Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

Telecasting Notes: How dependent many stations are on film progTamming is sharply highlighted in first annual TV Station Film Manual (44-p.) released by NARTB this week to TV members. Divided into 3 parts — programming hours & costs, case histories, station comments — manual reports that of some 60-odd stations responding to questionnaire last summer, all reported that hours of local film programs exceeded local live shows. In Group 1 (stations with up to 50,000 TV families) average was 26.54 hours of film programs a week vs. 10.37 live, while in Group 5 (stations with 1,000,000 or more TV families) ratio was 42.20 film vs. 32.50 live . . . Cost of programming facilities to stations in all groups was reported as $126 per hour for live shows, $85 for film . . . Detailed case histories of film programming were reported for 6 stations (KGNC-TV, Amarillo; KKTV, Colorado Springs; KRON-TV, San Francisco; WAAM, Baltimore; WBTV, Charlotte; WCAU-TV, Philadelphia)— with reports on their film purchasing, programming hours and costs, personnel, film equipment, operational procedures, film ID specifications & engineering, plus diagrammed floor plans and reproductions of forms used in scheduling, routing & filing of film . . . TV film is mighty important to Hollywood, too — Jan. 13 Variety predicting production will amount to record $40,000,000 this year, with fewer companies producing more filins; it points out that telefilm pattern is beginning to follow that of motion pictures, as a few large companies take over smaller outfits and get into mass production of films . . . Recent Politz study. Importance of Radio in TV Areas Today, available free from NARTB, which has mailed it to AM & FM members, all Congressmen, commissioners and staff of FCC and to civic, educational & religious leaders, etc. . . . Another film index: Directory of Non-Royalty Films for TV, compiled by WOI-TV, Ames, and published this week by Iowa State College Press; it gives alphabetical listing of all available films, private & go\T., is available for $6 from publishers or bookstores . . . Cleveland’s WEWS is spending $50-60,000 buying space in 31 Ohio dailies and 4 in Pennsylvania, consisting of five 160-line ads per week for 3 weeks, then three 160line ads for next 3 weeks, promoting its new higher tower & power; McCann-Erickson, Cleveland, places the space . . . Smart publicity: Zenith Radio to award statuettes to lady TV commentators who “achieve the most for public service programming in 1953”; judges: Fred Sammis, McFadden Publications; George Rosen, Variety; Frank Burke, Radio Daily . . . KCOP, Los Angeles (formerly KLAC-TV) , as one of first steps under new Copley Press ownership, has reduced base Class A hour rate from $1250 to $900, half hour from $750 to $540; Class B, $800 to $600 & $480 to $360; Class C, $600 to $500 & $360 to $300 . . . VVTOP-TV, Washington, adding 73 ft. to its 300-ft. tower, increases RCA batwings from 6 to 12, says it will double ERP . . . Big WOR-TV studios on 67th St., New York, leased for 3 years to NBC-TV is now being prepared for new daytime Home show . . . WOAI-TV, San Antonio, now starts program day at 7 a.m. with NBC-TV’s Today. B Seeking clarification of multiple ownership proposal (Vol. 9:52), Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. asked FCC to confirm its understanding that minority station stockholdings of directors of parent Westinghouse Electric Co. won’t be counted in total of stations permitted a single entity. It reported these holdings: (1) Director John Hall is a director and v.p. of Herald Traveler Corp. which is licensee of WHDH, Boston, through subsidiary. (2) Director John Schiff owns 15% of Transcontinental Properties Inc., which, through subsidiaries, operates TV stations WFTV, Duluth; KETV, Little Rock; KCTV, Sioux City; WICS, Springfield, 111. and AM station WCVS, Springfield. (3) Director Dillon Anderson owns 8% of applicant Houston Area TV Co. Publisher J. R. Knowland, Oakland Tribune (KLX), father of the U. S. Senator from California and GOP floor leader, this week purchased 5% interest in application of Channel Two Inc., seeking Ch. 2 allocated San Francisco bay area, for which 3 others will also compete at hearings yet to be set. Knowland interests dropped own application last Nov. Simultaneously, Channel Two Inc. pres. Stoddard P. Johnston, stepson of John A. Kennedy, who sold San Diego’s KFMB-TV & KFMB last year for $3,150,000 (Vol. 9:5,9,13), announced that Howard L. Chernoff, recently resigned mgr. of the San Diego stations, has been retained as executive director; he will also hold about 5% of stock. Johnston will hold 35% of stock and Kinco Enterprises, owned by his mother, will hold 10%. Other stockholders are area business men. Robert Purcell, ex-operations mgr., KTTV, Hollywood, has been retained as consultant and Stanley Sievers as chief engineer. Contract has been signed with RCA for $650,000 worth of equipment, including color apparatus. The other competitors for Ch. 2: KROW Inc., Oakland (Sheldon F. Sackett) ; General Teleradio Inc. (KFRC, San Francisco) ; Television California (Edwin W. Pauley & C. L. McCarthy) . Sen. Ed Johnson’s bill to restrict telecasting and broadcasting of pro baseball games (S. 1396) was blocked in Senate third time Jan. 11 when attempt to get it passed by unanimous consent drew objection from Sen. Smathers (D-Fla.). Bitterly opposed by NARTB, measure would specifically permit major league teams to bar TV-radio from games within 50 mi. of their home cities (Vol. 9:12, 19,22,24-25,28). Also passed over because of objections were 3 bills requested by FCC and already passed by House (Vol. 9:16): (1) To give FCC 30 days instead of 15 to act on protests (H. R. 4558), blocked by Smathers. (2) Easing penalties for some violations of Communications Act. (HR. 4559), blocked by Sen. Gore (D-Tenn.). (3) Discontinuing requirement for CP for go\i;., amateur and mobile stations (H. R. 4557), blocked by Sen. Danger (R-N. D.). Educators were offered use of WOR-TV’s 810-ft. tower in North Bergen, N. J., built at cost of $250,000 and unused since station moved transmitter to Empire State Bldg. General Teleradio v.p. Gordon Gray said tower has been offered to state educational depts. of both N. Y. & N. J. for joint use. In obvious rebuttal to North Bergen officials who have threatened legal action to tear down tower (Vol. 9:52), Gray said: “The concentration of TV transmission facilities in the Empire State Bldg, by all stations serving metropolitan New York makes it impractical to destroy the only available emergency facilities.” He added de-icing equipment would be installed to eliminate icicle hazard which has brought complaints from some local residents. FCC abolished filing of annual ownership reports by TV & radio stations. In order this week (FCC 54-52), it ruled that hereafter stations will file same information at time of making applications for renewal of licenses (every 3 years). Ruling is effective immediately and provides that ownership form must be filed with renewal applications beginning Feb. 1. United Artists will shortly announce sale of its pioneering TV film sei’vice to Joseph Harris and son Janies, who will finance, produce and distribute films for TV ; they’re among founders of Motion Pictures for Television Inc., and in gioup recently acquiring KXLY-TV, Spokane (Vol. 10:2). Power increases: WJBK-TV, Detroit (Ch. 2) Jan. 11 began telecasting from new 1067-ft. antenna with 100-kw power. WSLS-TV, Roanoke (Ch. 10) Jan. 10 boosted power to 296 kw. WSTV-TV, Steubenville, 0. (Ch. 9) Jan. 9 went to 230 kw.