Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

HARTia C 0 DEI’S AUTHORirATIVE NEWS SERVICE O? THE VlSUA-i. BROADCASTING AND FREQUENCY MODULATION ARTS AND INDUSTRY Pu3Li3;-!£D WZEKLY DY g RADIO MEWS BUREAU. 1513 COHHECTICUT AVI liW.. WASIIINSTOH 6, D.C. TaEPHQJiE MICHISAN 2323 VOL 2, MO. 19 May 11, 1946. I US2 YdBE WSSKLY RSPSBTS: There were no FM permits or TV grants by FCC this week, . though it was in session Friday and may announce some more Monday (Saturday is a I non-workday for Federal employes). So the usual Supplements reporting CPs, EAs and t conditional grants are omitted. However, we include with this newsletter a set of { Separation Index Sheets for your loose-leaf binders, with directions for filing j your Supplements and newsletters for ready reference. We suggest you maintain your i file for your own convenience. It will save you a lot of uiinecessary queries to i Washington about the status of FM and TV applications, grants, etc. i $5,000,009 DEAL FOB WSAU: Some $3,500,000 in cash reserve, securities and real estate assets are included in the $6,000,000 deal, announced Wednesday, whereby Philadelphia Record proposes to acquire the Levy-Paley owned 50 kw WCAU along with WCAU-FM. Thus actual purchase price requiring FCC approval (and 60-day period to advertise I for other bids, under new FCC rule) really involves about $2,500,000 cash, as engiI neered by Cleveland newspaper broker Smith Davis v/ho also has handled Publisher I David Stern's newspaper financing and Jack Knight's purchases of Miami Herald, 1 Detroit Free Press etc. It is biggest single station deal on record, exceeding Philadelphia Inquirer's purchase of WFIL and WFIL-FM for $1,900,000. ABC purchase of Michigan State Network for $3,650,000 (Vol. 2, No. 18) involves 2 stations and network operation. Levys stay with WCAU under contract, go on newspaper board. Newspaper plans new combined radio-newspaper plant, with provision for 612-ft uhf color TV tOTver, on valuable downtown block acquired v/ith station. One reason for sale is fact that the Levy brothers' large stock ownership in CBS, plus Bill Paley's minority interest in WCAU, have led to WCAU being regarded as virtually a CBS-owned station, and Washington trend is to limit netv/ork ownership. At one time Levy rejected another publisher's offer of $8,000,000. FSTH1LL0, FM AHD MB: Eminent jurists asked for opinions on recently enacted anti-Petrillo legislation (Supplement No. 35) have expressed firm views it can be made to stick, won't be declared unconstitutional if and when tested by AFM. One of these is ex-Judge Justin Miller, who left Federal appellate bench to head NAB, v;ho this week advised stations affected to discuss their problems v/ith local U.S. district attorneys. But meanwhile, in view of network contracts with musicians union that run till next February, and reiterated ban on AM-FM duplication, no one seems disposed to risk a strike or walkout on whole network for this or some other reason Petrillo might cook up. Yet anything might happen, any day now. This is situation that obtains as of today despite attitudes expressed — but not formally acted upon — at NAB board and music committee meetings here this week that time has come for showdov/n ; despite, too, unverified reports that several AM-FM broadcasters are already duplicating. If they are, they won't admit it ; chances are that they are duplicating local shows only, though these too are proscribed by Petrillo so far as live musical programs are concerned. If there are network duplications, they probably include only non-musical shows. Leonard Asch, pugnacious operator of Schenectady's independent FM station Copyright 1946 by Radio News Bureau