Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

6— TELEVISION DIGEST MABCH 11, 1963 CELLER TV-NEWSPAPER PROBE: Congress has always found newspaper-broadcasting relationships fascinating, always a matter of concern of “dominance” of a community’s news medium — undoubtedly because it’s congressmen’s job to be extremely sensitive to public opinion. Therefore, Rep. Celler (D-N,Y,) is on to a lively topic when his Anti-Tiaist Subcommittee starts hearings March 13 (Vol. 2:3 p4) on “monopoly” in newspaper-TV-radio area. FCC Chmn. Minow is first witness — and hearings are scheduled to run 11 days over 4-week period. Actually, because of great increase in number of radio stations, there’s been great decline in percentage of radionewspaper joint ownerships. In TV, situation has stayed about same in last decade. Daily newspapers owned about 31% of the 801 radio stations operating in 1941. At that time, there were 110 cities in which there was joint ownership of the only station & only newspaper in town. Now, only 9% (330 of 3,793) of stations have newspaper affiliates, while only 77 cities have sole station & sole newspaper in same hands. TV-newspaper combinations have remained at about 25% of stations since 1953; of 563 stations authorized today, 130 are newspaper affiliated. In 1959, 19 cities had the only newspaper & the only TV station jointly owned; figure has risen to 25 today. Some 40 witnesses have been called. Among more prominent: FTC Chmn. Rand Dixon, Asst. Attorney Gen. Lee Loevinger, newspaper magnate Samuel I. Newhouse, Los Angeles Times Pres. Norman Chandler and Los Angeles Times Publisher Philip Chandler. Hearings were sparked by demise of 2 Los Angeles dailies — Examiner & Mirror, in late 1961. Celler wants to find out whether anti-trust laws are being violated in cities where single owner controls more than one paper or where paper controls only TV station. He also says he wants to determine whether newspaper ownership of a city’s sole TV station results in “one-sided” news coverage & editorials. Disinterest of viewers in public affairs programming, a finding somewhat similar to Steiner report’s (Vol. 3:8 p2), was reported last week by Melvin Goldberg, NAB research vp, in talk to American Orthopsychiatric Assn, meeting in Washington. Study conducted 18 months ago showed that two-thirds of viewers aren’t interested in this fare, he said. In fact, he said, “one-half of this group (one-third of total viewing public) will actually turn to another channel rather than watch any public affairs program.” Goldberg said “roughly 12%” of total viewers have interest in public affairs shows. Until Aug., Goldberg was WBC research dir. It is understood study was conducted by .\RB in 5 markets. GE is forming broadcast subsidiary, setting up chain of command which is expected to satisfy FCC’s worries stemming from anti-trust convictions. Renewal of Schenectady licenses should follow soon. FCC’s new logging rules, covering automatic devnces and involving all TV-AM-FM stations (Vol. 3:8 p5), are available in full text (28 pp.) from Seabrooke Printing Co., 514 10th St. NW, Washington, at $1.82. Personals Arthur Zeigler promoted to MGM-TV business affairs dir., succeeding Jason Rabinovitz, elected treas., MGM Inc. . . . Fred E. Walker, ex-radio KYW Cleveland sales mgr., named radio KDKA Pittsburgh gen. mgr., succeeding late Lester Rawlins. Alvin Sussman, ex-Universal Entertainment Corp. exec, vp & sales dir., appointed WBC Program Sales Inc. vp & gen. mgr. . . . Robert H. Alter promoted to RAB national sales vp. Berton Schneider, Screen Gems treas., Russell Karp, secy., & Pierre .Marquis, advertising & sales planning dir., elected vps . . . Ted Austin named WSOC-TV Charlotte program dir. James L. O’Connor, former Pathe East Coast Labs vp, appointed RKO Phonevision vp & gen. mgr., Hartford, succeeding Charles O. Wood, now at RKO N.Y. hq. David Schwartz, former CBS merchandise promotion dir., named KCOP Los Angeles merchandising mgr. . . . John Abernathy promoted to KOGO-TV San Diego merchandising mgp". Boris Frank, ex-Bartell Bcstg., named Latin America mgr. of new Screen Gems International Broadcast Div. . . . Harold M. Spielman appointed new business senior \p & asst, to chmn., Sch-werin Research Corp. Bill McBride promoted to WOW-TV Omaha station mgr., succee<ling C. A. Larson, resigned . . . Lad F. Hlavaty, e.\-KCRG-TV & KCRG Cedar Rapids chief engineer, named to similar post with WQ.\D-TV Moline. James M. King, ex-Tv.^R, appointed KDK.A.-TV Pittsburgh sales mgr., succeeding Henry V. Greene Jr,, recently named Westinghouse Bcstg. national TV sales mgr. . . . Richard C. Shepard, ex-radio WGR Buffalo station mgr., appointed WKBW-TV local-regional sales mgr. .Mike Jarvis named WLWC Columbus, 0. sales ser\-ico dir., succeeding Jim Lackey, who becomes account exec. . . . Thurston S. Holmes appointed KERO-TV Bakersfield promotion & PR dir. Survey of 307 New Yorkers by BBDO, on effects of newspaper strike, discloses that 80% rely on TV as main source of news. Radio was 2nd, followed by newspapers & magazines. But 79% felt news reporting wasn’t as complete or convenient as they desired. Ratings for season to date (Oct. 1 through Feb. 1) .show it’s banner year for CBS-TV in national Nielsens. CBS’s average audience level at night has been 21.1 or nearly 10.5 million homes at any average minute, representing lead of 18% over NBC-TV (17.9) and 43% lead over ABC-TV (14.7). In daj-time (7 a,m.-6 p.m.), CBS scored 8.5 AA, 46% edge over NBC (5.8) and 125% lead over ABC (3.8). In nighttime ratings, CBS had 8 of top 10 shows, 16 of top 20, 21 of top 30, 24 of top 40. NEW’ HEADQUARTERS We’re now in our new offices at 2025 Eye St,, N.W’., Washington 6, D. C., with new phone: 9651985. We’ve also installed TWX in W^ashington (202-965-0979) & N.Y. (212-640-6938). 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