Music Trade Review

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RECORDS-ACCESSORIES
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Zenith Releases Figures
4 Weeks Phonevision Tesf
The Zenith Radio Corp. has released
information on the first 4 weeks' opera-
tions of its limited commercial test of
Phonevision, a system of subscription
television whereby 300 typical Chicago
families are being offered a daily choice
of feature motion pictures at a "home
box office" fee of $1 per movie. The
test which began January 1, is being
conducted to provide the Federal Com-
munications Commission with data on
the degree of public interest in and ac-
ceptance of Phonevision as a system
whereby ipeople may pay, to see in their
homes via television, for such programs
as feature motion pictures and other
entertainment that they are now accus-
tomed to pay to see in theaters, stadia.
etc.
During the first 4 weeks of the test, the
Phonevision home-movie service had
2,561 "box-office sales" from among its
300 test families. That is, the average
test family "went to the movies at home"
&1/2 times during the period, or slightly
more than twice a week.
During the first week, with a high
novelty factor present, the average fam-
ily saw 3.1 movies, but for the last
three weeks patronage had settled down
to an average of 1.8 movies per week.
To illustrate, Commander McDonald
pointed out that if only the ten million
American families who now have televi-
sion sets proved as willing to pay to see
feature films on them as the 300 test
families have during the first 4 weeks,
the results add up to over one billion
dollars per year.
"Here's what we know so far," he
said: "On an overall average for the
period, we have reached 30% of our
audience—our 10 lowest grossing pic-
tures reached 22% of our audience.
"Nine out of ten of our test families
reported that they prefer a movie on
Phonevision at home rather than seeing
it in the theater.
24
'"The spread of viewing habits is very
wide, as might be expected, since our
panel was selected to give us a typical
cross-section of homes. Four families
have seen only one film during the
period, and one rugged family has seen
all of them. The median family has seen
just over two films per week."
"The big question is, 'how do these
figures compare with the normal movie-
going habits of typical families who now
see the same kind of movies in their
local movie theaters?' Based on pub-
lished survey figures, there are currently
about 60 million movie admissions per
week. This would indicate that the aver-
age American goes to the movies less
than once every two weeks. Hence our
test families, who were selected for us
by the National Opinion Research center
of the University of Chicago in order
to insure a true cross-section, are seeing
movies more than three times as often
at home on Phonevision as the average
American sees them at the movie
houses."
"Our experience to date, disregarding
the first week because of its high novelty
factor, shows an average attendance of
1.8 times per week per family. Project-
ing this against the 10 million television
receivers presently in use in the United
States and considering 50%' of the in-
come as the producer's share. Holly-
wood's annual income from Phonevisiop
would be over 450 million dollars."
Revised Edition of New RCA Victor
Record Catalog to Be Issued in Mar.
The first revised editions of RCA
Victor's new Music America Loves Best
and Request catalogs, initially published
last fall, will be issued the latter part of
March, according to L. W. Kanaga, Gen-
eral Sales and Merchandise Manager of
RCA Victor's Record Department. The
1950 catalog format was a departure
from previous one-volume editions nd
listed separately those items immediately
available and that merchandise on
which a special order service is main-
tained. The first revised editions embody
a number of suggestions made by dealers
and distributors for increasing efficient
use of the catalogs.
In the Music America Loves Best cat-
alog cross-references to the Request
catalog will be eliminated. There will no
longer be a Current Release section, with
this feature being replaced by the de-
tailed listing of new merchandise in the
bodv of the book.
Jack M. Williams RCA Victor
Home Instrument Adv. Mgr.
Jack M. Williams has been appointed
Advertising and Sales Promotion Man-
ager of the RCA Victor Home Instru-
ment Department. Mr. Williams, has
for the past year served as special assist-
ant to the company's Director of Public
Relations.
With RCA Victor since 1926, when
he started as a junior clerk in the com-
pany's payroll department, Mr. Wil-
liams has held important posts in its
Record, Home Instrument, and Distribu-
tion departments. He served as Adver-
tising Manager of the Home Instrument
Department for a period in 1947 and
1948, and is being recalled to the post,
Mr. Mills said, to make available his
background of experience and accom-
plishment in product advertising and
sales promotion.
Mr. Williams was Advertising and
Sales Promotion Manager of the RCA
Victor Record Department from 1938
until the outbreak of World War II,
during which he was assigned to an
important war activity with the com-
pany.
In November, 1948, when RCA Victor
prepared to launch its campaign to in-
troduce the new 45-rpm record-playing
system, Mr. Williams was recalled to the
Record Department on special assign-
ment to head up sales and merchandis-
of the new 45-rpm record.
THE MbSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY. 1951