Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1962)

Blair-WBT contract becomes official The appointment of John Blair & censee), signs the agreement. On Co. as national representative for WBT Charlotte, N. C, is completed as Charles Crutchfield, executive vice president of Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Co. (the station's li lookers are Arthur H. McCoy (1), executive vice president of John Blair & Co., and Paul B. Marion (r), managing director of the North Carolina station. is pursuing this course, he declared, saying greater government control of programming would lead to government censorship. He added, "Under our law the FCC has no jurisdiction in the area of determining what the broadcast licensee programs, and the Constitution guarantees this right of free speech." SMITH TO ABC Ex-CBS bureau chief to fill half of slot left by Allen Howard K. Smith, former CBS news correspondent, has found a new home at ABC News. The former CBS News Washington bureau chief becomes an ABC staff member this week, and starts a weekly half-hour tv news analysis program, Feb. 14 (7:30-8 p.m. est) sponsored by Nationwide Insurance of Columbus, Ohio. Nationwide's agency is Ben Sackheim Inc. Mr. Smith joined CBS in 1941 and parted company with the network two months ago in what CBS called "a difference in interpretation of CBS news policy." (Broadcasting, Nov. 6, 1961.) James C. Hagerty, ABC vice president in charge of news, special events and public affairs, said Mr. Smith will present a "weekly report and analysis of the important news stories of that week and project their effect upon national world affairs." He said he thought a tv news operation should not only report hard news of "what happened" but also the "how and why." Asked if Mr. Smith's program would editorialize, Mr. Hagerty said it would not. He said he is in favor of network newsmen presenting analysis and interpretation of news event if it is clearly labeled as such. He said he didn't favor the editorializing of "networks" and that he thought this is a function for local stations to perform. Mr. Hagerty did not reveal Mr. Smith's contract length, except to say it is for a "long time, and I hope permanent." The program, as yet untitled, will fill the first half -hour of the time period vacated by The New Steve Allen Show which had its final appearance last Wednesday (Dec. 27). Beginning this Wednesday (Jan. 3) and until Mr. Smith's program begins Feb. 14, ABC News will program the period with news specials. The first will be "Profile of An Astronaut" and will detail the story of Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, who will attempt the first manned U. S. orbital space flight. Murray D. Lincoln, president of Nationwide Insurance said his company has "long admired Mr. Smith for his independence of mind as well as for his rational, forthright approach to the news." Mr. Smith's final CBS-TV program commitment, already filmed, will be seen Feb. 1 1 , three days before his new ABC-TV series begins. 382 affiliates tallied by ABC Radio for 1962 ABC Radio will start 1962 with a total of 382 affiliates, the most stations with which the network has ever started a year, Robert R. Pauley, ABC Radio president, announced. Five out of eleven new affiliates begin their affiliation today (Jan. 1). The stations starting on the network today are KIT Yakima, Wash. (5 kwD, 1 kw-N, 1280 kc); WRFB Tallahassee, Fla. (5 kw, 1410 kc); WBIL Leesburg, Fla. (1 kw, 1410 kc); WTRO Dyersburg, Tenn. (500 w, 1330 kc); and WSGA Savannah, Ga. (250 w, 1400 kc). Other newly-signed stations are KBTR Denver, Colo. (5 kw, 710 kc); WAIK Galesburg, 111. (5 kw, 1590 kc); KBEA Mission Kan. (1 kw, 1480 kc); KVET Austin, Tex. (1 kw, 1330 kc); WATA Boone, N. C. (1 kw-D, 250 wN, 1450 kc), and KLYK Spokane, Wash. (250 w, 1230 kc). Mr. Pauley reported that three stations had improved their daytime facilities from 250 w to 1 kw— WWIN Baltimore; KIBS Bishop, Calif., and WBHP Huntsville, Ala. Kaltenborn collection Notes, diaries, manuscripts of books and articles and scripts of countless broadcasts on radio and television delivered by H. V. Kaltenborn, dean of broadcast news analysts, have been given to the Mass Communications History Center of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Mr. Kaltenborn's native state. The Kaltenborn Collection is fully described in a 32-page booklet published by the Center. The booklet also includes a biographical sketch of Mr. Kaltenborn, illustrated with a number of photographs taken at various stages of his career. BROADCASTING, January 1, 1962 n