Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1961)

THE MEDIA NAB radio code board vetoes changes CODE STATIONS AT PEAK OF 1,460 DESPITE STIFF STANDARDS NAB is sticking to its new and tougher radio code structure despite heavy pressure from industry sources anxious to soften it. Last Tuesday (Dec. 12), the Radio Code Review Board examined several strong complaints from influential subscriber stations. Meeting in Washington, it studied carefully requests to ease the personal products and commercial-time regulations. The final result — no backtracking from the present stiff standards. The rules are so stiff that a number of stations have listened to suggestions that they should pull out of the code because of repeated violations. Despite the high code standards the number of subscribers has reached an all-time record of 1,460 am and fm stations. This represents an impressive 14% increase in less than six months. Robert D. Swezey, NAB radio and tv code director, participated in the meeting — his first radio code session since taking office last October. Cliff Gill, KEZY Anaheim, Calif., presided at the board meeting. "The code is really working," Chairman Gill said after the meeting. "We're enforcing it and intend to continue enforcing it." Subscribers now belong to the radio code structure on a paid basis. Charles M. Stone, director of radio code operations, reported that under the monitoring program begun last summer, 66 stations in 34 markets had been monitored for a total of 397 hours through Dec. 8. He said the monitoring showed that 91.2% of the commercial time was in compliance with the code's time standards. Board Resists Pressure ■ The code board members showed they were in no mood to be influenced by industry pressures when they flatly rejected proposals to relax the time standards for advertising copy. These requirements specify a maximum of 18 minutes in any single hour or five minutes in any 15-minute segment, provided the weekly average does not exceed 14 minutes an hour. They stood just as firm in refusing to ease the code clause holding unacceptable any advertising for such intimately personal products as hemorrhoid treatments and feminine hygiene items that might offend and embarrass the listening audience. One station complained this provision cost $10,000 in rejected business. The Federal Trade Commission's new Advertising Alert publication listing FTC actions and proceedings was discussed with Edward F. Downes, senior staff attorney, and Seymour F. Stowe, director of information of the commission. Under this new FTC procedure and its liaison with the FCC, broadcasters are expected to review FTC actions before accepting advertising accounts (Broadcasting, Nov. 13). In another action the code board voted to stick to its absolute prohibition against hard liquor advertising. It emphasized the clause also applies to the advertising of products and/or services which, while not themselves hard liquor, could in their presentation induce the use of hard liquor. The board has faced the problem of holiday egg nog advertising. Generally speaking there is no ban against rumflavored egg nog but the ban would apply in the case of advertising that used an expression such as "contains Jamaica rum." Attending the code meeting besides Chairman Gill, Mr. Swezey and Mr. Stone were Richard C. Dunning, KHQ Spokane, Wash.; Elmo Ellis, WSB Atlanta; John R. Henzel, WHDL Olean, N.Y.; Robert B. Jones Jr., WFBR Baltimore; Herbert L. Krueger, WTAG Worcester, Mass.; Robert L. Pratt, KGGF Coffeyville, Kan.; George J. Volger, KWPC Muscatine, la., and Cecil Woodland, WEJL Scranton, Pa. All-Industry committee reviews ASCAP demands Negotiations held thus far with ASCAP in quest of new music-license contracts for television stations were reviewed for the All-Industry Tv Station Music License Negotiating Committee at a special meeting in New York last Thursday (Dec. 14). The committee endorsed the work done to date by its negotiating subcommittee, which along with committee counsel presented the review. Four meetings with ASCAP have been held and others are scheduled, but details have not been made public. The allindustry group, headed by Hamilton Shea of WSVA Harrisonburg, Va., has proposed a new concept in fee systems, designed to reduce stations' ASCAP Timebuyers breakfast with WDAU-TV, WGBI More than 100 agency timebuyers attended breakfast presentations on behalf of WDAU-TV and WGBI, both Scranton, Pa., throughout last week in the New York office of H-R Reps and H-R TV. Door prizes were presented each day to timebuyers and on Monday the lucky winners were Russ Young (1 to r) of Young & Rubicam (an all-expenses paid weekend at Mount Airy Lodge in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania) and Enid Cohn (a transistor radio). William P. Dix Jr., general manager of the stations, is beside Joan Stark (r), Grey Adv., who drew the winning stubs. 54 BROADCASTING, December 18, 1961