Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1963)

'SOON' IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER This could be week of revised TV program reporting form For years, FCC officials have been predicting the adoption "soon" of a revised program reporting form for television. Last week, the prediction was heard again — and this time, apparently, there was more basis for it than usual. The commission reportedly agreed to put out for industry comments a revised reporting form — actually, Part IV of the Broadcast Application Form — prepared by a three-member committee of commissioners. The form — now being put in final shape by the staff, is expected to be released soon, probably this week. But in a departure from past practices, the commission will ask that comments on the form be given orally, rather than in written form. The commission has set Feb. 13 as the date for industry spokesmen to comment — in person. The commissioners decided on this procedure to save themselves from another torrent of "paper." Previous versions of the revised form — which is intended to implement the commission's 1960 statement on programing policy — have been put out for comments twice. The form expected to be published this week is understood to be similar to the one that the commissioners have been mulling over for months, with only slight changes in emphasis. Reportedly, there are a number of differences of opinion among the commissioners on a number of points in the form. But so great was the determination to put "something" out without further delay, the differences were quickly submerged. The sudden breakthrough appeared to be related to the decision to abandon the proposed commercial time-limit rulemaking (story page 39). Both decisions were taken at a special meeting Thursday (Dec. 12). Case-By-Case ■ In dropping the commercial-limitation rulemaking, the commission is expected to say that it will check for overcommercialization on a case-by-case basis and that the revised program reporting form will make this possible. The proposed form would, it is understood, require licensees to report their commercials by minutes and percentages of programing, in composite and typical weeks. This would give the commission a quick check on the amount of commercials carried by a station. It would also permit it to com pare promise versus performance. In other aspects, the form would require an applicant to report on what he has done to survey community needs and interests, how he evaluates those needs and interests and what programs he intends to carry as a result. Some Paper Work ■ Much of this information would have to be set forth in considerable detail. For instance, the form would reportedly require the licensee, in reporting on his survey of needs and interests, to list the names of individuals and organizations contacted, to relate their views and to discuss his evaluation of them. The programs he intends to carry to meet needs and interests would be carried in chart form, identified by title, source and time slot and frequency, and broken down according to the 14 categories the 1960 program policy statement says "are usually necessary" to satisfy community interests and needs. A similar chart reporting the programing actually carried in the preceding reporting period would also have to be completed. In addition, the applicant would list, by types, the special programs (both network and local) he intends to broadcast. He would also be asked to explain any serious discrepancies between the programing that was proposed and delivered. One issue that has troubled the commissioners is whether the reporting form should be filed every three years, as at present, or annually. The commission is sure to ask industry spokesmen to comment on this aspect. It was reported last week that the form, as it will be put out for comments, will propose that at least the section on commercials, possibly the one dealing with programing, be filed annually. Commission sources frankly acknowledge the form will require much more work for applicants than the one now being used. That one doesn't involve much more than a translation of material from logs into the reporting form. Be A Pro ■ However, the commission's defense of the form is expected to be that it would, in effect, force the applicant to study his community closely and become an expert on what is needed to satisfy its needs and interests. Some commissioners feel this knowledge would protect the applicant from questions from the agency about his programing. These officials say that once an applicant has demonstrated his expertise and submitted plans for meeting his community's needs, the FCC would have no grounds for questioning him. The commission will get to work in earnest on a revised program reporting form for radio at a special meeting Jan. 6. Proposals on how the form should be AVE RADIO AND TV RE INVARIABLY ft/I FFECTIVE BOTH Iff BOTH REPRESENTED BY THE KATZ AGENCY BROADCASTING, December 16, 1963