Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

2— TELEVISION DIGEST MARCH 4. 1963 (2) Hovise Rtiles Committee Tues. morning hears Rep. Harris on his resolution, introduced last week, to open House committee meetings to TV-radio coverage. Harris move was cheered by industry leaders. Special NAB effort last fall was directed at House leadership, including Rep. Smith (D-Va.), Rules Committee chmn. Broadcast coverage imder Harris resolution would leave it up to each committee (& subcommittee) to decide by majority vote for or against such coverage; no witness could be forced to submit to TV-radio against his will, and no committee telecast or broadcast could be used for commercial purposes, but may be included in bona fide newscast or documentary. (3) Suspension of equal-time provision of Communications Act (Sec. 315) for 1964 elections wiR be subject of hearings begirming today (March 4) by House Communications & Power Subcommittee. Top level network heads appear first : CBS-TV's Dr. Stanton, NBC-TV's Samoff, while ABC-TV will submit formal statement of policy, probably imder Goldenson's name. FCC views wiU be aired by Chmn. Minow & Comr. Ford, maybe others. Gov. Collins is slated for Wed. House never has held hearings on issue. It passed resolution suspending equal time provisions for last elections, without gathering testimony. Interesting figure in cdl these is Harris. Unless time schedule is changed, he is slated to conduct ratings hearings beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m., appear before House Rules Committee at 10:30 a.m. & porticip>ate in 315 hearings that start Mon. NEW FACTBOOK — INDUSTRY'S BASIC REFERENCE: Television Factbook No. 33 goes into mails next week, the 1062-page lineal descendant of our first edition — Sept. 1945 four-page directory of TV stations, CPs & applications. Through cooperation of American Research Bureau, Factbook again updates major innovation of No. 32. This is a full page devoted to each TV station, presenting its net weekly circulation, a map depicting its coimty-by-county percentage of viewing penetration, and a tabular compilation of its county-by-coimty TV households & TV homes — together with Grade A & B coverage contours as derived from official files of FCC. (FCC, incidentally, finds the volume handier than its own files, in many categories, orders 150-200 copies.) This new working tool has achieved broad acceptance & use by agencies, advertisers & media researchers of cdl persuasions. Foregoing is in addition to our customary complete data on each station — management executives, ownership, technical facilities, rote-cord digests, etc. Along with this extensive data on stations, our regular departments have been updated & expanded — dozens of directories and statistical tables including: most complete foreign TV station directory published anywhere in the world, detailed data on the mushrooming U.S. & Canadian CATV systems, TV-radio-phono manufacturing executives & production figures, advertising & TV billing compilations, network executives, program sources, reps, all TV station sales since 1949, group station ownership, pay-TV organizations, communications attorneys & engineers, station brokers & management services, FCC roster, etc. etc. Factbook is part of regular service to all full TV-AM-FM and full TV subscribers (those who receive weekly blue Addenda). Extra copies are available from hq, 2025 Eye St., N.W., Washington 6 — at $15 each, $12.50 each for 5 or more. STATE PRESIDENTS HEAR MORE MILITANT NAB: Gradually stiffening attitude of broadcasters against strictures of various kinds, notably from govt., was dominant tone of NAB's 8th annual State Assn. Presidents Conference in Washington last week. Group's tendency in past has been to dwell heatedly on such subjects as best method of getting call letters on license plates and similar pressing matters. Public-relations & political success of industry's attacks on FCC's Omaha hearings, led by a militant NAB Pres. Collins, undoubtedly had much to do with theme of last week's sessions. Note these highlights: (1) Appointment of a broadcaster to next FCC vacancy was demanded in petition signed by delegates : "The need to maintain a sense of balance, and for broad expertise in the regulation of this vitally im