Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

VOL. 15: No. 31 3 So long as such suspicious-looking images of industry — however distorted — are seen in Congress, TV & radio won't get out from under Sec. 315 entirely. There'll be good-conduct testing period for broadcasters if amended Senate bill — or something like it — becomes law. Broadcasters could make good use of it to prove — once & for all — their right to practice electronic journalism unhampered by equal-time rules. TV's MATURITY AS NEWS MEDIUM: Americans again witnessed TV's unparalleled ability to dramatize and humanize current history last week — in the celebrated video-tape debate between Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Khrushchev from the U.S. Exhibition in Moscow (Vol. 15:30). Unlike the newspaper accounts, in the taped version both characters in tense international drama stood out as human beings. It was TV's best news fare of year. Decision by all 3 networks to go ahead with telecast despite hold-up request from U.S. Embassy in Moscow and State Dept, reflects TV's growing maturity and self-respect as a news medium. After some hesitation, networks unanimously decided request was unwarranted abridgement of news freedom and televised the tapes anyhow. Not a peep came out of State Dept., which apparently realized it stood on marshy ground. U.S. TV thus acquitted itself nobly, helping to refute those who argue the medium is too timid & irresponsible to be considered the equal of other news media. Responsibility and maturity shown by networks & stations in this incident should add more weight to their arguments for House passage of amendment to Sec. 315 — which in FCC's current interpretation appears to be unreasonable infringement on public's right to free access to news. One of heroes of the video-tape coup was Ampex v.p. Philip Gundy, whose 5000-mile dash from Moscow to N.Y. with the tape made possible the U.S. telecasts. (For details, see p. 8.) CBS transferred ISVa-min. taped debate to kinescope recording for the promised playback on Russian TV — and it was in Moscow Sun. July 26, two days after the action took place. Russians will probably see a well-censored version of incident on their TV screens. But fortunate Moscovites need only proceed to the scene of the original action — U.S. Exhibition in Sokolniki Park — to view continuous performances of full unexpurgated debate (in color), courtesy of 2 U.S. exhibitors, Ampex & RCA. 4 VHP DROP-INS PLANNED AS SPECTRUM CHURNS: There were 3 major TV alloca tions developments last week: (1) FCC moved another step, it's understood, toward implementing its "interim" plan — instructing staff to prepare mileage-cut drop-ins of vhf channels in Providence, Louisville, Grand Rapids & Syracuse. (2) FCC issued a "progress report" on its dickering with Office of Civil & Defense Mobilization (OCDM) toward getting more vhf channels. (3) Rep. Harris (D-Ark.) introduced a very controversial bill which would set up a Frequency Allocation Board to divide spectrum between governmental and non-governmental users. FCC isn't definite about its plans for the 4 vhf drop-ins, we're told. Its attitude isn't merely "let's see what it looks like," yet it isn't a "let's really do it" decision. Staff is due to report back after Aug. recess. Then, there's serious question about final action, because only 5 Commissioners will be on hand for most of fall & winter — Comrs. Craven & Hyde attending international conferences in Geneva much of the time. We understand that the 4 proposals involve co-channel or adjacent-channel cuts or both. Unusual angle of FCC's allocation session this week, we're told, was presentation by allocations engineer Mclvor Parker, summarizing the technical case for a move of all TV to uhf. We've yet to find a Commission engineer who doesn't lean toward all-uhf. They all acknowledge that the problem is more than "technical" but they argue addition of new vhf channels would present the same non-technical problems. • • • • Commission's work with OCDM, aimed at swapping uhf channels for vhf, is a mighty slow process, as can be seen from full text of FCC's report (see p. 7). OCDM didn't think there was enough progress to justify a report, because no joint announcement was issued nor did OCDM put out its own. One OCDM source tells us: "Maybe there will be something to report in a year or so — maybe not. I see no progress. The report's premature. FCC talks about an allocation 'which could be implemented within the next 10 to 15 years?' What will anyone do? Who knows?" FCC negotiator Comr. Ford is more hopeful: "I think we've got our teeth into the job. It's a bigger job than I thought it was in January." Harris' spectrum bill (HR-8426) would set up 3-man civilian Frequency Allocation Board with power