Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

PROGRAM SERVICES WOMEN'S CLUBS AND PAY TV: ARE THEY FOR IT WHEN 3,000 delegates to the General Federation of Women's Clubs national convention assembled in Asheville, N. C, last week, they had before them a resolution opposing pay tv service. Whether or not they passed such a resolution remained a moot point when the voting was over, depending apparently on how you look at it. Proponents of subscription tv, notably Zenith, think the GFWC backed down on its original resolution in substituting one which does not mention pay tv at all. Opponents, notably CBS, say it makes the women's position against pay tv even stronger. Both their positions revolve about the following paragraphs. The original resolution: "WHEREAS the General Federation of Women's Clubs declares its support of free as opposed to pay tv service and expresses its conviction that no charge direct or indirect from any source whatever should be imposed on the general public for the privilege of viewing tv programs on sets limited in the home, therefore, resolved, that [the GFWC] urges inaction of legislation by the Congress of the United States which will declare unlawful the transmission of programs in such a manner as to restrict within the home the viewing thereof to, those sets only upon which a charge of some kind is made." The substituted, and subsequently passed, resolution: "WHEREAS the consideration of the best interests of the greatest number of people has always been of paramount importance to [the GFWC] and whereas tv vitally affects the interests of all the general public, therefore, resolved, that [the GFWC] urges the Congress of the United States and/ or governmental agencies when evaluating and licensing any development in the use of tv to keep in the forefront of their thinking the necessity of assuring a freedom of choice in the selection of programs while at the same time insuring the maintenance of free tv service as it now exists and further improvement of such tv service for all our people." At least four days of politicking stood between the original and the substitute resolution. A four-strong Zenith party headed by Ted Leitzell, director of public relations, arrived in Asheville on Saturday, June 1. The group included former FCC Comr. Frieda B. Hennock, retained by Zenith attorneys Pierson & Ball, and two of Mr. Leitzell's assistants. CBS was to have been represented at a special Tuesday breakfast session by Vice President Richard Salant, but plane trouble prevented his making it. His prepared text was presented by Murray Martin of Communications Counsellors, which handles CBS public relations. After the breakfast meeting, at which Miss Hennock declared she had joined the Zenith camp in order to break up the "CBSNBC-ABC monopoly," the federation's policy committee held an all-day session to redraft the resolution. It was passed by voice vote Wednesday. Page 90 • June 10, 1957 OR AGAINST IT? After the passage, Mr. Leitzell stated he was "very pleased and not surprised" by the changed measure, saying that the federation had not had all the facts in preparing the original measure. Later, Louis Hausman, vice president in charge of advertising for CBS Radio, took a different stand. Said he: "The resolution . . . , as amplified by Mrs. Ritchie, chairman of the policy committee [Mrs. Horace B. Ritchie of Athens, Ga.], is a broadening of the position of the GFWC in favor of free television, as we know it today, to all the people. It is a broadening of the original resolution inasmuch as it empowers GFWC members to testify in administrative or legislative hearings in all matters, including pay television, which may threaten or reduce the amount of free television people now receive. As such, I believe it to be a large victory for 40,000,000 television set owners." Mrs. Samuel J. McCartney, chairman of GFWC's department of communications, THERE is a "fourth tv network" that has been operating quietly but efficiently for the past 15 months. Its activities were spotlighted last week when reports circulated that Sports Network Inc. may play a significant role in the Brooklyn Dodgers pay television plans if and when the proposed move of the baseball club to Los Angeles becomes a fait accompli. Since early in 1957, when Richard Bailey resigned as network coordinator for ABC to form SNI, the network has grown to the point that — outside of the three major tv networks — it is the American Telephone & Telegraph Co.'s largest customer for cable facilities, with expenditures of about $2 million a year. Over the past year, Mr. Bailey has operated Sports Network Inc. with a minimum of promotion and publicity. An indication of the scope of his activity was revealed only when reports circulated about the Brooklyn Dodgers' affinity for pay tv and SNI was mentioned as a possible collaborator. In an interview with B»T last week in New York, Mr. Bailey pointed out that as of now, there are "still too many 'ifs' and 'buts' about the Dodger project," but confirmed he had been approached about supplying production for Dodger pay tv telecasts. He believes no decision will be made on this phase of the much-discussed Dodger gambit until October. Sports Network Inc. was formed by Mr. Bailey to fulfill a need he says he recognized during his tenure at ABC: the centralization of the varied operations required in the remote telecasts of major league baseball games which had expanded in recent years. He observed that in the past, an advertising agency had to arrange for leasing of cable facilities, hiring of remote crews, clearance of time with stations, hiring of production personnel and other services. Mr. Bailey pointed out that cable costs particularly were echoed Mr. Hausman's position. Said she: "This is what I have been looking for for one solid year. Until it became policy, through a resolution such as the one passed today, I did not have the authority to speak in the name of the federation in favor of free television, and against pay television. I now have the authority — completely carried out and understood by the president — Mrs. R. I. C. Prout — and the policy committee — to openly fight for free television and against any encroachment upon it. Contrary to the impression which some proposers of pay television have sought to establish, the substitute resolution, as passed, is a strengthening and broadening of the original resolution.. This was amply covered by Mrs. Horace B. Ritchie, chairman of the policy committee, who in working out the substitute resolution with the policy committee sought to create one which would stand for many years and be broad enough to insure 'the maintenance of free television service as it now exists for the benefit of all the people against any diminution of service, from any source or from any direction'." high since the various agencies leased them for a short term at sporadic intervals throughout the baseball season. Under his operation, he explained, he assumes responsibility for the overall arrangements for the telecasts. By pooling the requirements of the numerous agencies involved in remote telecasts, he said, he arranges for long-term leasing of cable facilities for AT&T, resulting in substantial saving. He relieves the agencies, too, of much of the paper work and other services (such as clerical), amounting to about $50,000 a year. Mr. Bailey's company sets up out-of-town coverage of baseball games on both radio and tv. Of the 16 major league teams, he explained, Sports Network Inc. holds contracts with all clubs except the Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves, New York Giants, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, which either do not permit telecasts of any of their games or do not allow their away contests to be shown. This year SNI has a total of about 60 tv stations and about 200 radio stations carrying descriptions of various games, with telecasts and broadcasts fed back to the home and nearby cities via regional networks. Total number of baseball games for which SNI has arranged coverage this season amounts to more than 400 on tv and 1,500 on radio. Brisk Business Tempo Last fall and winter, SNI set up a network of 34 tv stations to carry Big Ten basketball games and also arranged a lineup of 50 stations for the Cleveland Browns football games. This year the company has handled arrangements for the Monday night telecasts of boxing matches from St. Nicholas Arena in New York, carried in the general area of the baseball schedule, on 25 stations. The company also has provided Broadcasting • Telecasting SNI-DODGERS PAY TV TIE-UP SEEN