Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

UDatextfthM After a big splash in Chicago and St. Louis radio, and dramatic parts in New York television, Del lias come home to give all Middle Georgia a touch of glamour, genuine Southern friendliness, and just plain charm, on her Monday through Friday program at 11 a.m. Her main interests ( and those of her viewers) are people — national celebrities, hometown folks, and neighbors doing a job for other neighbors. Her message "gets through" and so will YOUR sales message. How would you Vke "A Date with Del? ' Your next campaign needs one! MACON, GA, National Rep. Avery-Knodel, Inc. GOVERNMENT CONTINUED Craven Plan Opponents File More FCC Comments PROPOSALS to abandon the television table of assignments last week met with further objections from those concerned for largely the same reasons already expressed: deletion would tend toward a breakdown in mileage separations; expose uhf outlets to even more lethal competition; and forfeit whatever benefits that might arise from the Television Allocation Study Organization whose findings will not be available for another year or 17 months. These sentiments were made known to the FCC in reply comments filed with the FCC last Tuesday. The Commission had suggested partial discard of its five-year-old allocation plan in favor of processing applications on an individual case-by-case basis. While the proposals included certain reservations for educational outlets and international treaty agreements, they nonetheless had been greeted with considerable dismay [B»T, June 10]. Very few broadcasters had spoken well of the plan, originally proposed by Comr. T. A. M. Craven, with some exceptions, the largest of which was CBS which had described the idea as "a substantial step in the right direction." The network cited some apprehension such as concern for mileage separations; but it made itself plain when it said the plan would make "for more efficient use of channels." But the Assn. of Maximum Service Telecaster last week said "To eliminate the table of assignments — the keystone of the great nationwide system of television which has come into being in five short years — on the basis of the showing made in the comments herein — would be a serious error." The group, disgruntled because it had been denied a previous petition for time extension for comments a week earlier, then repeated that FCC's time allotment was "inadequate." ft added to foregoing complaints, such as insufficient protection for uhf, that the Craven plan would also make current FCC procedures more complicated and time consuming. In a survey of the comments made previous to the reply comments AMST reported that 32 operating stations were for abandonment and 45 opposed. It also noted that 21 tv station interests were for deletion with 32 against. Networks and organizations were tabulated as five for the proposal and two opposed. A number of stations took an apprehensive position and called on the FCC to disregard all comments that went beyond the scope of its original proposals, or otherwise offer new rulemaking to widen the plan so that they could reply on all the issues at hand. These outlets included WRBL-TV Columbus, Ga.; WBAL-TV Baltimore; WISNTV Milwaukee; WJHP Jacksonville, Fla.; WESH-TV Daytona Beach, Fla.; KWK-TV St. Louis; WNDU-TV South Bend; KGGMTV Albuquerque; WEWS (TV) Cleveland; KTHV (TV) Little Rock; KIEM-TV Eu reka, Calif.; KBES-TV Medford, and KOTITV Klamuth Falls, both Ore.; WCNS (TV) Baton Rouge; WSPA-TV Spartanburg, S. C; WHDH-TV Boston; and Trebit Corp.. applicant for ch. 12 in Flint, Mich. Stations WAZL-TV Hazleton. Pa., and KFVS-TV Cape Girardeau, Mo., asked the FCC to maintain the "status quo" until TASO "came forward with some solution or proposal." So did WTVR (TV) Richmond. Va., which said "private benefit rather than public interest appears to influence the proponents" of the FCC's would-be rulemaking. WLOS-TV Asheville, N. C, was against the plan as was WEHT (TV) Henderson, Ky., which added that the table "should not be hastily abandoned in favor of an awkward and inferior" system. The Joint Council on Educational Television insisted that the FCC suspend further docket proceedings pending TASO's findings. WFGA-TV Jacksonville, Fla., said deletion "would not simplify procedures, would not provide greater flexibility of assignments," and would "mark abandonment of (FCC) allocation responsibilities." WTVK (TV) Knoxville, Tenn., was the only station on record for the Craven plan among the reply comments filed at deadline. Test of FCC Authority Looms In New York Film Case Tomorrow THE authority of the FCC to require competitive economic information from television film producer-distributors will be tested in U. S. District Court in New York tomorrow (Tuesday) when a federal show cause order against four film companies is returnable. The show cause order was issued two weeks ago after the four companies refused to honor an FCC subpoena for business information requested by the network study staff [B*T. June 17]. The four companies are Ziv Television Programs, Screen Gems, MCA-TV and Revue Productions. Meanwhile subpoenas against two film firms were withdrawn last week by FCC Chief Hearing Examiner James B. Cunningham following their submission of information to the FCC network study staff. These were Entertainment Productions Inc. and Television Programs of America. A third company. Official Films Inc., which has agreed to furnish the desired data, was given to July 1 to comply. FCC Notifies Broadcasters LETTERS have been sent by the FCC to the American Broadcasting Network, Storer Broadcasting Co., DuMont Broadcasting Stations and four tv outlets calling attention to Federal Trade Commission charges of false ad claims against American Chicle Co., Long Island City, N. Y., for allegedly misrepresenting the merits of Rolaids (alkalizer) [B«T, May 20]. The four stations receiving the notices were: WMAL-TV Washington, D. C; WJW-TV Cleveland; WDSU-TV New Orleans, and WGN-TV Chicago. The charges against American Chicle were based on the FTC's special radio-tv monitoring service which coordinates with the FCC. Page 70 • June 24, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting