Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

PSTRILLO PICKS A GUINEA PIG; Chances ought to be better than even that the Lea Bill will be upheld in the court test Petrillo is deliberately forcing by calling a strike against the Chicago Drovers Journal's WAAF. a relatively obscure, non-networkaffiliated, daytime station which he apparently has chosen for the guinea pig role because, as he says, "That station makes $200,000 profits. If they're going to ’ grow, we're going to grow with them. They need 6 men to turn the platters and play I music and could have an organist, a piano player and a fiddler." Coming so soon after the bill's passage (Supplement Mo. 35), coming at a , time when the country's dander is up against union excesses, based on an out-and-out "featherbed" demand (that the station hire 3 more unwanted and unneeded disc jockeys) — the test case has the usual bad psychology pattern Petrillo has always followed. If the law sticks — and Rep. Lea and others who had a hand in it are sure it will, though other legal pundits say it won't — whole music problem may clear. It's Chicago Federal District Attorney J. Albert V/oll's next move (he's a son of AFL's Matthew V/oll). There seems to be little doubt the case will go all the way to the Supreme Court. So we may have lower court action before summer ends. Supreme Court decision by end of the year. That the lordly Caesar either was undecided up to the last moment which station to tackle, or may be contemplating action against other stations, was indicated by fact that his press release Tuesday left space for filling in other names ; the call letters "WAAF" were typed in. That he's plenty sore, feels sure of his ground, is probably done with friendly negotiations with NAB, was manifested when he told reporters, as he pounded fist on table; "I'm ready to face the music, gentlemen. I demand that the Government keep its hands off. It should permit the unions and big business to handle their own affairs. Congress has shown that it is working for special interests." By special interests, he explained, he means "the NAB, big business and Wall Street . " Being czar in his realm, there is little doubt that his AFM's annual convention in St. Petersburg next Monday will go along with him. Meanwhile, prospects of further across-the-table parleys with NAB, on which Justin Miller placed so much store, seem to be fading, though the matter of a "joint advisory committee" is still on NAB's agenda. !12W YOHK TV HEAHINS HEKT; Only 6 applicants for New York area's remaining 4 TV channels are docketed for the hearing starting in Washington next Monday, v/ith FCC Examiner Alfred Guest presiding. Withdrawing this week were Raytheon Mfg. Co. and Sherron Metallic Corp. Raytheon already holds CP for TV in Waltham, Mass. (Vol. 2, No. 20), still has application pending for Chicago. Sherron, holder of CP for experimental TV, stated it would concentrate on uhf color. At week's end, these were applicants still docketed for N.Y. hearing: Bamberger (V/OR) ; American Broadcasting Co. ; New York News; WLIB Inc. (New York Post) ; Debs Memorial (WEVD) ; Bremer Broadcasting Corp. (WAAT, Newark). Los Angeles hearing (Vol. 2, No. 20) concluded there last Tuesday, but Asst. General Counsel Harry Plotkin, presiding officer, is not due back until week of June 10. The 8 applicants seeking 7 channels must next attend engineering conference in Washington, tentatively set for June 20, and FCC must yet conduct its projected inquiry into Paramount -DuMont relationship (Vol. 2, No. 20) before Plotkin submits his recommendations. BUILDING BAH T2GMTEHEB: impact of CPA Administrator John Small's order tightening up on non-housing construction approvals for the next 45 days — issued to all field offices this week — means that you're going to have a tougher time getting okays for radio construction during that period. Small actually directed his field men to reduce dollar approvals by two-thirds during the 6-week period. Still, if 1 you can prove that your installation won't affect the veterans' housing program (through the use of non-critical materials or if you are in a non-critioal housing area) you have a chance. And you can always appeal to CPA's Washington headquarters if you think the local board hasn't been fair.