Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 20 TELEVISION DIGEST-7 Television Digest PUBLISHED BY TELEVISION DIGEST, INC. HEADQUARTERS: 2025 Eye Sf., N.W., Washington 6, D. C. Phone: 965-1985. TWX: 202-965-0979 EDITORIAL NEW YORK OFFICE ALBERT WARREN, 580 Fifth Ave. Editor & Publisher New York 36, N. Y. JONAH GITLITZ, Circle 6-2215 Managing Editor, TWX: 212-640-6938 Television Digest DAVID LACHENBRUCH, PAUL STONE, Editorial Director Editorial Director, CHARLES SINCLAIR, Television Factbook VIRGINIA SNOWDEN, Contributing Editor Managing Editor, PHILADELPHIA OFFICE Television Factbook 1 1 1 Beverly Rd. BUSINESS Overbrook Hills EDWARD M. KELLY, Philadelphia 51, Pa. General Manager Midway 2-6411 RUDOLPH SAPPER, HAROLD RUSTEN, Circulation Manager Associate Editor TELEVISION DIGEST. Published Mondays. Services: $75-$150 annually. For group rates & other subscription services, write Headquarters. TELEVISION FACTBOOK TV 8. AM-FM ADDENDA Published Annually Published Saturdays AM-FM DIRECTORY Published Annually Personals Felix Jackoon, NBC-TV network programs vp, West Coast, promoted to newly created vp, NBC Productions, succeeded by Grant Tinker, programs operations vp. West Coast. I Rep. Harris (D-Ark.), chmn. of Commerce Commit tee, to be honored at luncheon of Broadcast Pioneers D.C. chapter. International Inn, Washington, June 6. I John M. Couric promoted from mgr. to dir., NAB ; public relations; Milton E. Magruder, public relations asst. mgr. to publications mgr.; Arthur D. Stamler, audio-visual I asst, to mgr. Robert E. Hallahan, ex-Army Times PublishI ing, named NAB public relations asst. Ben Norman, ex-western regional bcstg. dir., Cunningham & Walsh, Los Angeles, appointed vp & operations I dir., Gerald Schnitzer Productions . . . A1 Mafiie, ex-Hall, mark Trading Co. pres., returns to radio WNAC Boston as Yankee Network sales mgr. Matthew Gordon, one-time head of UN press services, {| appointed information dir.. Communications Satellite Corp. 1 W. Hal Thompson, ex-Peters, Griffin, Woodward Dal'i las mgr., named commercial mgr., KSYD-TV Wichita 1 Falls. PROPOSED AM-FM STANDARDS; Controversial new AM-FM standards were proposed by FCC last week (Vol. 3:14 p6) ; comments due July 17, Comr. Hyde only dissenter. Heart of proposal is to sharply tighten engineering standards & encourage FM growth. Commission would establish a “go-no go” criteria for new daytime AM applications, protecting present contours. Station would have to provide 1st or 2nd service to at least 25% of area or wouldn’t exceed total number of stations in market based on new maximum requirements by city population. Allowable AMs also would be determined by number of FM assignments in communities over 100,000. Commission wouldn’t accept new nighttime applications (other than class II-A) unless new station wouldn’t raise RSS limitation of any existing station, and it would have to conform with daytime 25% criterion. To encourage FM : In cities over 100,000 — where there are no unassigned FM channels under table of assignments to be issued — each FM would be required to devote no more than 50% of average week to AM duplicated programs within one year after adoption. Comments are requested on whether rules should apply to metropolitan statistical areas or to cities with over 100,000 population. This rule would not apply to cities under 100,000, nor to cities over 100,000 where there are still available FM channels. Commission believes separate AM-FM ownership in same community is “necessary long range goal,” says duopoly rules are closely related to AM-FM duplication. It believes, however, that present state of FM development does not permit separation now. FCC adds: As AM frequencies become scarce, it’s expected there’ll be increase in number of competing applications at renewal time of AM-FM operators in largest markets. In such situations, FCC says, some dual AM-FM operators “may well be vulnerable,” particularly if existing licensee has been presenting bare minimum of nonduplicated programming. Commission expects to issue 2nd rule-making proposals to cover financial qualifications, city signal requirements, dual-city identification, studio location, additional engineering data with renewal applications. When adopted, new rules would lift present AM freeze. Dissenting Comr. Hyde said that fixing arbitrary numerical limit on stations per market is inconsistent with Communications Act, that it‘s “unfortunate” NAB’s plea against changes affecting competitive free enterprise was ignored, that new rules would abandon discretion to authorize new & changed operations to conform to population & market changes & technological developments, that he didn’t think development of FM should become involved in AM allocations. Comr. Ford, concurring, expressed reservations about “go-no go” system, table of maximum assignments per market, inclusion of FM in AM allocations. j Obituary ■| ^ Hugh T. Graham, 44, CBS-TV network gen. mgr.■1 operations, died May 11 of pneumonia. He joined CBS in • Oct. 1957 as unit management & control services mgr. y after 8 years with NBC. Native of N.Y., he lived in I Yorktown Heights, is survived by wife, 3 daughters, I parents. Pulse reports 9 new agency clients & one agency renewal. New: Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield; North Advertising; Lennen & Newell; Smith-Greenland ; John W. Shaw; Brangham/Brewer/Holzer; Smock, Debnam & Waddell; Scotty Glasgow Adv.; Screenboard. Kenyon & Eckhardt expanded to full service. I I