Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

Gimbels' withdrawal was a complete surprise, for up to this week its officials had stated their firm intention of going ahead. WIBG counsel asked for postponement of hearing; when denied, they withdrew to "wait for color." There were no other TV dropouts this v/eek, though it was indicated that Raytheon, recently granted a CP for its home city of Waltham, Mass., will probably withdraw its Chicago application shortly. Raytheon has already dropped New York application. And Lancaster (Pa.) Television Corp. is seen practically certain to drop its application for a station there. P2TBILL0 CASS C0UST: The fat's in the fire, so far as James Caesar Petrillo's test of the constitutionality of the Lea Bill is concerned. Attorney General Clark in Washington, and Federal District Attorney J. Albert V/oll in Chicago, announced simultaneously Thursday that a criminal information had been filed in Chicago against the AFM president for violating the act when he called a strike on Chicago's WAAF to compel it to employ 3 unneeded additional union members (Vol. 2, Nos. 22 and 23). The act calls such featherbedding a misdemeanor, subject to $1,000 fine and a year in jail. Jimmy told his recent St. Petersburg convention he'll go all the way in the courts, threatened also to call a network strike if law is upheld. Meanwhile, there v;ere reported rumblings of discontent v/ith Petrillo regime in AFM's big New York Local 802, v;here 19 members are questioning recent election of local's officers in State Supreme Court. Jiiiuny is one of defendants. But his iron-clad hold on national membership is such that this case is hardly expected to affect the larger issues of AFM's relations with radio. Legalistic language of case against Jimmy, boiled down, says WAAF already employed enough personnel to perform actual services needed, yet Mr. Petrillo "wilfully and by the use of force, intimidation, duress and by other means did attempt to coerce, compel and constrain said licensee to employ additional persons as librarians. ... said 3 additional persons not being needed by said licensee to perform actual services." Petrillo appeared in Judge Walter LaBuy's court Friday morning, flanked by Counsel Joe Padway; judge gave Padway until July 15 to file motions, Aug. 5 briefs, gave government until Sept. 9 to file reply briefs. rri KilLES CMAIIGSS SEEH FIHAL: Since no objections have been received by the FCC to its proposed FM Rules changes (Supplement No. 37) up to date (deadline for comments is June 15) , we are reissuing our cumulative log of FM grants as Supplement No. 38 herewith, consolidating and revising our previous listings as published in Supplements No. 36 and 36A-F which can now be discarded. Although the FCC order formalizing the change in station classifications and power-antenna height equations is not expected until next week, our new cumulative log indicates the nev/ station nomenclatures — old Community nov/ Class A, all others now Class B. Where power was designated in excess of the 20 kw-500 ft ratio established for Class B stations, no change will be necessary since such stations will be considered exceptions to the formula. Grants made with classifications undetermined automatically become Class B. FM grantees and applicants need make no move until or unless the Commission says otherwise. We are told there will be few such requests. TBA REQUESTS SHORTER HOURS: indications are that the FCC will look with favor on the TBA request to defer, until, Dec. 31, 1946, the 23-hour-a-week rule for TV stations . scheduled to go into effect June 30. TBA's petition cited obstacles in path of full-fledged TV operations — labor problems, construction ban, transmitter and receiver production delays, Petrillo's film edict, the slow pace of CPs. TBA also asked that the rule be modified so that new TV operators could reach minimum through a graduated scheme that would permit them to start with 4 hours weekly and reach the 28-hour level in one year.