Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

WBCA, a full affiliate of Mutual, v/hich has lost that network's sustaining and sponsored musicals and a revenue of some $700 per week as result of Petrillo ban. Spoke to NAB group Thursday, got very sympathetic audience for his plea for support if he should duplicate and test Petrillo edict. He said he is v/illing to do so, pay his own legal costs, but of course network can pull the plug. Hov/ever, no action was reported. Said NAB's executive v.p., Jess Willard: "Currently it is the FM broadcasters who are suffering most directly from the ban on duplication. The prohibition is a retarding influence on the growth of this new and better service for the American people. It is a vital question to FM operators and of major concern to NAB. The question, you may be sure, heads the list of items in our negotiations with Mr. Petrillo." FMBI committee, as expected, left to full membership meeting, to be held concurrent with NAB convention next October, question of final merger v/ith NAB, where former FM trade association is now operating as a department. Sentiment of AJ.I members was pretty largely to stay with NAB except perhaps for a special promotional campaign on behalf of FM as a whole. But nothing will be done on that either until October. After NAB board met with President Truman at White House Thursday, Judge Miller told nev/smen they v/ent to discuss with him implications of Petrillo actions as well as of FCC Blue Book. Mr. Truman was quoted as saying, "There must be complete freedom of radio." PilOJECTS AlID A!^S£LS: Getting financial angels for new station projects doesn’t seem to entail much difficulty these days, judging from some applications filed with FCC. It has just been disclosed, for example, that Ohio-Michigan Corp. , seeking both FM and AM in Toledo, is backed by Electric Auto-Lite Co., 33.3% stockholder, to the tune of $150,000. But its president is Lynne C. Smeby, ex-NAB engineering chief now v/ith War Dept., its other officers and stockholders Harold J. True, v.p., news commentator for Detroit's WWJ, and Nicholas J. Walinski, secytreas, formerly asst. Attorney General of Ohio — each a 22.2% stockholder. A nev/ AM-FM applicant for Philadelphia appeared this week in the person of Patrick Joseph Stanton, now general manager of Philadelphia's WDAS, which also is an FM applicant separately. Though Mr. Stanton is applying personally, his application discloses he is backed for $90,000 by James T. Duffy Jr., president of Read Machinery Inc., York, Pa. This week ex-F.CC Chairman James Lawrence Fly, nov/ an attorney in Nev/ York, v/ithdrew FM application of Eook-of-the-Month Club, leaving 21 applications still on file for New York's 9 available channels; more may be expected to drop, or change to Community status, before July 1 hearing. Dropping its Los Angeles FM application v/as Warner Bros., operating AM station KFWB. (For list of New York and Los Angeles FM applicants, see Supplements 14-A to 14-J. ) Next FM hearing scheduled covers Indianapolis, starting there next Monday, v/ith V/alter Emery, former assistant to Commissioner Walker, sitting for FCC. While 8 applicants are listed for 6 available channels (Special Report, March 16), it is expected Evansville on the Air Inc. will drop in view of its pending deal to purchase Indianapolis' existing FM station WABW (Vol. 2, No. 16). New FM applications since we published Supplement 14-J are relatively few, this week's being Telemusic Inc., for Hartford, Conn., headed by Murray L. Grossman, ex-commercial manager of WBRY, Waterbury; Charleston (W. Va. ) Daily Gazette; RadioTelevision of Baltimore Inc., also applicant for TV there (Vol. 2, No. 18) ; WLPM, Suffolk, Va. ; Skyway Broadcasting Corp., Asheville, N.C., headed by Charles M. Britt, wholesale grocer, and his nephew, Charles B. Britt, just out of Air Corps; WRVA, Richmond, refiling its previously withdrawn application; Topeka (Kans.) State Journal, a Stauffer newspaper; Colony Broadcasting Corp., New Haven, headed by Sam Botwinik, realtor, and ex-gob Sol Chain, who ran Navy's WXLB in Adak, Alaska. I