Sponsor (Apr-June 1964)

John A. Serrao (1), general manager of WKBD, chats with Dick Block at station's Penobscot Building offices. dissuade some otherwise competent broadcasters from entering the medium, says Block. According to his predictions, UHF isn't at all that bad. In fact. Kaiser forecasts that the term "UHF" will be dropped by the public within the next five years or so, when viewers become accustomed to the fact that tv channel do not necessarily stop at 13. Kaiser is relying on the all-channel bill to create the potential audience. This does not mean that sale of converters will not be important. But. as Block points out. "if converters were the answer, then we would have applied to UHF channels a long time ago." Nor does the group believe that some new kind of programing will make telecasting a success. The feeling here is that if it were possible to come up with some as-yet unknown but appealing format, there would be nothing to stop the Vs from taking it over. Moreover, Kaiser realizes that CBS and NBC failed with their Us in Hartford, Milwaukee and Buffalo although offering prime programing. How tloes a UHF station operate in a major market already presumably adequately served? First it has patience. Second, it may have a small stall', but the stall' has to be experienced and professional. For example, at Kaiser's WKBD in Detroit, general manager John A. Serrao has been in broadcasting for 15 years. He went the pagc-andsales service route at CBS in Hollywood in the 1940s along with such stalwarts as .inn Aubrey, developed PGWs t\ office in Los Angeles. and then was a tv film sales man i on the coast until I960, when he joined kaiser Broadcasting. Bj January 1961. when Block moved to the eoasi. Serrao was general manager of KHVH AM I V. ' I ne Hill. WKBD chief engineer, was a cameraman and engineer at a I HI station m Stockton. Calif., in 1953. There, he met a young fellow by the name of Dick Block, whose job was everything from directing to being in charge of the marquee that had been left by the former theater-tenants. At KTVU, Hill learned the problems and opportunities of a UHF station. Both he and Block watched as KTVU (not the one now licensed to San Francisco on channel 2) became the first station to convert a theater into a tv outlet, only to see the same station converted back to a theater. In between KTVU and WKBD, Hill was at KNTV San Jose and KBET Sacramento (now KXTV). Backing the troops on the front line, so to speak, has been a gradual development of staff personnel at Oakland during the past few years. There are now specialists in accounting, law. personnel and industrial relations ready to meet the needs of the expanding broadcasting operations. Good contacts have been established within the broadeasting industry as well as within associations. Kaiser has already been able to publish a study on fringe benefits in broadcasting labor contracts that has been of great use to stations and associations. January 1 has been established as the "winking date" for inauguraation of service in Detroit. The hope was that it would be sooner, but a lull investigation into programing needs has taken longer than anticipated. Block personall feels that too many tv stations rusli on the air without any idea of wha they are going to program. There fore. WKBD. while not procecJin slowly, is going about its work calm ly and soberly, making sure it ha a good look the day it is on the aii In Detroit, Serrao has quite liter ally been involved in discovcrin: the needs of the community, a pro cess the FCC has urged all broad casters to do. Assaying communit; needs, Serrao finds them in al areas, but mostly in the area 0 sports. This is where WKBD wil provide service, and this is the are; planned as the hallmark of the sta tion. The viewers will know that b) switching to channel 50 the) cat get sports during prime time hopefully of the type they realh want to watch, such as their com munity favorite: hockey, basebal and football. Telecasts of higl school sports, which Serrao pio neered in Hawaii, will be part o' the diet. Professional and collegi ate athletic events also will be aired Block believes that "picture tele vision" is going to be an important part of the medium within a few \ears. He sees the development ot small transistorized tv sets similai to those developed for radio. W oik some of the new stations such I! WKBD may specialize in sports others will certainly specialize in music and news, if programing sources are forthcoming. 40 SPONSOR