The Macon Telegraph from Macon, Georgia • 33

mm TV Section TV Section MACON GA FRIDAY MORNING AUGUST 21 1953 Macon to Enjoy Top Shows The tops in TV entertainment from two national networks will start coming into the homes of Maconites and Middle Georgians today from first television sta- WETV Launches Operation Today An engineer at the WETV transmitter on Pio Nono Avenue will press a buton at 1:25 pm today and first television station will begin Its initial day of operation II JOHN HICKS Program Director DIXON HARP General Manager Dixon Harp Heads Station Personnel Dixon Harp general manager of television station WETV has been with the industry practically since Its infancy in the South with the exception of several years in the Air Force during World War II and the Korean War A native Georgian Harp comes sad civic worker Mrs Scheduled telecasting over channel 47 is the climax of many months of and patient waiting Early this year radio stations WNEX and WBML Joined forces in order to hasten the date when local television would become a reality As a result the Macon Television Company was formed William A FIckling became president of the new company and A1 Lowe was named vice president Several persons in the Macon area who were Interested in the new enterprise became stockholders A construction permit for the proposed station was granted the company by the Federal Communications Commission on February 12 and Lowe announced that the call letters WETV had been assigned Actual construction started at the Pio Nono site on March 9 and the completion of the studios the erection of the transmission tower and Installation of Intricate equipment wu accomplished by April 28 At 4 pm on that same day the station transmitted its first test pattern and towns as far as fifty miles away received a perfect signaL Modern Plant The TV station Is a modern flat-roofed brick building comprising a studio a large control room a reception room and five offices A stainless steel transmission tower soars 437 feet above the building General manager of WETV is Dixon Harp and Johnnie Hicks is the program director Also included on the staff is a sales manager and a film manager No elaborate plans have been made for the opening day of telecasting first we considered having several dignitaries appear on special opening day programs but we later decided to dispense with the ceremonies and start with a typical day of broadcasting using network shows and regularly ached-uled local Hicks said first day will give the viewers the type of entertainment and information they can expect throughout the year on channel the program manager explained The atation is affiliated with the National Broadcasting Company and The American Broadcasting Company but only NBC shows will be used today The best selections from ABC will be presented later About 20 live programs will orig-nate from the local studios each week They will Include musical groups discussion panels and newscasts The first telecast that comes on TV screens throughout the Middle Georgia area from WETV this afternoon will be a two-hour show originating at the NBC studios in New York Dee Lee and his Georgia Ramblers a popular group of hiliybilly musicians will follow the network show at 5:30 pm and Ray Melton and his orchestra will be presented at 6:30 Beginning at 6:45 the station will feature the News Caravan The Goldbergs First Person and Sports Reel all NBC network shows WETV will present a combination news weather and sports round-up at 10 pm A feature pic i uie lasting about 90 minutes will conclude the day of telecasting for first television atation Cheyenne Enacts Antenna Ordinance Cheyenne Wyo has recently enacted an ordinance which incorporates stringent regulations of television antennas The ordinance wu adopted to provide an extra measure of safety by strict regulation of the installation repair and maintenance of television antennas It provides for application permits and inspections of construction and for licensing and bonding of those engaged in antenna work tion The new station will program' daily a variety of ahowa from the National Broadcasting Company and the American Broadcasting Company via the coaxial cable Shows originating in many sections of the country will be brought to this area on the cable Two separate or trans-miulon will cany the programs to WETV for telecasting over UHF channel 47 ABC shows will into WETV on the coaxial cable leg from Jacksonville Fla Shows offered by NBC will be sent here over a line from Atlanta From these two cables the WETV programming department will ulect the network shows that will be telecast for viewers in this area Such offerings as the popular News Caravan Monday through Fridays at 6:45 pm the Groucho Marx Show Thursday night the Goldbergs First Person and Cavalcade of Sports Friday night Private Secretary Robert Montgomery Preunts and Who Said That? Saturday Judge for Yourself and Bob Considlne on Tuesday will become a regular part of schedule Network Show At least one network show Is planned during the afternoon Program Director A Hicks said a number of other shows will be telecast during the program Hay that will begin at about 3:30 pm and sign off at 11:30 pm For the sports fan the station hopes to beam college football games on Saturdays this fall and professional grid contests on Sundays Hicks said the number of games to be telecast cannot be determined yet and will depend on the availability of the cable for use by the station He said the station elans to make extensive use of filmed shows Heading this category will be a feature film every night beginning about 10:15 pm To round out the telecasting day will be various locally produced presentations WETV Boasts Picture Range Of 50 Miles Television Station WETV will have an effective range of about 50 miles radius around Macon Manager Dixon Harp says Receivers in many Middle Georgia towns alresdy have picked up the station's test pattern and experimental telecasts some of them as far as 60 miles away And in all of these places the picture received has been clear and free of all normal interference Eaton of Specialty Distributing Company said television service men in Jackson Reynolds Dublin Gray Cochran Hawkins-ville Ft Valley Perry Forsyth Irwinton Gordon and other towns have picked up the signal with good reception He estimated that 5000 television sets already have been converted to receive the new ultra high frequency station And he said many more are being converted every Just as rapidly as the service men can get to them The reception beyond Forsyth has not been as good because of the hilly terrain Harp said But Eaton says that altuation will be Improved as the service men in that area and in other sections relatively distant from Macon adjust antenna to pick up the new station The best reception right now is within a 40-mile radiut Eaton said TV Equipment So Large But Costly A small fortune In equipment Is required to take a television picture and make it appear on the receiver in your living room It take many pieces of with the exception of the tower you could probably pack all the equipment WETV owns Into your living room But the Intricacy not the size is the key to the efficiency and the cost of the equipment a tube about the size of a large flashlight that fits into each television camera This little piece of glass and metal alone costs $1250 according to Engineer Charlie Walker Without it the station operate Station Manager Dixon Harp says total equipment and property of the station on Pio Nono is valued at more than $300000 And that Investment is only a start bound to be more equipment added as new equipment is evolved and as the station expands only one television camera in the WETV studio now And It cost about $15000 Walker says you need three men to operate the camera efficiently-rthe engineer sets up the camera adjusting all controls after the program director has decided on the lighting of the scene and what effects he wants in the picture Then the camera is turned over to the cameraman who operates it Collection of Tubes Jutting out from the wall In the WETV control room is a row of cabinets looking not unlike steel clothes cabinets Inside these cabinets is a startling collection of tube switches connections dials counters and other gadgets bearing names you wouldn't under- stand unless more ing in making TV sets than ing pictures on them One device up" pictures before they even become pictures Suppose for Instance your set is receiving a network comedy show brought here over the co-axial cable via WETV The picture as it travels along the co-axial cable is just a bunch of energy Coming along the line all the way from New York that energy gets a little ragged and spotty The- energy then comes into WETV where tronic equipment takes It into one of those cabinets and so to speak spruces it up before sending it along to your set where it forms the picture The re-vitalizing the WETV equipment gives the energy that travels the co-axial 'cable makes a brighter cleaner picture on your set WETV is the first ultra high frequency station in Georgia UHF combined with the most modern equipment money can will provide programs to Macon homes with a minimum of Interference station officials say The men responsible for making that equipment work are Chief Engineer Walker and his assistants Wilder and Goodrich Five Points To Guide Your TV Purchase CHICAGO The following check list has been prepared by engineers as a guide to help prospective television set buyers 1 Check the Picture be sure lie image is steady and sharp 2 Listen to the sound to deter mine if it is free from noise and hum 3 Check control knobs for ease accessibility good workmanship which is an inaica- tlon of the quality 5 Check the brand name to be sure it is that of a reliable na tlonally-advertised manufacturer Owners Busy Changing Sets To Get UHF Hie historic arrival of television in Macon means hundreds of TV sets are being converted to UHF in a relatively short time How long it takes to convert a particular set and how much it costs to do the job tie pend on many factors You tell definitely until you discuss your individual problem with a reputable television service firm An interview with Ray Norman president of the Macon Television Dealers Association and John Dixon past president and a founder of that group reveals that some general statements can be made about conversion which will be helpful however While there are several ways of making a conversion the systems can be roughly' classified in three groups: 1 The one-channel arrangement which will adapt the set for Channel 47 here and no other This would normally run arounU $15 2 The two-channel which runs about $30 3 The all-channel recommended by many set manufacturers It costs from $50 to $60 but has the advantage of getting any UHF channel in the future regardless of where the owner lives Dixon said the all-channel con verter is considered much stronger and produces a better quality picture than the other two Norman pointed out that practl cally every set on the market can use a slightly different method of conversion To be sure of the best for himself the owner should contact the agency for his particular set Most service organizations are doing a lariti-office business in converting sets now so there may be a delay of several days In some cases they are out of converters of special types because of heavy demand After the rush is over it may take from one to three days to convert a set Better Picture Even though your present an tenna is working on UHF there's a possibility you'll get a far better picture with a UHF setup Norman said If you already have an antenna for receiving from the Atlanta stations you can have a first-class UHF antenna installed in connection with it for about $25 If you are buying a TV set new and have no present antenna you can figure on the UHF part of your antenna costing about $20 The $5 difference is for labor in installing the UHF feature on the old antenna In more distant areas from here different antenna with more pick up ability should be used The cost of the average installation may vary from $15 to $50 Norman saftL An outside antenna would be recommended in most rases with a simple antenna probably being most common This would take care of most installations un to a radius of 12 to 15 miles Dixon said TV Cemetery Variety LOS ANGELES Charles Sloane an Admiral television serviceman was having difficulty finding the proper location for a TV aerial in a hilly section of this city Sloane told the customer he was trying to avoid which technicians call the double-image caused when the television signal reflects off nearby hills or buildings the new owner asked apprehensively that because we're so near Forest Lawn Katherine Wilson Watts Originally from Reynolds Mrs Watts is a member of the Little Theater Quill Club PTA and the publicity committee of the YWCA The former court reporter has written several articles and essays in the past few years -First Announcer Robert Saggeu first announcer has another Macon first to his credit in the radio field He was the first announcer employed by WIBB here A native of Stamford Connecticut! he is married to a local girl the former Miu Woodrow Branan He spent five years in the Army during World War II and attended Mercer University majoring in journalism He served some time at the Voice of America where he was assigned to the production unit of the Near East South Section as voice talent and producer-di-rector He was connected with the Army's psychological warfare program during his service Dan Young sales representative for the new TV station is a native Maconite He has been in the radio busineu for several years and prior to that was in the insurance field He was in the Navy six years during World War II He is a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce the Contact Club the Moose- and the American Legion The engineering staff at WETV is made up of three men who between them have a large number of years of technical experience in the radio field Charlie Walker chief engineer is assisted by 'engineers rich The station's art department is under the director of Lem Trues-dale He is a native of Macon and for the past 10 years has operated commercial art agency Roy Johnston comes to WETV as production manager from WLW-A and has been in the entertainment field for the past few years He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and he also received a degree from the University of Tenneuee Sharp Increase Seen In Those Watching TV CHICAGO Nearly 50 per cent more people in the United States will enjoy television service by the end of 1954 than at the beginning of 1953 Although over 300 new stations are scheduled to go on the air by the end of next year some may be delayed because of difficulties in obtaining transmitting to Macon from Columbia 8 where he was sales manager for station WCOS and WCOS-TV for six years Ho his in the radio busineu in the sales department of WDCK in Columbus Ga Prior to his affiliation with the Columbus radio station he was with the Georgia Power Company in Columbus During World War II and the Korean War the young executive wu a captain in a B-29 group in the Air Force During his last period of service he spent 18 months in the Korean area of operations Harp is a Rotarian and his favorite hobby is golf He his wife and their three children will make their home in Macon at 317 Buford Place Pointing out that his television station is the first one in Macon and the first ultra high frequency-TV station in the state Harp says Macon viewers will receive much leu Interference in receiving programs from his station are completely equipped at our transmitting station with RCA equipment which is the most mcklern money can buy We are connected directly with the co-axial cable which cornu through Macon and our primary network affiliate is NBC which is supplemented by ABC We will give our viewers extensive coverage as well as many local Harp said Program Director Johnny Hicks program director at WETV is the man responsible for seeing to it that viewers have a smooth-running co-ordinated TV day He has had seven years experience in the radio field and two in television Among the stations he has been affiliated with are KDUB and KDUB-TV in Lubbock Texas KEYL in San Antonio KEPO in El Puo and WBML in Macon Working with Hicks will be Miss Mary Britt in the traffic arid copywriting department The ules manager for WETV is Bernard Kobres an ex-newspaper advertising man and a graduate of the University of Georgia He wu with television station WLTV now WLWA in Atlanta and helped put a ultra high fre-nuency station WJTV in Jackson Miu on the air This station was rated among the first In the country and the first in Mlsslssiopi Kobres who has been in the advertising busineu more than nine years produced several shows for the Jackson station which are still running there He is a member of Alpha Kappa Psl professional fraternity the Venetian Society and a native of Atlanta office manager and bookkeeper is a Macon model writ FIRST TELEVISION Th 400 foot high steel antenna tower of first TV station WETV pierces the sky near the station on Pic Nono Avenue Atop the sky-scraping structure Is 37 fee of antenna The antenna which WETV officials say 1 the and most money can buy has a one half degree electrical beam tilt to eliminate spot: of areas near the station which might have difficult receiving There are three aviation navigation lights or different levels on the tower which turn off and on auto-'matically at daylight and dark The light atop the towe: has a power of 1000 watts The ultra high frequenc? station will give middle Georgia viewers the best ii rograms with an absolute minimum in interference officials said (Drinnon Photo by Ralph Jones) OF WETV- Located in this room is the mechanical and electrical which governs all operations at Macon's first television station The engineer shown here at the control board has a of control lights which tell him exactly how good the picture is and what adjustments must be made to give the strongest clear-est and sharpest picture In addition to the mechanical guards the engineer watches the shows through a plate glass window in the studio The station employs 'three well-experienced radio and- television engineers to operate the delicate equipment (Photo by Drinnon) FIRST SHOW AT first television station WETV produces its first show in a test program as immy Harris and his hillbilly band give out with the ballads in the station's modern studio The studio as the rest of the station is fitted throughout with the newest RCA equipment Though affiliated with two major networks WETV officials said the station will produce a large number of programs locally using local entertainers and people Located on Pio Nono Avenue the studio is a part of the modern offices station and transmitting unit built In one by the TV company (Photo by Drinnon).