Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1963)

missed "an excellent opportunity" to plead broadcasting's case before a church body that has been critical of broadcastin?. Mr. Schroeder said the council's June pronouncement urging stricter government controls of TV programing "should have been the principal and only consideration of your comments, yet it was the last subject discussed . . ." He told Governor Collins that his criticism of a Lucky Strike TV commercial was a "superficial and unfair approach which does not represent the judicial view which is in the best interests of the broadcasting industry." The NAB president, Mr. Schroeder wrote Governor Collins, has a clear responsibility to represent broadcasters in a forceful and positive manner. "To be perfectly blunt about it, you represent a private industry just as surely as a corporation lawyer. If such a lawyer agrees to accept a client's case and the accompanying fee. it is his professional responsibility to plead for his client in the most persuasive and favorable manner that his talents permit. "In my opinion, you did not do this when you introduced a criticism of a tobacco company and by association, a criticism of the broadcasting industry." Until an official government position is reached in the cigarette controversy, "it is incumbent upon you not to seek to force a purely personal conviction regarding advertising upon us by means of the press and the podium," Mr. Schroeder told the governor. Governor Collins reportedly replied to Mr. Schroeder late last week, but the NAB refused to release the letter. Busy Circuits ■ Mr. Schroeder was by no means alone last week in criticizing the NAB president. There were conference calls and individual conversations among board members who were trying to shape up some kind of plan for the January board meeting. There were some, however, who took the governors side. Included among them was an influential broadcaster who has been a strong Collins supporter since the Florida governor took the NAB job and who, though not now on the NAB boards, is still close to industry councils. This broadcaster predicted that the executive committee and the boards, in their January meetings, would accept whatever programs Governor Collins offered. In the view of this broadcaster, Mr. Collins has entrenched himself solidly with the NAB membership. Despite his prominence, this pro-Collins broadcaster represented a minority view in the opinions expressed by board members last week. Several said that the NAB president's contract had been accepted last winter on the representation that Governor Collins would remain silent on the cigarette issue and would clear major speeches with key board members. They felt that his recent actions had violated that condition. Governor Collins has disputed the contention that he had agreed to curb his public talks. Nerves Are Touched ■ In the South last week there was widespread reaction to the NAB president's Columbia speech on civil rights. Two stations — wjmx Florence and wbcu Union, both South Carolina — resigned from the NAB because of the Columbia speech. Paul H. Benson Jr., wjmx general manager, said the station would rejoin when the NAB "gets a more responsible president." Both stations withdrew because Governor Collins criticized many southern leaders for their attitude on civil rights and urged the South to tell "the bloodyshirt wavers to climb down off the buckboards of bigotry." Governor Collins's Columbia speech was broadcast live on a 26-station statewide network. One station, wcsc Charleston, told its listeners in an editorial that it regretted having carried the speech. Wbt-wbtv(tv) Charlotte, N. C, in an editorial scheduled for broadcast Friday (Dec. 13), said that "we cannot allow the public to assume that since he is the broadcast industry association's president, he is therefore speaking for this station. Such is not the case." Wtvj(tv) Miami, on the other hand, termed Mr. Collins's speech a "courageous pronouncement" on civil rights. Curtis could be moving into radio-TV with loan A $35 million refinancing plan approved last week by the stockholders of Curtis Publishing raised speculation that a diversification plan of the company might include the acquisition of broadcast properties. However, Matthew J. Culligan, Curtis chairman and president, has indicated that any acquisition in the near future will probably be in the publishing field. Serge Semenenko, vice chairman of First National Bank of Boston, which heads a group of six banks financing the loan to Curtis, had referred to acquisition of TV stations and publishing companies through the coming year as "more than possibilities." Of the $35 million total. $4.5 million will be available through 1968 as working capital and $30.5 million will be used to cover present short-term debts. An additional $5 million debt incurment will be allowed Curtis through 1970 with maturities not to extend beyond 1980. In a news conference subsequent to the stockholders meeting, Mr. Culligan did not rule out the possibility of Curtis moving into the broadcasting field. "Should the opportunity arise," he said, Curtis would be interested both in acquisition of TV or radio stations and a move into the broadcast programing area. Mr. Culligan was formerly executive Milk Control Board by then-Governor Collins. Insiders say that Governor Collins would make a strong opponent for South Florida. Dade county has elected with solid support from populous Dade county (Miami) and South Florida. Dade county has 20% of the state's voters and was carried solidly by Governor Collins in 1956 when he won the Democratic nomination for governor over three opponents without a run-off. His opponents at that time were present Governor Farris Bryant, former Governor Fuller Warren and General Sumter Lowry. The consensus in Florida is that the governor's strong speech on civil rights in Columbia, S. C, 10 days ago will hurt him in many sections of the state. Of the registered voters in Florida, 12% are Negroes. Floridians expect five or six major candidates for the Democratic nomination as governor. Governor Bryant, whose backers four years ago are said to be widely split in the coming election, has announced plans to return to the practice of law in Ocala. A front runner for the nomination at the present time is said to be Hayden Burns, Jacksonville mayor who was an unsuccessful candidate in 1960. Others talking about running include State Senator Jack Matthews of Jacksonville (who has the support of many of the Collins men), former State Senator Bud Dickinson of West Palm Beach, Miami Mayor Robert High, State Senator Scott Kelly of Lakeland and Fred Karl, a state representative from Daytona Beach who also has support from political friends of Mr. Collins. A man close to the Florida Democratic scene said last week that most of the important money already is committed in the governors race. But. he said, if Governor Collins were to decide to run for either the governorship or the Senate, "many people could and would disengage themselves." He felt a Collins vs. Holland race is "very possible." BROADCASTING, December 16, 1963 69