Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

12 Telecasting Notes: DuMont will apply for vhf stations in Boston & St. Louis, thus probably drop its pre-freeze Cleveland & Cincinnati applications, if end-of -freeze allocations work out as it expects, said Dr. Allen B. DuMont at FCC examiner’s “Paramount hearing” this week . . . NBC is alone as yet in asking for authority to apply for uhf, in addition to its 5-limit vhf (Vol. 8:1), but Dr. DuMont and ABC-TV’s engineering v.p. Frank Marx are openly in favor of idea, and there are informal indications CBS-TV is, too. DuMont has 3 vhf, wants 2 more first; CBS-TV has only 2 vhf, 45% interest in another, wants 5 vhf first; ABC-TV, like NBC-TV, has 5 limit already . . . DuMont telecasting operations, as whole, went into the black last quarter 1951, Dr. DuMont also revealed, should show profit this year; but its 3 stations account for all profit, even after making up network losses . . . All the networks, overcrowded, reported seeking to rent space in new WORTV studios (Vol. 8:2); ABC-TV on Feb. 15 will have two 100x50-ft. studios available which it formerly leased to WOR-TV, making 8 in all in its TV Center . . . Look Magazine did so well with recent TV awards, with heavy promotion it got on each winning program, to say nothing of Groucho Marx plugs for recent articles about him, that it’s hot for TV, plans dramatic series based on its articles; series will be titled Look Preview Theatre, offered for sponsorship via William Morris Agency . . . Twenty homeconfined high school students, studying with aid of N. Y. Board of Education’s TV program on WPIX, will receive diplomas during Feb. 1 telecast; 12 non-ambulatory students who can’t attend will also get diplomas. Series continues to end of school year . . . How NBC-TV “smuggles” culture into programs is related in Jan. 21 Time Magazine, which tells how Milton Berle went ofFstage while Vice President Barkley talked about Lincoln, children’s newsreel was slipped into Howdy Doody, Aldrich Family discussed sentence structure. Beginning this week, production chief Davidson Taylor is requiring every producer tp list his contributions to “enlightenment” as part of NBC’s “Operation Frontal Lobes.” Distilled-spirits commercials would be banned from TV-radio in bill (S. 2444) introduced this week by Sen. Johnson (D-Colo.), chairman of Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee, and Sen. Case (R-S. D.). Hearing is set for Jan. 30, with dry forces expected to be led by Bishop Wilbur E. Hammaker, executive v.p., Board of Temperance of the Methodist Church. NARTB president Harold Fellows said record of TV-radio industry “hardly justifies such discriminatory legislation,” indicated NARTB would file statement for hearing after its board considers bill. Measure would cover distilled spirits only, TV-radio only. Last week, Rep. Rankin (D-Miss.) introduced H.R. 5889, to ban all alcoholic beverages from TV-radio. No free time for candidates for presidential nomination on network TV — that’s implication of ABC’s announcement this week that time on both TV and radio will be sold to candidates and their backers for first time in TV history. NBC-TV is known to be formulating policy similar to ABC’s, and CBS and DuMont are expected to follow suit. Networks will offer equal opportunity for purchase of time to all candidates and groups. TV industry deserves “a vote of confidence” for presenting programs fit for family audiences, said the Rev. Edwin B. Broderick, TV-radio director for Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, in sermon last week. He declared TV differs from other agencies that aim at “tearing down the fabric of the family,” and assailed “the smut peddlers in their multi-million-dollar racket of uncomical comics” and publishers of “other magazines in the sewerstream culture series.” Harry C. Butcher, who was Gen. Eisenhower’s Naval aide throughout the war, has offered his services for the Eisenhower presidential campaign. He conferred this week with Sen. Lodge (R-Mass.) and ex-Sen. Darby (R-Kan.) while they were at San Francisco meeting of GOP National Committee, acting on suggestion of Roy Roberts, publisher of Kansas City Star and original Eisenhower-for-President booster. Capt. Butcher before war was CBS Washington v.p., after war started own station in Santa Barbara (KIST). If Eisenhower is nominated and elected, it’s probable he would utilize services of several other key industry figures — RCA chairman David SarnofF, who as brigadier-general handled Army communications for SHAEF, and CBS chairman William S. Paley, who as colonel headed radio phases of SHAEF’s psychological warfare div. Both are close personal friends, and Paley was elected to Columbia U board of trustees at suggestion of Gen. Eisenhower. Deletion of Channels 5 & 6 from TV use in Hawaii and their assignment to telephone communications, as proposed by FCC (Vol. 7:48), was opposed this week in comments filed by KULA and KIKI, Honolulu, and NARTBTV. Main contention is that freeze, plus Commission’s request that no applications be filed during freeze, makes it impossible to determine whether channels will be needed for TV. Objectors suggest FCC allow sufficient time for demand to be expressed in form of applications. Also requested is 30 days for NARTB engineers to study validity of phone company’s claim that Channels 5 & 6 and FM Channels 251 to 300 are only satisfactory frequencies for inter-island communications. FCC Comr. Paul A. Walker says his White House call on President Truman Jan. 14 was purely in nature of a “social visit” — unconnected with reports of retirement or of taking over FCC chairmanship should Wayne Coy resign. Now vice chairman, he’s oldest member of Commission, 71, has had longest tenure (since 1934), and was due for retirement last year but granted extension by the President. Should Chairman Coy quit, as expected shortly after freeze is lifted, it’s generally assumed Mr. Walker would get chairmanship for as long as Democrats remain in power. Catalog of more than 50,000 movies, titled Motion Pictures, 1912-1939, has been completed by Library of Congress and is now available at $18 from its Copyright Office. Volume comprises 1256 pages, including 268-page index, gives following information on pictures: title, date, producer, sponsor, information about published work on which film based, physical description, credits, claimant and date of copyright, author of film story. Work is under way on volume covering 1940-49. Engineer Robert L. Easley was accused of using mails to defraud in his consulting practice, in Jan. 16 indictment by District of Columbia grand jury. He was charged with defrauding Tri-Country Bcstg. Co., Hawkinsville, Ga. ; Opp Bcstg. Co., Opp, Ala. “and others”. Easley has maintained offices, operating as Mason & Dixon and Broadcast Engineers Bureau, in Washington, El Paso, Columbia, S. C. To clarify its patent-filing proposal (Vol. 7:48, 8:2) and to stem storm of protests from outraged non-communications organizations, FCC this week issued supplementary notice (Public Notice 52-43), pointing out that proposed rule applies only to those holding communications patent rights “and who in addition” render communications services which come under FCC jurisdiction. Only application for new TV station filed this week came from KGVO, Missoula, Mont. (A. J. Mosby), seeking Channel 13. This brings total pending to 480. [For details, see TV Addenda H-A; for complete list of all other pending applications, see TV Factbook No. 14-]