Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

RADIO-TV ON HILL A KEY Congressional committee will look into the question of broadcasting and telecasting the daily operations of Congress at a hearing set for this Friday, it was announced last week. This is the first breach of the dam built around the somber halls of Congress to keep out the inquisitive * camera and the sensitive microphone. Attempts in the past, particularly following the historic radio-TV coverage of the Kefauver Crime Committee hearings, have been throttled in either the Senate or House Rules Committees. However, the Senate Executive Expenditures Committee has set the general subject down for airing and it has scheduled the most vociferous legislators who support radio-TV coverage in Congress. Sen. EMERGENCY PLAN SSffSJSZ ABOUT 90% of broadcasters contacted thus far by the FCC have indicated that they favor the Commission's operational plan for radio-TV stations in the event of emergency and have signified an intent to participate in the alert system, it was learned last week. About 200 licensees of AM-FM * TV stations have been reached through FCC's field offices or have written the Commission in Washington expressing their comments on the plan. The first phase of the proposal — a so-called "interim plan" — has been completed by the FCC engineering staff and needs only White House approval of an executive order to put it into operation. Interim procedure is described as the first step in a long-range program, with provision at the outset for limited operation. Broadcasters have been told that they may elect to take part in the system by undertaking certain technical modifications in equipment or remain silent in the event of enemy air attack [Broadcasting • Telecasting, April 2]. The exact location of the executive order, which would set forth the President's authority to invoke emergency provisions of the Communications Act, was traced last week to the Air Force communications branch within the Dept. of Defense. The directive already has been analyzed by the Budget Bureau, which compiled comments from all government agencies as a routine matter and which shortly will review a redraft of the order based on agency suggestions. The White House is the next and last step [Broadcasting • Telecasting, April 23]. The order may be released within a fortnight. The content and spirit of the order also was disclosed to Broadcasting • Telecasting last week, as presently constituted. It will, of course, serve notice that the Chief Executive is empowered to invoke Sec. 606 (c) of the Communications Act through the FCC under his national emergency proclamation of last year. The order will be divided into two sections: One devoted to "other than government agencies" — radioTV broadcasting stations, police, fire and emergency systems, etc.; the second will spell out compliance of other government agencies, such as procedure to be followed by the Federal Civil Defense Administration with respect to communication services, the Dept. of Commerce and others. As it now stands, other devices capable of serving as navigational aids — non-broadcasting radiations — are not controlled under the Communications Act. The Defense Dept. hopes to polish its comments on proposed legislation to accomplish this purpose and speed them to the Senate Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee, which had deferred action pending a reply from the military on a similar amendment. Coverage Study Set Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn.), Jacob Javits (R-N. Y.), Rep. Arthur G. Klein (D-N. Y.) and Sen. Alexander Wiley (R-Wis.) have been demanding right along that Congress do something about resolving the question. The Expenditures Committee is looking into two dozen or more phases of Congressional procedure and radio-TV is but one of them. Hearings are being conducted daily and are scheduled to end June 20. Purpose is to review the operation of the Reorganization Act, the machinery under which both houses of Congress operate from day-today. Studied Five Years Ago It was this committee which studied the entire question of Congressional procedures five years ago and which led to adoption of a reorganization. If after examination there are new developments or improvements needed in the opinion of the committee, a bill will be drafted embodying these proposals. Chairman of the committee is Sen. John L. McLellan (D-Ark.). Other Senators on the committee are Clyde R. Hoey (D-N. C.) ; Herbert R. O'Conor (D-Md.), who also is present chairman of the Crime Investigating Committee; Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.), William Benton (D-Conn.), A. Willis Robertson (D-Va.), A. S. Mike Monroney (D-Okla.), Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wis.), Karl E. Mundt (R-S. D.), who has been active for a "worldwide TV network"; Margaret Chase Smith (RMe.), Andrew F. Schoeppel (RKans.) , Henry C. Dworshak (R-Idaho) and Richard M. Nixon (R-Calif.). Chief sparkplug on the committee staff level is Dr. George B. Galloway, senior specialist on legislative organization in the Library of Congress, who helped write the LaFollette-Monroney Act (Reorganization Act). He has been assigned to the committee for the hearings and if a bill is drawn he will be in charge. The LaFollette-Monroney Act streamlined House and Senate committees, enlarged their research staffs, required the registration of lobbyists and tried to strengthen curbs on deficit spending. MRS. L. C. BOSTIAN Jolliffe's Daughter Dead MRS. LOGAN CHAPPEL BOSTIAN, 25, daughter of Dr. Charles B. Jolliffe, executive vice president in charge of RCA Labs Division and an RCA board member, died from an unexpected hemorrhage at All-Souls Hospital, Morristown, N. J., June 3. She is survived by Mr. Bostian, a chemist of Morris Plains, N. J., where they made their home; an infant son, William Jolliffe Bostian; a twin sister, Mrs. Arthur T. Clemen; and Dr. Jolliffe. Funeral services and cremation were held in Morristown. [PLACEMENT PARTS NPA Studies Priorities PROVISION for replacement parts for home-type radio-TV receivers and for equipment used by amateur radio operators, as well as further cutbacks in civilian consumption of raw materials, figured prominently in allocation developments last week. Priority ratings for home sets, * under the government's "maintenance, repair and operation" (MRO) regulations, were under study at National Production Authority, which earlier this year placed commercial radio-TV studio equipment under such priority [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 28]. The government's decision to keep the nation's radio and television sets in good working order on a par with station transmitters and other equipment — the regulation was on the borderline of approval last week — was seen as a further recognition of the industry's importance in civil defense and other vital emergency functions. Under the broadened MRO order, repairmen would be empowered to issue a priority rating to suppliers or distributors for replacement parts. Another situation involving MRO procedures is that under which broadcasters, using existing facilities, can obtain priority for alteration and additional quarters where they use less than 25 tons of steel at a cost of under $5,000 a year [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 14]. Broadcasters need not file applications under the government's new order requiring authorization for new building which consumes steel. In view of steel's vital strategic nature — it was cut back another 10% last week, or 30% below preKorean levels — and its importance in new construction touching on broadcasting facilities, NARTB has set out to compile estimates of its requirements for radio-TV towers, installation of transmitters, etc. NARTB will submit its findings to NPA as a result of an industry-government meeting within the past fortnight. NPA Administrator Manly Fleischmann had advised an NARTB delegation there is some prospect that restrictions on radioTV facilities may be relaxed where existing equipment is utilized and demands on steel are not too heavy [Broadcasting • Telecasting, June 4]. The MRO subject arose prominently following a meeting of electronic parts and component parts distributors with NPA officials fortnight ago. NPA's Office of Civilian Requirements, headed by Lewis Allen Weiss, former MBS and Don Lee broadcasting executive, endorsed the advisory group's resolution that amateur radio operators be adjudged "essential" and given priority rights for parts. The conference was held in line with OCR's activities in the wholesale and retail trade fields. The steel cutback specifically spells out home, portable and autc radio receivers, radio-phono combinations, wire-tape recorders, T"V receivers, radio-TV and radio-TVphonograph combinations, and record players. The 10% cut applies to the July-September quarter Second quarter cutbacks on civilian goods was 20% of the base period In another move last week, th( government earmarked for Junt 20% of the nickel supply for im portant civilian requirements ii communications and other fields The amount is the same as se aside for May, but is a departure in that the government previously had specified defense-rated require ments. Page 32 • June 11, 1951 BROADCASTING • Telecasting