Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

GOVERNMENT the signal coverage of each station be conformed to the retail trading area of its community with interference protection geared to this area. It also advocated deintermixture to establish uhf islands. Hometown opposed proposals to permit maximum power for vhf stations in Zone I where antennas are higher than 1,000 feet, and uhf stations to radiate more than 1 million watts. The use of satellites to extend a big city's coverage also must be stopped, Hometown said. Zenith Radio Corp. stated that all comments either fall into "destructive or futile" category, or propose remedies that are insufficient to the national "crisis." This is basically "the economic stagnation of the industry," Zenith said. The Chicago radio-tv manufacturer again called on the FCC to authorize subscription television. Calling on the FCC to decide the question of pay tv immediately, Zenith said: "Procrastination in the face of the present economic crisis can only lead to the loss of one of subscription television's greatest potential contributions, namely, economic aid to those broadcasters now facing bankruptcy." Joint Committee on Toll Tv opposes Zenith's comments regarding use of subscription tv. Subscription tv is a separate proceeding, JCTT said, and does not belong in the allocations proceeding. KFJZ-TV Fort Worth, Tex. (ch. 11), favors subscription tv. A. Earl Cullum Jr., Dallas (consulting engineer), urges addition of three vhf channels from fm band; greater channel utilization through higher antennas, high gain receiving pntennas, cross polarization; opposes deintermixture. Group of 1 1 vhf stations, represented by Washington attorneys Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, filed a joint reply comment which opposed any proposal which would limit tv to the existing 12 vhf channels; degrade existing services through reduced separations or the employment of various engineering techniques to accomplish closer spacing. Terming these proposals "stop-gap" and "short range," the group said acceptance would "sentence television perhaps forever to a very limited number of channels without any significant promise of growth and expansion; . . . fail to provide immediately an improved nationwide television service, nor do they offer any future expectation of the fulfillment of such an objective." These proposals are unsound technically, the group said, and offer "insignificant compensation" for the resulting degradation of existing tv service. Supporting Comdr. T. A. M. Craven's plan to establish tv assignment areas, the vhf group also paid tribute to the effectiveness of the FCC's Sixth Report and Order. "The tremendous growth and development of the television industry, encompassed within approximately one decade, attest to the basic soundness of the Commission's regulatory policies and the general excellence of the service rendered thereunder," the document stated. Uhf has had less than four years of trial, these stations pointed out. Because of some uhf operators' problems, "exaggerated and captious criticism" of the basic allocations principles have resulted, they said. Stations signing this document were: WSBTV Atlanta, Ga., ch. 2; WSYR-TV Syracuse. N. Y., ch. 3; KOLN-TV Lincoln, Neb., ch. 6; WKZO-TV Kalamazoo, Mich., ch. 3; WFMYTV Greensboro, N. C, ch. 2; WGAN-TV Portland, Me., ch. 13; WHIO-TV Dayton, Ohio, ch. 7: KOTN-TV Portland, Ore., ch. 6; WJARTV Providence, R. I., ch. 10; WCSC-TV Charleston, S. C, ch. 5, and WIS-TV Columbia, S. C, ch. 10. One group of 15 stations, represented by Loucks, Zias, Young & Jansky, said the FCC, in considering the initial stage of its proceeding has discouraged proposals limited to action in only individual communities or a limited area, leaving to a later stage comments on specific channel assignments in individual communities. These stations said that until the FCC has "determined the general nature of any revisions to the present allocation scheme which it would be desirable to adopt," they are unable to determine their interest in the proceeding, but said they may or may not file comments later, depending on their interest. They were: WWEZ New Orleans; WFAA-TV Dallas (ch. 8); WABITV Bangor, Me. (ch. 5); WDBC Escanaba, Mich.; WTVE (TV) Elmira, N. Y. (ch. 24); KENS-TV San Antonio (ch. 5); WHTN-TV Huntington, W. Va. (ch. 13); KRCA-TV Sacramento, Calif, (ch. 3); KWTX-TV Waco, Tex. (ch. 10); WENE Binghamton, N. Y.; KTSM-TV El Paso, Tex. (ch. 9); WARM-TV Scranton, Pa. (ch. 16); WKBN-TV Youngstown, Ohio (ch. 27); KROC-TV Rochester, Minn, (ch. 10), and KVAL-TV Eugene, Ore. (ch. 13). Group of vhf stations, represented by Washington attorneys Kirkland, Fleming, Green, Martin & Ellis, reserved the right to participate in any future proceeding considering specific changes in tv standards or allocations. Opposes any recommendations that would result in abridgment of service areas of existing stations, or encroach upon future service potential of vhf stations using high power and antennas to provide service to rural areas. Also opposes such plans as reducing separations, drop-ins, directional antennas, reduced power, etc. Calls on FCC to encourage development of uhf. States belief that present difficulties are result of economic pressures not of permanent character. Stations in this group are: WGN-TV Chicago, ch. 9; WJTV (TV) Jackson, Miss., ch. 12; WBTV (TV) Charlotte. N. C. ch. 3: WBTW (TV) Florence. S. C. ch. 8 ; WDAF-TV Kansas City, ch. 4; WSM-TV Nashville. Tenn.. ch. 4; KALB-TV Alexandria. La., ch. 5: KVEC-TV San Luis Obispo, Calif., ch. 6; WALB-TV Albany. Ga.. ch. 10. VHF COMMENTS WVET-TV Rochester, N. Y. (ch. 10). opposes drop-ins, deintermixture. or other arrangements which would tend to curtail existing tv services. WTVD (TV) Durham, N. C. (ch. 11). opposes variations of proposals advocating drop-ins. deintermixture, or arrangements to curtail existing services. KSTP-TV St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minn. (ch. 5). opposes drop-ins, deintermixture, or other arrangements to curtail existing services. KATV (TV) Pine Bluff, Ark. (ch. 7) opposes drop-ins, deintermixture. or other arrangements to curtail existing services. WBEN-TV Buffalo, N. Y. (ch. 4). opposes drop-ins, deintermixture or other arrangements which would curtail existing services. KARK-TV Little Rock, Ark. (ch. 4), opposes drop-ins, deintermixture, or other proposals which would curtail existing services. KTEN (TV) Ada, Okla. (ch. 10), opposes drop-ins, deintermixture. and other proposals advanced which would curtail existing services. KWTV (TV) Oklahoma City, Okla. (ch. 9). opposes drop-ins, deintermixture, and other proposals which would tend to curtail existing tv services. WREC-TV Memphis, Tenn. (ch. 3), opposes drop-ins, deintermixture, and other arrangements which would curtail existing services. WCIA (TV) Champaign, 111. (ch. 3), opposes mixture of uhf and vhf, and advocates maintenance of status quo in regard to mileage separations. welcome to the fabulous land of witn Every TV station is the best. Everybody is first. No one is second. So who is WITN to be different? Read what the experts and engineers say about us: POWER & CHANNEL 316,000 watts video, 160,000 watts audio. Channel SETS IN USE 140.000 — and this figure is already outdated. NETWORK National Broadcasting Company interconnected affiliate. „ A.^^ POPULATION 496,800 in grade A area. 766,600 in grade B. Totol of 1,116,700 people in entire WITNIand. 256,700 families within antenna ronge. -f~ EFFECTIVE BUYING INCOME $652,651,000 in grade B area alone $945,91|,000 in entire WITNIand. 1+ RETAIL SALES $488,026,000 in grade B area alone $688,162,000 in entire WITNIand. COVERAGE The entire farm-rich, industriallybooming Eastern North Carolina market. REPRESENTATIVES Headley-Reed Company, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, San Francisco, Hollywood. SOURCES — Sales Management and the witn-. channel \M serving eastern north Carolina transmitter at grifton, n. c. studios 8: offices at Washington, n. o. 316,000 .watts headley-reed co. , rep. Broadcasting Telecasting February 13, 1956 Page 57