Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1954)

PEOS*L£ at deadline Plan to Boost Uhf Power Opposed; Other FCC Actions FCC PLAN to boost minimum uhf transmitter power from present 1 kw to 5 kw met with general opposition in filing of comments at deadline Friday, including RCA and DuMont which argued for flexibility to permit steady growth [B«T, March 22]. They contended other factors such as antenna gain, height and terrain also are important, indicating 1 kw with high gain antenna often can do adequate job economically. "Survival" factor of costs cited by many, including ch. 24 WBTM-TV Danville, Va., which said $100,000 required to boost to 5 kw, when added to $300,000 already invested, would force station to cease operation. Others opposing proposal included: ch. 25 WCOS-TV Columbia, S. C; ch. 66 WKNYTV Kingston, N. Y.; ch. 59 WELI-TV New Haven, Conn., and Joint Committee on Educational Tv. Bid for 540 kc by WDAK Columbus BID for 540 kc filed with FCC Friday by WDAK Columbus. Ga., which asks change from 250 w on 1340 kc to 5 kw day, 1 kw night on lowest frequency. Alabama Educational Tv Group Files ALABAMA Educational Tv Commission filed with FCC Friday for ch. 7 on Mt. Cheaha near Munford, Ala., with effective radiated power 316 kw. Educational station would have studios at U. of Alabama at University and at Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Auburn, linked to transmitter by radio relays. WTVH-AM-TV Sale Application Filed FORMAL application for FCC consent to sale of WTVH-AM-TV Peoria, 111., by Hilltop Broadcasting Co. to Peoria Journal-Star Inc. for about $225,000 filed with Commission Friday [B«T, April 12]. First San Jose Station FIRST television station for San Jose, Calif., approved by FCC Friday as Commission issued final decision granting ch. 11 to Standard Radio & Tv Co., headed by Allen T. Gilliland. owner local Sunlite Bakery. Decision supported examiner's initial ruling to deny in default competitive application of Fm Radio & Tv Corp., headed by W. L. Gleason, operator of own agency and program package firm. Examiner ruled good cause was not shown when Fm Radio & Tv petitioned to amend bid after hearing was designated. FCC found applicant dilatory. Allentown Bcstg. Answers Court WHEN considering relative need for local selfexpression between two communities where additional am or fm stations are being sought, FCC must take into account not only existing am and fm stations but also tv stations. This is point made by Allentown Broadcasting Corp. (WHOL Allentown, Pa.) in response to query from U. S. Court of Appeals in Washington asking for legal memorandum on question. FCC and Easton Publishing Co., which defend Commission's grant of am facilities to Easton Express, are due to reply this week. Case involves competing applications of Allentown and Easton principals for new am station on 1230 kc with 250 w in respective communities. Allentown was granted facility in 1947, but court reversed FCC and ordered new hearing to determine which community needed another station when Easton appealed. After second hearing, Commission last year ruled in favor of Easton. Allentown appealed this decision. Pending court ruling on new appeal, Commission okayed continued operation of Allentown's WHOL, which went on air following 1947 Commission decision. Allentown has three am, two fm and one tv grant (not on air yet). Easton has one am, two fm and one tv on air. Western Union Takes Issue With Trinity WESTERN UNION took issue Friday with Trinity Broadcasting Co.'s statement earlier in week that since it did not plan to re-create baseball games during 1954 season, protests against KELP-AMTV El Paso and KLIF Dallas were moot and academic (story page 60). Western Union said answers were unverified, that there have been public reports that Trinity was planning to broadcast radio and tv baseball re-creations to 175 stations, and that Trinity's answer did not deny allegations that it planned to appropriate news and sell same to stations. McCarthy v. army EXTENSIVE radio and television coverage of Senate Investigations subcommittee hearing on Sen. McCarthy-Army dispute planned on assumption sessions will begin Thursday. Live coverage is planned by NBC-TV, ABC-TV, ABC Radio and Mutual, while CBS-TV, CBS Radio and DuMont reported plans for presenting highlights of proceedings. Sessions tentatively scheduled 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. daily. McDaniel Renews Appeal For Radio-Tv Tax Relief AMENDMENT to pending tax revision legislation to kill 10% excise tax on radio-tv sets to be offered by Sen. Russell B. Long (D-La.), he said Friday at Senate Finance Committee hearing after Glen McDaniel, president of Radio-Electronics-Tv Mfrs. Assn., had asked for tax relief. Chairman Eugene D. Millikin (R-Colo.) commented he doubted that committee would go into excise taxes at this time. Mr. McDaniel said tv set industry was only one failing to get major relief in recent excise tax legislation, though rest of appliance industry obtained relief. Asked about effect of color tv, Mr. McDaniel said, "We have created a great monster; the industry is frankly scared." He said it was feared the public would not buy $1,000-$ 1,200 color sets and sales of blackand-white sets have been slowed. Million-Watt Stations Fight Soviet 'Voice' Jamming THREE powerful new million-watt radio stations relaying Voice of America programs are helping overcome Soviet jamming and now send signals deep into Communist territory, Theodore C. Streibert, director of U. S. Information Agency, said Friday in talk to American Society of Newspaper Editors (story page 38). New stations are at Munich, Okinawa and Manila. Voice is supplying news and documentary tv programs to reach 3 million video sets in 15 nations in Europe, Latin America and Far East, he said. Elected directors of ASNE Friday were Virginis Dabney, Richmond Times Dispatch (WRNL) and Stanley Barnett, Cleveland Plain Dealer (WHK), both re-elected; Carl Lindstrom, Hartford -Times; Michael Gorman, Flint Journal; Walter Lister, Philadelphia Bulletin (WCAU). UPCOMING April 22-24: American Assn. of Advertising Agencies, Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. April 23: Texas Assn. of Broadcasters, Adolphus Hotel, Dallas. April 23-24: New Mexico Broadcasters Assn., Navajo Lodge, Ruidoso. April 23-25: American Women in Radio & Television, Kansas City, Mo. For other Upcomings see page 127. HAROLD E. FELLOWS, NARTB president, named to board of directors of Brand Names Foundation by Barry I. Leithead, Cluett-Peabody, chairman of foundation's board. ROBERT S. (BOB) WILSON, associated with Mutual's publicity staff for past 11 years, most recently as exploitation manager, and previously news editor of WNEW New York, joined United Cerebral Palsy Assn. last Friday as manager of radio and television. HARRY K. McWILLIAMS, advertising-public relations director of Screen Gems Inc., tv subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Corp., resigning effective May 15 after 12 years with Columbia. In present post since January 1953, he formerly was exploitation manager for Columbia Pictures, and before that served with Benton & Bowles, Ted Bates Agency, the late Major Bowes, Rubinoff, Cincinnati Summer Opera Assn., San Carlos Opera Co., and Paramount Pictures. MRS. MAXINE STOVER, executive assistant to Robert E. Eastman, executive vice president, John Blair & Co., named head of firm's newlycreated station standards department. Purpose of new department, Mr. Blair said, "is to assure proper adherence to varying operating and commercial policies of Blair-represented stations." NELLIE-MAE LEONARD, publicity executive, Benton & Bowles, N. Y., to Compton Adv., N. Y., in publicity department. PATRICIA SEARIGHT named program director for radio, H. THOMAS TAUSIG program director for tv, WTOP Inc. Washington in split of radio-tv divisions (story page 84). WOR Phonevision Statement GORDON GRAY, General Teleradio vice president in charge of WOR-AM-TV New York, issued statement Friday on Phonevision experimentation plans: WOR-TV is happy to have the opportunity to cooperate with Zenith in these experimental broadcasts in Phonevision. These broadcasts will serve to make final determination of Phonevision's operating characteristics from a highpowered transmitter in metropolitan New York, and we feel may be a real contribution to the future of tv broadcasting. Since the decoding signal will be broadcast over the air and since the ordinary receiver does not have the air code translator, viewers will undoubtedly call after they find the picture jittered and the sound distorted because of these experiments. However, the experiments will probably not last more than a period of two weeks and at hours when WORTV programs are not ordinarily broadcast. Syndication of Network Tv Show Is Announced IN ONE of first moves of its kind, arrangements have been worked out for syndication of kinescopes of network tv show, it was learned Friday. Program is Tales of Tomorrow, produced by George F. Foley Inc. Kinescopes of series, which originally appeared on ABC-TV, will be sold to stations (for one run in each market) through Tee Vee Co., owned by George Phillips, authorities said. Arrangement has approval of American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, with actors and others involved in series' production to receive full re-use payments. Anderson Buys KLIR Denver KLIR Denver, 1 kw daytimer on 990 kc, sold Friday by F. Donald Hall to George Basil Anderson for $75,000. Mr. Anderson is owner of KJSK Columbus, Neb., and KJRG Newton, Kan. He sold KJAN Atlantic, Iowa, last November to local group for $27,500. Mr. Hall is retiring from radio because of ill health. Broadcasting • Telecasting April 19, 1954 • Page 9