Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1962)

New uhf group opens D.C. office; Brown is executive director A new industry organization — Assn. for Competitive Television (ACT) — opened a temporary office in Washington last week with Thad H. Brown Jr. as vice president and executive director. The association was formed a fortnight ago by the group that formerly served as principals in the Committee for Competitive Television, devoted to the interests of uhf stations. William L. Putnam, WWLPTV Springfield, Mass., moving figure in the old CCT, is board chairman of the new organization. A permanent headquarters will be opened in Washington within a few days, Mr. Brown said. In the meantime ACT is using a post office address: Box 4098, Washington 15. ACT will serve as Washington watchdog for uhf member stations. Mr. Putnam has filed a statement opposing a proposal to take chs. 14 15 away from uhf broadcasting for communications services. The organization will keep abreast of de Mr. Brown Mr. Putnam intermixture proposals, legislation and FCC developments. No date has been set for a meeting of the ACT board. Mr. Brown is a former tv vice president of NAB; he spent nine years at the association before resigning in 1960 to enter private law practice. He is a native of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard Law School. Mr. Putnam said the uhf industry will have an experienced broadcast expert and lawyer as fulltime head of its office. Staff appointments will be announced later. "Member stations will now have a strong, reliable and respected voice in industry discussions," he added. Other ACT board members include Frederick Mueller, WEEK-TV Peoria, 111., vice chairman; Robert W. Mack, WIMA-TV Lima, Ohio; David Baltimore, WBRE-TV WilkesBarre, Pa.; John English, WSEE-TV Erie, Pa.; Lawrence Turet, WXIXTV Milwaukee, and Warren P. Williamson Jr., WKBN-TV Youngstown, Ohio. Public relations activity is handled through Phil Dean Assoc., New York. COMMERCIALISM IN ETV Guidelines being drafted on commercial backing of etv Commercial and educational television broadcasters are hammering out a guide on commercialism in etv. The list of standards is expected to be issued soon after Jan. 1. The study, underway for the last several months, was triggered primarily by the Age of Kings series, carried on etv stations as a non-commercial feature, but given commercial sponsorship overtones via newspaper advertising paid for by and mentioning Humble Oil-Esso. Humble Oil and Esso sponsored the Shakespeare series when it ran on commercial stations. The plans for the guidelines call for standards to set out "legitimate financial underwriting" for etv which would be consistent with FCC identification requirements, provide proper recognition for such underwriters and avoid any commercial connotation. Other "problems" in this field, according to informed sources, deal with the practice by many etv stations of selling advertising in their monthly program schedule booklets and the use of commercial company names or logos on etv programs or credits. All are under study by the Educational-Commercial Broadcaster Committee. This committee is jointly sponsored by NAB and the Joint Council on Educational Broadcasting. At its meeting Dec. 7, the Educational-Commer cial Broadcasters Committee voted to: ■ Approve a pilot study to determine whether a single commercial station and a single etv outlet in the same community can work together to tackle "pressing community problems." This will get underway soon in an as yet unnamed community. ■ Continue discussions looking toward arranging some method of exchanging programs between commercial and etv operators. ■ Work out some arrangements regarding the exchange of talent — both performing and technical. The National Assn. of Educational Broadcasters is conducting a special survey on the training of etv personnel, having sent out questionnaires to 800 colleges, 1,200 secondary schools, 73 etv stations, 109 educational radio stations and 6,000 individuals in complementary fields. Co-Chairmen of the EducationalCommercial Broadcaster Committee are James Robertson, National Educational Radio-Tv Center, and W. C. Swartley, Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. Other members: Lee Ruwitch, WTVJ (TV) Miami; Harold P. See, KRON-TV San Francisco; William G. Harley, NAEB; Robert Hyland, KMOX St. Louis; D. L. Provost, WBAL Baltimore; Dr. Lawrence Derthick, National Education Assn.; Dr. J. W. Edgar, Texas State Commissioner of Education, and Dr. Clifford M. Hardin, U. of Nebraska. Messrs. Robertson and Ruwitch are members of the special committee working on etv and commercialism. HAVE MEDIA FAILED? Justice Douglas lays blame on profit motive for faults Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, writing last week in an essay devoted to personal freedoms, feels that the media of mass communication have failed to live up to their traditional roles of informing and educating, particularly that portion dealing with controversial issues. The profit motive is to blame, he says. The essay, "Freedom of the Mind," was published by the American Library Assn, Chicago, in cooperation with the public Affairs Committee Inc., New York. It also deals with other issues including freedom of speech, loyalty oaths, censorship, libel laws and investigations. Justice Douglas states that the press, radio and tv "for the sake of money aim to reach an ever-widening audience. This means finding the lowest common denominator. The tendency is to skip the controversial or touch it only lightty." When it comes to commercial matters in broadcasting he finds that "many subtle forces also operate to keep us in step with some conformist tune. Products advertised on radio and tv are the lifeblood of broadcasting. They are dressed in attractive Madison Avenue garb and sold en masse. Some are dangerous to health. Yet the facts concerning them, notably insecticides, are never disclosed to the public." 48 (THE MEDIA) BROADCASTING, December 17, 1962