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Program Needs
(Continued from page 63)
New Orleans, an NARTB TV director and chairman of the NARTB's Program Standards Committee, presided at the all-day meeting, held at the Statler Hotel. In opening the session, he sounded this keynote: "It's up to us to take a cold, objective look at television programming. Are we right? Are we wrong? If we're wrong, let's correct it ourselves."
Mr. Swezey appointed a resolutions committee including W. D. Rogers Jr., KEYL (TV) San Antonio; Dwight Martin, WLWT (TV) Cincinnati, and Eugene S. Thomas, WOR-TV New York.
Chairman Coy was introduced at the morning meeting by Clair R. McCollough, WGAL-TV Lancaster, an NARTB TV director. George B. Storer, Fort Industry Stations and also a TV director, introduced Sen. Johnson at the luncheon session.
Ardent TV Fan
Explaining he is an ardent radio and TV fan, Sen. Johnson said TV is restoring the home, contrary to most modern inventions. He called it "the grandest development ever to come to the human race and a medium second to none in the spread of education and information."
Sen. Johnson said he had asked Sen. William Benton (D-Conn.), at a recent hearing, to define education but the definition was not forthcoming. "Until Sen. Benton defines education he has no right talking about it in general terms," he said.
In a recent trip to Europe Sen. Johnson said he observed BBC television. "I missed the emcee livening up things," he said. "I missed advertising. I even like the advertising. It gives a sort of break. Advertising cleverly done is really entertaining. I like every part of TV. There are few programs I don't like. Some programs are foolish, but you don't have much trouble pleasing me. I get a great deal of good out of both radio and television."
Recalling a recent comment by Faye Emerson about "bluenoses," he pleaded with telecasters not to think of their critics as "bluenoses." Critics are more helpful than yes men, he said, applying the observation to his own political career.
Sen. Johnson warned of the danger of thrill programs, which he said could be like narcotics, as he quoted several observations of TV programming by critics. He recalled the 1948 broadcasters creed adopted by the NAB, adding, "You
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don't have to preach to the saved. I think you are on the beam. There's no danger of television censorship as far as I can see."
Although stating FCC believes any national censorship board as has been proposed in Congress "would be extremely impractical," and noting the Communications Act forbids censorship, Chairman Coy pointed out "it is true that the Commission has the responsibility of reviewing a station's over-all performance in determining if it is operating in the public interest as stipulated by the Communications Act."
"Despite all the loud noises you have heard about censorship," he continued, "it is well to remember that this right [over-all review] has been upheld by the courts."
He noted FCC, "pursuant to its responsibility to see to it that the public interest is served," has called a conference "for the discussion of television broadcasting problems from the viewpoint of the public, the Commission and industry."
"Your meeting," he told the broadcasters, "seems to me to be a logical forerunner to such a meeting as the Commission plans."
Stating he was "delighted that you are exploring ways and means here today to strengthen television as a vital mechanism of our democracy and as a weapon of defense, by moving in on these problems yourselves," Chairman Coy added, "I would also like to see them discussed at state and district meetings."
"Were this done," he observed, "then I venture to predict that we would see an instant and continuing improvement in standards and an immediate upsurge of public confidence in its broadcasting system."
"And this," he added, "all without the benefit of government intervention."
Chairman Coy noted the desirability of "re-examining program practices by television broadcasting is brought into sharp focus by other recent developments," citing the potential competition of "substantial interests" supporting subscription TV and theatre TV.
Agenda Suggestion Chairman Coy's seven points for consideration included:
1. Your assistance in civic improvements.
2. Your promotion of educational and cultural opportunities.
3. The integrity of your news.
4. The fairness of your presentation of controversial issues.
5. Your enterprise and zeal in promoting good community labor relations and inter-racial understanding.
6. The wholesomeness of your entertainers and their sense of responsibility as visitors at the family hearth.
7. Advertising on your station: Its reliability, its good taste, its listenability, its excesses.
"I hope also that one of the subjects you will explore will be the problem of advertiser domination of program schedules," Chairman Coy said. "Until the broadcaster schedules the kinds of programs
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BESIDES licensing a backlog of old motion pictures for television showing, Republic Pictures Corp. is making production facilities at its North Hollywood studio lot available to outside independent video producers on a rental basis starting today (Monday).
Earl Collins, president of Hollywood Television Service Inc., a subsidiary of Republic Pictures, so informed some 50 advertising agency and network executives last week during a studio showing of old films being offered for sponsor consideration. Bids for use of production facilities are acceptable starting today "to give everyone an equal opportunity," he said.
Republic is the first major Hollywood film studio to make this move.
Meanwhile, Gene Autry joined Roy Rogers in protesting rental to television of Republic Westerns in which they starred. Mr. Rogers threatened to sue for using his "name, voice or likeness for advertising purposes," thus barring possible sponsorship. Mr. Autry warned he will sue any TV station that uses his old Republic Westerns since he is now making his own films for television.
that he knows are right and until he builds a schedule that he knows is properly balanced, he cannot realize his full potentialities."
"Under the law that is his responsibility," he warned.
"Under the law it is not the advertiser's responsibility nor the networks' responsibility," he added.
"Therefore, the proper role for the advertiser is not that of the program director. His is the role of a purchaser of time on what is demonstrably the most effective and productive of all advertising mediums of mass communication," Chairman Coy summarized.
Reviewing an analysis of FCC mail in a 75-day period, he said that of a thousand complaints 255 dealt with alcoholic beverage advertising due to a campaign by temperance interests; 221 with indecency, obscenity or profanity; 128 with misleading advertising; 107 with lotteries and giveaways; 73 with crime and horror; 47 with excessive advertising; 36 with need for more educational and classical music programs; 32 with news commentators; 22 with fortune telling; 21 with attacks on religious faiths; 19 with refusal to grant time for a point of view.
He summarized a 1950 composite program week :
1. Entertainment: The average station devoted 72% of its time to entertainment. One station devoted 92% and another 90%. Nine other stations devoted between 80 and 90% of their total time to entertainment.
2. Religion: The average station devoted .9% to religion. Fifteen stations carried no religious programs at all.
3. Agriculture: The average station devoted .2% to agricultural programs. Seventeen carried no programs of this type.
4. Education: The average station devoted 3% of its total time to educational-type programs (i.e., programs offered by or in behalf of educational institutions). Eight stations reported
carrying no programs of this type.
5. Discussion: The average station devoted 3% of its time for discussions. Seven stations reported that they carried no discussion-type programs and 10 other stations reported that they devoted only 2% of their time to this type of program.
"I think that there are some selfevident facts that stand out from this analysis like sore thumbs," he said. He concluded these to be:
(a) You can't serve the religious needs of your community when you do not carry any religious programs at all.
(b) You can't serve the educational needs of your community when you do not carry any educational programs.
(c) It is clear that some steps must be taken by the television broadcasters to discover what the needs of their communities really are.
"It seems to me, therefore," Chairman Coy said, "sound advice . . . that I urge you to get acquainted with your community in a real senes so that if called upon at any time you could state the 10 most important needs of your community and it is of even greater importance that you could tell anyone with great pride what you are doing or proposing to do about those needs."
"When you have reached that point," he said, "you need no longer asks questions about what constitutes the public interest."
Question-Answer Session In a question-answer session Chairman Coy emphasized the need for integrity and objectivity in reporting the news and recalled radio's reputation as the most objective news medium. Replying to Mr. McCollough, he said he had no preconceived ideas on minimum percentage of program types, adding that the real test is whether a station serves the public interest.
FCC has never felt that a commercial program could not be in the public interest, the chairman said in answering Mr. Swezey. "FCC is just as committed as you are to the commercial radio system," he said, "but we favor allotment of sustaining periods for new program ideas." He felt that a program must be by or for an educational institution to be classed as educational but agreed the definition perhaps should be looked at again.
Harry Bannister, WWJ-TV Detroit, recalled his station had tried for two years to work out a format for religious programming. A solution was reached after another year, he said, by a local church council which advised erection of a church set in the studio. Chairman Coy agreed the problem was difficult and thought new stations could benefit by such experiences.
When Walter J. Damm, WTMJTV Milwaukee, asked about possible network pressure on stations, Chairman Coy parried the question but observed, "Walter doesn't need any help." He added that the station must keep its programming in its own hands.
The chairman conceded, on questioning by Leonard Marks, attorney, that his program observations constituted application of Blue Book standards to television but explained he had deliberately refrained from mentioning the Blue Book in his talk.
Page 72
June 25, 1951
Telecasting • BROADCASTING