Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct - Dec 1952)

RADIO-TV TO AID Brotherhood Campaign BROADCASTERS, both radio and TV, are urged to increase their participation in the promotion of Brotherhood Week observance Feb. 15-22, 1953. Call was issued last week in a joint statement by Thomas F. O'Neil, MBS president, and J. L. Van Volkenburg, CBS-TV president, chairmen, respectively, of the Brotherhood Week Radio and TV Committees of the National Conference of Christians & Jews, sponsor of the annual event. "Group prejudices, racial intolerances and bigotries are the building blocks used by those who seek to destroy the freedoms we know in America," the statement reads. "As representatives of the greatest advertising media in America, we urge our fellow broadcasters everywhere to help preserve our freedoms with renewed efforts in this year's Brotherhood Week campaign." Kits of materials for use of adaptation by radio and TV stations are now in preparation by the two committees, which held initial meetings during the week. Film spots, balops, flip cards, station identification cards and program suggestions will be included in the TV kit, while the radio kit will contain transcribed spots and a series of quarter-hour scripts, as well as a number of suggestions for special Brotherhood Week broadcasts. Fact sheets concerning the week and its purpose will be included in both kits, to be used as a basis for announcements or programs to be produced by the individual stations. Through the Advertising Council, which has approved Brotherhood Week, time will be solicited on commercial programs for announcements promoting the week and its theme: "Brotherhood — believe it, live it, support it." Harold E. Fellows, president of NARTB, is head of the Brotherhood Week campaign in mass media, which will be coordinated by Vernon C. Hoyt, director of the NCCJ Commission on Mass Communications. KGLN HOLDINGS Firch Buys 49% JERRY FITCH, resident manager of KGLN Glenwood Springs, Col., has become executive vice president of KGLN following FCC approval last week to transfer 49% interest from Rex Howell to Mr. Fitch. Mr. Fitch paid $9,800 for his interest [FCC Roundup, B»T, Dec. 15]. The transfer will take effect Jan. 1, 1953. KGLN began operation in 1950 and was started by Rex Howell and his father, the late Charles Howell. It operates on 1340 kc with 250 w and is an MBS affiliate. Mr. Fitch, before coming to KGLN, was a regional representative for the United Press in Denver. Page 30 • December 22, 1952 16 TRANSFERS Approved by FCC Last Week SYLVAN IA award commending its pioneer efforts in daytime television is accepted for DuMont TV Network by Elmore B. Lyford (c), its stations relations director. Presentation was made during awards dinner by Deems Taylor (I), chairman of the Sylvania Television Awards Committee, and Don G. Mitchell, president of Sylvania Electric Products Inc. Network was lauded for "acts of creative efforts [that] call for recognition" [B«T, Dec. 15]. WINCHELL SUIT Plaintiffs Seek $1.5 Million TWO libel suits asking damages aggregating $1,525,000 were filed in New York Supreme Court Wednesday by the New York Post and its editor, James A. Wechsler, against Walter Winchell, ABC radio and television commentator and newspaper columnist, and against ABC, Gruen Watch Co., Hearst Corp., and King Features Syndicate. The complaints charged Mr. Winchell carried on a "campaign of defamation" on his radio and television program and in his newspaper column that sought to create the impression the New York Post and Mr. Wechsler were supporters of the Communist Party and disloyal to the U. S. They further claimed Mr. WinchelPs remarks were calculated to injure the newspaper financially and Mr. Wechsler personally. Mr. Wechsler is seeking $525,000 from Mr. Winchell, Hearst Corp., which publishes Mr. Winchell's column in the New York Daily Mirror, and King Features, which distributes the column to other newspapers; and $250,000 from Mr. Winchell; ABC, which broadcasts his radio and television program, and Gruen, which sponsors the program. The Post filed claims for $500,000 against Mr. Winchell, Hearst Corp. and King Features, and $250,000 from Mr. Winchell, ABC and Gruen. Both complainants denied Mr. Winchell's alleged charges and asserted they are loyal to the U. S. and opposed to communism. The complaints mentioned Mr. Winchell's broadcasts over ABC radio and television networks on Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, 1952. SIXTEEN transfer requests were approved by FCC last Thursday, including the $147,510 sale of KFBB Great Falls, Mont., to Joseph Patrick Wilkins, the transfer of KXLW Clayton, Mo. (St. Louis suburb), to John W. Kluge and Mark Evans (Marcus Austad), and the assignment of KSJV Sanger, Calf., to John H. * Poole. Mr. Wilkins, who is buying KFBB from Fred C. Birch, is general manager of the 5 kw outlet on 1310 kc. KFBB is CBS affiliate and has been on the air since 1922. Messrs. Kluge and Evans are paying $96,000 for the St. Louis independent. Mr. Kluge is president and majority owner of WGAY Silver Spring, Md. (suburb of Washington, D. C.) and is an East Coast food broker and distributor. Mark Evans is director of CBS' Housewives Protective League for WTOP AM FM TV Washington and WRVA Richmond, Va. KXLW operates on 1320 kc with 1 kw fulltime. Mr. Poole, who last week was granted uhf Ch. 22 in Los Angeles, is buying KSJV Sanger, Calif., for $75,000. Mr. Poole also is licensee of KBIG on Catalina Island. KSJV is 1 kw daytime outlet on 900 kc. Among other transfers approved by the Commission were those of the four Broadcasting Corp. of America stations from W. L. Glee NABET MANDATE Court Issues Order NABET technicians are operating under a court order preventing work stoppages at WWJ-TV Detroit as a result of a temporary restraining order handed down Wednesday by Circuit Judge Vincent M. Brennan. Hearing will be held Jan. 12 to determine if the injunction against work stoppage should be made permanent. Attorneys for the Evening News Assn., operating WWJ-TV, told the court on behalf of Edwin K. Wheeler, Detroit News general manager for radio and television, that it was necessary to cancel the NBC Dinah Shore program Dec. 9 because the Detroit NABET chapter refused to allow NBC technicians brought in from Hollywood the right to use WWJ-TV equipment for the network broadcast. WWJ-TV's attorneys pointed out to judge Brennan that the NBC technicians from Hollywood were also NABET members, though not members of the Detroit chapter. They said no regular employes of the station would have been deprived of earnings if the NBC men had worked because station employes are on a salary basis. If the union carried out its threat to continue this practice, the suit charged, the station would be prevented from fulfilling network arrangements with NBC, causing loss of public and industry goodwill. son to W. B. Ross. Mr. Ross is trustee in bankruptcy. FCC denied the request of Mr. Gleeson that the assignment applications be set for hearing. Sale of KSWS Roswell, N. M., to John A. Barnett, applicant for TV station in Roswell and independent oil producer, also was approved. Mr. Barnett pays $90,000 for the station. Other transfers involved WPOE (FM) Elizabeth, N. J., KULE Ephrata, Wash., WLEC Sandusky, Ohio, WKDK Newberry, S. C, KPDN Pampa, Tex., KRUN Ballinger, Tex., WFAK Memphis, Tenn. (where golf professional Cary Middlecoff will have 18% interest), and WGSW Greenwood, S. C. For details, see FCC Roundup, page 95. NARTB MEETS Four Groups Plan for Jan. FOUR NARTB committees and groups plan January meetings in Washington — Convention TV Subcommittee, Standards of Practice, TV Code Review Board and Copyright. Plans for TV participation in the annual convention to be held April 29-May 1 in Los Angeles will be reviewed Jan. 8 at the Convention TV Subcommittee meeting. Clair R. McCollough, WGAL-TV Lancaster, Pa., is chairman. The Standards of Practice Committee, formed last summer with John F. Meagher, KYSM Mankato, Minn., as chairman, will meet Jan. 12-13. The committee has started the long-range job of rewriting the radio code. A meeting in early November was devoted to the program section of the standards. Jan. 14-15 Code Members of the NARTB TV Code Review Board will meet Jan. 14-15. The board will review industry adherence to the code and consider steps in cases involving possible violations. The NARTB TV Board approved a new TV Code insignia for network-station display during its Florida meeting [B»T, Dec. 15]. This seal is designed to encourage the public to send comments to NARTB. Chairman of the review board is John E. Fetzer, WKZO-TV Kalamazoo, Mich. NARTB's Copyright Committee will meet Jan. 26-27 with Edward Breen, KVFD Fort Dodge, la., as chairman. At a Nov. 17-18 meeting the committee reviewed legal and legislative problems involved in copyright developments. BROADCASTING • Telecasting