Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1962)

FCC READIES CHICAGO PROBE Stations get questionnaires, FCC gets Lar Daly night, the day the appeals court decision was rendered, held a series of engineering tests for five minutes. Because no decoders are in the hands of the public, the regular ch. 18 viewers saw only a scrambled picture. Paul B. Evans, general manager of WHCT, said the tests will be continued until May 15 when the station will prepare for regular pay tv operations to begin in June. Administration briefs Ad Council in D. C. Some 200 members of The Advertising Council heard high ranking administration spokesmen in Washington last week during a two-day briefing conference. The council heard President Kennedy ask for help in explaining his new tariff policy and his commendation that advertisers and media had donated $225 million in time and space to Council projects. Members also heard Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Abraham A. Ribicoff, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges, Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg and other executives. At dinner on Tuesday night, the Council members heard a panel on "Inside the U.S.S.R." The panel was moderated by columnist Roscoe Drummond and included CBS commentator Daniel Schorr, Radio Liberty's Howland Sargeant, Miss Sarah Collins, guide at two U. S. exhibits in Russia, and Peter Tuck, USIA aide and former cultural attache at the U. S. Embassy in Moscow. Chicago's four commercial tv stations received a detailed questionnaire from the FCC last week to be answered in the agency's public investigation of local programming in that city (Broadcasting, March 5, Feb. 26). The commission also announced that the hearing would begin next Monday (March 19) at 10 a.m. (CST) in Room 677 of the Federal Building, 219 S. Clark St., Chicago. Following testimoney by public witnesses, the hearing before Commissioner Robert E. Lee will adjourn until April 9, when the five Chicago tv stations will be heard. At noon last Friday, 27 persons had notified the FCC they intended to testify at the hearing. Such notifications must be filed with the FCC by today (Monday). The questions asked of the four commercial stations — WNBQ (TV), WBBM-TV, WBKB (TV) and WGNTV — are similar in many ways to the new programming reporting forms now under consideration by the commission. In several other questions, they go far beyond the information required in the new forms. The stations were asked everything from musical and dramatic talent used in local productions during last January to facilities available and number of employes assigned to specific areas of programming. A shorter set of questions was asked of Chicago's educational station, WTTW (TV), among them: attempts made to determine non-educational needs of the community; programming sources other than educational; number and titles of employes; facilities and equipment; January local live programs offered; station policy on controversial issues; policy on political broadcasts; policy on religious broadcasts. For a text of the questions asked of the commercial stations, see page 48. AFTRA Rebuffed ■ All four commercial stations last week turned down a request by AFTRA's Chicago local for detailed program and financial data, much of which would duplicate the information sought by the FCC (At Deadline, March 5). AFTRA counsel Sanford I. Wolff said WTTW, however, has supplied much of the requested information. AFTRA maintained it needed the material "to assist it in making a fair, complete and unbiased presentation of its testimony." The commercial stations declined to give AFTRA data for each of the past 10 years in these areas requested by the union: 1. program logs or schedules for the composite week; 2. gross profit and losses; 3. number of persons employed as performers (staff, freelance and contract); 4. number of persons employed as engineers, soundmen, writers, musicians, electricians, stagehands, cameramen, directors, producers, etc., and 5. description of studio facilities available for local live programming. AFTRA promised the stations that if they did supply the data, it would not be used later in any collective bargaining talks. Commissioner Lee said the hearing will be adjourned after next week (1) to give both the stations and the FCC a chance to digest testimony from the public; (2) so that the stations may reply to the FCC's questionnaire; and (3) to avoid conflict with the NAB convention beginning in Chicago April 1. The commission is acknowledging all notices of appearances from the public and urging that statements be kept as brief as possible. Advance copies of statements are asked for but have not been made a condition for the right to testify. When the hearing resumes April 9, the stations will testify in this order: WNBQ (NBC-owned), WBBMTV (CBS-owned), WBKB (ABC-owned), WGN-TV (owned by the Chicago Tribune) and educational WTTW. Current Lineup ■ Perhaps the bestknown name on the witness list — to broadcasters, that is — is Lar Daly, who has been a splinter-party candidate for many political offices, including the Presidency, and has fought many equaltime battles. Others on file with Commissioner Lee include: An unidentified spokesman for the Georgia broadcasters, congressmen gather Georgia Congressmen and Senators, all Democrats, were luncheon guests Feb. 27 of H. Randolph Holder, WGAU Athens, Ga., president of the state broadcasting association. Also representing the association was Jack Williams, executive secretary. At the luncheon, held at the Capitol in Washington, were (standing, 1 to r) : Reps. G. Elliott Hagan, James Davis, Jack Flynt (partly hidden), E. L. Forrester, J. L. Pilcher; Sen. Herman Talmadge; Reps. Phil Landrum, Robert Stephens Jr. Seated: Mrs. Jack Williams, Sen. Richard Russell, Mr. Holder, Rep. Iris Blitch, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Holder. Not in photo. Rep. John Davis. 46 (GOVERNMENT) BROADCASTING, March 12, 1962