Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

FRTT^AX AT 5 Political Film by Mothers for Moral America May Bring in the FCC GOP presidential candidate sends tract to cleaners after previews raised a storm of controversy Washington — The feeling here is that the FCC will inevitably become embroiled in the Mothers for Moral America film fracas when and if the expurgated version finally hits the tv screens on the NBC network. The film is a GOP tract on America's moral decay, and has been sent to the cleaners by Republican presidential candidate Goldwater after previews of the contents raised a storm of controversy. Outraged protest came from Democratic Committee chairman John M. Bailey that it was the "sickest," and he further tagged it as "smut," "prurient" and "prejudiced." Network previewers agreed that a jolting 60 seconds of the moral decay aspects, from topless bathing suits to the recurring view of a big, black and very presidential limousine with a speeding, beer can-throwing driver, would have to come out. The Mothers for Moral America, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., had previously announced the film as a "documentary film considered by motion picture industry leaders who have viewed it as the 'most powerful' NAB Asks Reconsideration On SRDS' Dropped Listings Washington, D.C. — The National Assn. of Broadcasters is disturbed at the recent decision of Standard Rate and Data Service, Inc., to eliminate monthly listing of small market radio stations and all FM stations. In a statement issued late last week, Vincent T. Wasilewski, executive vice president of NAB, declared: "The NAB has requested Standard Rate and Data Service to reconsider its plan on the grounds that it would render immeasurable harm to the radio industry and particularly to some 1700 smallmarket radio stations that will be affected directly by such action." A meeting between officials of NAB and SRDS will probably be held late this week to discuss the matter. ever produced." (Comment was heard that the movie industry leader referred to in the announcement could only have been Joe Levine.) National project director of the mothers' group is Mrs. Hiram C Houghton of Iowa City, Iowa, whc said the mothers of America contributed the funds to produce the documentary which is entitled, appropriately enough, "Choice." The film's, purpose is to show alternatives between decaying (read "Democratic") forces, and the good (read "Goldwater") leadership for the United States. It was to have been shown last Thursday, to the mothers of America on the NBC daytime schedule. Networks Backed on Equal Time Decision Washington — In its decision to exempt President Johnson's Oct. 18 message on foreign developments from equal time demands, the FCC grants that "the networks could properly determine that the President's report, expressing the U.S. government's policy in relation to those events, was a spot news event ..." FCC's follow-up explanation of its decision for exemption, last week, leans on two reasons. The first was that the President's speech on foreign developments "of an extraordinary nature" was a bona fide news event under the 1959 exemptions to the equal time statute. The other reason cited 1956 precedental exemption for the Eisenhower message on the Suez crisis, which was by inference "upheld" when congressional 1959 amendments setting up news exemptions did not overturn the FCC decision. The six to one majority on the commission has summed up the heart of the matter in one straightforward paragraph midway through the five-page explanation, which gives the broadcaster his due in news judgment: "In short, we think that the networks could reasonably conclude that statements setting forth the foreign policy of this country by its chief executive in his official capacity constitute news in the statutory sense. Simply stated, they are an act of office of the president of the U.S. If the Republican National chairman goes through with a court appeal from the FCC decision, as threatened, then the 89th Congress may be egged into doing something constructive about the patchwork quilt of equaltime rules, exemptions and exceptions left in the wake of the 1959 attempts to amend Sec. 315. FCC decision quotes Sen. Pastore's prophetic argument for amendment at that time: "If the president of the United States were a candidate for re-election he could not stand up in front of the American flag and report to the American people on an important subject without every other conceivable candidate standing up and saying, 'I'm entitled to equal time.'" Only commissioner Rosel Hyde dissented from the FCC decision last week. A Republican, Hyde also dissented, as a matter of principle, in the 1956 decision to exempt the Eisenhower message. Hyde believes in the strictest adherence to the letter of the statute and the four exceptions enumerated by Congress. He opposes any "administratively contrived" exceptions. Commissioner Bartley concurred with the exemption for the Johnson talk on the grounds of international interest, but did not agree that it came under a "bona fide" news category set up in the 1 959 exemptions. BDA To Merge with BBDO Atlanta, Ga. — Burke Dowling Adams, Inc., Atlanta's largest ad agency, will merge with Batten, Barton, Durstine «& Osborn, Inc. effective Nov. 1. The southern agency will continue to operate under its present name as a wholly-owned division of BBDO. At the same time, stockholders of BDA have acquired stock interests in BBDO. BBDO, rated as the fourth largest agency in the world, billed more than $104 million in radio and tv last year. SPONSOR