Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

5 The Week in Congress Save-The-Boosters Drive; Colorado’s Senators — Carroll (D) & Allott (R) — took the lead this week in mobilizing Western forces in Congress for an emergency campaign to rescue operators of 1000-1500 unauthorized TV boosters from a 90-day FCC death decree (Vol. 15:1-3). They introduced resolutions calling on the Senate & House to go on record opposing the FCC order which calls on booster operators in western states to file applications for uhf translators or face “steps” which would knock them off. The resolutions would: (1) Block the FCC’s ruling. (2) Legalize booster stations. (3) Forbid closing by the FCC of any existing boosters for 3 years. (4) Direct the FCC to set booster rules & regulations. Counting on solid support of all Western senators, Carroll said he hoped that they would stir up a Congressional investigation quickly, forcing the FCC to change its mind on its outright ban. Pointing out that the FCC “delayed any action for many years, until a vast number of repeater or booster stations had been established,” Carroll protested that the Commission then acted precipitately to kill them. “We can’t throw back progress in that arbitrary fashion without some showing that this low cost TV is detrimental,” he said. One of the first on the House side to join with Carroll & Allott for the rescue operation was Rep. Magnuson (D-Wash.). He’s no relation to Chairman Magnuson (D-Wash.) of Senate Commerce Committee, but shares latter’s views in support of boosters — whose use also was defended in the Cox report on small-town TV problems (Vol. 15:2). Rep. Magnuson complained that the FCC had “peremptorily ordered these stations off the air.” He said “it has been apparent for some time that uhf translators are not the answer for many of these communities.” Approvingly, he quoted from a bitter editorial in the Wenatchee Daily World which asked: “Why the hurry in barring reflectors from the air ?” And freshman Rep. Brock (D-Neb.), assigned to the House Commerce Committee (see p. 7), indicated that one of his first orders of business there would be to have a look at the FCC’s policies on boosters. “I want the FCC to leave them alone,” he told us. Pressure on the FCC to make boosters legal also was building up out in the field. Booster operators from 15 Western states converged on Denver Jan. 23 for one-day strategy conference sponsored by Colo. Gov. Stephen L. R. McNichols (D). Among those on hand for suddenly-called meeting: FCC Chairman Doerfer and communications counsel Nicholas Zapple of the Senate Commerce Committee. Doerfer was asked to explain “reasonableness” of Commission’s booster position, Zapple to observe proceedings and test the temper of the operators. Miscellaneous Bills: In the Senate, the first anti-payTV bill of its new session was introduced. Measure (S-591) was submitted by Minority Leader Dirksen (R-Ill.) on behalf of Sen. Danger (R-N.D.), an old foe of subscription TV. Similar to earlier bills in the House (Vol. 15:2-3), it would “prohibit the charging of a fee to view telecasts in private homes.” First real Congressional moves into the payTV area at the new session were expected from the House side, however. Chairman Harris (DArk.) of the House Commerce Committee, who last week introduced a sweeping joint resolution against all pay-TV systems — but permitting limited tests by the FCC (Vol. 15:3) — had not yet scheduled a definite date for starting hearings on the subject. It promises to be one of the warmest of the legislative year. House moves to exempt professional baseball and other professional sports from anti-trust laws — so that some telecasts of major games could be blacked out to protect minor clubs’ gates — were joined on the Senate side by a bipartisan coalition. Sens. Hennings (D-Mo.), Keating (R-N.Y.) and Dirksen introduced a revised version (S-616) of Henning’s sports proposals last year, when they were stopped by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee because they were too sweeping. This time, Hennings said he wasn’t asking for “blanket exemption” from monopoly laws — only for those which are “vital & necessary” to save minor baseball clubs from home-game competition of majorgame telecasts. Federal aid to educational TV, already supported by $51,000,000 equipment bills in Senate & House, got another lift in the House. Rep. Roberts (D-Ala.) submitted a proposal (HR-2926) providing up to $1,000,000 for each state in matching grants for construction of ETV facilities. His bill also would authorize govt, grants of $10,000 to each state to help in ETV survey costs. In other bills introduced this week: Sens. Hennings and Wiley (R-Wis.) proposed (S-600) establishment of an Office of Federal Administrative Practice, as recommended by the American Bar Assn., to set up a career “corps of hearing