Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

12 SEVERAL MORE station sale deals are in negotiation stage, should be made known shortly. This week, Cedar Rapids Gazette, 30% owner of recently established KCRI-TV (Ch. 9), concluded deal whereby it buys out other stockholders in TV-AM properties for $101,500, subject to FCC approval. And Louis R. Draughon, gen. mgr. of WSIX-TV, Nashville (Ch. 8), has tentatively agreed to sell out two-thirds interest in TV-AM stations to W. H. Cresswell and Robert Stanford, local businessmen, subject first to conclusion of banking arrangements and then to FCC approval; previous negotiations with prospective N. Y. buyers collapsed in April (Vol. 10:17). Approved by FCC this week was purchase, for token $100, of Detroit Ch. 62 CP fi'om grantee UAW-CIO Bcstg. Co. by Woodward Bcstg. Co., headed by Max Osnos, o^vner of Sam’s Dept. Store there; union decided not to go thi’ough with project for proposed uhf WCIOTV and Woodward dropped own Ch. 60 application (Vol. 10:26). FCC also approved transfer of 25% interest in WDAK-TV, Augusta, Ga. (Ch. 28) to Martin Theatres of Georgia, which now holds 75% while Allen M. Woodall retains 25% (Vol. 10:24). In the Cedar Rapids deal, out of 1450 shai’es outstanding, of which Gazette already holds 435, the following stock is being sold: Sutherland C. Dows, pres., 101.5 shares; Myron N. Blank, Des Moines theatreman, 328.4; Morris B. Ebin, Minneapolis theatreman, 162.4; Harrison E. Spangler, ex-Republican National Committee chairman, 50.75; David E. Beardsley, 50.75; Nicholas P. Creamer, 50.75; Wm. C. Culver, 40.6; Donald T. Hines, 40.6; Charles J. Lynch, 40.6; Harry G. O’Donnell, 101.5; A. L. Mulekoff, 50.75. ■ Knoxville’s WTSK (Ch. 26), which went on air last Oct., had total income of $74,937 in first 5 months of this year, lost $21,610, according to financial statement filed in connection with application for $300,000 sale to owners of radio WIKY, Evansville, Ind. (Vol. 10:23). Income was $22,576 from CBS, $16,306 national spot, $16,095 local spot, $13,748 local programs, $2164 DuMont, $1675 film slides, $1469 talent, $907 miscellany. Expenses ran $44,505 on program dept.; $19,930, technical dept.; $17,255, sales dept.; $14,856, administrative. Station is 80% owned by oilman W. R. Tuley, 10% each by No. Carolina broadcasters Harold Thoms & J. Horton Doughton, who propose to sell to So. Central Broadcasting Co., 39.6% owned by John A. Engelbrecht, gen. mgr. of WIKY; 39.6% by George F. Stoltz, chief engineer; 19.8% by Leighman D. Gi'oves, secy.-treas. Two TV applications were filed this week, both by educational groups, bringing total pending to 213 (25 uhf) . They were for Onondaga, Mich., Ch. 10, by Michigan State College (WKAR-TV & WKAR, East Lansing), which proposes non-commercial operation on the commercial channel; for Birmingham, Ala., Ch. 10 (educational), by Ala. Educational TV Commission, (CP for WEDM, Munford, Ala.), replacing application of Birmingham Area Educational TV Assn. [For further details about these applications, see TV Addenda 19-A herewith; for complete listings of all grants, new stations, applications, etc., see TV Factbook No. 19, off press next week.] Educational TV in Louisiana advanced step this week when Legislature authorized $150,000 to set up station under auspices of State Board of Education and Louisiana State U, created state-wide commission on educational TV with $52,000 operating funds for 2 years, and added $60,000 to LSU budget for educational TV. A second coaxial circuit for cities south of Jacksonville, Fla. is scheduled for Sept. 26, good news for rapidly growing number of stations served by single circuit up to now. Third circuit is scheduled a month later. TV was influential, but not decisive, in 1952 presidential campaign. That’s principal finding of survey by Miami U, Oxford, Ohio, made under $10,000 grant by Crosley Broadcasting Co. Survey was conducted during presidential campaign, using panel of about 1000 residents of 14-county Ohio area, including Cincinnati, Dayton and rural sections. Other findings of survey: (1) Campaign TV viewing fell off between end of conventions and final 10 days of campaign. (2) At close of the 2 political conventions, panel members favored Eisenhower over Stevenson better than 2-1. In campaign’s closing days, Stevenson showed greatest gains when he was making biweekly TV appearances while Eisenhower was engaged in western whistle-stop campaign. (3) Majority of panelists said TV was their major source of campaign information, and TV viewers were better informed than the public generally. (4) “Election decision lay more in the realm of personalities than in any differences in platform planks or candidate proposals . . . and it seems reasonable to conclude that it was in the areas [of personality] rather than in the area of issues, that TV contributed the most to the final election results.” Summary of survey. The Influence of TV on the 1952 Elections, is available from Dr. Joseph Seibert, Marketing Dept., Miami U., Oxford, 0. Lamb case burst into political arena this week — and attorneys for broadcaster-publisher-industrialist Edward Lamb (WICU, Erie, Pa.) filed defamation-of -character suits totaling $1,500,000 against a Congressman and 3 TV stations in Nashville court. Suits grew out of 26-hour TVradio talkathon July 12-13 on Nashville stations by Rep. Pat Sutton (D-Tenn.) in his campaign against Sen. Kefauver (D-Tenn.) for Democratic Senatorial nomination. In course of broadcast, Sutton accused Kefauver of associating with “known communists,” specifically naming Lamb. Lamb telegraphed the stations (WLACTV, WSIX-TV, WSM-TV) threatening suits if satisfactory apologies and retractions were not made. Two hours before end of talkathon, Sutton read statement, saying he had been “incorrect” about Lamb. “The true facts,” he said, are that “Lamb has denied the charge and has not been convicted for such an offense in court.” Lamb called statement “unsatisfactory.” New system of TV film production, already in use in England, will be introduced later this year by General Precision Laboratory Inc. Developed jointly by GPL and Pye Ltd. (England), it uses 745-line image orthicon TV cameras and monitors with high-definition 35mm film recorder, which makes high-grade kine-type film from monitors. GPL says product is virtually indistinguishable from standard 35mm film. Advantages listed for electronic film production system are elimination of film editing, greater speed, fewer retakes. Similar system is in use by big British TV film producer High Definition Films Ltd. Well-heeled educational aspirant is Oklahoma Educational TV Authority, holder of CP for KETA, Oklahoma City (Ch. 13) and applicant for Ch. 11 in Tulsa. This week, it informed FCC it has $480,000 available from sale of bonds, $250,000 from public building fund, $750,000 in facilities and cash from gifts for Oklahoma City station, plus gift from KOTV, Tulsa, of $275,000 in equipment and $25,000 cash. NLRB relinquishes its jurisdiction over some TV-radio stations in directive issued this week. Labor Board announced it won’t handle disputes involving TV or radio stations with annual gross revenue of less than $200,000. It formerly handled cases of any stations whose operations affected interstate commerce. Also changed were rules governing NLRB’s jurisdiction over disputes on newspapers, in defense plants and retail stores.