Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NAB LIBRARY ""“"Television Digest with The authoritative service for executives in all branches of the television arts & industries OCTOBER 14, 1963 NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 41 SUMMARY-INDEX OF WEEK^S NEWS Broadcast NEW CATV FOE-RECEIVING ANTENNAMAKERS-form 'TAME' to subdue growth of cable systems. Plan franchisefights, PR & lobbying program in Washington; seek help of NAB, TOA, et al. (p. 1). SHAPE OF REVISED UHF ALLOCATIONS, as prepared for FCC consideration this week. Some 400 ETV assignments to be added, very few other changes in works. Staff dubious about uhf for airborne operations, leans toward 2, 500-mc service (p. 2). NETWORKS REPORT ON DROPOUTS vis-a-vis ratings, forwarded by FCC to House committee. Conclusions: Poor raters lose out. More analysis being prepared by Commission (p. 3). |NAB-RAB ONLY STEP AWAY ON RADIO STUDY: Decision from NAB Research Committee, favoring co-direction of methodology study, is expected momentarily, following liaison committee meeting. NAB would contribute, in stages, $75,000 of needed $200,000 (p. 3). SEVILLE ASSAILS PAY TV: Says fewer than 10% of families could afford it, believes it would carry commercials anyway. Stanton urges academic community to support industry's freedom fight (p. 4). Consumer Electronics DISCOUNT 'MINUTEMEN' MAP QS FIGHT: Newly formed Committee for Competitive Prices describes itself as 'emergency group' to defeat Quality Stabilization legislation, already has received pledges for 'a good percentage' of $125,000 war chest (p. 7). FLAT COLOR TUBE being shipped commercially for oscilloscope use by Video Color Corp., which plans 3 -color tube for home TV, less than 4-in. thick (p. 8). COLOR TUBE CRISIS may blunt Christmas sales, as industry gasps for more tubes; no major quantities due this year from Sylvania, Rauland or National Video; no other tube makers seen entering market next year (p. 8) . TV IMPORTS ROSE again in Aug. , setting record and totaling nearly 10% of domestic output; transistor radio shipments from Japan fall off 38% in first drop; Japan approves minimum TV export prices (p. 10). RCA'S RECORD 0 MONTHS: Profits boom 29% to peak $44.2 million on 4% sales gain to $1,314 billion high; Sarnoff & Engstrom forecast record 1963, point to Jan.Sept. 70% profit gain by NBC and 65% rise in distributor sales of color sets, predict color will become billion dollar industry next year (p. 11). NEW CATV FOE— RECEIVING ANTENNA MAKERS: Quite surprising new organized opposition to CATV— very well concealed heretofore— has arisen from makers of receiving antennas. Makers of more than 80% of antennas have banded into "TAME”, meaning "Television Accessory Manufacturers Institute." (They decided TAME was more "euphonious" than "TAMI".) Purpose of group is simple: Stop growth of CATV. Not formally organized yet, group has as principal spokesmen Morton Leslie, sales mgr. of JFD Electronics Corp., and L. H. Finneburgh Jr., pres, of Finney Co. Group makes no bones about its self-interest— that CATV cuts into sales of antennas, 20% a year, according to some estimates— but it asserts that public interest is being harmed by recent developments in CATV. We talked at some length with Leslie, and he said group will work in 3 ways: (1) "In-field effort" —opposing grants of new franchises in new communities. (2) Public relations— establishing Washington office to work for regulation of CATV. (3) Joint efforts with others— seeking cooperation of NAB, TOA, any other groups. "For 10 years," said Leslie, "CATV has made sense, bringing TV to communities which couldn't get it. But now, they're moving into other cities, misrepresenting what they can do. "We've been successful, individually, in opposing the granting of franchises in several cities, such as Daytona Beach & Ocala, Fla., and Brunswick, Ga. We stopped them in Fayetteville, N. C. , Copyright 1963, by Television Digest, Inc. Reproduction in any form, without written permission, prohibited.