Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1960)

6 Motion Picture Daily Monday, February 15. I Television Today Fellows to Keynote Broadcasting Meet From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.-The National Association of Broadcasters announced that President Harold E. Fellows will make tire keynote address at the 5th annual Conference of Presidents of State Broadcasting Associations. Also announced was the complete program for die two-day conference, Feb. 24-25, at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington. Fellows will speak at the first morning session. Howard H. Bell, assistant to die president for joint affairs, is conference chairman and will preside at all of the sessions. Following Fellows' keynote address, four NAB staff executives will report on "Broadcasting in the Sixties." The report is planned as a thorough exploration with the state assocaition presidents of the current problems facing the broadcasting industry and the outlook for the 60's. Meagher, Brown to Speak John F. Meagher, NAB vice-president for radio, and Thad H. Brown, Jr., NAB vice-president for television, will discuss the current problems of radio and television, respectively, and the industry's self-regulatory activities. Douglas A. Anello, NAB chief counsel, will review the NAB testimony and position taken recently at the Federal Communications Commission hearing on programming. Vincent T. Wasilewski, NAB manager of government relations, will discuss legislative developments growing out of recent inquiries into broadcasting. At noon on Wednesday, the state presidents will go by bus to the national awards luncheon of the Voice of Democracy broadcast scriptwriting contest at the Statler Hilton Hotel. The contest is sponsored by the NAB and the Electronic Industries Association in cooperation with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Many state broadcasting associations have sponsored the contest on the local and state levels. Reports Due on Wednesday On Wednesday afternoon, the program will feature state association reports. These will include "Projects and Activities" by John C. Cooper, Jr., president of the Alabama Broadcasters Association; "The Right to Advertise" by Carlton Dargusch, Jr., secretarytreasurer, Ohio Association of Broadcasters; "The Right to Know" by Elby Stevens, president, Maine Association of Broadcasters; "State Promotion" by Charles B. Brakefield, president, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, and "The Personnel Placement Bureau" by Jack Gilbert, president, Nebraska Broadcasters Association. A question and answer session will follow these reports. The Thursday morning session will include: a report on the operation of the Freedom of Information Center at the University of Missouri by its director, Dr. Paul Fisher; a briefing session on national defense preparedness and the emergency broadcast system by Commissioner Robert E. Lee of the FCC, Lewis Berry, assistant director for plans and operations, OCDM, David E. Driscoll, who is program chairman of the National Industry Advisory Committee, Radio Station WCBS, New York, and Wasilewski; a discussion of the Voice of Democracy broadcast scriptwriting contest by John M. Couric, NAB manager of public relations. FCC Chairman Scheduled The Thursday luncheon speaker, as was previously announced, will be chairman John C. Doerfer of the FCC. The final session Thursday afternoon will be a conference roundtable, moderated by Fellows. During this session the state presidents will discuss the cooperative efforts of the state associations and NAB in dealing with broadcasting industry problems. Report NBC-TV to Buy KTVU, San Francisco From THE DAILY Bureau SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14.-Current reports that NBC-TV is about to make a firm otter of $7,500,000 for the purchase of KTVU as its regional outlet here were substantiated today by William Pabst, executive vice-president and general manager of KTVU. In a signed mimeographed statement to the station's staff, Pabst said: "KTVU may anticipate that the conditions of such a proposal will be presented to San Francisco-Oakland Television Inc. in the immediate future, after which time directors and shareholders will have to be called to a meeting to consider any such proposal." Giving, Taking 'Payola' Should Be Crime: FCC From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.-Legislation to make "payola" a crime will be suggested to Congress by the Federal Communications Commission. The agency will urge Congress to make giving or taking "payola" punishable by a year in jail and/or fine up to $5,000. The same penalty would apply to deceptive broadcasting practices. In making this recommendation, FCC apparently disagreed with the recent report by Attorney General Rogers which asserted that FCC had "adequate authority under existing law" to deal with such abuses. FCC says, however, that it needs a new law to extend its authority from individual stations to networks, station personnel, advertisers, and producers, as well as to enable it to cope effectively with such things as unpaid and unannounced commercial plugs. Calm Continues (Continued from page 1) lature ended a brief session at the weekend without considering, or even receiving any measures regarded as inimical to the industry. Earlier, there had been some concern lest censorship proponents introduce new and more stringent measures there. Much the same situation prevails in Maryland, where adjournment is scheduled in a few weeks and no new censorship legislation, which some had feared might be in preparation, has made its appearance there yet. While numerous legislatures have still to meet, the start of the legislatives year, at least, has been far more auspicious than the industry legislative watchdogs had anticipated a few months ago. To date, New York is the only state in which an unpopular industry measure has been introduced this year. A film classification bill remains in committee in Albany. Pennsylvania has a new censor law but it was enacted by the last session of the legislature, not the current one. Suits challenging its constitutionality have been set for hearings in Harrisburg on March 9. Para. Deer*! ( Continued from page 1 ) tions Committee— where most of jl activity has been concentrated m very heavy, and 1960, an elei year, will make heavy campaigl demands on Congressmen. No comment on the proposal investigate the Paramount dec i administration was available fron Justice Department. Under its gn rules, the department also does I comment on pending complaint; was learned elsewhere, however, i Allied has filed a formal comp with the anti-trust division. Thi1 believed basically to reflect the v points set forth in the well-kn White Paper dated July, 1958. It is understood that Rembusch been in frequent correspondence ' 1 two Indiana Democrats, Earl He and Joseph E. Barr. Hogan has tt] up these matters with the Justice partment and with the House J j ciary Anti-trust Subcommittee. Presented to Operations Commit In addition, the question of ministration of the decree was ]j sented to the Government Opera! I Committee, which referred it bad I the anti-trust subcommittee. Barr may be a more fruitful soil of assistance in obtaining heari) I For one thing, he is familiar widi '] film business, having formerly owrll two drive-ins. His wife's family 1 one point had a circuit of about J theatres. More importantly, he i: been serving unofficially as a sortJ "whip" for Rep. Emanuel Celler ( N.Y.), chairman of the Judiciary C< mittee in connection widi gettins civil rights bill through the House i After the civil rights bill has hi disposed of, it would seem reasons; to assume that he would be in a gn position, politically, to put the qi tion of film industry hearings bef Chairman Celler. The subcommitt however, has a jammed schedule, a it may be impossible to slate additi al hearings regardless of any off considerations. Hearings were held some years H by the Small Business Committee by the Senate Anti-trust Committ if it should be found, on examinati that the complaints that would aired in a new set of hearings comparable to those brought in earlier ones, this would also tend cool the Congressional attitude tow; a new series. TORONTO: The premiere of "Sink the Bismarck" at the Imperial Theatre drew the top brass of the British Naval Command. Seen above are (left to right) Commodore R. I. Hendy, Vice-Admiral E. R. Mainguy, Lt. Commdr. O. B. Maybee, Mayor of Toronto Nathan Phillips and Mrs. Phillips; Wrens Pat Shaw and Pat Rainey. Nancy Kwan ( Continued from page 1 ) her motion picture debut in the film the co-star of William Holden. The announcement was made In by Ray Stark, who is producing t picture for Paramount release. 1 selection of Miss Kwan made it pof ble for production to resume torn.' row, following a two-week shut-do1 of the film. Miss Kwan will reti with the Paramount British producti company to Hong Kong in May, f I lowing two months of filming in LcJ don, to re-shoot the portions shot I mondi with Miss Nuyen.