Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

8 More Toll TV Talk: Cable pay-TV by next April in New York, California & New Jersey was forecast this week by Skiatron TV Corp. pres. Matthew Fox in statement released following last week’s heavy trading in Skiatron Electronic & TV Corp. stock (Vol. 14:36). He predicted Skiatron cable pay system would be established “nationally” in major urban areas within 3 years. He also stated that IBM has developed for Skiatron an automatic “central billing” or metering system for determining subscribers’ program usage. N.Y. Telephone Co. and Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. have acknowledged that they’re making engineering studies of feasibility and costs of wiring up homes. Other toll TV developments: (1) After several months of complete silence on the subject, San Francisco Giants pres. Horace Stoneham told stockholders meeting in Jersey City this week that wired pay-TV of games in San Francisco will start next April, bring in $30,000,000 in next 15 years.' However, he didn’t give details, including status of application to wire city which is still pending before city fathers. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. spokesman said it hasn’t acted yet on request by Skiatron that it start engineering studies. (2) In Los Angeles, Julius Tuchler, chairman of group called Los Angeles Citizens Committee Against^ay TV, vowed he’d use every legal means to block toll TV start. Videotape Ram-ifications: Possibilities of video tape use seem endless, as shown by Los Angeles Rams football team’s plans to use Ampex system to diagnose plays during exhibition game with San Francisco 49ers in Los Angeles Sept. 12. Ampex supplies recorder, KNXT the personnel. Rams’ coaching staff will watch plays on monitors, call for playbacks, analyze action for top coach Sid Gilman. At half-time, coaches & team will study firsthalf plays and plan second-half strategy. Recorder will be housed in van at Coliseum. In New York, Guild Films forms Synditape Inc. to produce & distribute videotape programs. Guild pres. John J. Cole said it will start with 13 shows, has long-term production arrangements with key independent stations. Tape programs can be produced for 60% less than film, he said. Guild is also reported planning to buy Ampex recorders to be rented to stations in return for spots to be bartered to sponsors. WKBW-TV, Buffalo (Ch. 7), due on air Dec. 1, signs as ABC-TV primaiy affiliate. WDSU-TV & WDSU Go Editorial: Latest ma jor stations to editorialize are WDSU & WDSU-TV, New Orleans (Ch. 6), controlled by Edgar Stern family, whose exec, v.p.-gen mgr. Robert D. Swezey, 20% stockholder and onetinje NBC attorney and ABC v.p., announced Sept. 11 that TV editorials will be carried weekdays at 11:10 p.m., radio editorials 8-8:30 a.m. & 11-11:30 p.m. Decision was impelled by Sept. 15 demise of New Orleans Item, recently sold (Vol. 14:29) to Times Picayune by David Stern group (no kin) and by fact stations’ 12-man news staff under Bill Monroe is now ready for new policy. “We will endeavor,” Swezey told audiences Sept. 11, “at all times to be objective and fair [and] will try to be sure that opposing points of view will be adequately presented. We cannot expect all of you to agree with all, or perhaps even a substantial part, of what we say. We hope, however, that you will listen to our comment and let us know when you disagree [and] that the new service will be successful in making a valuable contribution to the thought and activity of our community.” Field study of TV-radio editorials will be undertaken by NAB’s committee on editorialization to develop facts on pros and cons of practice for presentation to NAB board. Committee is headed by WBC v.p. Joseph E. Baudino and Alex Keese of WFAA, Dallas. Study by Radio Adv. Bureau, released this week by v.p.-gen. mgr. John F. Hardesty, discloses that 26.2% of radio stations now editorialize, most having started this year or last, while 37% have been taking sides in one form or other since 1956. Regular opinionating is done by 25% of stations in largest cities, 23% in medium-sized markets, 29% by small-market stations. “Equal time” provision of FCC’s political broadcast rules should be reconsidered, NAB pres. Harold E. Fellows urged Commission in letter this week. He noted Commission’s July 3 letter to D. L. Grace, Ft. Smith, Ark., in which FCC said that a candidate who is offered equal time to reply to an opponent “may use the facilities in any manner he sees fit,” including sending a spokesman to appear for him. Fellows asserted this policy is major departure from previous FCC rulings and the law; that ruling “is so fraught with endless problems, not susceptible of equitable solutions, that sheer chaos in the field of political broadcasting must inevitably ensue.” The $15,000,000 treble damages anti-trust suit, filed by KTNT-TV, Tacoma (Ch. 11) against CBS and KIROTV, Seattle (Ch. 7), after CBS transferred TV affiliation to KIRO-TV (Vol. 14:22), advanced a step this week when Judge George Boldt, of Federal district court for TacomaSeattle, denied various motions of defendants' without prejudice to resubmission later. Suit alleges illegal tie-in requiring CBS to give KIRO-TV the TV affiliation because of its long-standing AM affiliation with CBS. Defendants had moved for dismissal, summary judgment, etc. on grounds there’s no evidence of illegal tie-in; that FCC has “primary jurisdiction,” etc. In addition to damages, KTNT-TV seeks revocation of licenses of KIRO-TV & KIRO, controlled by Saul Haas, in which 4%. is held by Sen. Magnuson (D-Wash.), chairman of Senate Commerce Committee. Allocations actions by FCC: (1) Finalized change of educational channel reservation in Pittsburgh from Ch. 22 to Ch. 16, modifying off-air WENS’s authorization from Ch. 16 to Ch. 22. (2) Initiated rule-making to add Ch. 10 to Medford, Ore. ADVERTISING AGENCIES: Harold Cabot becomes chairman of Harold Cabot & Co., Boston ; Edward F. Chase succeeds him as pres. . . . Hadley P. Atlas promoted to merchandising v.p. of Young & Rubicam . . . Louis E. Dean, ex-Kudner, named v.p. of D. P. Brother & Co., Detroit . . . Robert D. Hawkins, ex-Kenyon & Eckhardt, named v.p. of Western Adv., Chicago . . . Ralph Yambert promoted to west coast mgr., MacManus, John & Adams, succeeding Robert Guggenheim, resigned . . . Maxwell Sapan, exSeklemian & North, named v.p. of Bryan Houston . . . Robert H. Schaffer promoted to v.p. of Lawrence Kane & Artley . . . Paul C. Richardson, ex-Young & Rubicam v.p., joins Boyden Assoc., management consultants . . . Wm. H. Fine, ex-editor of Good Housekeeping, named v.p. of Reach, McClinton & Co. . . . Donald Miller, senior v.p. of Kenyon & Eckhardt, resigns Oct. 1. Triple-spotting evil (Vol. 14:21,27) was attacked this week by NBC, which sent to affiliates contract amendment which requires stations to certify they haven’t clipped any network material and to identify precise timings of anything deleted.