United States Television Manufacturing Corp.

Lore & Background

The United States Television Manufacturing Corporation was founded in 1945 in Manhattan, New York City, to produce large-screen television sets and later conventional models. In April 1946, it announced an initial public offering of 99,000 shares of 50-cent par value common stock at US$3 each, with the Guaranty Trust Company of New York appointed registrar. Headed by president Hamilton Hoge and his brother John Otis Hoge as vice president, the company aimed its initial product at taverns, clubs, fraternal organizations and similar business consumers, reasoning that with parts and materials remaining in short supply after World War II, the company needed to sell fewer but higher-priced units.

On September 18, 1946, U.S. Television Manufacturing held a public demonstration of large-screen rear-projection television at department stores including Bloomingdale's and Macy's in Manhattan, Bamberger's in Brooklyn, and Abraham & Straus in Newark, New Jersey, showing live coverage of the Joe Louis–Tami Mauriello heavyweight boxing championship at Yankee Stadium. By July 1947, the company was producing 300 units a month of its initial model, distributed by dealers in 13 states and the District of Columbia. It announced plans for a taller model with a 475-square-inch screen and AM-FM radio, and two home-consumer models. The company also marketed a television set for theaters and auditoriums with a variable screen size of 9×12 feet to 12×16 feet for US$3,495.

In December 1948, the company dropped prices, citing increased supplies of 15-inch glass CRTs. Among its advertising efforts, it launched a direct-mail campaign to 41,000 tavern-owners nationwide in August 1947 via the advertising agency Huber-Hoge & Sons, and in January 1948 announced a $250,000 print-ad campaign for its tabletop sets. Following the public company's 1950 report on earnings, registering a loss, no further reports were issued.

Reader's Guide

The United States Television Manufacturing Corporation occupies a brief but distinct place in early post-war television history. Its focus on large-screen projection sets for bars and public venues reflected a strategic response to material shortages after World War II, allowing the company to sell fewer but higher-priced units. The company's public demonstration of rear-projection television in September 1946, showing a live boxing championship at multiple department stores, illustrated the novelty and appeal of large-screen viewing in communal settings. The company's product lines, such as the Tavern Tele-Symphonic and Tele-Symphonic models, integrated radio and phonograph, indicating the era's expectation of multi-function home entertainment consoles. Despite early profitability in the first half of 1947, the company reported net losses for full-year 1947 and 1949, with a small profit in 1948. Its cessation after 1950, with no further earnings reports, marks it as a short-lived venture that nonetheless contributed to the early commercialization of projection television in the United States. The company's use of subsidiaries like Zetka Television Tubes, Inc. for CRT manufacturing and its partnerships with distributors in multiple cities show an attempt to build a national presence.

Did You Know?

• The company's first public demonstration in September 1946 showed live coverage of the Joe Louis–Tami Mauriello heavyweight boxing championship at Yankee Stadium.
• By July 1947, the company was producing 300 units per month of its initial model, distributed in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
• The company offered a theater/auditorium TV set with a variable screen size from 9×12 feet to 12×16 feet for US$3,495.
• Its subsidiary Zetka Television Tubes, Inc. manufactured 12- and 15-inch CRTs using glass blanks from Corning Glass Works.