Evening star., 1939-01-15
British TeIevision
Is Growing; 10000
Sets Now in Use
Broudcusts Received
100 Miles From
London Studio

LONDON, Jan. H., (N.A.N.A).-
The television service Of the British
Broadcasting Corporation recently
passed its second birthday ami
versary. Since regular programs be-
gan to be sent out daily from the
studio at Alexandra Palace in 1895,
the television staff has been dou-
bled, the cost of an average set has
fallen from approximately $470 to
$l85, and the time allotted to pro-
grams has risen from - to II or 18
hours a week.
1t is estimated that there are TO-
600 owners Of television sets in
Britain, with a potential audience
Of from 10000 to $4,000. Officially,
transmission from Alexandra Palace
cover a radius of only 80 miles, but
excellent pictures have been re-
eived at South Coast towns 60 to
10 miles away, and even at Norwich,
100 miles to the northeast.
The cheapest set on the market
costs $l20, but its screen Is very
small and most people pay $l85 or
more for their sets. Luxury models
with larger screens, suitable for re-
ception in clubs and public places,
cost about $1,250.
Studios in Victorian Setting.
The Alexandra Palace Is an Or
nate, Victorian building dominating
the heights of north London. The
B. B. c. has about a quarter Of the
vast building, and one passes from
the dark, cavernous, plaster statue
strewn depths of the old palace to
studios as blight and modern and
clean as the most up-to-date hos
pital.
The studio is similar in many
respects to film studio, only the
lighting is brighter and the space
more restricted. The producer
hovers in the background, waving
directions to his camera crew. And
that is one of the great differences
between television and films. A
film producer can take any amount
of time over a shot and have as
many retakes as he likes. A tele-
vision producer, though he may
have had preliminary rehearsal,
is actually working on his produc-
ton all the time it is being given
out to its unseen audience.
Long Plays Most Popular.
A guide was asked what were the
most popular items televised.
Long plays" he said, "and out
side broadcasts of national events.
We made big step forward when
we televised the coronation pro-
cession. Since then viewers have
seen the Armistice Day service at
the Cenotaph, the Lord Mayors
show, film-making at Pinewood and
Denham, the Trooping of the Colors,
the Wimbledon tennis matches, the
boat race, the circus at Olympia, the
Chelsea flower show, football matches
and the recent arrival in London OF
the King Of Rumania.
"A new step forward was taken
on November II, when we televised
the whole of j. B. Priestley's play,
When We Are Married. from the
London theater where it is being
performed"
For outside broadcasts, the B. B.
G. has mobile television unit, con-
sisting of three vehicles each about
the size of a large motor coach.
The most important of these con-
tains control room equipment SIM
liar to the control room at Alex
andra Palace. When a picture has
been obtained in the mobile control
room, it still has to be conveyed to
Alexandra Palace to be broadcast in
the usual way. For this purpose, the
General Post Office has laid a cable
in the center of London, which
passes points of interest from which
television broadcasts may be carried
out and is connected with Broad
casting House and thence with Alex
andra Palace. If the scene to be
televised is not on the route followed
by the television cable, a wireless
link is used to convey the picture
to Alexandra Palace. and for this
purpose complete ultra short
vision transmitter has been provided
in the second vehicle.
More Theater Broadcasts Likely.
Theater managers are cooperat-
ing with the B. B. c. in television
broadcasts of their shows and these
broadcasts are likely to increase. The
fllm studios, too, are ready to work
with television, but the film dis
tributorS are at present against the
idea of their feature pictures being
televised, and the B. B. G. has had
to experiment with French films,
though news reels, and short interest
pictures are frequently televised.
One of the most ambitious plays
to be televised was "Cyrano de
Bergerac." Nearly every week, one
or two full-length plays are televised.
They are shortened little and
usually run from one to one and a
half hours.
Ballet has been found a popular
television item, and the Vic-Wells
Ballet and the various Russian
ballets visiting London have all been
seen by viewers. Modern dances are
demonstrated before the television
cameras, new dress fashions are
shown of, gardening lessons are
given from a small garden in the
Palace grounds; and close-ups of
baby animals from the ZOO are q
popular item.
Copyright, 1889, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, 1nc)