Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1953)

STATIONS WATV (TV) Gets New Location, New Antenna WHEN WATV (TV) Newark moved its transmitter across the river last Saturday and started broadcasting from New York's Empire State Bldg., it also initiated a new type of antenna, variously called the "skew" or "fishbone" antenna. Designed by M. Sheldorf and built by Andrews Corp. of Chicago, this type of antenna has been used on government stations but never before in commercial operations. The five-gain antenna is installed near the base of the mooring mast tower surmounting the Empire State Bldg., a ticklish job as the six elements installed at each corner of the structure had to be perfectly matched with those at each other corner so that the signals from all corners meet, match and blend to produce a uniform flow of power to all sides. In preparation for the installation, Andrews first built a full-scale replica of that section of the tower in Chicago and tested the new antenna there, making final adjustments at that time so as to speed the actual antenna erection in New York. Five New York tv stations— WNBT (TV), WABC-TV, WCBS-TV, WABD (TV) and WPIX (TV) — already were in operation from the Empire State. After WATV began operation there and when WOR-TV New York completes the move from its present transmitter site at North Bergen, N. J., all seven tv stations assigned to the Greater New York area will be transmitting from the same location, a first in tv annals. WATV installed a new DuMont 5 kw transmitter at Empire State and plans to step that up to 50 kw as soon as equipment, now on order, is delivered. To inaugurate its new transmitter site, WATV dedicated its first program from there to the Lighthouse for the Blind, on whose behalf it scheduled a 14-hour telethon, which ran from 9 p.m. Nov. 14 to 1 p.m. Nov. 15. Danton Walker, Daily News columnist, served as master of ceremonies for the all-star show. ABC, in a gesture of industry fellowship, was to donate its Ritz Theatre to WATV for the occasion. WATV's own studios in Newark will continue as origination point for the station's regular studio programming. HOLDING one element of WATV (TV) Newark's new "fishbone" antenna, now installed on New York's Empire State Bldg. from which WATV began telecasting Saturday, are: (I to r) Henry L. Davrowski, WATV chief engineer; C. W. Lyon Jr., tv consultant for Empire State Bldg. and board member of the ESB Corp.; Vincent Rowan, financial vice president, ESB Corp.; Frank Bremer, WATV vice president in charge of engineering, and I. R. Rosenhaus, WATV president. FCC Issues 'Show Cause' Against Hawaiian Booster THREAT of a cease and desist order against the unauthorized operation of a tv booster station in the fashionable Wailupe Valley area of Honolulu has been made by the FCC in issuing a show cause order against a local radio-tv dealer. Owners Henry K. Lindsey and Edwin James Klein are the object of the show cause order, with a hearing scheduled in Washington for Jan. 11, 1954. According to information on file at the FCC, the dealer-servicemen originally planned a community television system to bring tv service into the residential area — screened from strong Honolulu tv station signals by a mountain range. Because local zoning regulations required underground cables, the two men erected not only a receiving antenna but also a transmitting antenna. This permitted them to pick up, amplify and retransmit the ch. 9 and ch. 1 1 signals from Honolulu on the same frequencies. Complaints of interference from some viewers in the Valley who had been receiving Hono Page 74 • November 16, 1953 lulu signals direct, brought the FCC's field inspectors into the picture in April. Both Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Klein were warned to desist. They filed an application for FCC permission to operate the booster station, but the Commission returned the application with word it was studying the question of boosters and satellites, but had no provision for such operations as yet. The show cause order was issued after it was found that the Honolulu booster was still in operation. Vols^Wildcats on WAVE-TV TELECAST of the Nov. 21 football game between the U. of Kentucky and U. of Tennessee will be carried by WAVE-TV Louisville under sponsorship of General Motors. Announcement of the one-station telecast was made last week by WAVE-TV, which pointed out that such arrangement was permitted under the NCAA agreement to allow pickups of important sell-out games during the course of the season. Southern Bell Telephone will install several microwave relays between Stoll Field, Lexington and WAVE-TV, it was said. COPLEY PRESS PLANS KLAC-TV PURCHASE PURCHASE of KLAC-TV Hollywood by Copley Press Inc. for $1,375,000 from Mrs. Dorothy Schiff Sonnenborn, publisher of the New York Post, is expected to be concluded this week. Negotiations have been under way for the past month, with Blackburn-Hamilton as broker. The deal does not include KLAC, am station, which Mrs. Sonnenborn will retain. M. H. Hall, her son, operates both stations. While details were not revealed, it is understood the sale does not include the 1000 Cahuenga Blvd. property housing the two stations, which occupy on a term-lease basis. With completion of the sale KLAC-TV will retain studios and executive offices at the site, with KLAC moving to other quarters. New owners of the ch. 13 vhf station are expected to ask for new call letters. KLAC-TV has been on the market for some time and has undergone operating economies. Copley Press publishes 15 newspapers in Illinois and Southern California, including the San Diego Union. It has an interest in KSDO San Diego. Driscoll to WCBS Post APPOINTMENT of David E. Driscoll to the CBS Radio news staff as WCBS New York director of news and public affairs, effective Nov. 23, was announced last week by Wells Church, CBS Radio director of news, and Carl Ward, general manager of WCBS. Mr. Driscoll was associated for \6Vi years, until he resigned in 1952, with the news and public affairs department of WOR New York and Mutual. Starting in 1938, he was the organization's director of news and special features, first in radio and since 1949 in both radio and television. KBIG Raises Rates 12% RATE increases averaging 12% for programs and spot announcements on KBIG Avalon, Calif., effective Jan. 1, have been announced by Robert J. McAndrews, station commercial manager. It is the first boost for KBIG since it began in June 1952. The basic one hour rate rises from $1 18 to $132; half-hour, -$70 to $80; quarter-hour, $48 to $53; 10 minutes, $36 to $40; five minutes, $24 to $27; and one minute spot announcements, $18 to $20. WOC-TV Goes to Ch. 6 WOC-TV Davenport, Iowa, is now broadcasting on its new vhf ch. 6 frequency with 100 kw, the station has announced. WOC-TV previously was on ch. 5 with 22.9 kw. The station is owned by Central Broadcasting Co.; Col. B. J. Palmer is president. James E. Page Dies JAMES EDMOND PAGE, 58, former publisher of the Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer and Ledger ( WGBA-AM-FM ) died last week of a heart attack. Within six hours after his death, his wife, Mrs. Edith Larkin Page, 57, also died of a heart attack. A double funeral was held Nov. 11. The R. W. Page Corp., which owns the Columbus newspapers and stations, also owns 51% of WRBL-TV, grantee of vhf ch. 4 in Columbus. WRBL-TV is 49% owned by J. W. Woodruff and J. W. Woodruff Jr. (WRBL Columbus). Broadcasting • Telecasting