Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

10-TELEVISION DIGEST NOVEMBER 4, 1963 8-MONTH SALES FIGURES; Official Aug. sales & production data for TV, radio & phonos, released last week by EIA, confirmed earlier preliminary reports carried in these pages (Vol. 3:38 p9, 42, p8). While unofficial data already indicate that Sept, was best TV sales month in at least 7 years (Vol. 3:42 p8), and set manufacturers say good business continued through Oct., official statistics show that Aug. TV sales were hot, too. Excluding color sets and not counting b&w sets 11-in. & under, EIA figures show Aug. TV sales to dealers were 6% higher than in Aug. 1962, while 8-month total stood about 1% above last year's rate. TV production figures disclose that all-channel output in Aug. was slightly more than double the year-ago figure, and for the 8 months it ran 72% ahead of last year. All-channel set output in Aug. was 16% of total TV production, up from 9% in Aug. 1962; for 8 months, all-channel was 14% of total output compared with 8% in same 1962 period. For first time this year, radio sales to dealers exceeded comparable 1962 month in Aug. (but by very small margin). This isn't considered cause for wild rejoicing— since Aug. 1962 was the month current radio slump started. For first 8 months of year, radio sales are running 16% behind 1962. Preliminary reports for Sept, indicate sales were 10-11% below comparable 1962 month. Radio continues to have 2 very bright spots— FM & auto. FM output in Aug. was 22% above year-ago figure, while 8-month total was 41% ahead of last year. In Aug., FM comprised 15% of total domestic radio output (excluding auto radio), up from 12% in Aug. 1962. For 8 months, FM was 14% of total non-auto radio production, compared with 8% in 1962 period. Car radio output was 15% above 1962 in Aug., up 11% for 8 months. Phono business didn't quite come up to record month of Aug. 1962— but it came darn close. In Aug. 1963, distributor-to-dealer phono sales were 2% below comparable 1962 month, while factory sales were down 3%. Total 8-month sales at both levels were up 15% from 1962. Aug. sales were heavier than usual in portable department. Here are latest EIA figures, to which we have added 1962 comparisons (TV data do not include sets 11-in. & smaller): xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PHONO DISTRIBUTOR SALES 1963 1962 Port. & Port. & Month Table Console Total Table Console Totol Jonuory. . . 204,073 112,452 316,525 115,998 103,730 219,728 Februory . . 192,858 137,114 329,792 130,104 109,316 239,420 Morch .... 211,745 134,407 346,152 173,056 126,201 299,257 April . . . . 169,478 77,252 246,730 129,175 72,017 201,192 Moy 129,535 75,513 205,208 136,405 59,159 195,564 June . . . . 215,036 100,007 315,043 203,670 70,856 274,526 July 211,645 87,336 298,981 214,007 78,293 292,300 August . . . 283,061 124,287 407,348 281,762 135,026 416,788 TOTAL. . 1,617,431 848,368 2,465,799 1,384,177 754,598 2,138,775 PHONO FACTORY SALES 1963 1962 Port. & Port. & Month 1 oble Console Total Table Console Totol January. . . 205,955 135,741 341,696 137,090 122,469 259,559 February. . 190,352 149,923 340,275 130,495 124,917 255,412 March .... 200,571 129,142 329,713 166,408 132,075 298,483 April .... 165,016 76,190 241,206 120,793 62,309 183,102 Moy 123,486 62,723 186,209 132,749 54,543 187,292 June 305,946 149,253 455,199 247,932 135,605 383,537 July 230,282 106,766 337,048 220,196 90,197 310,393 August , . . 300,661 125,779 426,440 293,225 148,230 441,455 TOTAL. . 1,722,269 935,517 2,657,786 1,448,888 870,345 2,319,233 TV.RADIO DISTRIBUTOR SALES Blaclc'&-I"lhite TV Rodio (ejtcl. onto) Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 Jonuory 503,821 465,836 453,348 562,869 February 535,999 521,275 616,036 697,893 Morch 601,79 7 580,876 818,510 917,236 April 395,166 364,742 637,443 809,499 Moy 378,215 310,799 598,410 772,479 June 541,810 480,510 811,923 1,040,598 July 448,441 449,528 698,043 921,089 August 549,421 518,451 849,274 848,881 TOTAL 3,954,670 3,692,017 5,482,987 6,570,544 BLACK-i.WHITE TELEVISION PRODUCTION Total All-Channel Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 Jonuory 484,415 488,869 58,032 39,609 Februory 557,931 541,494 63,713 46,715 Morch 696,435 659,251 76,481 48,323 April 548,637 510,587 70,405 51,107 Moy 507,499 4 74,647 57,208 39,409 June 665,004 620,653 107,500 50,283 July 384,291 336,409 75,589 28,359 August 565,198 500,693 90,457 44,862 TOTAL 4,409,410 4,132,60 5 599,385 348, 66^ RADIO PRODUCTION Totol Auto Rodio FM Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 1963 1962 Jonuory. 1,229,507 1,350,630 594,505 530,589 87,641 76,510 Februory 1,389,652 1,464,797 657,691 480,232 75,544 84,216 Morch. . 1,568,381 1,810,417 677,613 607,510 100,940 81,010 April . . 1,359,769 1,472,654 596,899 519,296 102,208 63,193 Moy . . . 1,384,063 1,444,074 555,812 504,846 119,756 62,292 June . . 1,653,866 1,721,873 670,106 629,004 154,818 92,287 July... 990,605 1,134,250 331,816 4 03,946 120,825 68,037 August . 1,252,878 1,253,753 489,327 427,747 119,963 98,609 TOTAL. 10,828,721 11,652,448 4,573,768 4,103,170 881,695 626,154 Olympic's TV shipments for year's first 9 months were 27% ahead of same 1962 period, Pres. Morris Sobin announced last week. In Sept., he said, TV shipments were 40% ahead of 1962 month, paced by portables & combinations, while hi-fi sales were up 60%, with portables accounting for "substantial portion of the increase." TV shipments Oct. 1-16, he added, equaled total for entire month of Oct. 1962. Electronic Parts Distributor Show for 1964 will be held May 18-20 at Chicago's Conrad Hilton Hotel, it was announced by Show Corp. Pres. J. A. Milling, of Howard W. Sams & Co. Three management executives— merchandise mgr. , special markets sales mgr., TV product mgr.— are being sought by Sylvania Home & Commercial Electronics Corp. through display ads in trade publications.