Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

5 has carried commercials for cordials. Another non-NAB radio — WKTX, Atlantic Beach, Fla. — announced its willingness to accept hard liquor accounts when it went on air Jan. 28, 1958. But station spokesmen told us this week: “We haven’t had a bite.” It’s not uncommon for TV & radio stations to carry spots for local liquor stores which don’t plug specific liquor products & brands. (Washington’s big Eagle Wine & Liquor Store promotes itself on radios WEAM & WARL, Aldington & WPIK, Alexandria, in NAB’s backyard). But if any revolt against broadcasters’ — and liquor industry’s — voluntary restraints has started, no evidence of it is apparent. NAB counts 64% of 500-odd TV stations, 44% of 4000-odd radio stations as members. Of all operating TV stations — NAB & non-NAB — 60% formally subscribe to TV code which bans whisky ads on air. Radio stations not affiliated with NAB can’t identify themselves formally as subscribers to NAB’s radio Standards of Good Practice, but among radio members, 42% — representing 19% of all radio — do subscribe, addition of 6 Westinghouse stations this week bringing number of code subscribers to 620. Number of formal pledges of compliance by stations is no gauge of general acceptance of code rules in industry, however. It’s nearly unanimous and is holding that way, according to NAB. * * * * Here are some of the other reports & comments wo gathered: NAB pres. Fellows — “I haven’t heard of any spread of the idea of accepting hard liquor commercials. I’m just hoping that the industry will keep on being wise and realize that it’s to its best interest to carry on the way we are.” ABC, CBS & NBC — No change in network policy forbidding hard liquor commercials. Distilled Spirits Institute (James E. Chinn, Washington representative, local option director) — “Absolutely no relaxation in our policy against advertising hard liquor on the air.” National Temperance League (Clayton M. Wallace, exec, director, who sees WOMT & WCRB policies as big help in campaign by dry forces for Federal law against Plumps for Pay-Vision : Nov. Reader’s Digest goes all-out for pay TV in article by roving editor W. L. White, readers of magazine (circ. 12,000,000) being asked: “Would you pay to get better programs which are now too expensive for advertisers to put on ‘free TV’?” And suggesting: “If so, you may want to raise your voice.” Article is titled “Why Can’t We Have Pay TV?” Author White’s answer is that Congress blocked FCC test after “bowing to the anti-pay TV pressure” from (1) theatre owners “who fear that first-run features on TV would Ije the death blow to the Main St. movie houses,” and (2) “heads of the huge TV networks which now dominate the industry.” He claims pay TV (“Without it, both setowners and station-owners are in for a lean time”) could : (1) Bring good movies into homes cheaply. (2) “Put college athletic financing back on a sound basis.” (.3) Protect pro baseball & football from free TV which “is eating itself right out of this field.” (4) Provide good music for those “able & eager to pay.” (5) Even fill “most of the empty channels” reserved by FCC for educational TV stations if they were “allowed to sell a few hours a night to aspiring students.” Article ends: “Congress, how about clearing the track for that experiment?” all interstate advertising of alcoholic drinks) — “We’ve heard of no other stations which are taking or planning to take liquor ads. And our members across the country are on their toes, watching for this sort of thing.” National Assn, of Evangelicals (Donald Gill, asst, secy, of public affairs, who wants FCC to consider denying license renewals to liquor-advertising stations) — “We don’t know of any stations which go in for liquor accounts beyond those which have been mentioned in the last week or so. We know of no other exceptions to the codes of the broadcasters and the liquor interests, although no doubt many would like to put liquor on the air.” Advertising Federation of America (C. James Proud, pres. & gen. mgr.) — “We are watching the matter with considerable interest & concern. It would be a dangerous precedent if any steps were taken to weaken general opposition to permitting whisky advertising to be broadcast. That would be just waving a red flag in front of the Prohibitionists. We are very pleased that nobody seems to want to do that.” Fedei’al Trade Commission (Charles A. Sweeny, project attorney in charge of TV-radio monitoring) — “We didn’t know that any stations were carrying liquor advertising until there were stories about them. I haven’t noted any hard liquor ads on TV or radio at all.” Internal Revenue Service (Dwight E. Avis, director of Alcohol & Tobacco Tax Div.) — “There’s nothing in any Federal law to prevent hard liquor advertising on radio or TV, of course. But from the voluntary point of view, there’s been very little violation of the codes — almost none.’” And there was this remark by veteran FCC Comr. Rosel Hyde: “I think the broadcasters have more sense than that.” TV-radio gets “black eye” from “small minority” of broadcasters who don’t obseiwe NAB code rules, FCC Comr. Lee told eastern women’s conference of Advertising Federation of America in Washington Nov. 1. He listed as “quite abhorent” practices by some broadcasters: (1) “Over-commercialization in the form of overly-long and too-frequent spot announcements.” (2) “Bait & switch advertising.” (3) “The smutty & double-entendre remark.” Makeup of the JCET: Joint Council on Educational TV, the educators’ Washington arm now seeking more vhf channels in major markets (see p. 3), is no mere fly-by-night collection of longhairs. The 7-year-old organization, supported by Ford Foundation, comprises these organizations: American Assn, of School Administrators, American Council on Education, American Assn, of Land-Grant Colleges & State Universities, Council of Chief State School Officers, Educational TV & Radio Center, National Assn, of Educational Bestrs., National Assn, of State Universities, National Citizens Committee for Educational TV, National Congress of Parents & Teachers, National Education Assn, of the U. S. Chairman is Dr. Albert N. Jorgensen, of National Assn, of State Universities; exec, director, at Washington headquarters (1785 Massachusetts Ave. NW), is Ralph Steetle. Petitions were filed by 2 attorneys: Telford Taylor, N. Y. lawyer who was FCC pre-war gen. counsel, then as Army brig. gen. chief prosecutor at Nuremberg trials; Seymour Krieger, Washington lawyer who served as Taylor’s Nuremberg aide, now has list of educational stations and organizations among TV-radio clients.