Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1958)

GOVERNMENT continued COMR. ROBERT T. BARTLEY (right-front) explains a point to five Democratic senators and their chief counsel during Senate Commerce Committee hearings on the Democratic commissioner's reappointment to the FCC. Republican committee members were not present at the time although Sen. Charles Potter (R.-Mich.) came in later. Sitting on the rostrum ^pre (I to r) Sen. John Pastore (R. I.), acting chairman; Harold Baynton, committee chief counsel; Sen. Mike Monroney (Okla.); Sen. Alan Bible (Nev.); Sen. Strom Thurmond (S. C), and Sen. Ralph Yarborough (Tex.). The hearing lasted only 40 minutes. NO SWEAT FOR BARTLEY IN SENATE A 40-minute Senate Commerce Committee hearing last Wednesday on the reappointment of Comr. Robert T. Bartley to the FCC turned into a back-slapping session. Five Democratic senators and one Republican had nothing but praise for the commissioner and his record. Sen. John Pastore (D-R. I.), acting as chairman in the absence of Sen. Warren Magnuson (D-Wash.), summed up the committee's sentiment when he told Comr. Bartley: "I think you can sleep tonight." Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.), in introducing his fellow Texan to the committee, called Comr. Bartley's reappointment a "great tribute" in light of recent attacks on the FCC during investigations of the House Legislative Oversight Subcommittee. Noting the commissioner's record as a "dissenter," Sen. Yarborough stated the FCC would not be in the "mess it is in today" if its decisions had gone the way Comr. Bartley voted. On questions about matters before the FCC, Comr. Bartley had this to say: Daytime broadcasters' petition for longer hours — Work is "very active." He said comments are due later this month (May 19) and that the Commission will act promptly when all pleadings are in. Reappraisal of industry payment of hotel bills — "We have had occasion to do that in the recent past [NAB convention in Los Angeles two weeks ago for whicjj commissioners paid their own bills]." While contending there is nothing "basically wrong" with the practice, Comr. Bartley said, "They aren't going to pay any more of my bills." Code of ethics — "Would be a very helpful thing." Community antenna tv problem — FCC is well aware of the situation. The question, he said, is whether CATV should be limited at the expense of limiting viewers in sparselysettled areas to only one local service. Sen. Mike Monroney (D-Okla.) said the FCC should regulate CATV systems. Channel reservations for educational tv — There are "no intentions" of deleting such reservations. "I endorse heartily the view Page 58 • May 12, 1958 that we must preserve these channels longer for non-commercial educational purposes. . . ." Pay tv — Mr. Bartley's position is a matter of public record since he dissented to the FCC announcement it would accept applications for pay tv. The only discordant note was a brief, strictly partisan exchange between Sen. Pastore and Sen. Charles E. Potter (R-Mich.), who was present for only the last few minutes of the Bartley appearance. Sen. Pastore hit the administration for allegedly replacing "true" Democrats with "Eisenhower Democrats" on the federal agencies. He said Comr. Bartley "exemplified" the true public servant, and that the reappointment was the first one made of a Trumanappointed Democrat by the present administration. In the past, Sen. Pastore charged, minority party members had been appointed only because "they had leaned the other way in a campaign — a pay-off." This is true D. C. Bar Offers Trial Manual A 130-page manual on administrative trial techniques has been published by the District of Columbia Bar Assn. It contains a general section written by D. C. Circuit Judge E. Barrett Prettyman, followed by chapters on detailed practice and procedures of 16 federal agencies (Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals — Tax Court of the U. S.), including the FCC. The manual, a reprint of a 1950 publication, was prepared by the Junior Bar Section of the D. C. Bar Assn. Jerome H. Heckman is chairman of the section's Administrative law committee. The Junior Bar section is comprised of Washington attorneys who are 36 or under. The revision took two years and may be obtained from the D. C. Bar Assn. Price is $3. of every administration, the senator added. Sen. Potter, who said he was "delighted" at Comr. Bartley's reappointment, took issue with Sen. Pastore's statements and pointed out that several other Democrats have been reappointed to agencies by President Eisenhower. Committee approval of Comr. Bartley's reappointment is scheduled for consideration at an executive meeting this Wednesday. First appointed by President Truman in 1952, his current term expires June 30. Also on the agenda is the appointment of John S. Cross to fill the FCC vacancy created by the resignation of Richard A. Mack. There have been indications, however, that Mr. Cross may be called back for further questioning. '60 CENSUS TO OMIT RADIO HOME COUNT The 1960 decennial census will not include figures showing the number of homes with radio sets, according to Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks. This will be the first census since 1930 to appear without an accurate count of radio households. Television homes will be counted in the 1960 census, according to a letter sent by Secretary Weeks to Chairman Warren G. Magnuson (D-Wash.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. NAB had proposed to the Census Bureau that the 1960 census include data on both am and fm radio reception, as well as tv. The radio proposal met with opposition based on the difficulty of obtaining breakdowns of receiver types and the high radio saturation currently existing. The 1950 census showed roughly 40 million radio homes, a 95.6% saturation point. Most every home now has one or more radios, a situation that makes a 1960 radio homes tabulation of little interest to many marketers. In 1950 the census showed 12.3% tv home saturation at that early stage in television's history. The last Census Bureau sampling survey of tv homes showed an estimated 41,924,000 tv sets as of January 1958, or 83% of all U. S. households. This sample Broadcasting