Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1960)

Commissioners' liiatus plans: work & play With the FCC taking a three-week break beginning today (August 1), its seven weary commissioners have scattered to the four winds. Original plans called for an August 1 meeting and a return date of Sept. 7, but that has been cancelled in favor of an August 31 meeting date. All the commissioners plan to do some travelling, with some hardy souls planning to mix in a little work along the way. FCC Chairman Fred Ford will squeeze in a trip to visit his in-laws in Blackstone, Mass., between testifying Aug. 10 at the Senate Commerce Committee payola legislation hearing and delivering a speech at the West Virginia Bar Assn. meeting at White Sulphur Springs on Sept. 2. Commissioner Robert Bartley issued a statement about his vacation: "I am going to get out of Washing structed prior to July 7, must apply for temporary authorization to continue operations pending compliance with new translator requirements, the FCC said. The commission underscored the fact that it was aware of the time requirements needed by "these unauthorized repeaters'" to "arrange for this transition" and said it was giving them until Oct. 31 to furnish "minimal information on a special application form being prepared for that purpose." These interim authorizations will expire Oct. 31 for stations which have operated on or before July 7. All steps needed to comply with the new translator rules must be completed by Oct. 31, according to the FCC announcement. Owners of existing repeaters were given until Feb. 1 to apply for modification of existing equipment or for construction of a new station to meet the new commission rules. Examiner ignored Act, tv applicant claims Livesay Broadcasting Co., trying to get the facility of an existing station in Terre Haute, Ind., for itself by contesting its license renewal, told the FCC that it lost the initial decision when the examiner chose to repudiate the Communications Act. Livesay, which lost the initial decision of Hearing Examiner Herbert Sharfman to existing station WTHI-TV (ch. 10), said that the decision was based on the opinion that an existing ton by automobile, but not away from communications. I have made plans to observe the tests of fm stereophonic systems, community antennas, uhf translators, vhf boosters, observe the operations of Forest Products' radio, visit our newest monitoring station, observe the St. Lawrence Seaway radio operations and Canadian marine inspection procedures, visit international telegraph station, see how bridge-to-bridge ship experiment is progressing, all of this in the northeastern part of the U.S., listen to as many radio stations as I can, watch very few repeat tv shows, and read the minimum amount I can get by on." Commissioner Charles King who is getting a respite from a hectic first week on the job, has gone back to Detroit to wind up his affairs at the Detroit U. Law School from which he is on leave. Mr. King returns to licensee "had acquired vested rights . . . and guaranteed status in the facility involved." The apphcant maintained that Mr. Sharfman's point of view seemed to be that "no mere applicant" could displace an existing station at renewal time. This notion, Livesay maintained, is contrary to the Communications Act. Livesay is owned by J.R. Livesay, who is principal owner of WLBHAM-FM Mattoon, 111. Tv applications set for hearing Applications for ch. 3 in Salem. Ore., and ch. 12 in Wilmington, Del., were designated for consolidated hearing by the FCC last week. For the Salem facility, the applications of Oregon Television Inc. and Willamette-Land Tv were set for hearing. Oregon Tv Inc. is owned by George Harrarty and is licensee of KPTV (TV) Portland. Willamette-Land Tv is 31% owned by W. Gordon Allen who has interests in KGAL Albany-Lebanon, Ore., and KGAY Salem. In related action, the commission denied an Oregon Tv Inc. request to modify the license of its Portland tv station to eliminate an overlap between that station and the proposed station for Salem. For Wilmington. Del., the applications of five firms were designated for hearing: Rollins Broadcasting Inc.. Wilmington Tv Co., WHYY Inc., Metropolitan Broadcasting Corp., and Na Washington for the American Bar Assn. convention on Aug. 28. Commissioner T.A.M. Craven is resting and relaxing at Laconia, N.H. This is a favorite spot of the commissioner and his family "with plenty of pine trees, lots of sun and good fishing." Commissioner John Cross is heading home to Eureka Springs, Ark., where he owns the Cross Motel. During vacation periods, the commissioner likes to do odd jobs around the motel which is generally packed with Ozark tourists this time of year. Commissioner Rosel Hyde is en route to Idaho, his home state, to visit family and friends. Commissioner Robert E. Lee, a staunch Republican, is heading toward "Eisenhower country." The commissioner will attend a communications seminar on civil defense at Gettysburg, Pa., on Aug. 3-5. tional Telefilm Assoc. Inc. Rollins, owned 66% % by Wayne Rollins, owns WPTZ (TV) Plattsburgh, N.Y.; WEAR-TV Pensacola, Fla., and operates several am stations. Wilmington Tv Co. is 50% owned by George T. tHernreich, who owns KFPW Fort !■ Smith, Ark., and 271/2 % owned by i Richard Goodman, who has interest in WOPA-AM-TV Oak Park, 111. WHYY Inc., another applicant for Wilmington's ch. 12, is the licensee of WHYY-TV Philadelphia, a non-commercial etv station. Metropolitan Broadcasting, headed by President John W. Kluge, owns WNEW-AM-TV New York, WTTG (TV) Washington, D.C., and WTVH (TV) Peoria, 111., in addition to several other am stations. National Telefilm is 90% owned by National Theatres Inc., John Bertero, president. National Theatres owns WDAF-AM-TV Kansas City, Mo., and holds 90% interest in WNTA-AM-FMTV Newark, N.J. and KMSP-TV Minneapolis. Possible violators of Sec. 317 revealed The identity of stations possibly involved in violations of Sec. 317 of the Communications Act (sponsorship identification) is slowly becoming known. As the FCC deals daily with some of the 600 applications now being held up because of such possible violations, conditioned grants and license renewals indicate which stations may be involved. Grants to these stations are general 86 (GOVERNMENT) BROADCASTING, August 1, 1960