Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1961)

knowledged. He said NBC announced shortly before 1 1 p.m. that the mayor's total vote was 1,284,059, with 5% of the election districts still missing. "This was already 49,526 more votes than the mayor finally received." Figuring an average of 509 votes per election district, and estimating the mayor's share of them, Mr. Hagerty claimed NBC was off an additional 61,967 — making a total of 111,493, or a 9% error in the final vote. "These inaccuracies in the returns were not a reflection on either ABC or CBS," Mr. Hagerty said. "But rivalry should not impair accuracy of returns for station advantage. This could discredit the television industry which must have the complete confidence of the public in its ability to present returns with all possible speed, but also with complete reliability." A Solution ■ In response to questions, Mr. Hagerty expressed willingness to "sit down" with the other networks, and with people in the city's administration, to seek a solution that would prevent such inaccuracies from occurring in the reporting of future elections. Mr. Hagerty's remarks immediately drew the following blast from NBC News: "Jim Hagerty is running true to form — last with the audience and first with the news conference. The only new thing about his news conference was the menu for the day — sour grapes. As a partisan press agent for 16 years, Hagerty should have learned by now that the public has no stomach for alibis for failure. He'd do better if he spent his energies on getting his audience up from the 6% level it averaged — onefifth of NBC's audiences — instead of worrying about NBC. The error in the NBC Wagner returns that Hagerty is using to divert attention from ABC's disastrous performance, was a tabulating mistake . . ." In his parting shot of the day, Mr. Hagerty said: "I am not interested in personal attacks, only accurate reporting." CBS, whose election return coverage was not challenged in any way, had "no comment" on the whole affair. GOVERNMENT Radio-tv unsuited for freedom— Kilgore The basic freedom of the press cannot be applied to government-licensed broadcast media, Bernard Kilgore, president of the Wall Street Journal, told Colby College's annual Elijah Parish Lovejoy convocation last week. "We are going to get the idea of freedom of the press dangerously obscured if we try to stretch it to fit radio and television," Mr. Kilgore added. He conceded that the broadcast media do transmit news and information about public affairs, "But this does not seem to be their basic function — the time and effort they spend on it is generally small in proportion to that devoted to entertainment," he explained. Mr. Kilgore was named recipient of the Lovejoy award, given each year for distinguished service to journalism. It honors a Colby alumnus and abolitionist editor who was killed in Alton, 111., in 1837 while defending his newspaper against a pro-slavery mob. set for hearing last week: ■ Veterans Broadcasting Co., owner of WVET-AM-TV Rochester and 80.5% of KTVE (TV) El Dorado, Ark. Seeks 100 kw, antenna 599 ft. above ground, special temporary authority pending final grant. President and 7.95% (largest single interest) owner is Ervin F. Lyke. There are over 100 other stockholders. ■ Syracuse Tv Inc., owned by Founders Corp. (80%) and Macmillan RingFree Oil Co. (20%). Founders owns WFBL Syracuse, WSMB New Orleans and KORL Honolulu. John M. Shaheen owns 53.6% of Founders. Seeks 316 kw, antenna 648 ft. above ground, STA. ■ W. R. G. Baker Radio & Tv Corp., principals include William V. Stone (17.28%), Robert J. Conan (17.28%), T. Frank Dolan Jr. (17.3%), Leonard P. Market (17.3% ), Richard N. Groves (8.04%), and others. Seeks 316 kw, antenna 656 ft. above ground. ■ Onandaga Broadcasting Co., owned by Marvin H. Sugarman (20%), Asher S. Markson (12%), F. Robert Gilfoil Jr. (10%), Vance L. Eckersley (12%), and 12 others. Seeks 173 kw, antenna 658 ft. above ground, STA. ■ WAGE Inc., owned by Frank G. Revoir (80%), Alexis N. Muench (12%), and others. Seeks 79.6 kw, antenna 961 ft. above ground, STA. ■ Syracuse Civic Tv Assn. Inc., principals include Francis A. Singer (9.7%), Arthur C. Kyle Jr. and William H. Porter (each 8.5%), Dr. Edward C. Hughes, James G. Brock, John E. McAuliffe, Richard L. Sandefur and BROADCASTING, November 13, 1961 SYRACUSE CH. 9 HEARING Six parties set for hearing, four to be added for 10-way scramble over dropped-in facility Six of the ten applicants for ch. 9 in Syracuse, N.Y., were designated for comparative hearing by the FCC last week. At the same time, the agency announced that the remaining four would be consolidated in the hearing as soon as they have been pending the 30 days required by law. Similar orders will be forthcoming among six applicants for ch. 13 Grand Rapids and 11 for ch. 13 Rochester soon after two or more applications have been pending for 30 days. The FCC is prohibited by law from taking any action on an application for at least a month. Only one application in each city had been pending for the required time last week, which prohibited the commission from acting in Rochester and Grand Rapids. Also last week, the FCC replied to a letter from AB-PT President Leonard Goldenson (Broadcasting, Aug. 21) in which the agency expressed a continuing interest in encouraging some sort of interim operation in the three cities pending a final grant. At the time the commission assigned the three vhf channels to Rochester, Syracuse and Grand Rapids, it said it would welcome proposals for interim operation (Broadcasting, Aug. 7). Each of the cities presently has two vhf stations in operation. The last application filed for Syra 64 cuse, by station representative George P. Hollingbery, was accepted by the FCC Nov. 1. This means the FCC can issue a final order, setting a hearing date, early in December. The Syracuse channel now is closed to applicants— Nov. 7 was the cut-off date — but parties may file for the other two cities until a hearing is ordered. Rochester now is prime for a hearing order since the first application there was filed in September and two more on Oct. 6. The first application in Grand Rapids also was accepted in September while the second did not come in until Oct. 16. In the Interim ■ Attorneys for six of the Syracuse applicants have met informally with representatives of the FCC and expressed a willingness to try to establish an interim operation, it is understood. Negotiations have progressed and are in the preliminary stage and the FCC unofficially has taken a "hands-off" policy as far as serving as an arbitrator. A commission official said last week that the agency probably will act favorably on any interim plan in which all applicants have had a chance to participate. Any talks, however, still are tentative and a firm plan has not been submitted in any of the cities. Following are the vital statistics of the six Syracuse applications for ch. 9