Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

We're Not Being KITTENISH But It's Purr-ty Nice To B« WELCOME In 90,000 HOMES This Winter ! ■ ■ NBC Affiliate WJHP-TV ABC Jacksonville, Fla GOVERNMENT FTC TELLS SEN. MAGNUSON COMMERCIALS WATCHED Federal Trade Commission says it has examined 3,676 commercials in five-month period, but not ad libbed ones. IN a five-month period, to Jan. 20, the Federal Trade Commission has examined 3,676 radio and tv commercials, an average of almost 25 a day. But, FTC Chairman John W. Gwynne added in a letter to Sen. Warren G. Magnuson (DWash.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, no attempt is made to monitor local stations. "For that reason," Mr. Gwynne stated, "advertising that is 'ad libbed' would not come to our attention." The FTC chairman's letter was in response to an inquiry by Sen. Magnuson regarding alleged "false and fraudulent" advertising on the air. It arose two weeks ago at the start of the Senate Committee's hearing on television [B«T, Feb. 13]. Airing their unhappiness with radio commercials were Sens. Magnuson, A. S. Mike Monroney (D-Okla.) and John O. Pastore (D-R. I.). Mr. Gwynne said in his letter that the FTC requests and receives written continuities of all radio and tv advertising originating on local stations for one selected 24-hour period every three months. The networks, Mr. Gwynne said, voluntarily forward to the FTC written transcripts of all advertising messages for a selected eight-day period, once a month. Advertising on film or transcriptions is not required to be sent in to the agency, the FTC chairman said. Instead, the FTC asks for a list of sponsors, products and advertising agencies. "If it appears that some sponsor, product or agency is involved with which the Commission is already concerned, a request is made for the transcripts," the letter said. In addition, Mr. Gwynne said, all continuities submitted are examined by attorneys and when any appear to warrant further action they are referred to FTC's Bureau of Investigation or the responsible department. This applies also to all complaints of false and misleading advertising received from the public or competitors. Mr. Gwynne said. "When an investigation is instituted in any case we do not rely entirely on the submittals by the radio and television station but obtain all the relevant advertising material either from the advertiser itself or other sources," the FTC chairman said. Enclosed with the letter were documents relating to six Washington, D. C, cases involving false or misleading advertising on radio or tv. Losing Bidders Challenge Knoxville Ch. 10 Grant THE FCC grant of ch. 10 Knoxville, Tenn., to WBIR there [At Deadline, Jan. 16], was attacked on two fronts last week by losing applicants for that channel. Scripps-Howard Radio Inc. (WNOX Knoxville) asked the FCC to reconsider and set aside the WBIR grant and award the channel to WNOX. Meanwhile, Tennessee Tv Inc., claiming it should have been preferred in the three-way contest, asked the U. S. Court of Appeals to nullify the Knoxville grant and remand the applications to the Commission for further hearing. The FCC decision misapplied the diversification principle, Scripps-Howard said, by considering media interest on a nationwide basis BOXSCORE STATUS of tv cases before FCC: AWAITING FINAL DECISION: 11 Bristol, Va.-Tenn., ch. 5; Canton, Ohio, ch. 29; 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; Jacksonville, Fla., ch. 12; Raleigh, N. C, ch. 5. AWAITING ORAL ARGUMENT: 9 Boston, Mass., ch. 5; Charlotte, N. C, ch. 9; Hartford, Conn., ch. 3; Indianapolis, Ind., ch. 13; New Orleans, La., ch. 4; Orlando, Fla., ch. 9; Paducah, Ky., ch. 6; San Antonio, Tex., ch. 12; St. Louis, Mo., ch. 11. AWAITING INITIAL DECISION: 3 Hatfield, Ind. (Ownesboro, Ky.), ch. 9; McKeesport, Pa. (Pittsburgh), ch. 4; San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., ch. 2. IN HEARING: 12 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; Lead-Deadwood, S. D., ch. 5. rather than considering the degree of control in the community which is the subject of the applications. The FCC erred and acted contrary to its recent decisions by failing to find WBIR's alleged superiority in the diversification area was overcome by Scripps-Howard's superiority in broadcast experience and better programming, Scripps-Howard said. Tennessee Television's court appeal charged that the FCC's decision was inconsistent with findings that Tennessee Tv was superior to WBIR in areas of local ownership, civic participation and diversification. Tennessee Tv, which has no media interests, said the FCC reasoning penalizes a newcomer and gives a preference to an applicant who already is a broadcast licensee. U. S. Mobilization Pool To Include Radio-Tv Men FEDERAL MACHINERY to set up a nationwide pool of trained executives, including radio and tv management and technical specialists, is being prepared by the Office of Defense Mobilization under an executive order signed Thursday by President Eisenhower. ODM is expected to supply federal agencies such as the FCC with uniform rules within a fortnight. These rules will cover recruiting of an executive reserve force. These executive reservists will serve on a voluntary basis, with consent of their employers, and will be given periodic training for government posts. While ODM is not ready to state what federal agencies will be affected, it was assumed the FCC and Defense Department in particular will draw on broadcast executives for trained manpower in case of mobilization. Many federal agencies have done some preliminary planning. Any federal censorship unit that might be set up would fill some of its key posts with broadcast executives. Dr. Arthur S. Flemming, director of ODM, has been conducting a pilot program based on a group of 40 executives. This study has been used to test practicability of the idea. Each federal agency will determine what executive talent it needs in case of emergency and will do its own recruiting. Some federal agencies are understood to be ready to set up recruiting machinery within a few days. Page «6 • February 20, 1956 Broadcasting • Telecasting