Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1963)

THE MEDIA What to do about LeRoy Collins? THAT'S NOW THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT ON NAB AGENDA NEXT MONTH An emergency meeting of the chairmen and vice chairmen of the National Association of Broadcasters' boards was called last week to clarify the status of LeRoy Collins, NAB president. The meeting, to be held in Washington in the first week of January, was only one of many reactions to recent speeches by Governor Collins and to reports that he may be thinking of resuming his political career. The board chairmen and vice chairmen constitute the executive committee of the association. William Quarton, wmt-tv Cedar Rapids, Iowa, called the meeting as chairman of the joint boards and of the executive committee. He declined to discuss the agenda, but he said he had been deluged with letters and telephone calls questioning recent actions of the NAB president. The executive committee's special meeting will be held only three weeks in advance of the long-scheduled winter meeting of the NAB boards. Cause Of Alarm ■ At issue last week were a speech Governor Collins made to an assembly of the National Council of Churches (Broadcasting, Dec. 2) in which he criticized cigarette advertising and two speeches on civil rights that he delivered in Columbia, S.C., and Los Angeles (Broadcasting, Dec. 9). The speech to the church assembly was criticized last week by Willard Schroeder of wood-am-tv Grand Rapids, a member and past chairman of the NAB radio board. Mr. Schroeder made his comments in a letter to Governor Collins. He sent copies to all members of the radio and television boards. Two South Carolina stations withdrew from membership in the NAB last week because of the president's speech in Columbia. Others in the area expressed displeasure at his subject. Several members of the NAB boards accused Governor Collins of political motives in choosing his subjects for the speeches in South Carolina and California. In Columbia Governor Collins urged the South to abandon racial hatreds and accept what he said was an inevitable trend toward equal rights for all. In Los Angeles he defended the assertion of federal authority in civil rights disputes and called for regular conferences of state and federal officials to resolve arguments over state and federal jurisdictions. The question of political ambitions was also raised by publication of a report in the Miami News that Mr. Collins, who became NAB president after serving six years as governor of Florida, was considering re-entering politics, perhaps as a candidate for the United States Senate (Broadcasting, Dec. 9). Q Without A ■ Last week Governor Collins was asked point blank by influential board members whether he is thinking of a political race. The NAB president responded by saying that if he did decide to return to politics, he would let the board members know. He did not make a direct reply to questions about his present thinking. The executive committee meeting in January, which Governor Collins will be asked to attend, will be the second such special meeting of that body in two months. Early in November the committee met to talk about the NAB codes and was unexpectedly asked by the NAB president to confirm his choice of Howard Bell as the new director of the code authority (Broadcasting, Nov. 11). The committee acceded to Governor Collins's wishes. Schroeder's Letter ■ It was Governor Collins's remarks about tobacco advertising in his National Council of Churches speech that precipitated Mr. Schroeder's criticism. Other broadcast ers, including representatives of the networks, also expressed concern. Governor Collins first openly raised questions about cigarette advertising and its appeal for the young in a speech in Portland, Ore., last year (Broadcasting, Dec. 3). He said he was prepared to ask the NAB boards to consider adopting restraints on cigarette commercials. The boards took no action on the subject at their next meeting, in February 1963, but the NAB president told newsmen that the subject would be revived before the boards after the release of a report by a special study committee of the U.S. surgeon general. The committee is surveying statistical evidence of the relation of smoking and health. Its report is now expected soon after the first of the year — probably before next NAB board meetings Jan. 27. In his letter Mr. Schroeder, who was chairman of the radio board last year and is now a member representing medium-sized radio stations, told the NAB president that his reaction to the National Council of Churches speech was "both strong and critical." By spending so much of his text on a discussion of tobacco advertising, the NAB president How the Florida campaigns shape up now Senator Holland The Democratic political situation in Florida, with the filing period just two months away, is of more than cursory interest to broadcasters. LeRoy Collins, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, is a former governor of the state and reportedly is considering running for the U. S. Senate from Florida and also is being pressured in some quarters to run for governor. Filing period for the May primaries begins Feb. 18 and closes March 3. Senator Spessard Holland (D-Fla.), whose term expires, has not announced that he will seek re-election but is expected to do so. Except for the possibility of Governor Collins, the only major opponent who has indicated an interest in the senatorial race is Brailey Odham, a two-time loser in bids for the governorship. Mr. Odham is a former member of the Florida legislature and was appointed to the important 88 BROADCASTING, December 16, 1963