NAEB Newsletter (June 1957)

FCC ACTIONS ► The FCC has voted to consider a revised plan for authorizing new TV stations. In general, the new plan would disregard the present fixed city-by-city table of TV channel assignments. The Commission said the assignment table, pub¬ lished in 1952, had served its purpose of getting a nationwide TV system into operation in orderly steps, and that a more flexible procedure is now possible. They, invited comment on the idea, to be submitted by June 3, after which they will proceed to final con¬ sideration of the change. The proposal would not affect any of the fixed channel assignments reserved in specified locations for noncommercial, educational outlets, and could not. be applied to areas within 250 miles of the Can¬ adian and Mexican borders where the assigned chan¬ nels are tied to international agreements. ► The University of Washington’s radio station KUOW, operating on educational FM channel 213, asked the FCC for authority to change over to com¬ mercial channel 235. NEWS OF MEMBERS GENERAL ► Expansion in TV teaching and rehearsing facilities has been made in the Radio-TV-Film Department of the University of Miami by installation of a Dage closed-circuit vidicon TV system. The University of Miami still has classes and pro¬ grams at elaborate commercial station WTVJ, but new equipment on campus greatly facilitates handling the present larger number of students in the depart¬ ment. Miami University hopes to start construction soon on a new home for its radio-TV studios,'represented here by this architect's sketch. ► WTTW, Chicago, telecast its 4000th show May 2 with the presentation of “Ticker Tape” a weekly series on investments. Since, it began telecasting from its Museum of Science and Industry studios in December, 1955, WTTW has presented 4000 programs in co¬ operation with 200 Chicago area organizations. The station reaches an estimated' half million people with its current schedule of 49 hours a week. ► Plans for an Ohio ETV council,, perhaps leading to a network between 9 Ohio cities, were announced by Uberto Neely, general manager of W 7 CET, Cincinnati. Eventually, according to Mr. Neely, WCET should be exchanging programs with Akron, Athens, Bowling Green, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Oxford and Toledo. It would give Ohio one of the largest ETV networks in the nation. ► Full-time ETV broadcasting in New York City moved one step nearer reality when the, META an¬ nounced it will initiate a daily half-hour educational program over station WPIX in the fall. ► KQED, San Francisco, has been cited as the lead¬ ing producer of programs for the ETRC. Notice ap¬ peared in the May 17th New York Times to the effect that KQED has 9 individual program contracts for TV series to be distributed nationally. Two or more additional contracts are expected. The total will be about 200 half-hour programs. KQED productions now being distributed by the ETRC are: “Buckskin Bob, The Atom, The Ele¬ ments, Tempest in a Test Tube,” and “The American Economy.” ► The Junior League of Memphis, Tennessee, has been praised by their National Association for their excellent assistance in establishing and developing WKNO, Memphis’ community ETV station. The job was accomplished by dint of much hard work and donations over a 6-year period. May we add our con¬ gratulations to Memphis Junior League! PERSONNEL ► The appointment of Hartford N. Gunn, Jr., as general manager of Boston’s WGBH-FM-TV, has been announced. Mr. Gunn, formerly assistant gen¬ eral manager, replaces Parker Wheatley, who has re¬ signed. Resigning at the same time as Mr. Wheatley were E. G. Sherburne Jr., director of programs, and Lawrence Creshkoff, assistant director of programs. Mr. Gunn named three assistant general man¬ agers: Paul Rader, Jack D. Summerfield, and David M. Davis. ► Dr. Herman B. Wells, president of Indiana Uni¬ versity, was elected for a 5-year term to the Board of Directors of the ETRC. The Center’s Board elected JUNE, 1957 5