Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1953)

GOVERNMENT which might be discommoded by any future withdrawal of that service in the event that Docket No. 8333 results in the adoption of rules and regulations and standards of good engineering practice which would require such stations to restrict their daytime coverage." The extension of the freeze now precludes action on all applications for new secondary assignments on Class I-A or I-B channels. FCC has not made any fulltime grants on I-A channels since before World War II. No daytime station grants have been made on I-A or I-B channels since mid1947. In its opinion in the KSOX case. FCC explained "it would be entirely inappropriate for the Commission in the context of a single licensing proceeding such as the present one to render a decision adopting standards of protection concerning daytime skywave propagation. Such a decision would necessarily affect the basic allocations policy of the Commission, and thereby a great number of existing and potential broadcast licensees." Without a ruling in Docket 8333, FCC said it cannot be assumed that the exhibits in that proceeding, upon which WCKY and KFBK rely, "are sufficiently reliable or inclusive to warrant their use as a basis for allocation policy. Certainly, the existance of this evidence does not supply any guide to the extent or type of protection against daytime skywave interference, if any, which the Commission should ultimately afford by amendment of its rules and standards." FCC explained that although the pleadings by WCKY "are not sufficient to show that it possesses the requisite standing to challenge the grant of the modification of construction permit, nevertheless these pleadings have brought to our attention for the first time the possible magnitude of the impact on existing stations of the daytime operation of a full-time station, such as KSOX as authorized by the modification of construction permit." It was "in the light of this information" that FCC extended its application freeze to cover applications for such operation. The Commission here noted that it "will proceed to decide the daytime skywave proceeding with as much dispatch as is practicable." AFCCE in its comments on the U.S. -Canadian agreement proposal recalled that when FCC instituted the daytime skywave case in 1947, the industry was promised "prompt action on the part of the Commission in order that it might resume the processing of applications in which questions of daytime skywave interference were in issue." Observing that this promise has yet to be fulfilled, AFCCE said FCC "now almost six years later proposes to compound its omission through a bilateral proposal which was not in issue in 1947 and upon which evidence was not adduced. In fairness to the public and the industry, the Commission is under obligation to promulgate standards for domestic allocations prior to the ' establishment of international standards." Color Test Extended UPON request of NBC, the FCC last week extended the special temporary authority to the network for the transmission of "non-standard color television signals" conforming to the specifications approved by the National Television System Committee on July 21. The extension is for the period Aug. 15 to Oct. 15 and allows use of NBC's WNBT (TV) New York on an experimental basis. CEDAR RAPIDS RECEIV! FCC GRANTS 2 OTHER Cedar Rapids TV Co. granted Ch. licensee sells the AM station to the interest in the TV permittee. Other ville, Ohio, and San Juan, P. R., whi Calif.; Jacksonville, Flo.; Evanston, I Ajjentown, Pa. SECOND vhf station for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was authorized by FCC last week to Cedar Rapids TV Co. for Ch. 9 as the competitive bid of KCRG there was withdrawn. Cedar Rapids TV has purchased KCRG for $100,000, subject to FCC approval, and the KCRG licensee, the Gazette Co., acquired 30% interest in the TV firm for $90,000, according to the merger agreement submitted to the Commission. WMT-TV plans Ch. 2 commencement at Cedar Rapids Sept. 27. At Steubenville, Ohio, FCC approved vhf Ch. 9 to WSTV there following withdrawal of the mutually exclusive application of theatre operator John R. Osborne. Mr. Osborne and his associates acquire option for 9% interest in the TV venture for about $40,000. In other new station grants. FCC authorized uhf Ch. 53 at Fresno, Calif., to John Poole Broadcasting Co. (The McMahan Co. withdrew); uhf Ch. 30 at Jacksonville, Fla., to WOBS (Dubai TV Co. withdrew); uhf Ch. 32 at Evanston, 111., to Northwestern TV Broadcasting Corp., which is headed by Angus D. Pfaff, onethird owner of WNMP Evanston; and uhf Ch. 44 at Boston to J. D. Wrather Jr., part owner of KFMB-TV San Diego and KOTV (TV) Tulsa (Massachusetts Teleradio Bcstg. Corp., Medford, Mass., withdrew). Final decisions were announced in three hearing cases, resulting in grants for vhf Ch. 4 at San Juan, P. R., to WAPA owner Jose Ramon Quinones; uhf Ch. 20 at Worcester, Mass., to WAAB there, and uhf Ch. 39 at Allentown, Pa., to Queen City TV Co. All three were survivor applicants in comparative hearings from which competitive applicants withdrew. Details of New TV Grants Details of the new station grants: ••"rpsno, Calif. — John Poole Bcstg. Co. granted uhf Ch. 53: effective radiated power of 282 kw visual and 145 kw aural; antenna height above avera!?e terrain 340 ft. Jaclisonville, Fla. — Southern Radio & Equipment Co. (WOBS) granted uhf Ch. 30; ERP 18.6 kw visual and 9.33 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 400 ft. Evanston, III. — Northwestern TV Bcstg. Corp. granted uhf Ch. 32; ERP 24 kw visual and 12.9 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 160 ft. Cedar Rapids, Iowa — Cedar Rapids TV Co. granted vhf Ch. 9; ERP 33.1 kw visual and 16.6 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 340 ft. Boston, Mass. — J. D. Wrather Jr. granted uhf Ch. 44; ERP 282 kw visual and 145 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 580 ft. Worcester, Mass. — Wilson Enterprises Inc. (WAAB) in final decision granted uhf Ch. 20; ERP 181.5 kw visual and 92.8 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 825 ft. Steubenville, Ohio— WSTV Inc. (WSTV) granted vhf Ch. 9; ERP 229 kw visual and 115 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 950 ft. Allentown, Pa. — Queen City TV Co. in final decision granted uhf Ch. 39; ERP 107 kw visual and 54 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 350 ft. iS SECOND VHF; VHFs, 6 UHFs . 9 as KCRG withdraws and its new grantee and acquires 30% vhf grants are made at Steubenle uhf CPs are granted at Fresno, II.; Boston; V/orcester, Mass., and San Juan, P. R. — Jose Ramon Quinones (WAPA) granted vhf Ch. 4; ERP 56.5 kw visual and 33.9 kw aural; antenna height above average terrain 221 ft. The Commission approved modification of the permit for Polan Industries' WUTV (TVi Youngstown, Ohio, on uhf Ch. 21 to increase ERP to 219 kw visual and 115 kw aural. FCC denied a protest by Valley TV Co. and dismissed Valley's tendered application for Ch. 21. New Hearings Ordered Two new comparative hearings were scheduled for Washington on Sept. II. They are the Madison, Wis., vhf Ch. 3 case and the Montpelier, Vt., vhf Ch. 3 proceeding. Madison contestants are WISC and Badger TV Co. At Montpelier, contestants are WCAX and Colonial TV Inc. Hearing on the transfer of WGBI-TV Scranton, Pa., uhf Ch. 22 permittee, was scheduled for Sept. 21 in Washington. Scranton Broadcasters Inc., licensee of WGBI, seeks to assign the Ch. 22 permit to MCL Telecasting Corp., one-third owned by Scranton Broadcasters; onethird by Meco Realty Co., controlled by the Comerford theatre interests; and one-third by Edward and Elizabeth Lynett. The Lynetts, as co-partners, do business as the Scranton Times, licensee of WQAN [B»T, July 13, June 29]. Oral argument before the Commission en banc was scheduled Aug. 31 on initial decisions in two comparative TV proceedings, the Flint vhf Ch. 1 2 case and the PortlandVancouver uhf Ch. 21 case. In the Flint proceeding, the initial ruling favored the application of WFDF Flint and proposed to deny the competitive applications of W. S. Butterfield Theatres Inc. and WJR Detroit for Flint. The initial decision in the Portland-Vancouver case recommended a grant to KVAN Vancouver and proposed denial of the competitive bid of KGON Portland . In a memorandum opinion and order, FCC last week denied a petition by WEBC Duluth, Minn., for amendment of its Superior, Wis., vhf Ch. 3 application to specify Ch. 6 and for inclusion in the Ch. 6 case for Duluth-Superior. WEBC, because of the hyphenated-city allocation, long has sought for the incorporation of both the Chs. 3 and 6 cases into a single comparative proceeding. Other Ch. 3 applicant is KDAL Duluth. The Commission granted the petition of WDSM for completion of the Ch. 6 proceeding in which it would become the surviving applicant. Its Ch. 6 competitor, Lakehead Telecasters, seeks dismissal of its bid. Lakehead is part owned by the owners of former WREX, which has been merged with WDSM, WREX being deleted. Solution to the Sec. 309 (c) protest suit by WGRD Grand Rapids against the uhf Ch. 35 grant to Versluis Radio and TV Inc. at Muskegon appeared last week as the Commission approved Versluis' petition to directionalize its antenna for greater radiation in the direction of Muskegon. At the protest hearing in April, WGRD charged that Verslius' WTVM (TV) actually would not cover all of Muskegon with the required signal [B»T, April 27]. WGRD's protest contended WTVM actually would be a Grand Rapids outlet. Page 62 August 17, 1953 Broadcasting Telecasting