Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

12 JANUARY 25, 1960 Congress Senate probe of FCC and other regulatory agencies under Sen. Carroll (D-Colo.), which got oif to 2 faltering starts last year (Vol. 15:47 pl4), probably will get another go-ahead at this session. Senate Judiciary Committee Chinn. Eastland (D-Miss.) has asked the Senate for $115,000 for Carroll’s administrative practice & procedure subcommittee to continue “a full & complete study” of laws governing the agencies. Under Eastland’s resolution the subcommittee would file findings & legislative recommendations before the end of 1960. Eastland also asked for $425,000 this year for the Judiciary antitrust & monopoly subcommittee headed by Sen. Kefauver (D-Tenn.), jurisdiction of which includes proposals to permit TV blackouts of baseball games by major clubs (Vol. 15:37 p3). New on the Carroll subcommittee’s agenda will be an agency codification bill (S-2849) by Minority Leader Dirksen (R-Ill.), who effectively blocked any 1959 action on an American Bar Assn, measure (S-2374) forbidding ex-parte contacts with the agencies. Co-sponsored by Sens. Wiley (R-Wis) & Hruska (R-Neb.), the Dirksen bill would impose uniform administrative procedures on all regulatory bodies. FCC’s $2.25-million request for a 2-year uhf study (see p. 1) topped TV-radio-related items in President Eisenhower’s $79.8-billion budget submitted to Congress. The estimated cost of the special survey swelled FCC’s 1961 fiscal budget to a new high of $13.5 million vs. $10.55 for 1960. Relatively minor across-the-board increases for regular Commission operations accounted for $300,000 of the budget raise sought. In other budget items affecting broadcasting: (1) As expected, FTC raised its sights by about 10% (Vol. 16:3 p8), asking for $7.6 million vs. $6.84, earmarking investigation & litigation boosts “to support more effectively the Commission’s efforts” in policing TV & radio advertising practices. (2) USIA asked for $105.8 million vs. $101.5 — expansion of “worldwide TV, motion picture and information center activities” accounting for $813,000 of the increase and stepped-up Voice of America radio programming getting a $302,000 raise. (3) HEW filed a $4.7-million 1961 request for educational media (including TV & radio) research grants under Title VII of the Defense Education Act — up $1.7 million from $3 million in fiscal 1960. Action on ETV bills providing govt, grants to states for equipment purchases has been put off again by the House Commerce communications & power subcommittee headed by Chmn. Harris (D-Ark.). In its first meeting in the new Congressional session, the subcommittee discussed plans to tour educational TV installations in Albuquerque, St. Louis, Omaha and Champaign, 111. (Vol. 16:3 p6). But it set no schedule for the trips or for any vote on a Senatepassed $51-million ETV measure (S-12) by Sen. Magnuson (D-Wash.) or House variations of the proposed legislation. Meanwhile, Rep. Collier (R-Ill.) said subcommittee field hearings last fall had convinced him that: “In-school educational TV has a tremendous potential. It is now & can become an effective tool for better education, particularly in specialized fields.” TV campaign financing by the govt, for Presidential & Congressional candidates, as proposed in an elections bill (S-2823) by Sen. Neuberger (D-Ore.) “to correct certain abuses” (Vol. 16:3 pl4), is getting heavy Democratic support. Already signed up as co-sponsors are Sens. Kennedy (Mass.), Mansfield (Mont.), Morse (Ore.), Murray (Mont.). Stations THAT ARB COVERAGE STUDY: Electronic computers have thrown a new element into estimates of station coverage, but it’s too early to tell whether it’s significant. Virtually every market checked so far shows viewing in counties beyond those previously considered within a station’s regular coverage. The situation: American Research Bureau, which previously checked station coverage by distributing viewers’ diaries in areas which ARB considered to be within “normal” service ranges, is now using a Univac computer. The computer “sweeps” data from the entire country, reporting every instance of viewing. Says ARB Pres. James Seiler: “All we know so far is that Univac will tell us that there is at least one instance of viewing in a particular county. It could be one home in the county, or all of them. We don’t know yet. “We won’t know, until about summer, what percentage of homes are reached in each county. In determining station coverage areas, most organizations consider that a station’s influence is negligible if it reaches less than 10% of a county. Some use a figure of 25%, and so forth. As of now, however, there are strong indications that service areas will be larger than previously estimated. That’s about as far as we can go.” To illustrate what Univac is showing, Seiler said: “It will report an instance of reception in Portland, Ore. of an Eastern station, by skip transmission.” Virtually every market checked so far shows viewing in counties beyond those previously considered within a station’s regular coverage. Recently, ARB worked up figures for 4 random markets, found that Columbus, 0. stations were reaching 27 more counties than previously included in coverage estimates, Philadelphia 31, Kansas City 33, Detroit 25. Seiler attributes the extensions to power-height increases. Chandler Gets Set For Expansion: Los Angeles Times Mirror Co. Pres. Norman Chandler, chmn. of its broadcasting subsidiary, KTTV Inc., has made a sweeping series of corporate actions to pave the way for expansion & diversification in the broadcasting field. Chandler’s plans for expansion came as no surprise (Vol. 15:44 p8). KTTV Inc. Pres. Richard A. Moore said the subsidiary’s name has been changed to Times-Mirror Bcstg. Co., with Robert W. Breckner made a vp as well as gen. mgr. of KTTV. This leaves Moore free to handle the area of acquisition & expansion for Chandler. Other changes: Charles B. Thornton and Otis Chandler named directors of the T-M Bcstg. Co.; Dick Woollen named vp of T-M Bcstg. Co. and program dir. of KTTV, also mgr. of the company’s national syndication div.; H. Bruce Baumeister named general counsel of T-M Bcstg. Co.; KTTV sales vp John R. Vrba becomes sales vp of T-M Bcstg. Co. for KTTV and the company’s newly formed commercial-tape division. All promotions go into effect Feb. 1. In addition to running KTTV, the T-M Bcstg. Co. operates a division for production & distribution of programs on video tape. RCA TV tape recorders were shipped last week to WTOP-TV Washington, D.C. and educational WEDU Tampa-St. Petersburg.