Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1963)

the station's request for a three-month extension. The station said it needed the additional time to verify, examine and coordinate speaker control units purchased for use with the subscription tv system. In preparation for the test, KCTO has purchased equipment, made arrangements for service with the area telephone company, executed a lease for space for equipment and established an office in Denver. The station, which is owned by the Channel 2 Corp., will be the second one to conduct pay tv tests over the airwaves. The first is WHCT (TV) Hartford. But unlike WHCT, which transmits a scrambled picture that can be decoded by subscribers, KCTO will send a normal tv picture. Its sound, however, will be transmitted by telephone lines, and subscribers will be able to pick it up by turning a special switch. The ch. 2 outlet is authorized to conduct a test of the Teleglobe system for three years. Earlier the station revised its policy with respect to line charges. The company had planned originally to charge 75 cents a week or $3.25 a month for this service, but decided to withdraw this charge. Gerald Bartell, Macfadden Teleglobe president, said that "enthusiastic response" from subscribers prompted the company to pass along the linecharge saving to charter subscribers. They will pay only for programs actually watched. Mr. Bartell reported that more than 300 persons have subscribed for the pay tv service. More than 5,500 persons in the Denver area, he added, have requested information about the pay television operation. Education program set for all Alabama outlets On Wednesday night (April 10) all radio and television stations on the air in Alabama will simultaneously broadcast a one-hour program Breakthrough for Education. The show, sponsored and coordinated by the Alabama Broadcasters Assn., will be carried from 8-9 p.m. by 69 am and fm stations, and 16 television stations within Alabama and three stations in adjoining states which cover large areas of Alabama. All network programs will be preempted during the broadcast which Kenneth R. Giddens, president of WKRG-TV Mobile, and chairman of the ABA, estimates will reach 87% of the 800,000 families in state. The program is in support of greatly increased funds for all levels of public education in Alabama. It will dramatize overcrowded conditions, loss of Everything or nothing? In Broadcasting, April 1, David Susskind was erroneously quoted as speaking out against television "when I was rich and had nothing to lose." Mr. Susskind's comment should read, "when I was rich and had everything to lose." teachers and anticipated future needs due to population increases. The establishment of a new U. of South Alabama at Mobile is also under consideration, an effort being led by the broadcasters. Appearing on the program will be Gov. George C. Wallace, the presidents of the two state universities and Alabama College, public school officials and representatives of the Alabama Education Assn. Phil Silvers, UA-TV enter joint venture United Artists Television has entered into a joint venture agreement, with the Phil Silvers Co. for the new Phil Silvers Show, marking the sixth network tv program with which UA-TV will be associated in 1963-64. Under the agreement, which was announced last week by John L. Sinn, UA-TV president, UA-TV will serve as distributor of the Silvers progTam in both domestic and foreign markets. A company official said that under the joint venture association, UA-TV and the Phil Silvers Co. will be embarking on a long-range agreement to develop and produce other program series for television. Plans currently are in progress for the development of series for the 196465 season. These are said to include an arrangement with producer Fred Coe for a one-hour program, Dateline: In Transit, in association with CBS-TV, and two additional unidentified series; a half-hour comedy series being prepared by Tony Webster and other program series under development by Daystar Productions, QM Productions and Chrislaw Productions. Robert Alan Aurthur has joined the UA-TV staff to create new projects for the 1964-65 season. Tv special to feature life of C. B. DeMille A tv spectacular tied to the life and career of the late Hollywood producer, Cecil B. DeMille, is being produced by MGM-TV for network presentation next season. The special show, The World's Great est Showman, will be filmed with the cooperation of Paramount Pictures and Cecil B. DeMille Trust, as either a 60or 90-minute program. Stanley Roberts, Hollywood screenwriter who conceived the show, will produce it with co-producer Henry Wilcoxen. NBC News reveals plans for specials next season Citing growing audiences for nighttime news specials, William R. McAndrew, executive vice president, NBC News, last week announced that division is preparing nine one-hour specials to be shown next season on NBC-TV. Among the subjects to be shown are a train journey through the Iron Curtain, the life and culture of modern India, the French army and its influence on French political life, private art collections, the training of a professional football player, the history of one of the world's great rivers, the way of life in modern Australia, progress toward discovery of life in outer space, and Our Man in Washington, in which David Brinkley will examine the political and social life in the capital. The Tunnel, an NBC News special was cited as an example of Mr. McAndrew's accomplishments in news and informational programming for which he received the Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chief's Gold Medal Award and Citation last Tuesday (April 2) in Washington. AP adds members and mileage to broadcast wire Radio and television station membership in the Associated Press rose to a record 2,380 in 1962, Wes Gallagher, general manager of AP, said in his annual report to members released last Friday (April 5). Approximately 5,000 miles of leased wire were added to AP's nationwide broadcast circuit during the past year, Mr. Gallagher reported. This improved filing facilities and raised the overall length of the circuit to more than 142,000 miles, he added. Mr. Gallagher said advances were achieved on the regional news level to keep the AP service abreast of current broadcasting trends. Sunday service, he pointed out, was expanded in most states and additional filing points were instituted in several key areas, bringing to 63 the number of bureaus handling regional news files. "Reports from bureaus show that member stations are doing a progressively better job of protecting the AP in stories breaking in their areas," Mr. Gallagher noted. 50 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, April 8, 1963