Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1955)

GOVERN WITNESSES CALL FOR STUDY OF TV-DELINQUENCY PROBLEM Majority of those appearing last week before the Senate Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee cite the need of scientific research for perhaps several years to determine if tv is a factor in delinquency. THE NEED for thorough and scientific research for perhaps several years — to determine if television programming is actually a factor in juvenile delinquency — was emphasized by a majority of witnesses appearing before the Senate Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee last week. The juvenile delinquency unit, headed by Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn.), held final hearings Wednesday and Thursday On tv programming. Testifying were spokesmen for NARTB, NBC, FCC, an educational tv station, educators and researchers on child behavior. Three NARTB spokesmen — Harold E. Fellows, president; Thad Brown, tv vice president, and Edward Bronson, Tv Code affairs director — outlined a progress report on what NARTB and its Tv Code Review Board have been doing to improve programs since the trio testified before the group last fall [B*T, Oct. 25, 1954]. Joseph V. Heffernan, NBC financial vice president, cited NBC's long-term program of presenting beneficial tv fare and the network's own code of programming standards, offered to aid any research group looking into possible connections between tv shows and childhood delinquency and announced appointment of a special children's program review committee and a supervisor of children's programs for the network see story, page 54). FCC Comr. Frieda B. Hennock tore into present tv offerings and among other things proposed that the FCC hold hearings on proposed rule-making to establish standards for tv program content, afterward refusing to renew the licenses of those stations which do not present tv offerings "in the public interest." Launching into another touchy subject, brought up by Sen. Alexander Wiley (R-Wis.), she proposed that political candidates be given free time "on the people's airwaves" (see story, page 90, and editorial, page 126). Other witnesses were: William A. Wood, general manager, educational WQED (TV) Pittsburgh (ch. 13); Dr. Paul Lazarsfeld, Columbia U. sociology department, originator of several mass media research methods; Dr. Eleanor E. Maccoby, Harvard U. social rela tions department, who reported on a survey four years ago in tv homes and non-tv homes in Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. Ralph Steven Banay, research psychiatrist, Columbia U.; Mrs. Louise S. Walker, audio-visual education supervisor, Montgomery County (Md.) Schools. The subcommittee, which held hearings June 5 and Oct. 19-20, 1954, is scheduled to make a special report on television programs. James H. Bobo, chief counsel, said Thursday he hopes the report will be ready by May 1. Subcommittee members are Chairman Kefauver, who presided at Wednesday's hearing; Sen. Thomas C. Hennings (D-Mo.), who acted as chairman Thursday; Sen. Wiley, who attended both days' hearings; Sen. William Langer (R-N. D.), present at the Thursday session, and Sen. Olin D. Johnston (D-S. C). The Senate unit is operating with an appropriation of $125,000 and under a current Senate resolution must complete its work by July 31. (Statements made by witnesses last week have been condensed by B«T while still giving a fair presentation of each witness' opinions. Following each statement is testimony developed by questioning from members of the Senate subcommittee.) Harold E. Fellows NARTB President Television broadcasting stations are fully cognizant of the fact that good programs attract large audiences. They also know that bad programming in this free market place of ideas will rapidly toll the demise of any television station. Therefore, it is incumbent upon a station to learn the desires of its listeners, both present and potential, because it is the public preference which, in the final analysis, controls this industry — rather than any network, station, agency, or advertiser. We are aware of the allegations that have been made against certain mystery and adventure programming. Only a few of these allegations have been to the effect that television is a major cause of juvenile delinquency, but there have been numerous comments to the effect that television may be a contributing ATTENTIVE to testimony at last week's hearing by Senate Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee on tv programming are (I to r) Sen. Alexander Wiley (R-Wis.), Chairman Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn.) and James H. Bobo, subcommittee counsel. factor. For example, we learned several months ago that the Youth Bureau of the Detroit Police Department was probing into the possible causes of juvenile delinquency. We sent a member of our staff there to interview the officials. In Detroit, television was found not to be a cause or stimulus of juvenile delinquency, but was found instead to be a useful measure in controlling it. Last October, Television Magazine decided to check with some of the most respected psychiatrists of the American Psychiatric Assn. to see if they felt that television was actually warping young minds. They found complete agreement that "there is no scientific body of facts in existence that could in any way prove that television is one of the causes of juvenile delinquency." Parents Magazine, a highly respected publication, recently carried an article entitled "Television and Our Children . . . The Experts Speak Up." The article summarized the replies to a questionnaire sent to child behavior specialists in various parts of the country. In response to the question of whether television programs are responsible for juvenile delinquency, the great majority gave a flat no. The few who answered more or less affirm MR. WOOD Broadcasting • Telecasting DR. LAZARSFELD COMR. HENNOCK MR. HEFFERNAN April 11, 1955 • Page 79