Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1955)

COMR. Pobert E. Lee was greeted on opening day of the NARTB Chicago meeting by President Harold E. Fellows and this group of delegates (I to r): seated, Messrs. Fellows and Lee; Robert B. McConnell, WISH Indianapolis; F. S. Moore, WJR Detroit; Charles J. Lanphier, WISN-TV Milwaukee; Elmer Wayne, WJR Detroit; standing, Tom Wilson, Dow, Lohnes & A!bertson: C. Bruce AAcConne'l, WISH; Leslie C. Johnson, WH3F Rock Island, III., and Hugh K. Boice Jr., WEMP Milwaukee. dling basic workshop sessions. Non-staff speakers include Frank Atwood, WTIC Hartford, representing National Assn. of Tv & Radio Farm Directors, of which he is president; Grover C. Cobb, KVGB Great Bend, Kan., chairman of the NARTB Am Radio Committee; FCC Comr. Richard A. Mack; William Fay, WHAMTV Rochester, and William Monroe, WDSU-TV New Orleans, representing Radio-Tv News Directors Assn. Presidents of state associations will report Thursday on developments in their areas. Reg:onofs Count 400; May Exceed Lost Yeor TOTAL registration of around 400 at last week's two NARTB regional meetings indicates that station attendance for the autumn series may exceed that of the 17 district meetings held last year when registration at five separate meetings of the same states totaled 43 1 . The Chicago meeting, opening the new regional series, drew 208 registered delegates of whom 150 were station members. These six states drew a total of 215 registrations at their 1954 meetings, but this figure includes multiple attendance by NARTB staff personnel and those representing non-station-network interests. As of Thursday night, the Saranac Lake, N. Y.. meeting had 151 registrations of which two-thirds were station delegates. Last year the eight states represented at Saranac Lake were divided into two meetings. It was believed the Saranac Lake registration might reach 175 or even 200 by Saturday. Three factors kept down attendance, the association's convention managers explained. First, the CBS Radio meeting at Detroit the previous week, with attendance of over 200, kept an estimated 30 to 40 station executives away from the Chicago and Saranac Lake meetings. A number of important stations did not show at Chicago. As of Tuesday evening at Chicago, only eight stations from nearby Wisconsin appeared on the registration, with 1 1 from Kentucky and 12 from Michigan. Ohio had 15, Indiana 15 and Illinois 25. Michigan's attendance was kept down by the meeting held the previous weekend at Hidden Valley, an upstate resort. For the opening meeting at Chicago NARTB had a squadron of 16, led by President Harold Page 76 • September 26, 1955 E. Fe'lows. With the organization problem simplified after this first session of the series, the staff travel will be kept down mainly to program participants and those handling arrangements. Chicago drew a total of 39 associate memberexhibitor delegates plus six agency and representative participants and 13 publication representatives. FCC was represented at Chicago by Comr. Robert E. Lee and at Saranac Lake by Comr. Robert T. Bartley, both of whom were banquet speakers. Commercial firms at Chicago included George M. Baillie and E. P. H. James, A. C. Nielsen Co.; J. E. Barker, J. Walter Thompson Co.; C. N. Barnum. Wisconsin Telephone Co.; George W. Boiling, The Boiling Co.; William M. Carpenter, Community Club Service; Geno Cioe, Headley Reed Co.; Daniel M. Curtis, NBC Film Div.; Harold Fitzgerald, SESAC; Edmond K. Gardiner and John D. Langlois, Lang-Worth Feature Programs; Gus Hagenah, RCA Recorded Program Service; Ray V. Hamilton, Blackburn-Hamilton Co.; Robert I. Hancock, Collins Radio Co.; Robert Hoffman, Associated Artists Production Co.; Ernest Lee Jahncke Jr. and Earl Mullin, ABC; Lewis Kendall, Philco Corp.; John Klindworth, DuMont; Dick Lawrence, World Broadcasting System; Maury Long, J. Frank Beatty, John Osbon and Warren Middleton, B»T; M. M. Carpenter Jr., James P. McCarvill, F. A. Timberlake, Neal McNaughten, J. L. Nickels, W. K. Frank, James H. Keachie, A. M. Miller, RCA; H. J. Moseley, American Tel. & Tel.; Waiter Ruch, Ohio Bell Telephone Co.; Burt Squire, BMI; Glenn E. Webster, John Wall, General Electric Co.; David S. Wexler, Standard Rate & Data; Robert Wood, CBS-TV; R. T. Wittwer, General Teleradio; Gene T. Clears, Berlant Concertone; William J. Tobin, Gerald Swisher, Associated Press; John Shelton, Joseph H. McGillvra; Barr Sheets, CBS-TV Film; Robert Carpenter, MBS; Bob Grunwald, Harwald Co. Only lobby exhibitor at Chicago was Berlant Concertone, which showed its automatic recorder BAX-1. RCA was host at the prebanquet reception at Chicago. NARTB DELEGATES HEAR CODE PRAISE Chicago and Saranac Lake regional meetings learn operating details of tv code, see films of rejected material. Sen. Magnuson and Rep. Priest, in film talks, congratulate industry for self-regulation. NARTB'S Television Code has kept large amounts of unsuitable programming out of the nation's homes in three years of operation and is bringing legislative as well as public recognition of industry self-regulation, delegates at two NARTB regional meetings were told last week. The code's operating details were brought out into the open for the first time as tv station operators heard the story of how network and station continuity acceptance is handled. They heard Congressional tributes for the industry's disciplinary procedures and looked at film clips of rejected material. Edward H. Bronson, NARTB tv code affairs director, presided at Chicago and Saranac Lake code clinics. At Chicago, the clinic work was handled by Charles E. Gay, WHIO-TV Dayton, Ohio, and Harry Ward, NBC Chicago. New York presentations were given by Grace Johnsen, ABC-TV, and George Dunham, WNBF-TV Binghamton, N. Y. Charles Cady, assistant code affairs director, introduced filmed talks by Chairman Warren G. Magnuson, (D-Wash.) and Chairman Percy Priest (D-Tenn.) of the respective Senate and House Commerce committees. Mr. Ward explained that NBC spends $250,000 a year on continuity acceptance. "Once THIS GROUP of NARTB board members at the Chicago regional meeting included (I to r): Robert T. Mason, WMRN Marion, Ohio; Edward Wheeler, WEAW (FM) Evanston, III.; William Holm, WLPO LaSalle, III., host director; Ward L. Quaal, WLWT (TV) Cincinnati, and F. Ernest Lackey, WHOP Hopkinsville, Ky. Not in photo, Robert B. McConnell, WISH Indianapolis, and Clair R. McCollough, Steinman Stations, chairman of Tv Board. Broadcasting • Telecasting