Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

10-TELEVISI0N DIGEST DECEMBER 30, 1963 TV, RADIO SALES UP: TV sales showed strongest increase over 1962 for any month so far in Oct. , while phonos registered biggest decline and radio indicated slight improvement. This is mixed picture shown by official EIA sales & production figures for Oct. and first 10 months of 1962. TV business continued to zoom toward all-time record, as black-& -white sales to dealers in Oct. came out more than 14% ahead of Oct. 1962, bringing 10 -month total to nearly 8% above comparable year-ago period. Actual increase is greater than figures indicate, since tinjrvision is not included in EIA figures this year. Allchannel set production in Oct. 1963 was 16% of total, compared with 11% in Oct. 1962. For 10 months, allchannel sets constituted 14% of total TV output. Radio sales to dealers showed slight increase over comparable 1962 month in Oct. for 3rd month in row— up about 1.8% for the month— but for first 10 months of year radio sales were lagging 1962 by more than 13%. FM sets constituted 13% of total racUo output (except auto) in Oct. , with FM output up 10. 5% from Oct. 1962 and up 30% for 10-month period. Car radio production in Oct. soared 32% above Oct, 1962. Phono sales, subject of concern in industry, dipped in Oct, by 7% at distributor -to-dealer level and by 12% at factory level, as compared with Oct. 1962. Year-todate distributor sales were 8% ahead of 1962, factory sales 9% ahead. Here are EIA 10-month figures; TV-RAOlO DISTRIBUTOR SALES 1 Black & White TV Radio (excl. auto) Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 January 503,821 465,836 453,348 562,869 February 535,999 521,275 616,036 697,893 March 601,797 580,876 818,510 917,236 April 395,166 364,742 637,443 809,499 May ' 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 September 803,521 731,100 1,133,464 1,255,346 October . 699,840 611,763 1,081,663 1,063,014 TOTAL 5,428,031 5,034,880 7,698,114 8,888,904 BLACK& WHITE TELEVISION PRODUCTION Total All-Channel Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 January 484,415 488,869 58,032 39,609 February 557,931 541,494 63,713 46,715 March 696,435 659,251 76,481 48,323 April 548,637 510,587 70,405 51,107 :May 507,499 474,647 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 September 779,405 731,517 133,265 70,299 October 630,091 569,966 100,987 66,059 TOTAL 5,818,906 5,434,086 833,637 485,025 RADIO PRODUCTION Total Auto Radio FM Month 1963 1962 1963 1962 1963 1962 January 1,229,507 1,350,630 594,505 530,589 87,641 76,510 February 1,389,652 1,464,797 657,691 480,232 75,544 84,216 March 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 May 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 1,134,250 331,816 403,946 120,825 68,037 August 1,252,878 1,253,753 489,327 427,747 119,963 98,609 September 2,103,447 2,196,371 952,129 887,104 176,260 165,433 October 1,962,124 1,835,914 894,604 675,680 165,188 149,554 TOTAL 14,894,292 15,684,733 6,420,501 5,665,954 1,223,143 941,141 PHONO DISTRIBUTOR SALES 1963 1%2 Month Port. & Table Console Total Port. & Table Console Total January 204,073 112,452 316,525 115,998 103,730 219,728 February 192,858 137,114 329,792 130,104 109216 239,420 March 211,745 134,407 346,152 173,056 126201 299257 April 169,478 77,252 246,730 129,175 72,017 201,192 May 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 78293 292200 August 283,061 124,287 407,348 281,762 135,026 416,788 September 413,003 178,691 591,694 413,727 182286 5%, 013 October 412,174 153,136 565J10 432,776 176,439 609215 TOTAL 2,442,608 1,180,195 3,622,803 2230.680 1.113223 3244,403 PHONO FACTORY SALES 1963 1962 Month Port. & Table Console Total Port & Table Console Total January 205,955 135,741 341,696 137,090 122,469 259,559 February 190,352 149,923 340275 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 May 123,486 62,723 186,209 132,749 54243 187292 June 305,946 149,253 455,199 247,932 135,605 383,537 July 230,282 106,766 337,048 220,1% 90,197 310293 August 300,661 125,779 426,440 293225 148230 441,455 September 490,319 212,372 702,691 486,459 201,895 688.354 October 493,547 173,418 666,965 508,130 180,954 689.084 TOTAL 2,706,135 1,321,307 4,027,442 2,443,477 1253,194 3.696271 RCA has no plans to pull out of Camden, N. J. area, Pres. Elmer W. Engstrom & Group Elxec. Vp Arthur L. Malcarney told meeting of state's U. S. legislators, including Sens. Case (R) & Williams (D), Persistent reports that company will move from Camden are without foundation, they said. Reports mount in wake of layoffs caused by sag in defense business. Legislators & RCA executives agreed to intensify efforts to get more defense business for Camden area. Nov. was not great month for sales of either b&w TV or radio. Preliminary figures indicate TV sales to dealers only slightly higher than Nov. 1962, while radio sales were 28% below those of corresponding 1962 month. Effect of national mourning for Pres. Kennedy was not reflected in figures, since EIA’s statistical month of Nov. ended Nov. 22, day of assassination (for official Oct. figures, see above). Hitachi Ltd., Japan's largest electrical-electronics manufacturer, has asked Japanese govt, to approve U. S. consumer products sales subsidiary, Hitachi Sales Corp., in Los Angeles, to be capitalized initially at $500, 000. New firm would work through regional distributors, including Sampson Co., Chicago, which has been exclusive U. S. importer & distributor for Hitachi consumer electronics lines. Color tlnjrvlsion Is promised for 1964 by Mitsubishi, whose sinyjle announcement of 6-in. color set to sell in Japan at atout $225 has aroused interest among U. S. manufacturers. In Tokyo, Mitsubishi said set is in pilot production stage, may be exported to U. S. by late 1964. Company said marketing would start next May, but revealed no other details. GE has settled 3 anti-trust damage suits with total $10.7 million payments to Consolidated Edison ($5.8 million), Middle South Utilities ($2, 6 million), Niagara Mohawk Power ($2. 3 million). Suits were aftermath of ^ electrical price-fixing conspiracy case.