Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

FILM Schmidt Brewing Co., and Lucky Lager Brewing Co. Sterling Television Co., N. Y., has sold World We Live In to Greyhound Bus Lines for WTMJTV Milwaukee and Movie Museum to KPTV (TV) Portland, WDAF-TV and KTVX (TV) Muskogee, Okla. Barry-Grafman & Assoc., Chicago, announces sale of Mr. and Mrs. North to KDAL-TV Duluth, Minn.; Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, KMBC-TV Kansas City, Mo.; Main Event Wrestling, WWTV (TV) Cadillac, Mich., and The Buster Crabbe Show, WNBQ (TV) Chicago. KTLA (TV) Los Angeles has acquired rights to 450 one-reel Paramount cartoons and short subjects. Package obtained from U.M.&M. Tv Corp., N. Y., includes George Pal Puppetoons, Bouncing Ball Screen Songs, Betty Boop cartoons and others. FILM DISTRIBUTION Modern Talking Picture Service Inc., tv division, N. Y., offers eight new films free to stations: "Polio Vaccine News Report," 13 min., produced for Eli Lilly & Co., Indianapolis; "Water — Wealth or Worry for America," 13'/2 min., Cast Iron Research Assn.; "The Second Hundred Years," 27 min., Crane Co. (pipes, valves, plumbing, heating materials), Chicago; "The Story of Oats and Oatmeal," 25 min., in color, Quaker Oats Co., Chicago; "Making Time Stand Still," 6 min., White Cap Co. (vacuum caps), Chicago; "Spirit of St. Louis," 14 min., St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, and "Rice, the Most Important Food in the World," 12 min., Rice Consumer Service. FILM PRODUCTION Flying A Productions, L. A., is casting new tv series, King of the Royal Mounted. Firm plans 26 installments in series based on familiar comic strip and will offer it for national sale about March 1. Robert J. Enders Inc., Washington, has completed first in series of religious musical films for tv, Songs of Our Fathers, soon to premiere in New York. "The Wedding Ceremony" is first title in series starring Jacob Barkin, tenor, and directed by Robert L. Friend, Enders vice president. FILM PEOPLE Martin J. Robinson, with Motion Pictures for Television, N. Y., for some three years, appointed executive vice president in charge of operations for Western Television Corp., N. Y., subsidiary of C & C Super Corp. John N. Manson, Noble Adv. Co., Mexico City, Mexico, appointed manager of Latin American sales for Screen Gems Inc., N. Y. Pierre Marquis, former research director, MCA-TV, N. Y., appointed director of sales development for Screen Gems. Ruth Freund, formerly production manager of Screen Gems' advertising department, appointed administrative assistant to director of sales. Morrie Roizman, former chief editor, March of Time, N. Y., to Robert Lawrence Productions Inc., N. Y., as supervising film editor. Sean Flanelly, formerly Las Vegas newspaper editor and assistant to N. Y. columnist Igor Cassini to public relations staff of Guild Films Co., N. Y. Tom Whitesell, production supervisor of commercials, Transfilm Inc., N.Y., father of boy, Tbomas Lloyd. GOVERNMENT NO 'DISCRIMINATION' AGAINST PAPERS, FCC COUNSEL BAKER TELLS HOUSE GROUP Commission's chief legal officer testifies that newspaper filings for radio and tv permits, in comparative proceedings, get same consideration as other applicants. Newspaper interest in 30% of tv outlets cited as statistic to back up testimony. FCC General Counsel Warren Baker last week told a House subcommittee the FCC does not "discriminate" against newspapers seeking radio and tv licenses in comparative proceedings. Testifying Wednesday before the House Commerce Committee's Transportation & Communications Subcommittee on two identical bills (HR 6968 and 6977) which would prohibit FCC "discrimination" against applicants with interests in newspapers or other media "primarily engaged in the gathering and dissemination of information," Mr. Baker said the FCC considered newspaper ownership as a factor in making decisions, but that this factor often is not the determining one in awarding of broadcast licenses. FCC Chairman George C. McConnaughey had read a statement to the subcommittee the previous day also denying that the FCC discriminated against newspapers or other information media in awarding radio or tv licenses. The Tuesday session ended before Mr. McConnaughey was questioned and he did not appear Wednesday because of the pressure of FCC business. Beamer-Heselton Barrage Mr. Baker was on the receiving end of a barrage of questions from Reps. John V. Beamer (R-Ind.) and John W. Heselton (R-Mass.), both members of the parent committee but not of the subcommittee. Rep. Beamer said he will appear as a witness later in behalf of the bills, one of which he introduced. The FCC general counsel said the courts have backed up the Commission many times over the years in its consideration of diversification of mass media as a factor in the public interest, and that the FCC had been reversed in some cases where the courts thought this factor had not been adequately considered. He said the term "discrimination," as used in the proposed amendment, was one the FCC finds hard to define, adding that the FCC does not feel it has discriminated against newspapers in the past. He said the language in the bill is difficult to interpret and might lead to preference of newspaper applicants over those with interests in other media of mass communications. One indication that the FCC has not discriminated against newspapers is the fact that as of January 1955 newspapers had interests in more than 30% of all tv stations, he said. Rep. Beamer said that a Senate-House conference committee, when the McFarland Act was passed in 1952, had struck out a provision from the bill almost identical to the present proposal after the FCC had assured congressmen the agency would not discriminate against newspapers and other mass media. Speaking rhetorically, Rep. Beamer asked if the FCC had been "true to that promise." He cited a B«T story on the FCC's diversification policies and practices in the Nov. 1, 1954, issue as "one article that prompted me to make some correction that I think is necessary." Mr. Baker cited FCC's award of ch. 7 at Miami to newspaper-affiliated Biscayne Tv Corp. [B»T, Jan. 23] and ch. 8 in Tampa in 1954 to the Tampa Tribune as evidence that the FCC does not discriminate against newspapers. The U. S. Court of Appeals has upheld the Tampa grant [B*T, Jan. 23]. Rep. Beamer cited two FCC awards in Ft. Wayne, Ind., where he said the losing newspaper applicants feel "discriminated against." These are the awards of ch. 33 to WKJG in competition with the News-Sentinel and ch. 69 to WANE in competition with the Journal-Gazette. Mr. Baker said the FCC found that the News-Sentinel newspaper interest was found to be a diversification factor outweighing its advantages and that the News-Sentinel did not take exception to the examiner's initial decision. In the Journal-Gazette case, still in the U. S. Court of Appeals, the FCC found, he said, that certain "past activities" in business practices by the publishers of the newspaper were a factor which outweighed other slight advantages to the newspaper applicant. The matters presently before the court involve antitrust practices and the appellant has not charged FCC discrimination against it as a newspaper, he said. Rep. Heselton asked for details of the FCC opinion on the proposed amendment. He also asked for all FCC decisions involving newspaper applicants before and after enaction of the McFarland Act in 1952. Questioned on the FCC decision against the McClatchy newspaper interests in the Sacramento ch. 1 0 case, Mr. Baker said the examiner found McClatchy superior in all other factors except diversification of media. The FCC reversed the examiner's decision favoring McClatchy, however, and awarded the channel to Sacramento Telecasters. Rep. Heselton asked what recourse McClatchy has in view of the U. S. Appeals Court's decision upholding the FCC decision when the examiner "has found the newspaper superior in all but diversification." Mr. Baker said the FCC found (contrary to the examiner's findings) that Sacramento Telecasters was superior to McClatchy in several other respects. Rep. Heselton asked for FCC briefs covering BOXSCORE STATUS of tv cases before FCC: AWAITING FINAL DECISION: 10 Bristol, Va.-Tenn., ch. 5; Canton, Ohio, Ch. 29; Chattanooga, Term., ch. 3; Corpus Christi, Tex., ch. 10; Miami, Fla., ch. 10; Norfolk-Portsmouth, Va., ch. 10; Omaha, Neb., ch. 7; Peoria, 111., ch. 8; Seattle, Wash., ch. 7; Springfield, 111., ch. 2. AWAITING ORAL ARGUMENT: }} Boston, Mass., ch. 5; Charlotte, N. C, ch. 9; Hartford, Conn., ch. 3; Indianapolis, Ind., ch. 13; Jacksonville, Fla., ch. 12; New Orleans, La., ch. 4; Orlando, Fla., ch. 9; Paducah, Ky., ch. 6; Raleigh, N. C, ch. 5; San Antonio, Tex., ch. 12; St. Louis, Mo., ch. 11. AWAITING INITIAL DECISION: 3 Hatfield, Ind. (Owensboro, Ky.), ch. 9; McKeesport, Pa. (Pittsburgh), ch. 4; San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., ch. 2. IN HEARING: 11 Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tex., ch. 4; Biloxi. Miss., ch. 13; Caguas, P. R., ch. 11; Cheboygan, Mich., ch. 4; Clovis, N. M., ch. 12; Elmira, N.Y., ch. 18; Mayaguez, P.R., ch. 3; Onondaga-Parma, Mich., ch. 10; Pittsburgh. Pa., ch. 11; Redding, Calif., ch. 7; Toledo. Ohio, ch. 11. Page 50 • February 6, 1956 Broadcasting • Telecasting