Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

editorial nil Exit: NAB; Enter: NARTB THE NEW all-inclusive radio-television trade association formally debuts with the NARTB convention in Chicago this week. It represents the welding of TV and aural radio under one banner — a confederation of the entities that live under radio by the American plan. A new association, but mainly old faces. It was created in the crucible of conflict that has animated the broadcast arts almost from the beginning. To say that it's all sunshine and flowers even now would be unrealistic. Two major networks are still outside the NARTB fold. Many important stations, which seceded because of lack of confidence in NAB's leadership, remain on the side-lines. They will be enticed back only when they are satisfied that this isn't the same old commodity, wrapped up in a new, rakish package. There's an elaborate agenda for the NARTB sessions. Whether your dish is AM, TV or FM, commercial or technical, manpower or economics, you'll find it on the schedule. A year ago, the question was whether there would be an NAB at all. There emerged from that convention a new format. President Justin Miller was to have a general manager, and rid himself of day-to-day operating burdens. William B. Ryan was selected. Before his first year was out, he was inveigled into the presidency of the Bi'oadcast Advertising Bureau, the new business-getting branch of NAB. The order changed swiftly. The NAB board, at a meeting last January in Clearwater, created the NARTB — a stem-to-stern reorganization— embracing an autonomous and separate TV unit, replete with its own board of directors. President Miller, at his own behest, was to move into the newly created post of chairman of the board. On the eve of the new convention, the NAB selection committee announced the appointment of Harold Fellows as the new NARTB president— a choice generally applauded. The TV group shortly will select its general manager as Harold Fellows' opposite number. The NARTB organization, then will be complete. NARTB has one— and only one — broad objective. That is preservation of the American Plan of broadcasting. Everything else is collateral. If there were no American Plan, there would be no rate issue. There would be no "radio silence" problem, because the government would be running everything. So commendable progress has been made toward fusion of all those who live by the American Plan. The set manufacturers, at the other end of the line, have emerged from years of indolence and disregard of their obligations. Radio-Television Mfrs. Assn. has acquired new and, what we believe will be, highly effective leadership in the person of President Glen McDaniel, an able, affable and resolute young man who knows the Washington whirligig, law, manufacturing and the arts. Some day, we predict, there will be complete fusion — a merging of all those identified with the broadcast arts and industries. Today, the situation is vastly better than it was a year ago or two years ago. NARTB knows that its task, at top level, is one of public relations, embracing the legislative and regulatory, and the correlation of that activity with the segments in its fold. Indeed, like government itself, a trade association is as strong as its leadership. Page 106 • April 16, 1951 In FCC We Anti-Trust IN THE FURORE raised by the FCC's shrewish upbraiding of the movie industry for withholding films and talent from television, the major points of the Commission's recent policy statement have been overlooked. All the criticism has been directed toward a single passage in a report that comprehensively describes the Commission's intention to consider violations of federal laws, notably antitrust, in determining the eligibility of applicants for broadcasting stations. The disputed passage implies that the FCC, intemperately and perhaps illegally, will be reluctant to grant a station license to any movie producer who has not released his best pictures and players to TV. As such, it deserves all the criticism it gets. The spectacle of an FCC holding up the movie business at the point of a gun is frightening. It is unfortunate that this declaration sneaked in to mar what seems to us is an otherwise sound policy. We think the Commission has a right, indeed an obligation, to scrutinize an applicant's history of law violations in deciding whether his character justifies the issuance of a license. In the case of motion pictures companies, which have been held by the Supreme Court to have violated anti-trust laws by controlling both production and exhibition facilities, the FCC is obliged to decide whether such a concern would not be in violation of the same laws if it operated a TV station. As an exhibition medium, a TV station is worth a thousand neighborhood movie houses, in terms of the total audience reached. The FCC was wise in stating that its attitudes on these questions had not been fixed into a blanket policy against motion picture producers as a class and that its report was designed only as a guide in approaching caseby-case review of applications. It was extremely unwise, however, to include in its report a warning aimed at forcing movie producers to release their properties to TV. The warning was irrelevant and indefensible— and perhaps academic too, in view of the fact that TV is expanding its own film production, independent of the movies. jf our respects to: It Could Happen Again AT THE NARTB Convention in Chicago this week, delegates will see the most extensive exhibit of broadcast and TV equipment and services ever displayed — a multi-million dollar showing of the latest and the best. As broadcasters and their engineers view these exhibits and make their plans to buy, they should also be mindful that another exhibit may not be possible next year. Their memories should hark back to World War II, when equipment and tubes couldn't be purchased and when transmitters were kept perking only through voluntary pooling. Well-timed is the RCA Victor campaign enlisting employes in a drive to conserve critical materials. It is a campaign that could well be emulated by all broadcasters and manufacturers. It's common sense in unpredictable times to nurse equipment and materials. A minor shortage today could become a severe one overnight. As Frank Folsom, RCA president, points out: Only by doing everything possible to help itself can industry feel morally justified in asking the help of government agencies in supplying sufficient critical materials to permit continued production of peacetime products. So when you browse and buy, keep uppermost that by avoiding waste now you may avert a breakdown tomorrow. GEORGE BUTLER STORER LIKE many of radio's leading figure; George B. Storer got the feel of electroi ics by way of a homemade "ham" outfi . Though only 51 years of age, he is a taw radio veteran — 24 years in broadcasting an ( operator of the largest independent statio < business in the radio-TV field. That tinkering with a primitive bread-boai transmitter at his Toledo home back in 191 didn't interrupt his public school career. H college course, however, came to an abrupt en when his father died. In a brief period tl youth made the transition from Cornell's cair^ pus to the presidency of Standard Steel Tul Co., Toledo, as successor to the elder Store In 1926 the tube company was merged hall] Elyria Iron & Steel Co., which in turn hi came the Steel & Tube Division of RepubK Steel Corp., Cleveland, with Mr. Storer ; vice president in charge of the division. After six months in Cleveland he decided go back to Toledo where he, and others in tl family, had started Fort Industry Oil Co. Thf business had grown out of a well-nurs( dream. From his Standard Steel Tube offn in Toledo he often had watched trucks unloai'i ing gasoline at a service station just acroi/ the railroad tracks. How easy, he figured, to run a short sidiri into the station, unload directly and save tl customer money. That's how Fort Industry 0 Co. was conceived in July 1927. The origin1 station sold gas at 3 cents off regular price; later two cents. Motorists liked the idea. Th< liked it so well that within a few months the: were six Toledo stations selling Speedenethat's the name he picked — and seven moi in Cleveland, all with their own sidings. . | Looking around for ways to keep the bus ness growing, Mr. Storer started to wondr about the relatively new broadcast mediui He started negotiating for some spots (. WTAL Toledo and wound up by buying tP| 50-watter. Call letters, were changed to WSPHp' symbolic of Speedene. By March 1928 WSP ' was putting out 250 w and became the eighlK member of the young CBS network. Studii \^ were moved to the Commodore Perry Hotel. That pioneer in CBS development, Maj. Andrew White, inspired the transfer of WGH Detroit to Fort Industry and American Broa< casting Corp. of Ohio was formed, leasing tl station for $200 a month. That year M Storer moved to Detroit. He found himse in the oil business; the steel business (havir bought American Metal Products, Detroi which became Tubeweld and finally Standai (Continued on page 128) BROADCASTING • Telecastiri