Broadcasting (Oct - Dec 1950)

nicians. AGRAP, although overshadowed by AFRA, also continued to expand its membership and decided to remain independent after considering mergers with both AFRA and ACA. The American Newspaper Guild even entered the radio field, winning representation of all employes of WTCN Minneapolis except musicians, engineers, salesmen, executives and supervisory personnel. 1938 opened with the repercussions of Mae West's mid-December appearance on the Charlie McCarthy program drowning out the sound of the New Year bells for NBC's top executives at least, and closed with still crimson countenances for their peers at CBS from Orson Welles' too-realistic simulation of radio reporting in a modernized version of War of the Worlds on that network. Miss West's sultry portrayal of Eve in a comedy routine provoked many offended hearers to demand action from the FCC. Mr. Welles' dramatic account of New Jersey's invasion by men from Mars produced considerable confusion and enough hysteria to again require Commission attention and to secure prompt agreement by all networks to forswear any further such misleading use of newscast techniques on nonnews programs. Charges of Censorship Hurled at' Commission During the course of the year the Commission also looked into an NBC broadcast of Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer prize winning play, "Beyond the Horizon," but as in the other cases, took no official action, program censorship being expressly forbidden the Commission by the Communications Act. These events, however, and particularly the FCC Chainnan McNinch's strong rebuke of NBC for the Mae West program, which he tenned as falling "far below even minimum standards which should control in the selection and production of broadcast programs," aroused charges of Commission censorship. A more serious aspect of the THESE Commissioners comprised the 1938 Superpower Committee (I to r): Frank R. McNinch, ex-officio member of committee; T. A. M. Craven; Norman S. Case, who served as committee chairman; George H. Payne. At right is the 1938 facsimile installation of KSD and the Si. Louis Post Dispatch with George M. Burbach (I), the newspaper's advertising manager and station director, and Elliott Roosevelt, president of Hearst Radio Inc. and the Texas State Network. whole problem arose in November when Father Charles E. Coughlin, in a broadcast on "Persecution — Jewish and Christian," made statements w-hich many listeners took as anti-Semitic. When several of the stations on the special hookup carrying the series asked for advance scripts of future broadcasts and, failing to get them, did not carry the talks, they were picketed by groups who charged them with censorship and demands were made that they resume the series or forfeit their licenses. Miller Claims Broadcasters' Right for Advance Script A statement by Neville Miller noting that a broadcaster had every right to demand a script in advance, since he was responsible for what was broadcast over his facilities, and further pointing out that the Constitution guarantees the right of freedom and religion as well as freedom of speech and "in protecting one right we must not violate other rights" evoked denunciation as well as praise, with a rift even in the ranks of the broadcasters themselves. The Commission in March began notifying stations of all complaints received against them without itself making any prior investigation and many stations received temporary licenses. Broadcasters protested that this policy of itself was tantamount to censorship by intimidation and several groups, notably CIO unions, were using threats of complaints to the FCC as a means of getting broadcast Mr. Miller time for material which might otherwise have been turned down. The Commission appointed a committee to study the whole matter of the proper handling of complaints, meanwhile modifying its procedure to investigate complaints before taking action on them. At the NAB convention in February Chainnan McNinch had warned broadcasters against "unwisely yielding to the temptation to exact profits to the impairment of public service." Sen. Burton K. Wheeler (D-Mont.), chairman of the Interstate Commerce Committee, reminded the station operators that they were only "temporary" trustees of public rights and not to get a false sense of ownership that might lead them to abuse their granted privileges. FCC Acts To Prevent Communication Monopolies Fear that broadcasters might secure a monopoly of public opinion was reflected in a Commission ruling, adopted in March, that no licenses for second stations be issued to present licensees in the same community unless "it is clearly shown" that the public interest can best be served in that way, and by decisions against newspaper applicants. Bills prohibiting newspaper ownership of radio stations were introduced in Congress. To investigate radio monopoly on a national scale, the Commission ordered a full investigation into network operations. This hearing got underway in mid-November with the witnesses of NBC, first to be called, still on the stand as the year ended. In April, William S. Paley, CBS president, launched the industry's defense to the public. Broadcasting his annual report to CBS (Continued on page Ilk) INDIVIDUAL pictures used in this section are contemporary photographs showing the individuals at about the time mentioned in the text. For some interesting information on radio in IOWA BROADCASTING • Telecasting PLEASE SEE PAGE 35 OF THIS ISSUE October 16, 1950 • Page 111