Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

Monday, July 8, 1957 Motion Picture Daily 15 in our view Television Today THE vitally important area in the television orbit of news handling has come in for prime executive attention in the address of Frank Stanton, president of the Columbia Broadcasting System, before the National Press Club in Washington last Tuesday. We have found in past utterances that Dr. Stanton's viewpoints are sound, honest, sincere and direct. That may be regarded as an (Unseemly coterie of adjectives, but in this circumstance we feel them to be eminently justified. Dr. Stanton's observations on the matter of TV news handling merit the careful study of everyone in the business. They are compounded of responsibility and a reasonably aggressive approach to what might be described as the rights of the medium. • No one conceivably can quarrel with the executive's major premise, that reporting the news is the prime function of any medium of communication. He speaks of the necessity of television having had to harness a new technology, electronic journalism, complicating further the basic new problems inherent in radio news reporting. In using this "wholly new dimension" in journalism, Dr. Stanton says, "we feel duty-bound to bring the most important men and ideas of our time to the American people." He further substantiates his point 'with reference to Thomas Jefferson's conclusion that the people "may be safely trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them." Dr. Stanton is i right when he says we must accept Jefferson's thesis in its entirety or not at all. • Granted the Jeffersonian premise is basically sound, it nonetheless does not open the door to journalistic carte blanche in television, since that sense of responsibility which must guide the action of the news reporters in television is further and emphatically bound by the fact that television enters the home in a much more complete and subtle manner than does . the daily newspaper or the weekly or monthly magazine. CBS, in its approach to the whole matter of television news coverage, always has insisted upon, and if necessary fought for, the maintenance of its editorial integrity, and in that they have performed a fine and wholesome service for the whole industry of television. • Dr. Stanton takes up in some detail the problem— for problem it is— of editorializing. The circumstances of broadcasting basically make of the editorial concept a serious, perplexing and quite unprecedented problem. He cites one principle which he sees quite rightly as permeating the whole matter: the "obligation ... to maintain fairness and balance in the pre Urges Toll TV Without Test ( Continued ments in response to an FCC request for comments on a proposed field test of subscription television. Deadline for filing is tomorrow, and Telemeter was the first party to file. Telemeter told the FCC that subscription television is a broadcast service and that therefore "there are no valid reasons why subscription television should not be authorized on a permanent basis at the present time." Authorizing it on a trial basis, Telemeter said, would ask investors to put their money "into a proposition which has no assurance of permanence." Only limited sums would then be available for toll-TV, Telemeter went on, and "it would not be possible to attract the kind of programming that full scale subscription television is capable of bringing to the public." Sees No Precedent Telemeter maintained that the FCC has never before used a test operation to prove public acceptability and stated that the matter should best be left to the public by authorizing tollTV for "keeps." Its comments also maintained that the Commission never before concerned itself with the impact of a new medium upon an existing one, and declared that a test of toll-TV would not prove its impact on sponsored television. A test "may only prove to be a fertile breeding ground for argument, controversy and delay," Telemeter said. "All that Telemeter is asking is an opportunity to invest its money to bring a new service to the American public," the company said. "We do not see why this opportunity should be shut off or delayed merely because vested interests in sponsored television will have to bestir themselves to meet the challenge of changed conditions." Telemeter said its plans to proceed sentation of controversial ideas." Cited are three ways to editorialize (1) in the course of news programs (we shout, No, a thousand times No); (2) via "columnists of the air" (practicable, but must be clearly labeled as editorial commentators, we believe), and (3) for management itself to express its editorial views in its own name (this last would seem to us to be the most intelligent, least troublesome, and least intrusive form). Dr. Stanton says they have rejected the first two courses, wisely, and are moving slowly on the third. Even this method has its own special problems, but it seems to us the best. It is a happy circumstance, in any case, that this vital problem is receiving careful attention at the very highest levels. — Charles S. Aaronson from page 1 ) with subscription television on a wired basis "are fully developed," and that it could wire a community and install the necessary three-channel toll-TV equipment for $100 a home. "We are convinced that once subscription television gets started, it will provide a vivid proof to all broadcasters that subscription television can supplement their programs and their revenues, thereby restoring independence to the individual licensee," Telemeter said. Plans 'Full Speed' Ahead Telemeter intends to proceed "full speed" with installations of subscription by wire, the comments said, because "when the Commission ultimately authorized subscription by air, these customers of subscription by wire will become the nucleus of an audience for subscription by air." Telemeter stated it feels that the financial future of wired toll-TV is secure, whether or not toll-TV by air is ever authorized. Telemeter told the FCC, however, that if a test of toll TV is authorized, the company would cooperate completely. It declared that if the test is to be significant, there should be "a minimum amount of restrictions surrounding it," with only one essential restriction — participating stations should be limited to non-network, nonaffiliated, independent stations. Wants Maximum Cities, Operators If a trial operation is conducted, Telemeter continued, it should be done in as many cities and by as many independent operators within a city as are willing to make a test. There should also be no limitation on the number of subscribers, the comments said. "A few subscribers might have no impact," Telemeter explained. "Many subscribers could have a substantial impact." Telemeter also urged that the FCC prescribe uniform standards for tollTV broadcasting before putting a test operation on the air. The company said it planned to offer its equipment for lease only, during any test of the medium, and would make its equipment available to all qualified applicants. The company also recommended that any test be authorized for an indefinite period of time, with the proviso that the FCC give at least nine months notice before the tests are to be terminated. ON IVIRY CHANNEL (TV) BROOKS COSTUMES 3 West 61st St., N.Y.C. Tel. PL. 7-5800 Wall Size Television Seen on the Way A new development by Sylvania Electric Products known as "Sylvatron" enables images to be produced on coated flat glass panels only one eighth of an inch thick. A Sylvania representative predicted that within five years this development will lead to flat-wall television screens of almost any size. CBC OKays 5 Canada Outlets Special to THE DAILY TORONTO, July 7.-The Board of Governors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. has recommended the approval of licenses for five TV stations in Canada. These stations would be located at Red Deer, Alta.; Matane, Que.; Three Rivers, Que.; Prince Albert, Sask., and Swift Current, Sask. A request by CKCO-TV, Kitchener, for an increase in power, was denied by the board. The latter station is patrially owned by Famous Players Canadian Corp. NBC Public Service $470,823 in May Public service spot announcements worth almost half a million dollars were broadcast during May by 12 NBC owned radio and television stations in eight cities, according to Thomas B. MoFadden, vice president in charge of NBC owned stations and NBC spot sales. A survey of the NBC owned stations showed that a total of 5011 announcements, worth $470,823, were devoted to public service during the month. These announcements supported the stations' "Impact public service" projects as well as their dayto-day efforts in the community interest. Promotes Single Objective "Impact public service," which was introduced early this year, is a plan whereby each NBC owned station periodically uses all of its resources to promote a single public service endeavor. TRANSCRIPTIONS FILM COMMERCIALS with FINE SOUND ore recorded at FINE SOUND Inr PL 3 5400 nwc juunu inc. 711.5th Ave__ NYq