2 flat metal discs with printed-circuit magnets between them. There is no cone. Cost may be less than that of conventional speakers, according to Abrams. The device was developed under a joint grant by Emerson and French interests; Abrams said Emerson has exclusive Western Hemisphere rights. “Initial development phase” is over, he added, and his company hopes to have production models within a year. Trade Personals: Frederick Holzer, International Stand ard Electric executive & former Servel official, named dir. of consumer mktg. (see p. 14), one of 3 new international marketing posts created by ITT; John J. Bassett, ISE vp, named dir. of telecommunications mktg.; Burrell A. Parkhurst, pres, of ITT’s components div., named dir. of components mktg. Harry C. Chrabot, former auto dealer, named mgr. of Motorola’s new dealer development services plan, with responsibility for sales training of the company’s distributor & dealer organizations . . . Harold F. Cook named Tung-Sol mktg. services mgr. . . . Dr. Robert L. Tanner named mgr., Stanford Research Institute electromagnetics lab . . . Arthur L. Rossoff, technical dir. of Radio Receptor’s advanced development lab, named divisional vp; Charles Hittner promoted from engineering staff dir. to div. vp & chief staff engineer, engineering products div. . . . Kenneth R. Harkins, ex-counsel of House Judiciary Anti-Trust Subcommittee, appointed a senior legal asst, to StrombergCarlson vp-counsel Edward Diamond. Donald Price named Sylvania Home Electronics ad & sales promotion mgr., succeeding Charles R. Lunney, resigned; Richard Stafford resigns as mktg. administrator . . . Samuel L. Baraf, elected pres, of United Transformer Co.; Henry Russell elected vp, continuing as gen. sales mgr. . . . P. Eugene Laliberte named Stromberg-Carlson electronics div. mktg. dir. . . . Richard P. Thornton named gen. mgr., Amphenol-Borg packaged electronics div . . . Joseph Roberts, ex-RCA, appointed chief engineer of Industrial Transmitters & Antennas Inc., Lansdowne, Pa., FM & communications equipment mfr. Excise tax rates applied to manufacturers who base prices partly on charges for local advertising for nationally-distributed products would be clarified under technical bills (HR-12536 & HR-12537). Introduced by Chmn. Mills (D-Ark.) & Rep. Mason (R-Ill.) of the House Ways & Means Committee, the measures are intended to make interpretations of excise rules uniform.