Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

PEOPLE at deadline Broadcasters Well Represented At Events During Queen's Visit Radio-tv figures were among guests at Washington social events last week during visit of Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. At President Eisenhower's dinner Thursday was William S. Paley, CBS board chairman. Mrs. Paley was ill with flu. Others with broadcast connections who attended with wives were Ambassador to Court of St. James, J. H. (Jock) Whitney, Corinthian stations; George E. Allen, Avco-Crosley director; Gordon Gray, Director of Defense Mobilization and principal owner of WSJSAM-TV Winston-Salem, N. C; Fred A. Seaton, Secretary of Interior and owner of Nebraska-Kansas stations; Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson (Mrs. Johnson owns KTBC-AM-TV Austin, Texas) and Sigurd S. Larmon, president of Young & Rubicam. Guests at Friday luncheon given by Vice President Nixon included Robert Sarnoff, NBC president; Benjamin McKelway, editor of Washington Evening Star (WMAL-AMFM-TV); Mrs. Philip Graham, wife of president-publisher of Washington Post, TimesHerald (WTOP-AM-FM-TV) ; Jack R. Howard, president of Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance and owned stations; John S. Knight, publisher of Knight Newspapers (WAKR-AM-FM-TV Akron, WCKRWCKT [TV] Miami), Frank Stanton, CBS president. WMAL-TV Avoids Queen Critic WMAL-TV Washington canceled ABCTV Mike Wallace Interview Oct. 19 (1010:30 p.m. EDT) because program guest was Malcolm Muggeridge, former editor of Punch magazine. WMAL-TV General Manager Fred S. Houwink explained Mr. Muggeridge is outspoken critic of British royal family. Since Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were Washington guests, station felt it would be in questionable taste to telecast program "that might cast a shadow" over . visit in view of interviewer's technique of probing for newsworthy responses on program. WMAL-TV had planned special program features that evening in honor of royal visit. British Buy Eight More CBS Television Film Sales has sold eight more series to Associated Rediffusion Ltd. and Granada Tv Network, giving distributor total of 22 shows scheduled for showing in England, Leslie T. Harris, vice presidentgeneral manager, announced Friday. New series sold include The Gray Ghost, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Millionaire, The Whistler, San Francisco Beat, The Eve Arden Show, Mr. Adams and Eve and Trackdown. Chain of Ch. 72 Translators Proposed Around New England Proposal to establish chain of ch. 72 translator stations throughout New England made by Springfield Tv Broadcasting Corp., reported Friday in FCC announcement of petitions for rulemaking. Springfield petition seeks uhf channel changes in score of communities so ch. 72 may be assigned to southern Vermont, southwestern New Hampshire and northwestern Massachusetts. Petitioner is licensee of ch. 22 WWLP (TV) Springfield, Mass., and of satellite ch. 32 WRLP (TV) Greenfield, Mass., operates translator ch. 79 in Claremont, N. H, holds grant for translator ch. 71 in Newport, N. H, and is applicant for translators in Lebanon, N. H., and Bennington and Rutland, Vermont. WWLP also asked FCC to allocate ch. 15 to Concord, N. H, changing channels in Portsmouth, N. H, and St. Johnsbury, Vt. Other petitions for rule-making included: Cascade Broadcasting Co. which seeks allocations of chs. 22, 44, and 50 to Walla Walla, Wash., deletion of chs. 5 and 8 from that city. Cascade operates ch. 29 KIMA-TV Yakima, ch. 19 KEPR-TV Pasco, ch. 43 KBAS-TV Ephrata, all Wash., and ch. 3 KLEW-TV Lewiston, Idaho. Free Choice of Music Sources Among Region 7 Resolutions Broadcasters should have access to variety of music sources, NARTB Region 7 delegates resolved Friday at close of twoday Denver meeting (earlier story page 94). Other resolutions called for renewed efforts on behalf of industry public relations, urged FCC not to act on pay tv applications because of lack of congressional direction; opposed any encroachment on present broadcast channels; commended NARTB for proposed tariff revisions on transmission lines, and called for equal radio-tv access to public events. President Harold E. Fellows unable to take part in meeting because of flu. He hoped to take part in Dallas regional meeting Tuesday-Wednesday. PLEADS PAY CASE NARTB was scored in surprise floor comment at NARTB Region 7 business session Friday in Denver by Dale G. Moore, KBMN Bozeman, Mont., associated with Bozeman Community Tv Inc. (community antenna system), for taking "too adamant a stand on commercial subscription television." He felt industry should keep pay tv in bailiwick of broadcast spectrum as contrasted to cable systems and asserted association stand is "hurting best interests of radio-tv industry." SYLVESTER L. (PAT) WEAVER, head of Program Service Inc., N. Y., named to U. S. Information Agency's broadcast advisory committee. He succeeds CHRIS J. WITTING, Westinghouse Electric Corp., who resigned. ARTHUR A. BRANDT, veteran appliance merchandising and sales executive, retires Oct. 31 from General Electric Co.'s tv receiver department. Formerly general sales manager of department, he recently has served as liaison with GE's international sales organization. BOB KROLL, formerly tv copy director of Warwick & Legler, N. Y., to Donahue & Coe, N. Y., as tv copywriter. Intermountain Mulls Revamp Of Regional Network Set-up Possibility that Intermountain Network might emerge as full-blown independent regional network, as distinct from present MBS-station affiliate setup, hung in balance Friday. Meeting was scheduled over weekend between Mutual officials and Rocky Mountain-area group, which claims about 60 stations (seven owned outright), about 50 of them MBS-affiliated. It's understood Intermountain affiliates want to hear Mutual programming and other plans under new ownership before considering "new alternatives." Under one plan, stations would clear Sunday noon segment for commercial religious programming, with overall promise of greater rate compensation. Willoughby Retiring at FCC John A. (Doc) Willoughby, assistant to FCC chief engineer and 40-year veteran of government service, retires end of this month. Mr. Willoughby was born in Florence, S. C, in 1891, entered government service in 1912 as employe of the Architect of the Capitol, joined National Bureau of Standards as a radio aide (at $540 per year) and rose to rank of associate physicist (at $1,800) in 1918. He also worked for Post Office Dept., McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio; and with Mantle Lamp Co., Chicago, before joining Federal Radio Commission in 1930 as associate radio engineer. Mr. Willoughby lives in Washington with wife. Bartlesville Not Too Enthused Video Independent Theatres Inc., operating wired pay-tv service in Bartlesville, Okla. [Lead Story, Sept. 9], "has persuaded only 500 of Bartlesville 8,000 set owners to pay $9.50" and has 200 orders for connections, according to New York Times Friday. Thirty, asked to have service discontinued after month of free trial in September, Times said in article headlined "Oklahoma Town Cool to Toll Tv." "There was almost unanimous approval of the lack of commercials," article continued, quoting Henry S. Griffing, Video president, as saying he would never lift ban on advertising. Broadcasters "have expressed wry doubts on this," said Times. Page 10 • October 21, 1957 Broadcasting