Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

2 To the extent that they represent bigger-market and better-placed (network affiliated) stations, the reps answered the question affirmatively when put to them during intervals of the hearings last week on their proposed "Station Reserved Time" plan (Vol. 14:21). To the extent that business may be improved by small operators as well as big, we commend a reading of our extracts from the 2 letters (p. 6) — one from a small-town TV-radio station operator, the other from an industry economist with big-time contacts and experience, who usually knows whereof he speaks. Richard P. Doherty’s penetrating analysis of telecasting business prospects, which we recently published (Vol. 14:17), is now supplemented with some pertinent observations on the local business potential and how better to tap it. FCC INVESTIGATIONMORE OF SANE': Patchwork pattern of political pressures on FCC was developed desultorily by House probers as they plodded through another week of hearings on Springfield (111.) Ch. 2 case (Vol. 14:21), members of legislative oversight subqoramittee continuing to profess surprise & shock (for details, see p. 10). "This type of thing has showed up repeatedly so far in one form or another," said Chairman Harris (D-Ark.) at conclusion of this week's proceedings, which seemed to do little more than confirm that (1) politics do play a part in TV station business and (2) gossip & speculation about FCC are characteristics of industry. "There will be more of the same as we go along v/ith the investigation," Harris promised, listing questioning of executives of KTVI, St. Louis (Ch. 2) as next step in scheduled exposes of 14 comparative TV cases and 6 station sales (Vol. 14: 20-21). Also on tap soon: case of Boston Herald-Traveler's WHDH-TV (Ch. 5). If nothing more than more of the same is uncovered by Harris, more telecasters may be in for some uncomfortable hours on stand — and stations may need chartered vans to transport all of their subpoenaed records to Washington. But if subcommittee is going to recapture headlines it won earlier by its disclosures in Miami Ch. 10 case (Vol. 14:6 et seq) , it will need to turn up more sinister evidence of wrongdoing than it has so far in this phase of probe. As one daily reporter put it to us after sitting through this week's testimony: "The only way I can make the paper with this story is to tie it to Alaskan statehood." REACTIONS TO STATION RESERVED TINE': It's somewhat too early to measure the exact reactions to Station Representatives Assn.'s proposed "Station Reserved Time" plan, whereby certain periods would be kept free from network encroachment. As expounded to FCC last week by leading rep Eugene Katz (for text, see Vol. 14:21), plan would retain to the stations, for non-network national or for local programs, one hour in every quarter of the day — the object being to keep networks out of non-option time and of course to give the reps more prime time to sell for national spot. The transcript of Katz's testimony and the text of the other SRA spokesmen's statements have been mailed by SRA to all commercial TV stations for comment. A hasty survey of our own, among key stations, reps and networks, would seem to indicate very little real prospect for the plan. Stations evince scant enthusiasm, though as one put it, "The scheme is much more constructive and makes a lot more sense than the original idea of bucking network option time without whose adjacencies the reps themselves wouldn't have much to sell." Reps seem to be warming up to the idea, however, but they don't cut much ice politically and they face a Congress and an FCC unwilling to extend surveillance over the business side of broadcasting. Despite Barrow Report, we give the idea of outlawing network option time op setting up new kinds of option time little chance — not via the present complex of Washington, at least. Networks are opposed to the rep plan, naturally, claiming they exert no undue influence on stations, as charged, and that stations have free choice to accept or reject their non-option time offerings — usually choosing to accept overlap shows (like Playhouse 90, What's My Line? etc.) because of their excellence. Most perti