Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1958)

GOVERNMENT continued NETWORKS survey was conducted for Advertising Research Foundation. Secretary Weeks' statement to Chairman Magnuson, based on a query about the agency's authority to count radio-tv homes, follows: "We have authority to include questions on radio and television, and inclusion is feasible, since we have collected information on both of these subjects in the 1950 Census of Housing. After evaluation of all pertinent circumstances, the decisions reached are that ownership of a television set is to be included [in the 1960 census], but that no questions on radio should be included because the 1950 census found radio in nearly every home." SEC Reports for April Common stock transactions by officers and directors of companies in the radio-tv and allied fields, reported by Securities & Exchange Commission for the month of April, were as follows: C&C Television Corp. — Matthew Fox, bought 100 shares in January and 800 in March; sold 400 shares in February and 1,900 shares in March, resulting in total holdings of 615,800 shares (of which 607.000 shares are held as collateral against loans). Walter S. Mack, sold 2,000 shares in February, reducing total holdings to 184,200. Guild Films Co. Inc. — David Van Alstyne Jr., sold 2,000 shares in March, resulting in reducing holdings to 7,407. Harry A. McDonald, sold 200 shares in March, with holdings now 500 shares. National Theatres Inc. — B. Gerald Cantor, bought 500 shares in March, with total holding now 109,000. Jack M. Ostrow Corps., bought 1,400 shares in February and 20,000 shares in March, increasing holdings to 80,000. E. C. Rhoden Holding Cos., bought 2,000 shares in March, making holdings 55,525. Skiatron Electronics & Television Corp. — Arthur Levy, sold 13,350 shares in February, reducing total holdings to 340,331. Byrne Seeks Excise Tax Relief Rep. Emmett Byrne (R-IU.) last week introduced a bill (HR 12307) which would remove the federal excise tax on several products and services, including the 10% tax on radio and tv sets, phonographs and communications. The measure was referred to the Ways & Means Committee, which has several similar bills pending. L Phoenix ID Permitted KVAR (TV) The FCC last week granted KVAR (TV) Mesa, Ariz., permission to identify itself with larger, neighboring Phoenix. Comr. Frederick W. Ford dissented to the action. Comr. Ford has been opposed in principle to stations' dual identification of themselves with markets other than that to which they were originally assigned. KXJK Requests Channel Shift The reassignment of tv ch. 8 from Jonesboro, Ark., to Forrest City, Ark., was requested last week by KXJK Forrest City, which told the FCC it would apply for the tv channel if ch. 8 is so reassigned. The station said such a move would meet the FCC's requirements on objcctional interference and mileage separations of adjacent and co-channels. Seven Am's, One Tv, One Fm Authorized by Commission The FCC last week granted Trans Video Co. of Oregon a construction permit for ch. 27 in Portland. Construction permits for am stations granted last week by the Commission included: • San ford A. Schafitz, Lorain, Ohio, to operate on 1380 kc with 500 w, day. Comr. Robert Bartley did not participate in this decision. An initial decision of Dec. 4, 1956 proposed this action. • WGLI Inc., Babylon (village), N. Y., to operate on 1290 kc with 1 kw. Comr. Rosel Hyde dissented. Comr. Bartley did not participate. An initial decision of Jan. 11, 1957 had looked toward this action. • Atlantic Broadcasting Corp., Farmville, N. C, to operate on 1050 kc with 250 w, day; engineering conditions. • James B. Childress, Murphy, N. C, to operate on 1390 kc with 1 kw, day; engineering condition; remote control permitted. • Evans County Broadcasting Co., Claxton, Ga., to operate on 1470 kc with 1 kw, day. • Albany Broadcasting Co., Albany, Ky., to operate on 1390 kc with 1 kw, day. • Gateway to the North Broadcasting Corp., Clare, Mich., to operate on 990 kc with 250 w, day; engineering conditions. Among the grants of fm construction permits last week: • RKO Teleradio Pictures Inc., San Francisco, Calif., to operate a class B fm station on 106.1 mc with 71 kw; engineering condition; remote control permitted. Comr. Frederick Ford did not participate in any of the am-fm decisions. For other broadcast actions of the FCC see For The Record, p. 103. Elder to News Post in Senate Oscar Elder, for the past year director of press information for RAB, New York, has been appointed news secretary for Sen. Spessard Holland (D-Fla.). A native Floridian, Mr. Elder for several years was associated with NAB. He left NAB with Robert K. Richards in July 1955 when the latter established a public relations firm in Washington. Mr. Elder subsequently went from the Richards firm to RAB. Comr. Ford to Address FCBA FCC Comr. Frederick W. Ford will be the speaker at the monthly luncheon of the Federal Communications Bar Assn. at the Willard Hotel May 27, it was announced last week. Mr. Ford, appointed as a commissioner August 29, 1957, will review some of the problems affecting the Communications Act. This is his first public speaking engagement. TV NETWORKS 1 3.5% ABOVE '57 Network tv gross billing in the first quarter of this year reached $143,704,116, or a 13.5% increase over the 1957 first quarter, the Television Bureau of Advertising reported last week. The report is based on figures prepared by the Leading National Advertisers and Broadcast Advertising Reports. The network billing for March was a shade below $50 million, a gain of 13.3% over the same month a year ago. ABC-TV alone was up 37.3%; CBS-TV increased 5.2%, and NBC-TV was 13.3% ahead of its March 1957 total. March was the peak month for ABC-TV. The figures indicated that March also was the high point during the January-March period for NBC-TV, while for CBS-TV the March billing was not quite up to the level scored in January. The complete breakdown follows: Network Tv Gross Time Billings Source: LNA-BAR 1957 1958 % MARCH Change A3C-TV $ 6848,848 $ 9,402,407 + 37.3 CBS-TV 20,172,173 21,211,070 + 5.2 NBC-TV 16,631,974 18,845,860 + 13.3 TOTAL $43,652,995 $49,459,337 + 13.3 1957 1958 % JANUARY-MARCH Change ABC-TV $19,739,917 $27,013,004 + 36.8 CBS-TV 58,712,735 62,715,826 + 6.8 NBC-TV 48,087,546 53,975,286 + 12.2 TOTAL $126,540,198 $143,704,116 + 13.5 Rapid Gains for NBC Operations Show Up in RCA's Annual Report NBC emerged from last week's RCA stockholders annual meeting in New York (see page 78) with an image of a network increasing rapidly in strength and growth. In his report to stockholders, RCA President John L. Burns credited NBC with the following: • An increase of 10% in net sales (after all discounts) for the first quarter of this year as compared with the same three months of last year. (An NBC spokesman claims a "substantial part" of the rise is attributable to a gain in time and program sales.) Included in the NBC operation are the radio and tv networks, their owned and operated stations, California National Productions, spot sales and NBC International. • A rise of 45% in net sales at NBC Radio alone for the first quarter of this year compared to that period last year. Mr. Burns reported that "in 1957, NBC reversed the downward spiral of network radio." • Capture of the title, "number one television network," during peak hours of nighttime programming, while the radio network Page 62 • May 12, 1958 Broadcasting