Broadcasting (July - Sep 1950)

1 Richards (Continued from page 28) ruman as a ''pipsqueak." He id Mr. Richards hung up in anger len he refused to carry out the istructions, but that nothing 'jcre was ever said about the in: dent. I Under cross-examination he said lj.at because of "economic prestre" he gave KMPC officials a Use report on an affidavit he filed flth FCC. "[Chester (Tiny) G. Renier, proram director of KLAC Hollj-Avood •ad formerly with KMPC in the |.me capacity, testified that "Mr. ichards exercised complete con|ol over the newsroom," and that ? had had "plenty of conversaDns with Mr. Richards over the flephone regarding editorials I lould take from newspapers for " e newscasters." He said he recalled having a ->lumn by Westbrook Pegler inuded in a newscast and that Mr. ichards said it wasn't necessary . identify or credit it. ■ Newscasters constantly com.ained to him about telephoned istructions from the station ".Tier, he said, asserting he told tern to use their own judgment hen Mr. Reynolds or the news .litor was not available for Duble-checking. General Manager Reynolds, he Bserted, "always said to prepare id present good, fair and im'artial newscasts." Examiner Cunningham intercted at one point: "Did you be•eve that nothing displeasing to 'r. Richards must be broadcast I the station?" Impartial Policy Mr. Renier replied that when he ined KMPC Mr. Richards had Id him he had difficulty hiring sople who would carry out his structions. "If Mr. Richards .,.lled me at my home after workg hours I would try and carry out ! s orders, but would make every Ifort to check with Mr. Rejmolds pst." ( During cross-examination by Mr. ulton the witness was shown a ilanual of Operations of KMPC" hich directed that news and con.oversial public issues be treated ^arly and impartially. He told r. Fulton that, so far as he lew, the policy had been followed 'id had never been specifically (untermanded by either Mr. .ichards or Mr. Reynolds. Former KMPC News Editor .ance Graham, now a disc ni.c. 'ith programs on KMPC and FWB, testified KMPC's news ems about OPA had been "not ■ *.ir and impartial," even though ■nner OPA Administrator Paul Porter — also one-time FCC lairman — had sent the station a ftter of appreciation for assistice during the war. The letter, produced by counsel »r the Richards stations, thanked MPC Manager Reynolds for asstance to the Los Angeles OPA ' iflce by "continually using our MrOADCASTING • Tele, broadcasts" and pi'oviding broadcast equipment. Mr. Graham said he knew nothing about the letter and that he could recall no "help" which KMPC ever gave the agency. On direct examination he had testified that Mr. Richards told him to point out in news programs that prices went down after OPA controls were lifted and to give other "unfavorable" treatment to OPA. Suggestions from Mr. Richards, he said, were considered instructions. He said that when Henry Wallace was made an executive of a pin-manufacturing company he followed Mr. Richards' instructions to refer to him as "the pin head," and received some unfavorable "fan mail." To comply with Mr. Richards' A^-ishes, he said, items about President Roosevelt were cut to a minimum. Starrels Cross-Examined Maurie Starrels, mortgage investment broker and former KMPC employe, was cross-examined at length on testimony he had presented the preceding week. In connection with an earlier assertion that Mr. Richards had told him to present Howard Hughes "unfavorably" in newscasts, Mr. Starrels was shown six news and feature stories broadcast about Mr. Hughes. Mr. Starrels said he considered two of them "favorable" and four "not favorable." In connection with testimony that Mr. Richards had ordered "unfavorable" treatment for Henry Wallace, Mr. Stan-els said under cross-examination that none of the news scripts presented as evidence by Mr. Burns would be considered "unfavorable." The scripts had been prepared by Mr. Starrels during his employment by KMPC. Mr. Burns also contended that items about Henry Wallace had not been preceded or followed by items about Communists, as Mr. Starrels claimed the station owner had ordered. "I can't vouch for the sequence," Mr. Starrels said. He also said he didn't recall "deliberately" omitting news favorable to Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. Sustains Objections Examiner Cunningham sustained an objection by FCC counsel when Mr. Burns asked whether membership in the Independent Progressive Party might have colored Mr. Starrels' interpretation of alleged instructions about "unfavorable" treatment of Mr. Wallace. Mr. Starrels did not concede he was a member of the Progressive party, though Mr. Burns claimed to have evidence of it. In pre%'ious testimony Mr. Starrels had said he followed instructions to "play down" news about the fighting then going on in Palestine. Under cross-examination, he identified scripts which he prepared and broadcast during December 1947 and January 1948 containing a total of 44 items about the Palestine war. When Mr. Burns asked whether he realized 126 such items were broadcast by KMPC in a s t i n g CERTIFICATE denoting Daniel W. Kops (I), WAVZ New Haven general manager and vice president, as "Jaycee of the Year" is awarded by Richard C. Lee, retiring president of the New Haven Junior Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Kops, also elected to the group's board of directors, was cited for efforts on behalf of the Hoover Report to reorganize the executive branch of the government. a two-week period, Mr. Starrels said he didn't. Pressed by Mr. Burns to say whether he ever wrote news scripts containing false information, he replied: "They were distorted, out of balance, and gave an untrue impression." He insisted, however, that his own political views did not affect his handling of news. HOLDS TO NARBA Daytimers' Petition Denied HOLDING that continued adherence to the so-called "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Mexico will be advantageous to the U. S. in forthcoming NARBA negotiations, FCC last week refused to allow daytimers to go fulltime on the Mexican channels involved. The Commission denied or dismissed applications and petitions of the Daytimers Petitioners Assn. and six daytime licensees on Mexican 1-A channels who were seeking authority to use the channels fulltime. The requests had been pending for many months. Under the "Gentlemen's Agreement," the U. S. agreed that with specific exceptions it would put no fulltime stations on six channels which were assigned under NARBA for priority use by Mexico (730, 800, 900, 1050, 1220 and 1570 kc). In return Mexico was to accord protection to certain L^. S. channels. The Agreement went into effect in 1941 simultaneously with NARBA. The Daj-time" Petitioners Assn. claimed that, since the bilateral treaty was not mentioned in the 1946 Interim Agreement which extended XARBA, it must be presumed to have expired in 1946. The NARBA Interim Agreement itself expired in March 1949 and negotiations for a new overall NARBA treaty are now in progress with sessions scheduled to resume Sept. 6. ATLASS-WKOW New Contract Filed With FCC A NEW CONTRACT to clarify the status of Atlass Amusement Corp. as "expert consultant and adviser" to WKOW Madison, Wis., has been filed with the FCC. The contract, replacing one signed April 13 to become effective June 1 [Broadcastixg, -June 5], was prepared "as of June 1" and undertakes to make clear that Atlass shall render onlj consultative and advisory services, with control and direction of the station's affairs remaining in the hands of Monona Broadcasting Co., the WKOW licensee. Like the earlier agreement, the contract is for a five-year term, subject to extension if Monona enters television, and provides for Atlass to be paid 50^/ of the licensee's net profit, before federal and state income taxes, and for Atlass or its nominees to have an option to buy up to 800 shares of convertible. Class A stock of Monona at $30 a share. Option deadline is Nov. 30. The contract provides that if the option is exercised and FCC approval of transfer is necessary or desirable, WKOW and Atlass shall prosecute the FCC application jointly. Unlike the original contract, the new agreement omits references to recommendations by Atlass for employment of a general manager and sales manager. Since the first agreement, Michael Henry has been signed to a five year contract for the general managership at salary figures indicated in the original contract, starting at $9,500 a year plus 19c of net profits and progressing to $11,000 and 1% of net profits for his services in each of the fourth and fifth years. This contract is cancellable by either party on three months' notice, after nine months. Atlass, a new firm, is headed by H. Leslie Atlass Jr., program director of WIND Chicago and son of the CBS Central Division vice president. John Carey, commercial manager of WIND, is vice president of the consulting company. The new contract was filed through the Washington law firm of Pierson & Ball and B. W. Huiskamp, WKOW secretary. WKOW operates on 1070 kc with 10 kw day and 5 kw night. It switched from Mutual to CBS affiliates effective June 5. WSYR-FM to 10 kw WSYR-FM Syracuse is now operating with 10 kw, an increase of 1 kw over its former power, according to A. G. Belle Isle, vice president in charge of engineering for WSYR-AM-FM-TV. A four-bay GE antenna has been erected on Sentinel Heights, some 1.440 ft. above sea level. WSYR-FM operates on Class B Channel 233 (94.5 mc ) . July 31, 1950 • Page 61