Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1956)

June 1 3: FCC repeals Avco rule which for four years has required stations up for sale to be advertised for competing bids; admits rule had failed its purpose and often inflicted "severe economic and other hardships" on buyers and sellers. June 13: Maryland Court of Appeals reverses lower court ruling that upheld "Baltimore gag" rule, reverses contempt citations against WCBM, WITH and WFBR Baltimore and James P. Connolly, former WITH news editor. June 13: Frank E. Mullens contract as president of the G. A. Richards stations is cancelled; he retains 15% interest in KMPC Los Angeles acquired for $54,787; will be paid year's salary of $75,000 for next 12 months, plus $75,000 more if NBC affiliates with KMPC before Aug. 1, 1952. June 13: FCC's right to use discretion in granting or denying oral arguments on legal sufficiency of a licensee's claim of potential interference from pending applications is affirmed by U.S. Supreme Court in decision reversing lower court's ruling in WJR Detroit daytime skywave case. June 13: NAB Tv Music Committee and ASCAP reach tentative agreement on am formula plus 10% as basis for tv music licenses; stations and ASCAP members asked to approve before July 1 deadline. June 27: Broadcast Advertising Bureau transfers headquarters to New York; plans expanded operations with $200,000 budget. July 4: CBS, having announced that it would broadcast editorials over its own name, now says it will sell time for "expression of opinion on public issues." July 11: Sylvester L. (Pat) Weaver, vice president and radio-tv director of Young & Rubicam, joins NBC as vice president in charge of television. July 18: NAB Board streamlines associa tion organization, establishes an audio division comprising both am and fm and a video division; A. D. Willard, executive vice president, declines appointment as head of video division and resigns to return to private industry. July 18: FCC announces tv allocations plan: to add 42 uhf channels to the present 12 vhf channels, with another 23 to 28 uhf channels reserved for experimental television, providing for 2,245 tv stations in 1,400 communities. Aug. 29: FCC bans giveaways as violation of criminal lottery laws. Sept. 5: ABC, CBS, NBC seek injunctions to prevent FCC from putting its anti-giveaway ruling into effect. Sept. 1 2: AT&T's policy of not connecting its network tv facilities with those of private broadcasters is called "unlawful" in proposed FCC report. THE HIRED HANDS HAVE PROSPERED, TOO BROADCAST employes have long been the second highest paid in American industry, according to a compilation of average pay by the Office of Business Economics, Dept. of Commerce. Starting with 1930, the second year in which average income figures were compiled, broadcast salaries and wages have been far ahead of most industries. They have ranked second to brokerage employes most of the time, except in the mid-30s when air transport employes were ahead temporarily. Broadcast wages averaged $6,333 in 1955, a figure second only to the $8,078 for brokerage employes. Since broadeating became a nationwide industry the average wage level has risen 2Vi times. A factor in the broadcast average pay is the high degree of variance in pay levels of different types of employes. Preliminary figures compiled early this month by NARTB show that salaries and wages comprise approximately 40% of total expenditures at television stations (includes non-member as well as member stations but does not include networks or their owned stations, educa tional stations or stations in territories). Highest wage-salary item at tv stations was program salaries (total money spent, including talent). Technical pay was next, about two-thirds the program figure. General administrative ran half of programming, with sales almost one-third. NARTB's compilation for tv was not broken down by exact percentage figures, but a more detailed story is told by the association in the case of radio stations. Total wages and salaries comprise 55.8% of total money spent, of which technical and programming comprise 31.4%, sales 11% and general-administrative 13.4%. AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS BY INDUSTRIES* 1930-1935 1930 Brokerage $3,097 Broadcasting $2,624 Air Transport $2,424 Business Services $2,412 Insurance Carriers $2,226 1945 Brokerage $5,286 Broadcasting $3,515 Engineering, Professional Services $3,258 Pipelines $3,230 Oil, Coal Products $3,097 1935 Brokerage __$2,770 Air Transport $2,195 Broadcasting $2,089 Motion Pictures $1,892 Business Services $1,884 1950 Brokerage $6,122 Broadcasting $4,698 Oil, Coal Products $4,315 Pipelines $4,296 Engineering, Professional Services ___.$4,106 1940 Brokerage $2,845 Broadcasting $2,554 Air Transport $2,239 Oil, Coal Products $1,954 Autos, Equipment $1,934 1955 Brokerage $8,078 Broadcasting $6,333 Pipelines $5,615 Oil, Coal Products $5,593 Autos, Equipment $5,323 * Fulltime employes. Covers five highest industries by five-year segments. AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS TOTAL COMPENSATION NUMBER OF FULLTIME EMPLOYES FOR FULLTIME EMPLOYES EARNED BY EMPLOYES IN RADIO-TV BROADCASTING 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 Page 228 • October 15, 1956 Broadcasting • Telecasting