Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

10 DECEMBER 12, 1960 FCC’s programming report of July 29, re-emphasizing responsibilities of broadcasters to meet needs of their communities (Vol. 16:31 pi), has been commended by the American Civil Liberties Union. In a letter to FCC Chmn. Ford, ACLU exec. dir. Patrick Murphy Malin said the report will “make for the better-balanced, more widely-diversified programming to which the ACLU holds the people are entitled under both the First Amendment and the [Communications] Act itself.” Malin said FCC’s insistence that stations consult with local community leaders “makes excellent sense.” He conceded that it will “make life more complicated for the station owner & his staff,” but told Ford that FCC should disregard any protests by broadcasters that the policy amounts to “unconscionable interference” with management’s right to run its own business. Malin also called for strengthening of FCC’s new Complaints & Compliance Div. “It is to be hoped that the next Congress will adequately support the FCC under its present revitalized leadership,” he wrote Ford. AT&T’s petition for space-satellite frequencies, including opportunity to handle transatlantic TV (Vol. 16:43 pi), met strong opposition from other services using the microwave spectrum AT&T wants to share. Among the opponents are Central Committee on Communication Facilities of the American Petroleum Institute, National Committee for Utilities Radio, EIA Microwave Section, Aeronautical Radio Inc., Assn, of American Railroads, Motorola. Generally, they argue that AT&T can use presently allocated common carrier frequencies (B925-6425 me) instead of the 6425-6925 me sought. They say the AT&T petition is premature in light of FCC’s long-range rule-making on space allocations and upcoming international conferences on the matter. They assert that sharing with terrestrial microwave would be extremely difficult to coordinate. Fuller explanation of the new AP-UPI Conelrad alert system, using Teletype networks instead of telephone relays, has been issued by FCC. In answer to queries from stations (such as prompted a sincewithdrawn protest by the Ida. Bestrs. Assn. — Vol. 16:49 p5), the Commission stressed: (1) “It is not contemplated that a broadcast or 'TV station licensee will be required to subscribe to one of the radio-press serives. The vast majority of all broadcast station licensees are already subscribers ...” (2) “It is contemplated that every broadcast licensee will continue to radio monitor another broadcast station, particularly a Skywave Key station.” FCC said “full & complete details & instructions” will be sent all stations soon. First protest by CATV against vhf repeater grants was registered with FCC last week. Aztec Community TV, operator of systems in Aztec & Blanco, N.M., complained to the Commission of interference caused by boosters operated by Bloomfield Non-Profit TV Assn, in Bloomfield, N,M. Aztec noted that Bloomfield’s transmitting antenna is within a few hundred yards of Aztec’s receiving antenna, and causes “intolerable” co-channel interference which can destroy Aztec’s service. Aztec also said that Bloomfield didn’t comply with FCC’s rules, having built boosters since the Commission’s July 7 cut-off date. Uhf translator CPs granted: Ch. 78, Gallup, N.M., to TV for Gallup Assn.; Ch. 76, Truth or Consequences, N.M., to city of Truth or Consequences. Uhf stronghold Harrisburg, Pa. will be host to FCC uhf sparkplug Comr. Robert E. Lee, who will speak at a Kiwanis Club meeting there Dec. 29. KWK St. Louis revocation hearing will probably start in St. Louis Jan. 18, FCC examiner Forest L. McClenning indicated at a pre-hearing conference last week. KWK has pending before the Commission a petition demanding a bill of particulars spelling out all the whos & whats of contest-fraud allegations (Vol. 16:45 p2 et seq.) and the Commission’s Broadcast Bureau has opposed it, stating that FCC never opens its investigatory files in such proceedings. McClenning said that the hearing’s start will be delayed beyond Jan. 18 if the Commission doesn’t rule on KWK’s petition by Jan. 6. Reaffirmation of grant of Biloxi Ch. 13 to CP-holder WVMI-TV (Radio Associates Inc.) has been recommended to FCC in a supplemental initial decision by hearing examiner H. Gifford Irion. Commission’s 1957 award had been challenged in the Court of Appeals by contestant WLOX Biloxi, which questioned oral terms & conditions of an agreement by hotelman Edward Ball to lend $300,000 to WVMI-TV. After hearing the case again on remand from the Court, Irion said he found no evidence “to indicate that Bell’s role as a principal of Radio Associates” discredited WVMI-TV. FCC’s financial form revision, seeking more details from stations (Vol. 16:49 pll), drew objections from 3 more stations last week. Radio WCTC New Brunswick, N.J., WESO Southbridge, Mass & KCRS Midland, Tex. told the Commission that the additional data sought is not needed by the FCC and that it imposes an unnecessary burden on licensees. FCC Chmn. Ford will address the luncheon session of the NCTA Eastern Regional Management Seminar at Washington’s Statler Hotel Jan. 9. Other speakers on the occasion: Herbert Jacobs, pres, of TV Stations Inc. (film buyers); new NCTA Pres. William Dalton; NCTA counsel E. Stratford Smith; NCTA Chmn. Sandford F. Randolph; Hamilton Shea, pres, of WSVA-TV Harrisonburg, Va. Trusteeship for Ch. 5 Boston, sought by Greater Boston TV Corp., has been rejected by FCC. FCC has decided to take the channel away from WHDH-TV, but the Court of Appeals is reviewing the Commission decision and has held it in abeyance pending review (Vol. 16:29 pi et seq.). With Fresno going all-uhf — KFRE-TV shifting from Ch. 12 — a 4th station is now in prospect after last week’s grant of Ch. 53 to B. L. Golden, E. H. Dean & L. W. Fawns. Transfer of control of WDAM-TV Laurel-Hattiesburg, Miss. (Vol. 16:49 pll) has been approved by FCC. Educational Television TV assault on illiteracy in the tri-state broadcast range of WFIL-TV Philadelphia will be launched next month with the backing of major civic groups: Board of Education, Greater Philadelphia Council of Churches, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia Foundation, others. Beginning Jan. 30, and continuing for 20 weeks, WFIL-TV will telecast reading & writing lessons 5 mornings a week, 6:30-7 a.m. Instructor: Board of Education TV-radio staffer Alex Shevlin. Goal: to reach & teach 200,000 of an estimated 800,000 illiterates who live within a 70-mile radius of the city, in Pa., N.J., Del. • Educational WGTV Athens, Ga. is telecasting reading & writing lessons 3 nights weekly; some 550 adults in 17 counties have enrolled for supervised sessions of the TV course in their communities.