Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1951)

IMPERATIVE NEED OF SELF-POLICING CODE: ^ all means read FCC Comr. Paul A. Walker's summary of complaints being received by Commission against certain TV-radio program practices. Salient excerpts from his Oct. 2 speech before churchmen's board are published as a Special Report herewith. Comr. Walker both praises and damns — but the crescendo of complaints is something the telecasting fraternity simply cannot afford to ignore. Visual program content & timing is regarded so delicate a matter, in fact, that station manager we know won't carry any dramatizations, network or otherwise, unless he's supplied with synopsis in advance. He congratulated himself this week because he escaped a lulu — about an unfaithful wife and a pregnant servant girl, with several shots of latter handled with extreme indelicacy. (Show was "Grace" — on Tintair's Somerset Maugham Theatre on NBC-TV, Mon., Oct. 1, 9:30-10:30.) Same manager limits commercials, naturally won't accept the 30-minute-long kind (Vol. 7:38), won't allow crime and horror stuff during children's waking hours. The home isn't a theatre or a night club, and self-policing of TV demands considerably more severe restrictions than stage or movies — of that there can be no doubt. Hence, no more serious problem faces TV today than the proposed new code of self-regulation on which NARTB-TV standards committee (Vol. 7:25,31,36) reached unanimous accord at Washington meetings Oct. 2-3. Text of proposed code isn't being made public until full TV membership (68 of the 108 stations, 2 of the 4 networks) acts on it at Oct. 19 meeting in Chicago's Stevens Hotel. All 12 committeemen were present at Washington sessions, at which drafts by 4 subcommittees — education & culture; news, public events, religion, controversial issues ; advertising practices ; standards observance — were gone over and consolidated into one document expected to win at least informal FCC approval. NARTB-TV gets off to good start with high-minded project like this, merits support of everybody in telecasting. While NBC-TV has published code of own, and CBS-TV is reported preparing one, whole industry may be expected to adhere to allindustry standards, once they have been adopted by station rank and file. FEVER MOUNTS IN TAPER' FREEZE HEARING: Filing of statements in FCC's "paper allocations hearing" reached total of 736 this week — indicating they'll number well into 4 figures by Nov. 26 deadline (Vol. 7:30). Nevertheless, feeling is universal that procedure is saving many months, if not years, of time in ending freeze. Perhaps most significant of this week's filings was one from Sen. Johnson, who strongly reiterates his contentions that: (1) Educational institutions, in his own Colorado at least, and probably in most other States, can't get funds to build and operate stations. (2) Commercial stations should be required to set aside time for education. "There has been some intense drum-beating throughout the country," he said, "designed to stampede the Commission into reserving channels for non-commercial educational purposes. In theory, and at first blush, this proposal shines with great lustre. As a practical matter, after close scrutiny, one observes that the brightness covers little ground and the glitter is only skin deep. "TV is far too valuable as a national resource and much too intricate and delicate a process to be allowed to waste away through idleness, lack of funds and inexperience. I want this medium to be available to the people of Colorado now. I am positive that neither the University of Denver nor any other educational group will be ready during the next 10 years to apply for a license and state that they are 'fit, willing and able' to operate a TV station. What I want to avoid is creating a 'dog in the manger' situation." So intent is the Senator on realigning FCC's proposed channel allocations to get more vhf into Denver, that he had consultant Grant Wrathall (who owns radio stations out West) present engineering affidavit & maps showing how it can be done. With Sen. Johnson's powerful opposition, with prime advocate Comr. Hennock presumably leaving FCC, with educational counsel Telford Taylor going to new govt, post (Vol. 7:39) — Commission may ease up somewhat on its reservation proposal.