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"IHFM" INITIATES HI-FI CONSUMER PROGRAM.
A consumer program to gain support for component high fidelity has been initiated by the "Institute of High Fidelity Manufacturers". Known as the "Institute of High Fidelity", membership in the program costs 10 dollars yearly, and entitles consumer members to a monthly confidential news letter concerning advance reports on product development, engineering data, test analyses, book reports, magazine digests, and the like.

Members also receive a test record or test tape with a stated value of $9.75. A six-month subscription is given to the subscriber's choice among a number of hi-fi magazines, as well as a free copy of a well-known hi-fi book. The Institute will also maintain a book-order department which will sell books to members at a 20% discount. Charter subscribers will receive wall certificates and lapel pins indicating their membership.
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IHFM ELECTS OFFICERS. Joseph N. Benjamin, president of David Bogen Company, was re-elected president of the Institute of High Fidelity Manufacturers, at a membership meeting held January 9 in the New York Trade Show Building. Phillip L. Gundy, president of Ampex Audio, was elected IHFM vice-president; Saul Marantz, president of Marantz Company, was elected secretary, and Milton Thalberg, president of Audiogersh Corporation, was re-elected treasurer. Board members elected for a two-year term were, in addition to the officers, William S. Grommes, president of the Grommes Division of Precision Electronics, Inc. and Walter O. Stanton, president of Pickering and Company.

COLUMBIA, GE TRANSFER HI-FI OPERATIONS. The phonograph division of "Columbia Records, Inc.", has been transferred to CBS-Hytron, manufacturing branch of "The Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.", the parent company. James J. Shallow, who resigned recently from Philco Corporation, has been appointed vice-president of CBS-Hytron and general manager of the CBS phonograph operation. All marketing activities will be conducted from CBS's Madison avenue headquarters in New York.
The responsibility for high fidelity phonograph components now manufactured by the specialty electronics components department of General Electric Company in Auburn, N. Y., has been transferred to GE's radio receiver department. Operations will continue in Auburn, and no change in either distribution or marketing of GE hi-fi components is anticipated.

ORR PREDICTS $35 MILLION TAPE MARKET FOR 1959. Quoting from a market survey, J. Herbert Orr, president of ORRadio Industries, Inc., estimates magnetic recording tape sales of $21 million in 1958 and a jump to the $35 million mark in 1959. The growing market in recording tape is reflected in 1958 sales of ORRadio's Irish brand tape, which bested 1957 by 36 per cent. If the tape industry maintains its current pattern of growing at the rate of 30% per year, tape sales in 1963 should run around $115 million, Mr. Orr stated.

DATES SET FOR I.R.E. CONVENTION. March 23 through 26 (1959) have been selected as the dates for the 19 59 national convention of the "Institute of Radio Engineers", to be held again at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and the New York Coliseum in New York City. More than 55,000 engineers and scientists from 40 countries are expected to attend. Of particular interest to audio engineers is a technical session scheduled for March 24 in the Sert room of the hotel. Titled "Contributions to Stereo Sound Reproduction," the meeting will comprise a number of papers delivered by engineers of worldwide repute in the science of stereo sound.

AUDAX BUYS RACON HI-FI. George Silber, president of Rek-O-Kut Company, recently announced the purchase by Kek-O-Kut's Audax Division of the hi-fi speaker manufacturing-facilities, inventory and tools of Racon Electric Company. Mr. Silber also revealed his intention of entering the packaged high fidelity field within the near future, possibly later this year. The new loudspeaker line will be marketed under the Audax trade name, along with Audax cartridges and tone arms.

MUTER ENTERS CARTRIDGE FIELD
Long known as a manufacturer of quality component parts, The Muter Company, Chicago, has begun production of two ceramic stereo cartridges for the original equipment manufacturers market. Produced under a license agreement with CBS-Hytron, the units will be marketed solely by the Muter sales organization directly to manufacturers. The two cartridges are said to have wide frequency response, low tracking force, and channel separation in excess of 20db. The two models are identical in construction, differing only in polarization of the ceramic elements.

ARKAY IN LARGER QUARTERS. Arkay Radio Kits Inc. has moved to new and expanded quarters at 88-06 Van Wyck Expressway, Richmond Hill 18, N. Y. According to Irving Becker, Arkay president, the move reflects the tremendous popularity of hi-fi kit construction among music lovers and hobbyists. Arkay will have more than 30,000 sq.ft. of space at its new site. Plant and equipment will provide every modern facilitiy for hi-fi and component production, with complete engineering, testing and servicing laboratories.

IHFM SETS TUNER MEASUREMENT STANDARDS. The "Institute of High Fidelity Manufacturers" has opened its program of establishing measurements standards within the industry with distribution of a booklet entitled "Standard Methods of Measurements for Tuners." Prepared by the Institute's Standards committee, the booklet defines FM and AM terminology, operating conditions, requirements and characteristics of testing devices, FM and AM test procedures, and test procedures for AM/FM tuners. The booklet is available from the Institute at a cost of one dollar.

ELECTRO-VOICE WILL REGISTER STOCK. Electro-Voice, Inc., has filed a
statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission asking sanction to register 150,000 shares of capital stock. Sale by shareholders will account for 75,000 shares, while the remainder will be offered for the account of the company. Net E-V sales for the nine-month period ending November 30, 1958, totaled $8,493,419 and income was $415,826. Net proceeds from the share sales will be added to the
company's general funds.

ALTEC JOINS LING GROUP. An agreement on terms for the acquisition of Altec Companies, Inc., stock by Ling Electronics, Inc., has been announced by James J. Ling I and G. L. Carrington, board chairmen of the two companies. Upon completion of the transaction, Altec Companies, Inc., and its subsidiary, Altec Lansing Corporation, will both operate as subsidiaries of Ling Electronics, Inc., and Altec Service Company will continue as a division of Altec Companies, Inc. There will be no change in the commercial operations, management, name or policies of the Altec organizations.

M.R.I.A. MEETING. In a meeting held in Chicago specifically to raise funds for promoting the use of magnetic tape recording, the "Magnetic Recording Industry Association" digressed long enough to make a policy decision on the subject of reel-to-reel vs. cartridge recording equipment. General theme of the decision was that the industry should concentrate on the former and forget about cartridge equipment for the time being. A prime problem facing the industry, it was stated, is to reassure dealers who have lost confidence in reel-to-reel machines in the face of premature cartridge promotion. Irving Rossman, president of the Association, who is also president of Pentron Corporation, stated that his company would not introduce a cartridge-type recorder until RCA had marketed one. Previously Pentron had said that it would use the RCA-developed cartridge. So far RCA has not announced a specific date for commercial introduction of its cartridge recorder, although it has been shown at a number of trade exhibitions.

BRITISH STEREO CONVENTION. March 19 and 20 (1959)were the dates of a stereophonic sound convention held in London by the "Institution of Electrical Engineers". The problem of adding "dimension" to other factors creating a high quality sound image were discussed. Stereo tape, disc recording, broadcasting techniques, and pyscho-acoustic considerations were dealt with in separate sessions.

AMPEX STOCK OFFER. Stockholders of Ampex Corporation will be offered rights to subscribe to additional common stock. Directors have approved the issuance of rights to holders of record April 1 to subscribe to additional common stock at the rate of one new share for each ten now held. Offering price had not been determined at time of publication. Proceeds from the offering will be used for general corporate purposes and are not earmarked for any special project.

THREE HI-FI SHOWS. In the face of two days of heavy rains, the "San Francisco Hi-Fi Music Show", held this year in the famed Cow Palace, drew a paid attendance of 24,000, compared with 18,000 at last year's event held in the Whitcomb Hotel. Interest of the general public was heightened by a 44-page special stereo section in the Chronicle and a 16-page section in the Examiner promoting the event.
With an exceptionally high percentage of women in atendance, the 1959 "Los Angeles Higfh Fidelity Show" opened in the Hotel Biltmore with 94 manufacturers displaying their equipment in 111 showrooms. Factory representatives who were there primarily to discuss such mundane items as frequency response, distortion, and the like, found themselves deeply involved in discourses on wood finishes, styling and other subjects which milady finds so fascinating about high fidelity.
Crowds were so intense at the annual Washington, D.C. "Hi-Fi Festival", held in the Shoreham Hotel, that ticket sales had to be halted several times due to overcrowding. By far the most successful of the five festivals held there to date, it played host to 300 high fidelity exhibits. The show was opened by Vice-President Richard Nixon in the presence of several hundred guests, including dignitaries from more than 20 foreign countries.
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IHFM HEAD DISCUSSES PRICING. The component high fidelity industry must awaken to the peril of unsound retail pricing practices if it is to maintain and expand its current pattern of profitable operation, Joseph X. Benjamin, president of the "Institute of High Fidelity Manufacturers", said in a recent address in New York. Speaking before the Producers of "Associated Components for Electronics", Mr. Benjamin, who is also president of the Bogen-Presto Division of Siegler Corporation, declared that recent discount advertising should be of great concern to manufacturers and dealers alike. Speaking in behalf of a legitimate profit for all concerned, Mr. Benjamin cited seven important functions which the dealer must perform for his customers. Where discount pricing prevails, one or more of these functions must suffer, and both dealer and customer lose in the long run, Mr. Benjamin stated.

LING, ALTEC MERGE. Over 90% of the stockholders of Altec Companies have agreed to exchange their stock on a share-for-share basis for Ling Electronics
stock, thus giving final approval to merger of the two firms. The merger creates an organization with an expected sales volume of 22 to 25 million dollars in 1959. J.J. Ling, board chairman of Ling Electronics, stated that stockholders will be asked to approve a name change to Ling-Altec, and that Altec Companies will be operated as a subsidiary.

FISHER OFFICIAL DECRIES CONFUSION. James J. Parks, vice-president, Fisher Radio Corporation, speaking in Atlanta before the Southeastern Conference of the "National Association of Music Merchants", contended that confusion in the mind of the public is having a serious effect on the sales of hi-fi equipment throughout the country. Mr. Parks' subject was "Understanding and Selling Stereo Hi-Fi." Lack of technical knowledge at sales levels is the industry's greatest problem, he stated. He asserted that, while it isn't necessary for a hi-fi salesman to be an engineer, it is important that he have a good knowledge of the equipment he is handling. Also, he bore heavily on the importance of having a wide assortment of phonograph records available so that demonstrations may cater to every taste.

TOURING STEREO SHOW. Bogen-Presto Company is participating in the first nation-wide packaged music and fashion show arranged and presented by Holiday magazine. The show is scheduled in major cities through June 1959. A complete Bogen stereo hi-fi music and public-address system is being used in a specially-constructed trailer which is the stage for 93 individual performances, in department stores, hotels and local TV stations. In addition to Bogen amplifiers, University loudspeakers are used to complete the installation.

"IHFM" FORMS PUBLICATIONS GROUP. Joseph Benjamin, president of the "Institute of Hig-h Fidelity Manufacturers", has announced formation of a publications committee to assist the Institute in promoting hi-fi components. In announcing the group Mr. Benjamin said it will advise the IHFM on technical matters, trade and merchandising practices, methods of conveying the component story to the public, and other timely subjects. C.G. McProud, editor and publisher of AUDIO, will head the group, with the remainder made up of representatives of other publications covering the components industry.

NAMM STEREO SALES CLINIC. - L.M.Sandwick, vice-president in charge of sales, Pilot Radio Corporation, will be the first speaker at a special stereo-hi-fi sales clinic to be conducted in connection with the annual trade show of the "National Association of Music Merchants". The clinic is scheduled for June 24 at 9:30 a.m. in the Hotel New Yorker. Other participants in the clinic will be William A. Pink, sales manager of professional products, ORRadio Industries, Irving Rossman, president, Pentron Corporation, and a fourth speaker yet to be announced. Rulon A. Ostler, chairman of the XAMM electronics committee, will be chairman.

AR GETS BRITISH PATENT. A British patent on the acoustic suspension system for loudspeakers has been granted Acoustic Research, Inc., manufacturers of AR speaker systems. The new patent is valid for Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, and extends the coverage provided by AR's U.S. patent. The company now has one licensee and is understood to be negotiating with other prospective licensees.

PICKERING LIFETIME WARRANTY. - Walter O. Stanton, president of "Pickering & Company", announces that the Stanton Model 371-.7D sterec Fluxvalve cartridge and the Model 196 Unipoise arm with integrated pickup now carry a lifetime warranty. "Because each Pickering product is virtually hand-crafted and undergoes the same rigid quality control standards that have established Pickering as a leader in the field of high fidelity for over a decade, we have instituted a warranty without time limit," Mr. Stanton said.

E-V SALES AND PROFITS JUMP. Increases of 75% in net profits and 25.4 per cent in sales were reported by Electro-Voice, Inc., in its fiscal year ended February 28, 1959. Both figures are recorded highs. The first E-V public annual report shows net profit at $620,519, or $1.55 per share. This compares with $353,188, or 90 cents per share in the preceding fiscal year. Sales amounted to $11,764,676 compared with $9,379,132. Albert Kahn, E-V president, attributed the increase of sales and earnings largely to the shipment of stereo cartridges in the last half of 1958. He reported overwhelming acceptance of the new low-priced line of Wolverine high-fidelity speakers, and foresaw a strong market position for Electro-Voice in 1959.

LING ACQUIRES UNIVERSITY. Acquisition of University Loudspeakers, Inc., was recently announced in a joint statement by James J. Ling, board chairman of Ling Electronics, Inc., and Sidney Levy, president of University. The company was purchased for a total consideration of $2,300,000 - $1,650,000 of which was in cash. University will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ling Electronics, Inc., and its products will complement those of Altec Companies, Inc., also a Ling subsidiary. University will continue to operate through the same distribution and marketing channels as in the past, and no changes are contemplated in product and brand identification.

RANK ACQUIRES WHARFEDALE. The "Rank Organisation", Ltd., London, England, has taken over Wharfedale "Wireless Works, Ltd., Bradford, Yorks. - G.A. Briggs remains as managing director of the firm which manufactures and markets Wharfedale loudspeakers on a world-wide basis. Wharfedale speakers and systems will continue to be distributed in this country by British Industries Corporation.

MRIA ELECTS OFFICERS. Herbert L. Brown, vice-president of Ampex Audio, is the newly elected president of the "Magnetic Recording Industry Association". Other officers newly chosen are: vice-president, Ken Bishop, general manager of Bell Sound Systems, Inc.; treasurer, Charles Murphy, president of Michigan Magnetics, Inc.; treasurer, Herman Kornbrodt, sales manager of Audio Devices, Inc. Elected to serve as members of the board of directors are: Hugh Daly, general manager of Magnecord, Inc.; Victor A. Miller, president of V-M Corporation; Russ Malloy, vice-president of Bel Canto Magnetic Tapes; J. Herbert Orr, president of ORRadio Industries, Inc.; Irving Rossman, president of Pentron Corporation, and Harry Sussman, president of Telectro Corporation.

RIGO FALL SHOW SCHEDULE. Eight cities will play host this fall to high fidelity shows promoted by Rigo Enterprises, Inc. Places and dates are as follows:

Milwaukee, September 11-13;
Rochester, September 25-27;
Detroit, October 16-18;
Buffalo, October 30-November 1;
Seattle, November 6 - 8;
Portland, Ore., November 13-15;
Philadelphia, November 20-22;
Los Angeles, October 30 - November 1.

PROFESSIONAL AUDIO ROOM. A unique display of audio equipment strictly for the professional user was opened recently in New York by Harvey Radio Company. Intended as a facility for engineers who wish to evaluate equipment prior to purchase, the Professional Audio Room will house a permanent operating exhibit of such specialized items as the Ampex 3-track recorder, Pultec program equalizers, microphone booms, and the like. All equipment is wired-in, terminated at multiple strips, and may be matched in assemblies to suit the customer's desire. Direction of the Professional Audio Room is in the hands of Harvey E. Sampson, Jr.

AUDIO DEVICES PROMOTION. A special tape recording of "Blood and Thunder Classics" is being featured in a new sales promotional program bv Audio Devices, Inc. Retail buyers of Audiotape Type 1251 are being offered two reels of tape, one unrecorded and the other recorded with classical excerpts, for the regular price plus one dollar. Because of increased tape sales, Audio Devices recently has doubled its administrative office space at 444 Madison Ave. in New York.
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