Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

12 NILES TRAMMELL, $100,000-a-year chairman of NBC, its former president and a veteran of 30 years RCA-NBC service, heads Biscayne Television Corp., applying this week to FCC for Channel No. 7 in Miami. He is president and 15% stockholder in company formed by rival Jack Knight interests ( WQAM-M iami Herald) and James M. Cox interests (WIOD-Jf iawi News), who now drop their competitive applications for that channel and pitch for grant without hearing. Trammell, 58, also a member of RCA board, retires from RCA-NBC family Jan. 1 with substantial pension rights to accept post paying $25,000 a year salary, $10,000 a year expenses — and still predicated on getting a grant that wTon’t be made until FCC has resolved its AM-TV “duopoly” policy (see story, p. 2). NBC chairmanship is resumed by RCA chairman Sarnoff. Stockholders in Biscayne, which would be operated entirely independently of the rival newspaper-radio interests, include John S. Knight, nVs%; James M. Cox Jr., 30%%; James L. Knight, 10%; C. Blake McDowell, 5%; J. Leonard Reinsch, 5%; Lee Hills, 5%; Owen F. Uridge, 5%; James M. LeGate, 3%%; Milton Scott, 3%%. (For further identification of principals, see TV Addenda 15-V.) Joining of these rival forces leaves WGBS (Storer) and WKAT (Katzentine) still to fight it out for Ch. 10, only other vhf available to Miami — WTVJ already occupying Ch. 4 and Ch. 2 earmarked for education. * * * * Six other vhf applications and 8 for uhf were filed with FCC this week, bringing total now pending to 777 (311 of them uhf). One of the vhf is for Braddock, Pa. by Matta Enterprises, seeking Ch. 4 allocated to Irwin, Pa., 17 mi. from Pittsburgh; partner-brothers Wm. G. and G. C. Matta, owners of WLOA, engaged in real estate and coal stripping business, also applied this week for uhf Ch. 52 in Atlantic City and Ch. 61 in Akron. Ch. 61 is also sought in Akron this week by WADC’s Allen T. Simmons. Other vhf applications were for Pine Bluff, Ark., Ch. 7, by Tulsa group including John T. Griffin, chief owner of KTUL & KOMA, and John Esau, KTUL mgr.; Amarillo, Tex., Ch. 7, by oilman Charles H. Coffield, who already holds uhf CP for Austin; Odessa, Tex., Ch. 7, by KECK; Montpelier, Vt., Ch. 3, by attorney George Agel; Honolulu, Ch. 7, by group including local radio actress Christmas Early, war surplus dealer Ada Cragen, and inter-island radio system operator Jerry J. Neville. Other uhf applications were for Stockton, Cal., Ch. 36, by radio-newspaper group including Knox LaRue, chief owner of KTSN there, and San Francisco mgr. of George P. Hollingbery Co.; Davenport, la., Ch. 36, by builder Mel Foster & attorney Harold Hoersch; New Orleans, Ch. 36, by group headed by adman Lester Kanin; Alexandria, La., Ch. 62, by Barnet Brezner, contractor; Shorewood, Wis. (near Milwaukee), Ch. 31, by publisher Harold R. Murphy. [For details about foregoing applications, see TV Addenda 15-V herewith; for listing of all post-freeze applications, grants, hearings, etc., see TV Factbook No. 15 with Addenda to date.] ■ Hopes for approval of merger of ABC and United Paramount Theatres by Christmas went glimmering this week as FCC ordered oral argument for Jan. 5. Scheduling of argument, which will last total of 5 hours and can scarcely add much to months of hearing and thousands of pages of record, was undoubtedly spurred by criticism expressed by Senators Tobey (R-N. H.) and Langer (R-N. D.) (Vol. 8:49). They told Commission they were “shocked” at examiner’s initial decision. Nevertheless, if Senatorial pressure is to count in case, there’s plenty of support of merger to counterbalance critics. Furthermore, even these critics could change their minds as they learn more about situation. College football TV “controls” of National Collegiate Athletic Assn, will continue next year, despite growing opposition. NCAA’s powerful TV committee continues to ward off pressure from its collegiate opponents, telecasters and the public, and will propose to Jan. 8-10 NCAA convention in Washington that NCAA (1) continue onegame-a-week TV policy, and (2) permit substitution of local games only when they’re sellouts and don’t compete with other NCAA games in area. Reason NCAA’s TV committee can stand its ground is that opposition doesn’t seem inclined to fight to finish. For instance, this week (1) Big Ten Conference voted to favor regional TV control at NCAA convention, but admitted it wouldn’t oppose TV committee in floor fight, and (2) Notre Dame executive v.p. Rev. Edmund Joyce called present football TV policy illegal, but said school wouldn’t take legal action against NCAA. Best hopes for forcing NCAA to modify its position seem to rest with public opinion and a Justice Dept, victory in its anti-trust suit against National Football League’s TV restrictions, due for January trial. Organized baseball, facing different problems, ended majorminor league conferences in Phoenix by establishing major league committee to study Sen. Johnson’s proposal that baseball’s TV-radio income be pooled into fund to help clubs considered damaged by broadcasts (Vol. 8:49). NARTB’s TV membership reached even 100 this week with admission of Wayne Coy’s KOB-TV, Albuquerque; KRON-TV, San Francisco; WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids; KFEL-TV, Denver; KDUB-TV, Lubbock, Tex.; and upcoming new stations WSLS-TV, Roanoke; KONA, Honolulu; WKAB-TV, Mobile; KFOR-TV, Lincoln, Neb.; WAKR-TV, Akron; WEEU-TV, Reading; WWLP, Springfield, Mass. At Cat Cay meeting Dec. 8-9, TV board approved researches into “standards of circulation measurements for TV” and for industry-wide sales promotion; named subscription TV study committee comprising Paramount’s Paul Raibourn, WGAL-TV’s Clair McCollough, WMCT’s H. W. Slavick; approved limiting associate memberships to companies selling services, equipment or supplies to TV-radio industry, naming McCollough chairman of committee to clear applications. Color transmissions from DuMont’s WABD, New York, authorized under STA granted by FCC this week, will include several undescribed DuMont innovations differing from NTSC specifications. Transmissions will be confined to hours outside regular programming, won’t interrupt DuMont’s uhf color transmissions. Paramount’s Paul Raibourn has come up with something else — “Adjacent Channel Color Transmission.” He proposes that color signal be made up of monochrome signal as now transmitted but that color information come from adjacent channels. Next TV Factbook — Pre-Print Orders Our semi-annual TV Factbook No. 16 will be off the presses shortly after Jan. 15, 1953 — containing basic data on all operating stations & networks (including rates); complete tabulation of applications for new stations, detailing principals involved, facilities requested, etc. (and starting new series of weekly Addenda) ; list of all new-station grantees (with reported starting dates) ; directories of TV set & tube manufacturers, transmitter & studio equipment makers, film & live program suppliers, community antenna systems, theatres equipped for TV, FCC personnel, legal & engineering consultants, etc., etc. One copy goes to each full-service subscriber. Extra copies, if pre-print orders for 20 or more are placed by Jan. 3, cost $1.50 each; single copies, $3.