Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

6 /Ifore about Fresh Start for ETV: I’roposals for $51,0U0,000 Federal Aid to Educational TV — which came close to approval by Congress last session (Vol. 14:34)— got off to a strong new start in the Senate this week. No sooner had the Commerce Committee oi'ganized for 86th Congress than it made ETV its No. 1 order of legislative business. It moved at once into hearings on — and certain endorsement of — program (S-12) resubmitted by Chairman Magnuson (D-Wash.) for $1,000,000 equipment grants to each state, D. C. & Hawaii. “We need it,” said Magnuson in an opening statement read by Sen. Monroney (D-Okla.), who took over hearings when the Chairman went home with a cold. “We cannot afford to be too little, too late. Let us move forward while there is time. Now is the time.” In 2 swift days of proceedings, conducted in committee’s plush hearing room in the new Senate Office Building, a dozen professional ETV advocates — and Westinghouse Bcstg. Co. pres. Donald H. McGannon — piled up testimony in support of Magnuson’s plan. Leadoff witness was Rep. Udall (D-Ariz.) author of companion bill (HR-1961) in the House, where similar measures (HR-31 & 2926) by Rep. Boggs (D-La.) & Roberts (D-Ala.) await Commerce Committee action there. Udall said he’s confident that this time ETV aid will go on to the House floor and an early vote instead of dying — as it did last year — after Senate passage and House committee approval. “Everything that was said last year [about urgency of federal grants] is more true now than ever before,” Udall told the Committee. He seconded Magnuson’s argument that ETV’s failures are due to “lack of adequate funds to pay for the basic installation of TV facilities — not to educational broadcasters’ lack of interest, desire, planning or zeal.” Lining up in support — most of them repeating voluminous testimony about ETV problems which was put in the recoi'd in 1958 hearings — were such pros as exec, director Ralph Steetle of the Joint Council on Educational TV, pres. William Harley of National Assn, of Educational Bi'oadcasters, gen, mgr. Raymond Hurlbert of Ala. Educational TV Commission, exec. V. p. John Ivey of NYU, supt. William Brish of Washington County (Md.) schools, director Richard Hull of Ohio State U’s Radio & TV Seiwice, and spokesmen for D. C. schools which have been unsuccessful in attempts to set up an ETV station in the capital. The latter included schools supt. Dr. Carl F. Hansen and pres. Mrs. Edmund G. Campbell of Washington ETV Assn. Typical of their statements was Harley’s “Unless federal support is provided, we believe that for many years there will be no more than some 40 to 50 educational stations in the nation, while over 200 other frequencies allocated for education lie fallow.” Westinghouse’s McGannon put in his case for ETV as a commercial broadcaster. He said more ETV stations— and quickly — are a must for U.S. “if our people are to keep pace with our fast-changing times.” McGannon backed federal aid, pointing out that: (1) local school finances already are overtaxed. (2) Ford Foundation isn’t the ETV angel it once was. 13) Commercial broadcasters, try as they do to include education in their programming, can’t l^e expected to do ETV’s job because they’re in the highly competitive entertainment business to make some money. Only non-committal testimony at hearings came from FCC Comr. Craven, who restated his position last year that Commission is in favor of ETV but “does not have any special competence as to whether or not federal appropriations should be used” to help educational stations. No spokesman for Eisenhower administration (which opposed Magnuson’s plan last year) testified. Views of Health, Education & Welfare Dept., whose office of education would administer the aid plan, ai’e to be filed for the record. Note: At organization meeting preceding hearings, Senate Committee I'enamed Sen. Pastore (R-R.I.) as chairman of communications subcommittee, which was expanded from 5 to 8 members. Holdover subcommittee members ai’e Sens. Monroney & Thurmond (DS.C.). New Democratic members are new Sens. McGee (Wyo.) & Hartke (Ind.). Republicans on subcommittee are Cotton (N.H.), Case (N.J.) & Scott (Pa.). (Other story on p. 3.) ■ More about TV Tape Syndication: You’ll see more and more announcements of taped shows being offered for syndication from now on (see p. 2) . First to break the ice with the taping of an original series (as opposed to tapes of live shows which have been originally telecast on stations or networks) is CBS Films, which has 13 halfhour episodes in an as-yet-untitled anthology series .scheduled for completion by Aug. 1. Shooting will take place at CBS-TV in New York. The producer is Robert Herridge, whose credits range from Camera 3 to Kraft TV Theatre. CBS Films operations director Fred Mahlstedt expects the number of video tape-equipped stations to reach the level of “a good, basic sales market” by the time his first group is on tape reels — but the producers hope, of course, to place the series first on a netwoi'k, where equipment is no problem. Whether another TV filmery will beat CBS Films with the first original program tape is uncertain. But Guild Films expects to do some syndication taping of brand-new shows, and NT A chairman Ely Landau this week made specific reference to his company’s plans to produce taped programs at i-ecently acquired Telestudios, which soon will have 3 recorders & mobile unit. Landau told NTA stockholders he expects that “sale of TV programs on tape produced thi'ough NTA’s Telestudios and our owned-&-operated stations will become an important source of income.” First syndicated NTA tape — although not an “original” — will probably be David Susskind’s Open End conversation program from WNTA-TV, Newark-N.Y. The newly-formed syndication div. of Paramount Pictures’ KTLA, Los Angeles, now has pilot tapes of 6 shows, and is understood to be ready to screen them for sponsors or stations: Indictment, Mark Brand,