Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

GOVERNMENT inate against ASCAP music in favor of BMI music [B»T, March 25]. The antitrust unit headed by Rep. Celler held extensive hearings into the ASCAPBMI feud last September and a report is expected shortly. Artificial Ion Layer Planned To Test Distance Tranmission THE earth satellite's mate — a gas cloud — is going to be sent aloft sometime in July as an experiment to see whether a man-made ionospheric layer can be utilized for long distance radio transmission. The announcement was made last week by the Radio Propagation Lab. of Stanford U.. Palo Alto, Calif. Sometime in July, the university announced, an Aerobee rocket will be fired from Holloman Air Development Center, Alamagordo, N. M. The rocket will carry gas which will be released at the top of the rocket's flight, about 70 miles up. The gas will react with the atmosphere to form an ion layer similar to the natural ionosphere, capable of reflecting what were described as tv and radar waves. Radio amateurs within a 700 mile radius of the cloud will beam messages to each other and attempt to accomplish skywave transmission via the artificial ionized cloud, using 14 mc. 21 mc, 28-29 mc. 50-54 mc and 144-148 mc. The cloud will be tracked by radar. The project is known as Operation Smoke Puff, and includes participation of the U. S. Air Force as well as Stanford and radio hams. Trimmed '58 Fiscal USIA Budget Of $106.1 Million Passes House THE HOUSE last Thursday ignored President Eisenhower's pleas and passed by voice vote a heavily-slashed appropriation of $106.1 million for the United States Information Agency for the 1958 fiscal year. Its passage of the bill sustained a 26% cut levied on the proposed $144 million USIA budget by the House Appropriations Committee. The agency's appropriation was included in a $563,799,793 money bill to operate the USIA. the State and Justice Departments, federal courts and a special Presidential fund during the 12 months beginning this July 1. The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to open hearings on the bill (HR 6871) April 29, with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles slated to be the first witness. Communications Powers to Gray PRESIDENT Eisenhower last week delegated to Defense Mobilizer Gordon Gray his war-time powers over communications, including the right to establish a system of telephone and telegraph priorities, and other authorizations for the "effective use of communications" for national defense. The White House emphasized that the delegated authority does not extend to censorship of communications. The President's war-time powers over communications are contained in Sec. 606 of the Communications Act of 1934. Broadcasting • Telecasting Five Ams Granted; Examiners Issue Initial Decisions on 4 THE FCC last week granted five construction permits for new radio stations. Other actions included four initial decisions recommending new am grants. The grants included: Mountain Home, Idaho — Mountain Home Radio Inc., 1240 kc, 250 w unlimited. Permittee owners are Lou Clemens 38.5%, employe of KYME Boise, Idaho; Roger L. Hagadone 22%, vice president of KYME, and Richard K. Mooney 21.5%, president of KYME. Hasting, Mich. — Donald G. Garey, 1220 kc, 250 w directional antenna daytime. Mr. Garey has motion picture theatre and grocery interests in Hastings. Livingston, Tex. — Polk County Broadcasting Co., 1440 kc, 1 kw daytime. Polk owners include Robert M. Sutton 45%, employe of KTRK-TV Houston, Tex., Harold J. Haley 45%, business interests, and Donald L. Gulihur, 5%, engineer at KTRK-TV and KTRH Houston. Bellevue, Wash. — Bellevue Broadcasters, 1330 kc, 1 kw directional antenna daytime. Bellevue owners are R. Kemper Freeman 83.34%, business interests, and Mrs. Florence G. Hayes 16.66%, nurse. Douglas, Wyo. — Douglas Broadcasting Inc., 1050 kc, 250 w daytime. Douglas principals include J. Howard Jones 17%, employe of KTHE Thermopolis, Wyo., Elmer Tanner 25%, stockman-farmer, Luke McNeil 25%, sheep rancher, and Joe C. McNeil 8.33%, manager of KTHE. Initial decisions issued: Hearing Examiner H. Gifford Irion issued an initial decision favoring Placer Broadcasters for a new am station in Auburn, Calif. The applicant for 950 kc, 500 w directional antenna daytime is equally owned by Donnelly C. Reeves, general manager of KMOD Modesto, Calif.; A. Judson Sturtevant Jr.. stockholder of KMOD, and John E. Griffin, attorney. Examiner Irion ruled the proposed operation of the applicant would not interfere with KROW Oakland, Calif, (protestant in hearing). Hearing Examiner Thomas H. Donahue issued an initial decision which favors the application of Polk Radio Inc. for a new am station in Lakeland, Fla. W. H. Martin (52% owner of WMEN Tallahassee, Fla.) is 96.6% owner of the application for 1330 kc, 1 kw daytime in that city. The examiner decided Polk's equity should protect its application and made the grant over the protest of the Broadcast Bureau. The Broadcast Bureau had recommended that the Polk application be returned to the processing line. Examiner Irion also favored Town & Country Broadcasting Inc. for a new am in Rockford, 111. Town & Country has asked for 1150 kc, 500 w directional antenna daytime. Owners of the application are John R. Livingston, majority stockholder of WPEO Peoria. 111., and David T. Pritchard, assistant manager of WPEO. The examiner ruled the need for this service outweighed the need for service that would be lost by interference with WJJD Chicago. Hearing Examiner Hugh B. Hutchison issued an initial decision favoring Craig Siegfried lor a new am station in Falls ( ity, Neb. Mr. Siegfried, owner of KIMO Independence, Mo., is asking for 1230 kc, 100 w unlimited. The examiner ruled that the need for the proposed service outweighed the service to be lost by objectionable interference to WREN Topeka. Kan., and KFOR Lincoln, Neb. McFarland Letter to Macri Poses Overlap in WSTN Buy BY A 4-3 vote, the FCC last week sent a McFarland letter to Carmen Macri indicating the necessity of a hearing on Mr. Macri's $44,000 purchase of WSTN St. Augustine, Fla., from James D. Sinyard. The Commission said Mr. Macri owns 100% of WSUZ Palatka, Fla., and WQIK Jacksonville, and that considerable overlap exists between both stations and WSTN. The Commission majority ruled that a hearing is necessary because of this purported overlap. Voting in favor of the sale without a hearing were Comrs. George C. McConnaughey, John C. Doerfer and T. A. M. Craven. A fortnight ago [B*T, April 8], it was announced that Mr. Macri is buying WJHPAM-FM Jacksonville for approximately $225,000 from the Jacksonville Journal and in turn is selling WQIK to Marshall Rowland and Edison Casey for $150,000. Sen. Magnuson Enters Bill On Upkeep of Unused Towers A SECOND BILL (S 1874) to require owners of abandoned or unused radio-tv towers to maintain them by painting and/or illuminating as "prescribed by the FCC for air navigation safety" has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Warren G. Magnuson (D-Wash.), chairman of the Senate Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee. A similar bill (HR 6746) was introduced in the House April 8 by Rep. Oren Harris (D-Ark.), chairman of the House Commerce Committee [B«T, April 15]. Both bills, entered at the request of the FCC, would amend Sec. 303 (q) of the Communications Act of 1934, and would require owners to maintain their towers until they are dismantled. In introducing his bill. Sen. Magnuson cited a letter from FCC Chairman George McConnaughey requesting the legislation. In his letter, Mr. McConnaughey noted the danger from the "steadily increasing number of tall antenna towers, particularly those over 1,000 feet, which, if left unmarked and standing at any future time, would present a serious hazard to safety in the field of aviation." The FCC chairman said that the dangers of ill-kept towers are much greater today because of the higher speeds of modem aircraft and the greater height of present radio and tv towers. The towers are of latticed construction and thus are less readily visible than are solid structures, he said. April 22. 1957 • Page 63 i