Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 35 TELEVISION DIGEST-7 C onsumex* Electronics • • • • MANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTION, FINANCE ADMIRAL SHIPPING 11-IN. TINYVISION: Admiral's 11-in. personal portable is now in large-scale production and shipments have begun— joining GE's hot-selling set of same size on the new U. S. -made tinyvision market— as first predicted in these pages last Jan. (Vol. 3:4 p8). Company had promised its set would be "competitive" with GE's— and indeed it is, down to last penny. Price leader is $99. 95, with step-up at $109. 95, exactly same as GE's 2 low-end 11-in. personal portables. But this is about only similarity. Where GE stresses it has developed radically new "no-chassis” circuit. Admiral's big selling-point is that it is virtually a scaled-down version of maker' larger sets, using "same time-proven circuitry." Presumably because of this concept and because, in words of Admiral electronics Vp A. A. Medica, "far more than normal strength has been engineered into this TV," Admiral's set is slightly larger & heavier than GE's. Admiral set weighs 14 1/2 lb. vs. GE's 12 3/4; dimensions are 12 5/8-in. high, 13 5/8 wide, 9 7/8 deep, while GE set measures 10 3/8-in. high, 14 tapering to 10-in. wide, 9 7/8-in. deep. Admiral's $99.95 set has 14,000-volt horizontal chassis, monopole antenna, side-mounted tuner, beige polypropylene cabinet. Step-ups have 2-tone finish, featuring silver-gold and black, red, sungold or white, frontmounted channel indicator, earphone & jack. GE's 11-in. portable got new & unpredicted boost, meanwhile, when Sept, issue of influential Consumer Reports gave it generally favorable review. GE is now in production of 2 more 11-in. models which had been delayed as result of big demand for $99. 95 & $109. 95 sets— desk-top or table model at $119. 95 and bedside clock-TV-radio at $149. 95. Industry will watch tinyvision sales closely this fall to see whether bloom comes off— whether there's room for only one or two makes, whether it's a fad or whole new field. No matter what they discover, it's pretty safe bet that Admiral & GE will have U. S. -made tinyvision field all to themselves at least through Christmas. ACTION TO EASE ALL-CHANNEL TRANSITION: With "U-Day" less than 8 months away, there's one slight glimmer of hope that all confusion & dislocation can be completely avoided. This is possibility of congressional elimination of 10% manufacturers' excise tax on all -channel sets, which, in effect, would nullify price increases forced by addition of uhf tuners. There's only outside chance for passage of this exemption legislation— and it would require massive lobbying job, an area where TV manufacturers have never been very effective. Nevertheless, there's some reason to believe exemption legislation has better chance now than ever, FCC Comr. Robert E. Lee, chairman of govt, -industry Committee for Full Development of AllChannel Broadcasting (CAB), has earned himself title of "the set maker's friend" on the FCC, as result of his efforts to smooth transition to aD channel. "It's ironic," Lee told us last week, "that I was the only commissioner to vote against the all -channel proposal, and yet I have been delegated to police it." Lee will ask FCC to put excise-tax exemption on its list of recommended legislation when it meets on its legislative program this month. "I think the Commission will buy it," he said. "We have much more persuasive arguments for Congress than we ever had before." Key to excise -tax exemption's chances is position of the administration, as expressed by Treasury Dept. In past. Treasury has always opposed measure, but there's some hope it may soften its stand this time. James D. Secrest, EIA exec, vp-secy. and head of CAB' s information committee, also feels there's better chance for excise tax exemption than ever before. Situation this time is unique, he points out, in that Congress passed law which in effect raises TV set prices, and it now has it within its power to bring those prices down by removing excise tax. In recent weeks, Comr. Lee has visited nearly all major TV set manufacturers. He told us he found 2 areas of extreme concern about all-channel law: (1) Fear that competitors will evade "spirit