Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-26
UHF I eIevision-
Whatever Happened to the 70 New Channels
Thot Would Bring Video to Every HomIet?
By Richord Eryklund

Fryklund
which. of course, makes 1t even
harder for UHF stations to operate.
The few new UHF stations have
failed to impress the public. Only
1.8 million families have UHF re-
ceivers, while 27.3 million families
can pick up the old familiar chan
nelS through Is. The result is
that go per cent of the existing
UHF stations are losing substantial
amounts of money, according to the
FEC. compared with Is per cent
of the WIFI stations heavily in the
red.
Whot to Do?
What is to be done?
The FEC has made two cautious
moves to crack the vicious circle. It
has ruled that TV chains (now
limited to five stations) can acquire
up to seven stations provided at
least two are UHF. That will put
some of the big boys into UHF and
improve programming. And the
FEC has authorized satellite" UHF
stations which carry existing WIFI
programs into some remote areas.
The commission also is studying
proposals to D-bar network ''ex-
elusive" contracts which, it is
claimed, freeze out new stations and
(2)-permit use of cheaper long
distance relay systems. 80
A good many more suggestions
were made before a Senate Com.
merce subcommittee this summer.
The UHF people made these various
proposals: -~
l. Shift all TV broadcasting to the
UHF band so everyone has an even
break.
2. Cut Wifi broadcasting power
down to the point at which UHF
stations will have equivalent range.
3. Bar mixture of UHF and WIFI
in the same areas. -
4. Permit color on UHF only.
S. Reduce taxes on UHF stations.
6. Eliminate 10 per cent excise
tax on TV sets which include a
UHF receiver. -..
7. Permit subscription" TV on
UHF channels only. Subscription
broadcasting is the name given
transmissions which can be received
only by persons with some sort Of
rter-in-the-Slot attachment on
their sets. First run Hollywood
films, for instance, would be sent
this way. ~
8. Get manufacturers to agree to
sell no VHF-only sets in UHF ter
ritory. -
The Wifi people presented two,
principal arguments: First, it is
unfair and uneconomical to ask
them to curtail or scrap their serv-
ice, and, second, UHFers are losing
no more money than did WIFI sta-.
lions in the days of TV pioneering.
Split in FEC l-=Eg.
Three of the seven FEC commits
sioners showed the subcommittee
that even the commission was not
unanimous on the UHF question,
Commissioner Freida B. Hennock
wanted all TV moved up to the UtfF
band. Commissioner Robert r. Bart
ley wanted it all moved down to the
WIFI area, displacing nom broadcast
users in that band And Commits
sioner John c. Doerfer thought
there was no real crisis-that it.
would work itself out when real de-
mand existed for new stations.
The subcommittee, under Senator
Charles E. Potter, Republican, of
Michigan, has not submitted its re-
port, but members spoke favorably
of removing excise taxes on UHF
sets. The subcommittee listened
sympathetically, however, to the
FEC majority arguments that WIFI
equipment-worth billions of dol.
lars-could not be scrapped without
a howl from the public. nor could
Wifi power and color broadcasting
be cut back without protests. :
Senator Potter's subcommittee
probably will recommend formally
that special commission be cre-
ated to study the matter further. -
Meanwhile, a new investigation Of
the TV mess will be undertaken by
another Commerce Committee group
under Senator John w. Bricker, Re-
publican, of Ohio The committees
staff already is at work.
Senator Bricker apparently will
aim his probe at the networks. He
feels some of them are acting like
monopolies, and he wants to see if
the public would, benefit if the FEC
were empowered to regulate the net
works directly.
But despite any or all Govern
ment action. the power to break the
circle hemming in UHF still lies
with the public. The day John @.
Viewer shows he is eager to buy a
UHF receiver, everything will start
to roll. 81: