Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

WROV 1 y \ ( ." 7 • • * : 'V u \ t is r~? ■•••"....■< RED HOT >. ROANOKE! hot new ratings! 1st IN 20 OUT OF 28 QUARTER HOURS, 5 p m TO MIDNITE (average share of audience 38%) 2nd FROM 5:30 a m TO 5 p m hot new program ideas! hot new ideas in merchandising! For the rest of the sizzling story, call Burn-Smith Co. or Burt Levine (collect) the hot buy WROV ROANOKE • VIRGINIA Burt Levine, President 1240 on your dial GOVERNMENT continued and ch. 4 from Bloomington, Ind., to Indianapolis. In denying the WTVW petitions, the FCC ordered a hearing to determine whether the public interest would be served by WTVW's operation on ch. 31 in lieu of ch. 7, which was reallocated to Louisville. Comrs. Doerfer and Richard A. Mack dissented. In a third allocations proceeding, the Commission denied a request, filed by ch. 8 WAGM-TV Presque Isle, Me., for reconsideration of its June 6 order assigning ch. 10 to Presque Isle. Comr. Frederick W. Ford abstained from voting in all three cases. Eased Rules Urged For Private Relays One of the final witnesses at the FCC hearing on uses of the spectrum above 890 mc, which resumed last week, told the Commission it should not withhold approval for private microwave systems just because common carrier services are available. He also demanded a free choice for those concerned. These statements came from Daniel E. Noble, executive vice president of Motorola Inc., and one of eight witnesses speaking in behalf of the Electronic Industries Assn. (formerly RETMA). He also said EIA "believes that there should be no sharing between common carriers and private users in the frequency bands above 890 mc." He called on the Commission to adopt separate and special rules to govern private use of microwaves. He believes such a rulemaking will result in administrative ease and convenience for the Commission. The hearing on possible space squeezes in this part of the spectrum went on most of last summer and included representative testimony from almost every kind of user from law enforcement agencies to broadcasters and even those seeking a portion of the spectrum for flight control of model planes. Samuel R. McConoughey, a General Electric Co. engineer for microwave product planning, told the Commission that the supply of spectrum space "greatly exceeds the anticipated demand." He based his conclusion on EIA's proposed "keyhole plan" which calls for the use of highly directionalized antennas. EIA officials believe this equipment will reduce interference considerably and permit many more stations to operate in a given area. Mr. McConoughey added that "improved technical capabilities . . . during the next 10 to 20 years . . . may well permit channel splitting, thus doubling the supply of frequencies." Another EIA witness, B. Frederick Wheeler, manager of microwave communications engineering at RCA, dealt with common engineering standards for point-topoint equipment. He noted that "different systems show less actual difference than indicated." Elmer D. McArthur, manager of high frequency electronic research at the General Electric Research Laboratories, cited both exploratory and specific staff research there as it applied to the overall hearing. So did Rodney D. Chipp, systems engineering manager of Federal Telecommunications Laboratories, who mentioned certain company developments in the microwave field. EIA's presentation, which consisted of nearly 100 pages of direct testimony and 50 pages of exhibits, included other witnesses, and was guided by the group's general counsel, William L. Reynolds. All seven of the commissioners were present at various times during the hearing. Celler: Hill Will Act If FCC Okays Pay Tv "Let FCC go ahead with authorization of pay-tv and it will get its knuckles cracked," Rep. Emanuel Celler (D-N. Y.) said Tuesday in New York before the Assn. of Advertising Men and Women. His warning came during a debate with James M. Landis, general attorney for Skiatron Inc., one of several pay-tv proponents. FCC has said it will accept toll television applications starting next March but didn't promise it would approve any of them, although its notice said a limited three-year test is under consideration [B*T, Sept. 23]. Rep. Celler assured his audience a congressional hearing on pay-tv will evolve. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and the Antitrust Subcommittee, the congressman is author of a bill (HR 586) which would outlaw pay-tv. Rep. Celler said FCC's power to authorize pay-tv in any form "is dubious at best." He said the framers of the Communications Act never intended the public airways to be used in the manner contemplated by the toll proponents and pointed out that the act does not expressly allow such a system. He also cautioned that Congress ultimately can be expected to establish regulation of the close-circuit pay-tv systems in some form as they grow to incorporate aspects of interstate commerce either in lines or programs [Closed Circuit, Sept. 30]. Rep. Celler also predicted state and other local public service commissions will get involved in the regulation of closed-circuit systems. Mr. Landis wondered why there is so much bureaucratic shouting about federal regulation of a medium that hasn't even been brought into being yet. "It's like stifling the baby before it's born," he contended. Mr. Landis said toll-tv wants only the opportunity to use frequencies not now employed, and hence would be adding to the broadcasting economy, not detracting. In the process, viewers would have the free democratic choice of paying to get new programs not now available to them. The Skiatron representative said the networks naturally are opposed to pay-tv because they now enjoy a "beautiful captive audience." He said, "Television is too important to be restricted by any such selfish ideas as that and people who want to pay for a program ought to be able to get it." He said the tv industry today is "chained" by its advertising financial base. Rep. Celler said "the lure of the buck" exists in toll-tv too and program content Page 82 • October 7, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting