Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

5 adequate than they believe, asserting that experience has proved otherwise. National Assn, of Educational Broadcasters endorsed previous comments of JCET, stating private microwaves could make state-wide school networks feasible. AT&T reiterated its contentions that existing policy has provided for rapid and sound growth; that proposal would result in wasteful duplication; that stations’ cost figures are “unrealistically low”; that quality of private service is frequently poor. AT&T then insisted: “To warrant the tremendous amounts of capital investment required, there must be reasonable assurance that common carrier facilities will not be subject to replacement and duplication by others which would leave portions of the common carrier facilities idle. With this assurance, the network service will continue to grow and more and more stations will be close to points already served or so located between service points that they can be added to the network with small additional line charges.” If stations will be satisfied with less than “goldplated” service, however, AT&T said it would cooperate in providing it, stating: “The company is examining the possibility of a new type of service to meet the developing requirement for the off-the-air pickup method of serving small communities.” ^ ^ Rapid City, S. D. is hell-bent to get TV by hook or by crook. For its size, it’s farther from stations than any other town in the country. It once had a CP for Ch. 7 there, but grantee gave it up because he saw no economic future. Another CP was granted there 2 weeks ago, to KOTA (Ch. 3), but Bell System has no plans to bring network service there in immediate future. Community antenna operators, meanwhile, have looked upon city as a natural. Three months ago (Vol. 10:39), local real estate and investment group, Bartlett & Reed Management, filed to build common carrier microwave to carry Denver stations’ signals to town. This week, a group of 8 men, from all over U. S., filed for similar setup under name of Blackhills Video Co. Here’s who they are: Winthrop Rockefeller, said to have investment in Midwest Video Co., operator of community antenna systems in Greenville, Miss., Clovis, N. M., Victoria, Tex., perhaps elsewhere; C. Hamilton Moses, pres, of Arkansas Power & Light Co. and a principal of Midwest; Allen C. Garner, Paul Leird & John Reid, associates of Moses in Midwest; J. E. Belknap, Poplar Bluff, Mo., who heads group holding CP for microwave to serve systems in Missouri with St. Louis signals; Ernest Dunn, Poplar Bluff hotel owner and associate of Belknap; Harris 0. Torgerson, young owner of Rapid City music store. City franchise for community system in Rapid City is said to be held by one or more of the Blackhills principals. Blackhills plans to build 9 relays, picking up Denver signals at Pine Bluffs, Wyo., relaying them to Rapid City, servicing TV station and/or community system there. Cost of Philco equipment is estimated at $309,823, yearly operating cost at $110,000. Customer is to be charged about $120,000 a year. One channel is planned initially, and another can be added for about $100,000 in equipment. Whether there’s a conflict between Bartlett & Reed and Blackhills is up to FCC to decide. If there is, hearing will be conducted to choose winner. Former has been pending 3 months, should be on agenda soon. AT&T has objected to neither, presumably won’t interpose. ■ Frank Wisbar, producer-director of Fireside Theatre for last 6 years, has turned in resignation to Procter & Gamble. O. K. Garland, chief engineer of WJHL-TV & W.IIIL, John.son City, Tenn., died of a heart attack Dec. 10. PcrSOnsl Notss: Norman (Pete) Cash, recently ABC eastern sales mgr., onetime Crosley & NBC sales and station relations executive, joins new Television Advertising Bureau as director of station relations under Oliver Treyz . . . Howard Chernoff, recently mgr. of KFMB-TV, San Diego, now a management consultant, has been retained by Fund for The Republic, headed by Dr. Robert Hutchins, as consultant on TV program projects; it’s backed by Ford Foundation, was projected to protect civil liberties . . . Abiah A. Church resigns as NARTB staff attorney to join legal staff of Storer Bestg. Co., Miami Beach . . . Thomas S. Murphy is now gen. mgr., Harry Littler sales mgr. of WROW-TV, Albany, under new ownership of Lowell Thomas-Frank Smith group; Harry L. Goldman continues as station mgr. . . . Sean Dillon, ex-ABC-TV, New York, named operations & program mgr. of upcoming Gov. McFarland-controlled KTVK, Phoenix (Ch. 3); Robert Latham, ex-KOOL-TV, is chief engineer; Ray Gallagher, exKLAS-TV, Las Vegas, senior producer-director; James E. Overpeck, sales mgr. . . . Floyd E. Weidman promoted from adv. mgr. to general executive of WEWS, Cleveland, succeeding David M. Baylor; John H. Foley promoted to local sales mgr. . . . Ted Snider promoted to station mgr. of KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, Dick True succeeding him as program director; Bill Bozarth promoted to production mgr. . . . Robert J. McKendrick, ex-WLOK-TV, Lima, 0., named asst, program & production mgr., WWJ-TV, Detroit . . . Jack Rathbun, ex-WDAK-TV, Columbus, Ga., named operations mgr. of upcoming WEAT-TV, West Palm Beach (Ch. 12), due on air this month . . . Norman Ginsburg, ex-DuMont, named adv. & sales promotion director, Studio Films ' Inc., 380 Madison Ave., N. Y. . . . John Burr, ex-national adv. mgr. of KIEM-TV, Eureka, Cal. & KBES-TV, Medford, Ore., named mgr. of new Seattle office of Blair rep firm in White Henry Stuart Bldg. . . . Miller RoberLson, ex-part owner of KEPO, El Paso, named asst. gen. mgi-. of WTCN-TV, Minneapolis . . . Wni. J. Reagan promoted to chief engineer of U of Missouri’s commercial KOMU-TV, Columbia, replacing* Duane M. Weise, now chief engineer of Chicago’s upcoming noncommercial WTTVv^ (Ch. 11) ... Bob Craver, ex-WLWA, Atlanta, named production mgr. of new WQXI-TV there . . . Cody Pfanstiehl, promotion director, WTOP-TV, Washington, promoted to TV-radio public relations director; Robert N. Adams, WRC-TV, Washington, returns to WTOP-TV to succeed Pfanstiehl . . . Cy Howard, veteran of 15 years with CBS as writer, actor & director, joins NBC-TV in chai-ge of developing new TV comedy series to originate next year in Hollywood . . . M. Dow Lambert, ex-KING-TV, Seattle, named chief engineer for KIMATV’s Ch. 19 satellite in Pasco, Wash., not as successor to J. Barry Watkinson, as erroneously reported here recently; Watkinson continues as KIMA-TV engineering director in Yakima, with Mel Burrill as TV engineering chief . . . M. II. (Lee) Leblang resigns as asst. adv. & sales promo tion director of WCBS-TV, N. Y., to open own office as investment & insurance counselor, 500 Fifth Ave., N. Y. . . . George Biersack, exec, director of Dayton Educational TV Foundation, handling new specialized courses in TV added to curriculum of U of Dayton . . . John D. Berg, ex-ABCTV, Chicago, named TV director, George H. Hartman Adv., Chicago, in charge of Hartz Mountain Products’ Capt. Hartz and His Pets (NBC-TV). C. E. Hooper, 56, founder of Hooperatings, was killed in a boating accident near Salt Lake City Dec. 15. He was duck-hunting on Great Salt Lake with Frank McClatchy & Dr. Harry Nordberg, both of Salt Lake City, when their boat ran aground. Jumping into the water to push it free, he slipped and fell into the craft’s spinning overhead airplane-type propeller. He is survived by his widow and a daughter.