Broadcasting (July - Sep 1949)

ONE STATION < in Houston leads all <>^ IN BMB IN HOOPER IN THE SOUTH'S FIRST MARKET To sell Houston and the great Gulf Coast area Buy KPRC FIRST in Everything that Counts SEATTLE CHANGE HOUSTON 950 KILOCYCLES. 5000 WATTS NBC and TON on the Gulf Cooit Jack Harris, General Manager Represented Notionally by Edward Retry & Co. Page 38 • August 22, 1949 TV Start, FM Switch Set by KING TRANSFER of the television and FM properties of KRSC Seattle to KING there became effective Saturday, Aug. 22, with King Broadcasting Co. scheduled to start TV operations and switch over to the new FM frequency on that date. Transfer, involving $375,000, was approved by FCC in July [Broadcasting, * July 25]. King Broadcasting last week requested FCC to switch the call of KRSC-TV to KING-TV and also asked approval for KING-FM to take over the KRSC-FM assignment of 15 kw on Channel 251 (98.1 mc). The prasent KING-FM equipment for Channel 235 (94.9 mc) with power of 48 kw is to be sold, according to Hugh M. Feltis, station manager for the three KING operations. KRSC-TV is assigned Channel 5 (76-82 mc) with power of 22.5 kw visual and 11.25 kw aural. The station has been operating since last Nov. 25 and is the only TV outlet on the air in the state. King Broadcasting has been a television applicant there but will drop its pending request. Mr. Feltis stated that the present KRSC-TV schedule of 24 hours weekly will be continued in addition to afternoon test patterns. Four hours are programmed nightly, except Wednesday, including about 18 hours of network kinescope recordings from the four TV networks and six hours of local programming weekly. LOG CHARGE Two Refuse to Pay Papers REFUSAL of WOW Omaha, Neb., and WNAX Yankton, S. D., to pay for program listings in the Sioux City, Iowa, Journal, has brought statements from officials of both stations explaining reasons for refusing. WOW Promotion Manager Bill Wiseman says that when the paper suggested payment three months ago, "we promptly refused as our policy has always opposed paying for editorial space in any publication. Question of rates was never discussed." General M a na g e r Robert R. Tincher of WNAX points out that the Sioux City Journal charge is .$150.00 per month for complete station program log. "Very condensed NBC and ABC schedules are run free from flack furnished by networks," Mr. Tincher said. Newspaper inaugurated this plan May 1 when new station KCOM hit the air in Sioux City. KSCJ, the local CBS outlet is owned and operated by the newspaper. KTRI Sioux City is closely associated with them, hence they get full treatment. "Our position," he stated, "was refusal to submit to this charge and WOW Omaha, when approached, took same attitude. Sioux City Jownal (is) still receiving complaints from subscribers on inadequacy of present setup." About Oct. 1, as commercial commitments warrant, Mr. Feltis said, the station will add six extra hours weekly in the 10-11 p.m. period. Mr. Feltis also confirmed that virtually the entire staff of KRSCTV will be taken into the KING organization. Robert E. Friebe, KRSC manager for two decades, will be manager of operations for KING-TV [Broadcasting, Aug. 1] wnth Lee Schulman as program JOHN CARSON Nomination Awaits O. K. SUBJECT of John Carson's nomination to the Federal Trade Commission will be explored by the Senate Interstate & Foreign Commerce committee in its next executive session, scheduled for Aug. 24, committee spokesmen have indicated. Mr. Carson's confirmation as Commissioner has been pending in committee since last April. Hearings were held last month [Broadcasting, July 11, 18], and among those who testified was Fulton Lewis jr., MBS commentator. A research director of the U.S. Cooperative League, Mr. Carson is President Truman's choice to succeed Robert Freer, resigned, for the remainder of his term which runs to Sept. 26, 1952. The committee has not acted upon the nomination in its past two biweekly meetings. The Commission has been operating short-handedly since early January, with only three of the five members sitting in, what with Mr. Freer's unfilled vacancy and the absence of Comr. Ewin Davis, who is hospitalized. In addition, the term of Comr. Lowell Mason, FTC acting chairman, expires this Sept. 25, it is pointed out. He is expected to seek renomination, however. Comr. Garland Ferguson's term expired last September, but he still is servino under FTC rules which permit extension of duty beyond date of expiration. President Truman is said to be awaiting action on Mr. Carson before submitting Mr. Ferguson's name for renomination. Partly because of that situation and despite opposition, Mr. Carson's confirmation is expected to be favorably reported this week. CKLW to 50 kw CKLW Windsor-Detroit is scheduled to go formally to 50 kw on 800 kc Sept. 1. Special progiams are to inaugurate the second independently-owned station in Canada to go to 50 kw. Equipment has been built by RCA Victor, Montreal. director, George Freeman, chief engineer, and Al P. Hunter, sales manager. The TV sales force will be maintained separately from KING'S AM operation. Mr. Friebe reports directly to Mr. Feltis, who becomes stations' manager, with responsibility for the management of the three outlets now owned by King Broadcasting. Mrs. A. Scott Bullitt is principal owner of the firm. ity FLEISHER DIES RWG Counsel for 10 Years SIDNEY R. FLEISHER, counsel for the Radio Writers Guild since its beginning ten years ago, died Aug. 10 at his home in Brewster, N. Y. He negotiated the minimum basic agreement now in effect between RWG and the networks. An expert on authors' rights and copyright laws, Mr. Fleisher had the title of Negotiator for the Dramatists Guild of the Authors League in the Guild's bargaining between dramatists and motion picture companies. Many radio people attended the memorial services for him held Aug. 12. Howard Lindsay, actor of "Life with Father" fame, delivered a eulogy as pai't of the services. Foreign Broadcasts ORAL ARGUMENT has been scheduled by FCC for Oct. 17 on its proposed rules changes relating to transmission of programs intended for foreign broadcast. Relaxation of the rules would allow informal applications rather than formal requests to be made for authority to transmit programs abroad provided the programs are also aired in the U.S. [Broadcasting, May 30]. Canadian Radio Week A CANADIAN RADIO WEEK iS planned by the Radio Manufacturers Association of Canada for Oct. 10-15. Advertising of National Radio Week is to be done through independent Canadian stations. 9? * 45.0 "HOOPER * (average 5 periods. Winter, 1948) proves the best buy in DANVILLE, VA WBTM 5kw ABC l*'^ (d) (n) Rep: HOLLINGBERY BROADCASTING • Telecasting