Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

STATIONS CONTINUED FULL TREATMENT Pre-empting all daytime programming last Monday, two Los Angeles tv stations, KTTV (TV) and KTLA (TV), moved cameras into the City Council chamber in City Hall to give complete coverage of the final day of debate over the city's offer to the Brooklyn Dodgers to move west to Los Angeles. DATELINES Newsworthy News Coverage by Radio and Tv KRON-TV Places Second at Fair The silver medal for second place in the California State Fair's contest for the year's best California tv program or series in any category was awarded to KRONTV San Francisco for Science in Action, produced by California Academy of Sciences. This is the fourth award given KRON-TV by the fair in five years. It was previously reported [Awards, Oct. 7] that second place had been won by KPIX (TV) San Francisco. WHP-TV Now One Megawatt WHP-TV Harrisburg, Pa., ch. 55, CBS affiliate, began operations last month on one megawatt (one million watts). The station's new tower and antenna is situated on the Appalachian Trail and is 208 feet above ground. The news that rocked the world late Oct. 4, when Sputnik was announced on its space-orbiting mission, led to a nationwide series of newscasts and interpretive programs that helped clear the American air in a weekend of confusion. Networks and stations quickly fed taped recordings of the Russian beeps to their audiences and kept the country informed on latest Red Moon developments and their potential significance. ABC-TV and American Broadcasting Network were among the first to put the news of the satellite on the air Oct. 4. Edward P. Morgan read a bulletin on his ABN program, 7-7:15 p.m., and the moon beeps followed later in the evening, according to the network. ABC-TV came on at 7:15 p.m. with John Daly describing the Sputnik developments. All networks dotted their weekend schedules with scientific and human-interest features. NBC Radio's Monitor devoted five minutes out of every broadcast hour to developments, plus special interviews. CBS Newsfilm rounded up interviews with top U. S. and Russian scientists. Westinghouse Broadcasting Co.'s news bureau had an Oct. 6 documentary created by Rod MacLeish. Washington news chief, and James Snyder and Guy Harris, of KDKA Pittsburgh. Here are some of the Sputnik coverage reports submitted to Broadcasting: CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA— Collins Radio Co. equipment picked up signals at 1 a.m. Oct. 5 and KCRG-AM-TV tracked the satellite when it was within range. CLEVELAND— WERE engineer Joe Zelle, on vacation, picked up Sputnik's beeps at 12:05 a.m. Oct. 5, taping the sound and driving to the station with the recording. Ken Courtright, WERE newsman, then put it on the air at 12:35 a.m. OMAHA — KETV (TV) went on the air at 9 p.m. Oct. 5 with a full commentary based on interviews with local university professors, on-the-street interviews and a rocket-launching film. Eugene S. Thomas, KETV general manager, reported response was so enthusiastic that a follow-up commentary was produced. Austin Schneider, KETV news director, moderated the coverage. The Rev. John G. Auer, S.J., director of Creighton U. Observatory, commented that the world was not engaged in a "launching race" and added that the Russians "merely speeded up to beat the target date." JACKSONVILLE, FLA.— WFGA-TV augmented its frequent news and beep features with a film interview in which a local astronomer told the audience how to sight Sputnik. Its cameras covered local hams as they tuned in the beeps. ALLENTOWN, PA.— WSAN engineer Edward Bolez heard strange beeps early in the evening of Oct. 4 but didn't know their significance until news of the orbiting satellite was broadcast. He taped beeps for the WSAN audience. NASHVILLE, TEN N. — Joe Pentecost, WLAC-TV transmitter supervisor, picked up the satellite's, beeps shortly after the Oct. 4 announcement. The signal was followed during the night and a tape suitable for broadcast was obtained early in the ROYAL TV PURVEYOR In the stack of invitations awaiting the arrival of England's Queen and Prince at the White House Oct. 17 will be one from WMAL-TV Washington inviting Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to see themselves on television. Elizabeth II also will be offered a look back through history at her predecessor, Elizabeth I. The royal bill planned for Saturday night, Oct. 19, will be led by Warner Bros.' "Elizabeth the Queen" with Errol Flynn and Bette Davis on Safeway Theatre at 10:30 p.m., followed at midnight by ABC-TV's film report of the coronation of Elizabeth II. Ted McDowell, program manager of WMAL-TV, conceived the special lineup and arranged with ABC-TV for release of the coronation footage. 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