Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1962)

To lessen confusion, it's WZZM-TV Mark L. Wodlinger, vice president and general manager of the new ch. 13 outlet being built in Grand Rapids, Mich., announced last week that call letters have been changed from WIIM-TV to WZZM-TV. WJIM-TV Lansing, Mich., had requested the FCC to reconsider the call letter assignment to the Grand Rapids corporation, complaining of a "likelihood of confusion" between the two calls. Mr. Wodlinger (1) is shown here assisting Lon King of Peters, Griffin, Woodward Inc. in crossing out the old "confusing" call. "We certainly don't want any viewers to be confused," Mr. Wodlinger said. The ABC-TV affiliate has set Nov. 1 as the date it will be on the air. The station is an interim operation by the applicants for the ch. 13 facility, pending FCC determination of a final grantee. H&B buys 3 translators in Palm Springs area One of the largest community antenna systems has bought three translators operating in its territory and intends to keep them operating to serve the people beyond reach of its cable. H&B American Corp., Beverly Hills, Calif., owner of the Palm Springs, Calif., catv system which carries the seven Los Angeles tv stations to subscribers in the desert resort, paid $40,000 to Frank H. Bennett for the three uhf translators. They will be continued, Leon N. Papernow, operations vice president of H&B said, as long as public needs exist. He said that H&B feels it is part of its responsibility to continue the translator service for those areas where it is not feasible to extend its cable service. H&B operates multiple catv systems serving 70,000 subscribers in 30 communities in 12 states and Canada. Radio batteries burn most in sunburn time Everybody knows that portable radio sets are used more in summertime than in winter, but A. C. Nielsen Co. reported last week that for the first time it can tell how much more. It put the summer gain at 49 % . Nielsen's first summertime NRIBPR, for Nielsen Radio Index Battery Portable Report, showed total radio use is about the same in summer as in winter, averaging 20 hours 12 minutes per home per week as against a coldweather 20 hours, 36 minutes. But the change of seasons brings dramatic changes in the sources of this listening. Plug-in receiver usage during the past summer dropped to 9 hours 32 minutes a week as compared to 12 hours 13 minutes during last winter. Auto radio listening didn't change much — an even four hours per home per week during the summer as against 4 hours 6 minutes in winter — but battery-portable listening climbed to 6 hours 30 minutes, almost 50 % ahead of its winter-time average of 4 hours 18 minutes. The figures do not include radio listening done "at work" or at public sets. The amount of time spent listening to portables at home (including porches and yards) during a summer week amounted to 4 hours 7 minutes or 64 % of the portable listening total. Thus portables get substantially as much home listening during the summer as they get in all places during the winter. The Nielsen battery-portable reports are to be issued twice a year as part of the package of Nielsen Radio Index measurements of radio listening. Changing hands ANNOUNCED ■ The following sales of station interests were reported last week subject to FCC approval: ■ KRIZ Phoenix, Ariz.: Negotiations near completion for sale by former Sen. Burton K. Wheeler and family to Frank Flynn group for $500,000. Mr. Flynn recently was general manager and part owner of KYOS Merced, Calif. Associated with Mr. Flynn are Charles Cahill and Paul O'Brien, both of Cheyenne, Wyo. The Wheelers own 49% of depth perception: the facts as seen through our eyes Hundreds of satisfied clients in the past have depended on Blackburn's clear analysis of the facts on changing markets before entering into a media transaction. Protect your investment, too, consult Blackburn. BLACKBURN & Company, Inc. RADIO • TV • NEWSPAPER BROKERS NEGOTIATIONS • FINANCING • APPRAISALS WASH., D. C. CHICAGO ATLANTA BEVERLY HILLS James W. Blackburn H. W. Cassill Clifford B. Marshall Colin M. Selph Jack V. Harvey William B. Ryan Stanley Whitaker C. Bennett Larson Joseph M. Sttrick Hub Jackson |ohn C. Williams Bank of America Bldg. RCA BMMlag 333 N. Michigan Ave. Gerard F. Hurley 9465 Wilshire Blvd. FEdaral 1-9270 Chicago, Illinois 1102 Healey Bldg. Beverly Hills, Calif. Financial 6-6460 (Ackson 5-1576 CRestview 4-8151 82 (THE MEDIA— Continued from page 68) BROADCASTING, October 8, 1962