Broadcasting (July - Dec 1941)

Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles Are Given CPs for FM Stations TWO MORE PM stations were authorized on the Pacific Coast and one in the Midwest when the FCC last Tuesday issued construction permits for commercial high-frequency outlets in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit. The Los Angeles grant for a Class C station was made to Earle C. Anthony Inc., licensee of standard broadcast stations KFI and KECA, with the proviso that the permitee file for modification of construction permit within 60 days to specify use of the 43.7 mc. channel with a coverage area of 88,000 square miles. Under the Commission's svstem of assigning call letters, the new station, the fifth thus far granted in the Los Angeles area, will probably be K37LA. The San Francisco outlet was authorized to Hughes Tool Co., owned by Howard Hughes, multimillionaire sportsman, aviator and movie director, and will employ the 44.5 mc. channel with a service area of 10,800 square miles. WJR, The Goodwill Station, license of WJR, was the recipient of the Detroit grant which will operate on the 45.3 mc. to cover 6,800 square miles. Action gave Detroit its third FM station which probably will be assigned the call letters W58D. Proposals to Censor Communications Are Told to Congress by Army and Navy WTMJ, Milwaukee, and its FM adjunct, W5.5M, covered the American Legion convention in Milwaukee last week carrying six remotes from the scene of the Legion parade and other activities and by carrying speeches of Secretary of War Knox, General Marshall. Fiorella La Guardia and Josephus Daniels, new national commander of the veteran organization. W4<A, Schenectady, N. Y., the first independent commercial FM station, relayed the broadcast of President Roosevelt's speech Sept. 11 to the Proctor Theatre. The theatre headlined its paid newspaper advertising with a two-inch billing announcing the broadcast. ACTING Secretary of War Robert Patterson and Acting Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal informed Congress last week that both the Army and the Navy are preparing plans for censorship of all communications between the United States and any foreign nation, American overseas possession or ship at sea. According to the information submitted to Congress such control would be applied to both outgoing and incoming communications by any means of transmission and is supposedly intended to prevent espionage and entrance of foreign propaganda. Subject to Approval Both Mr. Patterson and Mr. Forrestal told Congress that the current plans do not contemplate compulsory censorship of the press and that they must be approved by a "higher authority" and would have to be supported by legislation. No elaboration of the ArmyNavy plans were made in letters sent to the House Military and Naval Committees, which raised a question in the minds of some network officials as to how they might affect shortwave broadcasts carried domestically on American networks and originating in Axis countries. At present these broadcasts are, like those from England and Russia, censored at the source. Whether the tentative Army-Navy plans would entail an additional check before they were released in this country is not known nor are officials inclined to discuss the subject. It is known, however, that Government officials are especially desirous of checking outgoing messages to prevent enemy agents from transmitting "information of i 5^ comfort" to unfriendly foreign powers. At the same time, the prevailing philosophy of those charged with planning censorship is that there also must be a checkup on shortwave broadcasts from the United States or of broadcasts which might be picked up by unfriendly powers. It has been reported unofficially in Washington that the Navy has taken lease of two floors in a large downtown office building in New York as New York headquarters for a censorship staff to handle outgoing messages. When these facilities would be placed in actual use is not known, but it is thought the recent decision to shoot at Axis ships on sight might serve to hasten their use. In his letter Mr. Patterson said "the War Department has, in the past, examined into and studied the question of compulsory censorship of the press and radio, and many other problems, with a view to being prepared to offer timely solutions should the need therefor be required to the interests of national defense." However, he pointed out there were no such plans along that line now in preparation by the War Department. Mr. Forrestal's letter followed the same lines as that from Mr. Patterson. Both communications were in response to a resolution introduced by Rep. Shaefer (RMich.) as to whether censorship plans are under consideration. After hearing the letters, the House tabled the resolution. World Wide's Third WORLD WIDE Broadcasting Corp., Boston, was recipient of a construction permit for its third international station when the FCC last Tuesday authorized the licensee of WRUL and WRUW to construct another station at Scituate, Mass. WRUL and WRUW are also located at Scituate. Grant specified the new shortwave station is to operate on 6040, 11730, 11790 15130, 15350 and 17750 kc. using A3 emission with 50,000 to 100,000 watts. The licenses of WRUL and WRUW which operate on these frequencies will be modified to share time with the new station. RADIO ENGINEERING LABS., INC. Long Island C i t y , N . Y. Page 52 • September 22, 1941 GE TO USE DISCS FOR FM RECEIVER^ FM WILL BE stressed in vertising and promotion of 1&4 line of General Electric radios, ac cordmg to H. J. Deines, advertisin manager of GE radio and telev sion department, Bridgeport, Conr In addition to a campaign i national magazines, newspaper and other media a series of tran scribed announcements and song have been prepared for radio ad vertismg of FM, which is to ge under way in October [Broadcast ' ING, Sept. 1]. The disc, to be played on stand, ard broadcast stations only in area where FM service is available, ar five minutes in length and are titlec! Swing to FM, featuring Haze; Scott, pianist, and the Golden Gafc Quartet. The latter will give a nev' twist to commercials in the forn of story-songs — telling in sont what the advantages of FM meai to such popular characters a;Casey Jones, Noah, and the Mai on the Flying Trapeze. Another feature of the FM ad vertising campaign is a 20-minut(' color sound movie that gives f clear explanation of the advan tages of FM over AM in simple animated drawings. Titled Listen Its FM, it will be shown to botl-i dealer and consumer groups as ari educational movie. Other advertising and promo-' tional items include a GE FM primer, explaining FM wit? sketches and in simple language; an outdoor advertising poster foi cooperative advertising; and store and window displays. Agency Maxon, Inc., New York. WWSW's FM Outlet Now Bonus to Sponsors W47P, FM adjunct of WWSW Pittsburgh, the first FM outlet in Pittsburgh as well as in the entire state, will duplicate programs of WWSW affording advertisers the advantage of duplicated commercials at no extra cost until further notice, according to Frank R. Smith Jr., general manager of both stations. Currently W47P is conducting a campaign promoting FM in Pitts burgh. During the county fair, spe cial exhibitions of the new high-, frequency type of broadcasting, were given for the benefit of the public. W47P is also carrying the' WWSW broadcasts of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games and had announced an extensive fall and winter schedule of sportscasts which will include descriptions of Pittsburgh Steeler pro football games, Pittsburgh Hornets hockey matches and collegiate football and basketball games. WSAI Seeks Booster TO IMPROVE its downtown Cincinnati coverage, WSAI, sister station of WLW, last week applied to the FCC for a 250-watt booster station to be synchronized on the' 1360 kc. channel. Two Washington! stations— WINX and WWDC— have booster stations to supplement their main 250-watt transmitter outputs, as a means of covering the metropolitan area. WSAI holds a construction permit forj 5,000 watts fulltime for its main transmitter. Broadcast Advertising • BROADCASTING j