Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

EFFECT or PSTSILLO BILL: it»s the firm conviction of Rep. Lea, author of the Petrillo Bill, that duplication of AM programs over FM stations should again be possible . Interviewed, the Californian v;ho sparked the bill through Congress (passed by the Senate 47-5, by the House 186-16), was emphatic on that point; declared that Section 506(a), Paragraphs 1 and 2, covering the hiring of more employes than desired by a station owner, specifically meets this problem. There is no doubt about the intent of Congress, he said. (For text of bill, see Part II, Supplement No. 28.) Petrillo *s next move is subject of much conjecture, the show business publication "Variety" predicting he will test the legislation in the U. S. Supreme Court. In some quarters, the remark of Colorado's Senator Johnson during Senate debate v;as regarded as significant; "So far as I know, Mr. Petrillo has offered no objection at all to this measure, and that is what has worried me." The statement was not altogether accurate, for at the eleventh hour there was an outpouring of opposition in name of American Federation of Radio Artists and some of its "big name" members, like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. But the Senate ignbred them. This was a busy week for the AFM czar. Last Monday he met with NAB President Miller and a radio industry committee, discussing broadly (in a conciliatory atmosphere, according to reporters who were admitted for the first time) the whole question of radio and music. Then, on Tuesday, he threw a roundhouse at the motion picture industry by presenting it with 91 demands, 2 of which concern TV. He would prohibit use on TV of film or sound track with music by AFM musicians. If this becomes part of movie contracts, it would effectively deny TV a secondary source of talent since Petrillo last year prohibited musicians on live video programs. The NAB-AFM meeting did not get down to specific cases, did agree to set up a joint ^vorking committee to take up particular problems. Next meeting is April 15. AFM contingent has not yet been announced, but radio members, in addition to Judge Miller, are Frank K. White, CBS v.p. ; Paul W. Morency, WTIC and WIIC-FM, Hartford; Marshall Pengra, KRNR, Roseburg, Ore. TELSVSSICM HOTES: Paramount still promises its TV newsreels on Paramount Theatre screen in New York by August, though plans haven't been abandoned for possible private showing of coverage of Louis-Conn fight June 19 .... RCA's Dr. Vladmir K. Zworykin and other researchers, also developing theatre-screen TV, have been working in Hollywood with Warners, RKO, Disney and Republic .... Television Productions Inc. , Paramount subsidiary, resumed telecasts Friday from its experimental W6XYZ, using Channel No. 5 from transmitter atop 6,000-ft Mt. Wilson; v/ith Don Lee's W6XA0 also back on the air (Channel No. 2), Los Angeles area thus gets TV service from two stations .... Color TV isn't contemplated v/hen England's BBC resumes telecasts from London's Alexandra Palace June 7, operating 1)4 hours each afternoon and 2 hours each night; 405-line system projects much same image as our monochrome, but London has some 30,000 prewar sets out as against only about 10,000 here .... NAB Ninth District (Illinois and Wisconsin) has recommended TBA come into association as separate department, as did FMBI last fall. rniWS AHD VIEWS; RMA joined'Federal Telephone & Radio this week in petitioning CPA to put radio construction in $15,000 exempted class; CPA has taken no action yet .... Ira A. Hirschmann has purchased pioneer FM station WABF and experimental TV station W2XMT, New York, and will personally operate them, severing all connections with Federated Stores Inc., big department store holding company whose subsidiary Metropolitan Television Inc. has held licenses .... National Electronics Laboratories . 815 King St., Alexandria, Va. (Frank C. Mallinson) , is experimenting with mobile FM on 30.56 me and 39.54 me in Washington area to serve doctors, nurses, taxis, ambulances, newspapers, etc Czechoslovakia is planning on FM in rebuilding her war-battered broadcasting system, says J. Ehrlich, technical head of the Ministry of Information, here studying our communications; he can be reached through' the Embassy .... Inter-American Broadcasting Assn, conference in Havana, schecu'ed for May 10, has been called off until autumn.