Evening star., 1949-07-17


the Federal Communications Com
missions announcement of a new
ultra a-high-frequency television
channels has made you hesitant
about buying a video receiver. A
number of problems remain to be
worked out before any station
takes the air on channel 3S, the
one tentatively assigned to the
Washington area.
First, operating standards must
be set and the general pattern of
the assignment of new frequencies
must be approved. These and
other technical details will be
taken up at FEC hearings sched-
uled to start next month. 1t prob
ably will be six months and pos
sibly next spring, before the results
of the public hearings emerge as a
set of standards for UHF tele-
vision.
Undoubtedly this will have to
be done before the FEC can take
up applications for the new chan
nels. Getting action on the appli-
cation. getting construction
permit. lining up materials and
constructing the broadcasting
plant are time consuming opera
tions. Two years is the shortest
estimate of the length Of time that
will pass before new UHF video
station could be on the local air.
1t is likely that 1t will be longer
than that, since there are tech
nical problems as well as admin
istrative ones. Tests have tndi-
Gated that more satisfactory trans
mitter tubes must be perfected.
Also, it is not likely that any one
will start telecasting In the UHF'
band until an audience is there,
which means that new receivers
and converters for old receivers
must be developed.
The engineers already have con-
quered the design Of UHF trans
mitters and receivers, but num-
ber of reflnements must be made
before they are commercially
practical. A number of additional
facts also must be learned about
the nature of radio waves in the
UHF band. Two years, at least,
and possibly three, is the con-
sensus on the time required for
this additional technical study.
All of this indicates, Of course,
that your present television set
will not be made obsolete. since
engineers are sure that improved
converters, moderately priced,
will be available when the new
channels are made ready for COM
mercial use. Also. 1t is expected
that all TV stations now operat-
ing, will stay In the present fire.
quency band.
incidentally, the apparent FEC
attitude on color TV also is reas-
suring to present-day televiewers.
1t seems to be the FEC thought
right now that no color system
shall be approved unless its signal
also can be received rs black
and-white picture on sets now in
use.
If you wondered what the effect
might be of the recent FEC an
nouncement that 1t was too busy
with television to police the give
away shows, the answer has not
been long in coming. From all re-
ports, next seasons givaways will
do to last seasons what last sea-
sons did to the puny little $64
question. One network show has
worked itself up to such q pitch
that it has plans for q $1,000, 900
jackpot. How it is going to give
away 81 1000, 900 In prizes is some
thing which apparently is to re-
main q closely guarded secret un-
til the program makes It's own an
nouncement. And you read that
correctly. It's 1000, ,000-one mil
lion dollars.
Telenotes: Boris Karloh Is re-
ported by the Associated Press to
have signed 52-week contract
with ABC for q television series
starting in the fall. Under its
terms, he will sever all screen
and radio commitments" for the
duration Of the new TV pact. Mr..
Karloff will be starred in series