Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1953)

GOVERNMENT present," but refused to say if he had been affiliated "yesterday," Rep. Jackson said, while Miss LaCour flatly refused to answer the questions and issued a statement charging the Congressmen with setting themselves up as "prosecutor, judge and jury." Both Mr. Fielding and Miss LaCour based their refusals to answer on the protection afforded by the 5th Amendment to the Constitution. Both had been identified by witnesses as former Communist Party members at previous subcommittee hearings. TWA, in a statement issued through President Hugh Wedlock, said Miss LaCour at a recent executive board meeting, had signed a non-communist oath required of all officers under the Taft-Hartley Law. TWA's executive board was to meet "in the next few days" to consider future action in view of her refusal to testify, Mr. Wedlock said. FIRST OKAYS GIVEN BY FCC FOR 540 KC FCC grants new station at Clarksville, Tenn., and switches by KFMB San Diego (which also got a power boost) and WRIC Richlands, Va., all for 540 kc. Other applicants are mutually exclusive. FIRST authorizations for newly available 540 kc were announced by FCC last week concurrent with issuance of pre-hearing McFarland notices to two groups of 540 kc applicants advising them their bids are mutually exclusive. First new station grant on 540 kc went to Clarksville Broadcasting Co. for 250 w daytime at Clarksville, Tenn. The permittee is owned by Aaron B. Robinson, operator of WDXI Jackson, WENK Union City, WDXE Lawrenceburg and WTRP Paris, all Tenn., and WCMA Corinth, Miss. KFMB San Diego, Calif., was granted change from 1 kw on 550 kc to 5 kw on 540 kc, fulltime, directional. WRIC Richlands, Va., 1 kw daytimer on 1050 kc, received consent to switch to 540 kc. Following applicants were advised that their requests are mutually exclusive and indicate necessity of a hearing: Midland Broadcasting Co. — Requests change of KFKM Concordia, Kan., from 5 kw day on 550 kc directional to 10 kw fulltime on 540 kc, directional day and night. B. J. Parrish seeks new station at Pine Bluff, Ark., on 540 kc with 1 kw fulltime, directional night, contingent on move of his KOTN Pine Bluff to Brinkley, Ark. KOTN is on 1490 kc with 250 w unlimited. KOTN bid is included in notice. KWK Inc. (KWK St. Louis) seeks new station at Haines City, Fla., on 540 kc with 10 kw daytime, directional. Empire Broadcasting Co. seeks new station at Pine Bluff, Ark., on 540 kc with 10 kw daytime. WXOK Inc., Baton Rouge, La., seeks change of WXOK there from 1260 kc to 540 kc, assigned 1 kw day. Southeastern Broadcasting System (WJAZ Albany and WMJM Cordele, Ga.) seeks new station at Macon, Ga., on 540 kc with 10 kw daytime. Francis S. Miller for new station at Tampa, Fla., on 540 kc with 500 w daytime. Rollins Broadcasting Inc. (WJWL Georgetown, Del.) seeks new station at Houston, Tex., on 540 kc with 250 w daytime. In the second group notified mutually exclusive are: Scheewe Assoc. seeks new station at Washington, D. C, on 540 kc with 250 w daytime. Rollins Broadcasting Co. requests change of WJWL Georgetown, Del., from 1 kw day on 900 kc to 5 kw day on 540 kc. Good Music Station Inc. seeks change of WGMS Washington, D. C, transmitter site from Falls Church, Va., to Potomac, Md., usinsr present facilities of 1 kw day on 570 kc, and seeks an Page 52 • December 21, 1953 other permit for night operation on 570 kc with 1 kw at Bethesda, Md. The proposed Potomac site conflicts with request of WDON Washington. Commercial Radio Equipment Co. seeks change of WDON Washington, D. C, from 1540 kc to 540 kc, using present assignment of 250 w daytime. In other actions, FCC also granted new am stations for Lanett, Ala.; Monte Vista, Colo., and Springfield, Ore. At Lanett, Greene Land & Cattle Co. received 500 w daytime on 910 kc. President and 50% owner of grantee is Roy M. Greene, part owner of WPNX Phenix City, Ala., and chief owner of WHWD Hollywood, Fla. At Monte Vista, San Luis Valley Broadcasting Co. received 250 w fulltime on 1490 kc. President and majority stockholder is George O. Cory, manager and part owner of KUBC Montrose, Colo. W. Gordon Allen, permittee of uhf ch. 20 KTVF (TV) Springfield-Eugene, Ore., and owner of KGAE Salem, Ore., was recipient of the Springfield am authorization. It specified 1 kw daytime on 1050 kc, conditioned upon KCOV Corvallis, Ore., beginning program tests on another channel. WNRV Narrows, Va., was granted modification of license to establish a second main studio in Pearisburg, Va., for dual-city operation. WNRV is assigned 1 kw daytime on 990 kc. More Data Asked On TV Extension Bids FIVE more post-freeze television stations were advised by FCC last week that their applications for additional time to complete construction cannot be granted on the basis of the evidence presented. Hearings would be ordered if additional data is not sufficient, an FCC representative indicated. Action came just a month after FCC warned extensions must be merited and diligence proved [B»T, Nov. 23]. The permittees involved included Ralph D. Epperson, uhf ch. 55 WPAQ-TV Mt. Airy, N. C; Tennessee Valley Broadcasting Co., uhf ch. 23 Decatur, Ala.; Grenco Inc., uhf ch. 21 WMSL-TV Greenwood, S. C; WCOW Telecasting Co., uhf ch. 17 WCOW-TV St. Paul, Minn., and Telepolitan Broadcasting Co., vhf ch. 12 KNEH (TV) Clovis, N. M. Comr. Frieda B. Hennock dissented in all cases, except that involving KNEH, and favored extensions for the uhf outlets. A fortnight ago FCC announced a final decision to deny additional time to Mountain States Television Co. to construct uhf ch. 20 KIRV (TV) Denver. The extension request was held in default in an examiner's initial decision since the station did not appear for hearing [B*T, Nov. 16]. FCC spokesmen last August unofficially warned television permittees that construction extensions would not be granted unless diligence could be proved [B»T, Aug. 17]. Two Dismiss Tv Bids BOTH contestants for uhf ch. 52 at Hagerstown, Md., WARK and WIEJ there, dismissed their applications last week and informed FCC their actions were based upon studies of the market and the economics of uhf. WIEJ wrote that its decision was "reluctant," but "after a careful survey of local and area factors and an appraisal of uhf operations in various parts of the U. S., it has concluded that uhf will not be successful either as a public service agency nor economically." Chattanooga Ch. 12 Merger Is Proposed WDEF would be survivor applicant, giving options to two competitors for 27.5% each. Harold Anderson would be manager after grant. FIRST local vhf television station for Chattanooga, Tenn., appeared in prospect last week as a three-way merger was put before the FCC by contestants in the ch. 12 hearing. WDEF Chattanooga petitioned the Commission for amendment of its ch. 12 bid to show option agreements for issuance of 27.5% holdings each to Southern Television Inc. and TriState Telecasting Corp. Southern and Tri-State propose to dismiss their ch. 12 applications, leaving the WDEF bid uncontested in hearing status before Examiner J. D. Bond. Should FCC approve the petition, the examiner would be able to issue promptly an initial decision on the remaining WDEF application. Meanwhile, Harold (Hap) Anderson, manager of KOLN-AM-TV Lincoln, Neb., announced his resignation from that station and plans to join WDEF Broadcasting Corp. shortly after the first of the year. He is to work with WDEF in its efforts to secure a construction permit on ch. 12. After FCC approval of the new tv outlet, Mr. Anderson is to direct the tv construction and become manager of WDEFTV. Mr. Anderson was minority stockholder in KOLN-AM-TV, which was sold with FCC approval last August to Fetzer Broadcasting Co. for a total consideration of $650,000 [B»T, Aug. 24]. Fetzer operates WJEF-AM-FM Grand Rapids, WKZO Kalamazoo and WKZOTV Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids, Mich. Other vhf channel available at Chattanooga is vhf ch. 3, in contest among WOPI, WDOD and WAPO. Two uhf stations have been authorized there, uhf ch. 43 WTVT (TV) and uhf ch. 49 WOUC. Neither has announced its expected commencement date. Both were granted in mid-1952. ZENITH APPEAL TO BE RE-ARGUED ZENITH appeal from an FCC order dismissing its 1948 application for Chicago's ch. 2 will be re-argued today in the U. S. Court of Appeals because Judge Charles Fahey disqualified himself, it was announced last week. Reason for Judge Fahey's withdrawal was because of previous association with one of counsel in the case, it was understood. Counsel included J. Roger Wollenberg, FCC; Edward K. Wheeler, Zenith, and Judge Samuel Rosenman, CBS. In its argument three weeks ago, Zenith claimed it had not waived any of its rights even though it had not participated in the allocation proceeding or the renewal proceeding on WBKB (TV) Chicago [B*T, Dec. 7]. It was on these grounds that the FCC dismissed the Zenith application. WBKB, originally owned by Balaban & Broadcasting • Telecasting