Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

STATIONS UHFS WARM-TV, WILK-TV MERGE The merger of two northeastern Pennsylvania pioneer uhf tv stations — WARM-TV Scranton and WILK-TV Wilkes-Barre— into a single "regional" outlet and acquisition of majority control by Transcontinent Television Corp. interests were announced by the principals Thursday. The multi-faceted agreement which involves stock and cash exchanges approximating $1.5 million is subject to FCC approval. The merger would end the rivalry of the two ABC-TV affiliates and join in a single outlet the use of WARM-TV's ch. 16 and WILK-TV's 1 .5 megawatt power (now under construction permit after more than a year of operation under special temporary authority). The new call letters of WNEP-TV are proposed and the station would continue as an ABC-TV affiliate, plus carrying NTA and other top Hollywood films. A new corporation will be established under the name of Northeastern Pennsylvania Broadcasting Corp. The new station operation is expected to use WILK-TV's present tower and transmitter on Penobscot Mt. near Mountain Top, southeast of Wilkes-Barre. The WARM-TV group, headed by Martin F. Memolo, and the WILK-TV group, headed by Mitchell lenkins, would share a 40% interest in the merger operation. The remaining 60% would be held by Transcontinent and Hamilton Shea, former NBC vice president who with Transcontinent owns WN ERROR occurred in an AAad placed in Broadcasting Magazine, October 14, by WSOCTV, Charlotte, N. C, wherein the station claimed a 44.8% increase in share of sets-in-use, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to Midnight. Actually, this figure should have been 28.4%. The error occurred during mechanical paste-up. Any embarrassment caused by this advertisement is sincerely regretted by the management of WSOC-TV WSVA-AM-TV Harrisonburg, Va. Transcontinent itself owns WROC-TV Rochester and through a recent FCC-approved $5 million merger with interlocking interests owns WGR-AM-TV Buffalo [Government, Sept. 30.] In the new merger operation, William W. Scranton, majority stockholder in WARMTV, will be chairman of the board; Mr. Jenkins, president; Thomas P. Shelburne, now treasurer and managing director of WILK-TV, will be vice president and general manager, and Mr. Memolo, now president of WARM-TV, will be vice president in charge of engineering. In addition to these four officers, directors will include Paul A. Schoellkopf, Transcontinent board chairman; J. Fred Schoellkopf IV, Transcontinent executive committee chairman; David C. Moore, Transcontinent president; Seymour H. Knox III, Transcontinent director; David G. Forman, chairman of the Transcontinent administrative and finance committee, and George F. Goodyear, a director and chairman of the Transcontinent advisory group committee. Felix Piech will serve as secretary and John Weber as assistant secretary. In a joint statement, Messrs. Scranton and Jenkins explained, "This merger will bring to television viewers in northeastern Pennsylvania a new era of entertainment, public service and news. Not only will we have the exciting new program structure of ABC-TV, but also the programming, technical and administrative support of Transcontinent Television Corp. . . . This will be truly a regional station which will provide the best possible service for viewers and the local businessmen in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and the entire northeastern Pennsylvania area." It is expected that the merger group will take over operation of WARM Scranton also, but since WARM is highly directional and has "very slight" overlap with WILK, the latter radio station will be retained by its present ownership under Wyoming Valley Broadcasting Co. KBKC Kansas City to Go on Air KBKC Mission, Kan. (suburb of Kansas City), owned by Mission Broadcasting Inc., begins broadcasting with a format of music and news later this month. The new station will operate on 1480 kc, 500 w. There will be no block programs. General manager is Tom E. Beal, former commercial manager of KLWN Lawrence, Kan. Station manager is John Humphreys, who has been with KLWN Lawrence, WHB Kansas City and KOAM Pittsburg, Kan. Police Group Indicts Television A "cooperative" attitude between radio-tv stations and the listening public might give programs "the character and high ideals desired by a society interested in building good citizens," according to Edward G. Krauss, secretary, State Police Chiefs Inc., Cleveland. Mr. Krauss contended in a letter to National Assn. for Better Radio and Tele ONE of the 25th anniversary citations being awarded stations represented through the quarter-century by Peters, Griffin, Woodward goes to Col. B. J. Palmer (1), president of WHO Des Moines and WOC Davenport, both Iowa. H. Preston Peters, president of PGW, makes the presentation. Others getting plaques on PGW's silver anniversary: Paul A. Loyet, vice president and resident manager of WHO; Ernest C. Sanders, sales manager of WOC; Nat L. Cohen and David C. Moore, both of WGR Buffalo, N. Y.; Harold V. Hough, WBAP Fort Worth, Tex.; Thomas K. Barnes, WDAY Fargo, N. D.; Charles C. Caley, WMBD Peoria, 111., and Donald D. Davis, KMBC Kansas City, Mo. vision that trustees of State Police Chiefs believe an overwhelming majority of tv stories emphasize crime, dishonesty, violence and lax morals "to the point where youth unconsciously acquires knowledge of underworld techniques." He said these techniques become indelibly impressed on young viewers and exert "at least some influence upon their lives." He argued that opportunities afforded tv to educate youth "have been sadly neglected." WFIL-AM-TV Opens New Studio WFIL-AM-TV Philadelphia opened a new headquarters-studio last Monday in the downtown Sheraton Hotel, an addition to present studios in West Philadelphia. The combination radio-tv control room contains complete equipment for a self-sustaining remote operation, and the studio can be converted into a lounge. Roger W. Clipp, general manager, stressed that the new studio is in the center of the city, where WFIL can best cover social and business life. Two new mobile units were also displayed at the opening. Mae Clarke Sues KTLA (TV) Mae Clarke, veteran motion picture actress, last week filed a $1 million invasion of privacy suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Paramount Television Pro Page 108 • October 21, 1957 Broadcasting