Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1959)

mm® Agency merger Darwin H. Clark Co., Los Angeles agency, merged Oct. 1 with Barnes Chase Co., latter 's staff there becoming part of former's Los Angeles office at 1145 W. 6th St. Merged agencies will continue under name of Barnes Chase Co. Other offices are in San Diego, San Francisco. Nelson Carter, former Foote, Cone & Belding vice president, and Los Angeles general manager, will now hold equivalent position with Barnes Chase. Mr. Carter has purchased substantial stock interest in Barnes Chase and will be industrial and financial manager in Los Angeles. Stations called to arms to fight catv invasions Broadcasters have been called to arms against community television systems. Unless something is done soon, Barclay Craighead, KXLJ-TV Helena, Mont., says in open letter to station owners, tv industry is "marching forward, determined, without benefit of solemn ceremony, to take undisputed place in the American Hall of Fools." Mr. Craighead contends that broadcasters "are indifferently acquiescing to the take-over by others" of tv programs produced by broadcasters and sent free over airways. This means loss of property rights in station's signal, he adds, and once property rights are lost, pay television will have 750 cable companies, reaching 500,000 homes, for starter. If catv industry wins its antitrust suit against group of Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming broadcasters, Mr. Craighead warns, "they will not only close these stations down, making themselves the sole distributors of network programs in four states, but they will be in a position to control network programming itself. ..." Antitrust suit was filed last month against 1 1 western tv stations and seeks $1.5 million in treble damages (Broadcasting, Sept. 14). Mr. Craighead calls on broadcasters to write their views to their networks, to Sen. Warren G. Magnuson (DWash.), chairman of Senate Commerce Committee, and to Sen. John O. Pastore (D-R.L), chairman of Senate Commerce Committee's communications subcommittee. BROADCASTING, October 5, 1959 Bureau backs FCC on Beaumont ch. 6 FCC's Broadcast Bureau has recommended Commission affirm its 1954 grant of ch. 6 Beaumont, Tex., to Beaumont Broadcasting Co. (KFDM that city) in latest round of hearings involving five-year-old tv comparative hearing. Broadcast Bureau's proposed findings were based on most recent hearing on question of $55,000 paid to KTRM Beaumont which withdrew from three-way contest. Money was paid by Beaumont Broadcasting, which in turn was loaned sum by W. P. Hobby (Houston Post-KPRC Houston stations). Broadcast Bureau said there might be possibility that $55,000 is $13,000 more than can be ascribed to KTRM's out-of-pocket expenses, but Beaumont Broadcasting is clear. Similar position in proposed findings is taken by Beaumont Broadcasting. Opposition was expressed by Enterprise Co. (KRIC Beaumont), third applicant, which is still fighting grant. Enterprise Co. called attention to fact KTRM and Internal Revenue Service are at odds on how to account for $13,000; KTRM wants to claim it as capital gain, but IRS says it should be counted as ordinary income. Signs Army-AF game NBC-TV will telecast Army-Air Force Academy football game at Yankee Stadium in New York Oct. 31 in eastern regional area, according to Asa S. Bushnell, commissioner of Eastern College Athletic Conference, and Tom S. Gallery, NBC sports director. Considered as eastern regional telecast, game will be seen in National Collegiate Athletic Assn. districts 1 and 2 (New England and Middle Atlantic). Court backs tv award U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington Oct. 1 affirmed FCC's 1953 sharetime grant of ch. 10 Rochester, N.Y., to WHEC-TV and WVET-TV. Case had been back and forth between court and FCC several times on protest of Federal Broadcasting System (WSAY Rochester), which intervened in case after original grant had been made. WSAY maintained it was foreclosed from applying for channel when WHEC-TV and WVET-TV, both applicants, reached sharetime agreement. Unanimous per curiam decision was handed down by Chief Judge E. Barrett Prettyman and Judges George T. Washington and Charles Fahy. Court noted that WSAY claimed Painting time FCC reminded all radio stations Oct. 1 that deadline for repainting antenna towers is Jan. 1, 1960, with white bands same width as orange bands. Commission, in 1953, changed its rules eliminating provision that required white bands to be one-half as wide as orange bands. Change to equal-width bands was made to bring FCC specifications into conformity with national standard on obstruction marking set by Air Coordinating Committee. So as not to impose hardships on stations which had recently repainted towers, commission gave sevenyear grace period in which to comply with new regulations. grants are inconsistent with public interest, convenience and necessity in that they result in undue concentration of media of mass communication in area. "The Commission . . . resolved the issue in a manner which we think in the circumstances was within its allowable discretion," court said. More California views Comments were still coming in last week on FCC's proposal to move extra vhf channels into Fresno and Bakersfield, Calif. (Broadcasting, Sept. 28). Late filers were: (1) Porterville, Calif., branch of the American Assn. of University Women, which favors extra v's in Fresno, particularly reservation of ch. 7 for educational purposes; (2) California State Electronics Assn., group of servicemen and technicians, opposing move because it fears use of chs. 2 and 5 in Fresno may cause interference to co-channel and adjacent channel stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles; (3) J. H. Grossman, Auberry, Calif., who wants ch. 12 retained where it is in Fresno. KFRE-TV holds license for ch. 12, but FCC proposes to shift it to ch. 9 which would require station to move transmitting site. WGA to strike Oct. 10 Writers Guild of America has issued strike order effective Oct. 10 against 50 independent theatrical motion picture producers "to achieve among other things, reasonable compensation to writers for the release to free and pay tv of post1948 motion pictures as well as to a reopening in pay tv." Strike order followed failure to meet agreement, WGA stated. 31