Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

mum for new TV stations be permitted; said however, individual TV stations could ask for such exemptions. New calls assigned TV stations recently authorized are; VVNBW (NBC), Washington; WTVW (Evening Star), Washington; WWBR (Bamberger), Washington; KKOB (KOB), Albuquerque, N. M. ; WAAM (Radio-Television of Baltimore), Baltimore; WTVR (WMBG) , Richmond. FCC also announced that San Francisco hearing, scheduled for July 15. had been cancelled. DATA MESDSD FOR CPs: No FM grants at all were made this week by FCC, except educacational CPs to College of the Pacific, Stockton, Cal., and Santa Monica School Board, also in California. But 10 CPs were handed out this week for new AM stations. Reason for lack of FM grants, FCC tells us, is (1) conditional grantees are still laggard in filing program plans and additional engineering data requested by Commission, and (2) new applicants aren't submitting complete information. In fact. Commission staffers indicate that if conditional FM grantees don't come through with needed additional data soon, applications will be thrown out. Also, FCCers want to do away with circumlocutory conditionals and EAs entirely, process new applications directly into CPs. But to do this, applicants must submit complete data. It would even help if applicants got CAA approval for antenna sites and tower heights as soon as they heard that all their other material has been found acceptable, it was stated. Applications filed since issuance of our Supplement No. 14K total 14 (Supplement No. 14L herewith). Among them is one by Board of Missions and Church Extension of The Methodist Church, for New York City, which has as one of its vice presidents Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam, noted writer and lecturer. Church plans network with ecclesiastical groups in other key cities. Also among new applicants is Beloit (Wis.) Daily News, joining large group of non-AM newspapers applying for FM. STmiGSLS FDR New York City's 19 FM applicants are bore-sighting their big guns for the July 8 hearing there. Though 9 channels are open, competition is Sharpened by possibility that only 5 will be immediately available, should FCC make final its intention to reserve channels (Vol. 2, No. 23). UAW-CIO has dropped out but will file for Class A in Newark; inclusion of Methodist group (see story above) keeps number at 19. In Washington, only city so far v/here FCC has rendered proposed decision after hearing, CBS (WTOP), a recent applicant, asks to be considered in race, emphasizing importance of city to network and vice-versa. WWDC , which FCC proposes to leave out because of past AM programming (Denny and Jett dissenting), filed op position. saying CBS was too late, has too many FM applications (5 including Washington) already has 2 FM stations, also said affiliate could take care of net locally. WV/DC further objected that some of the 8 applicants favored by the FCC had proposed program structures in no way superior to WWDC's. riGRT ARD SOUND: Attorney General Tom Clark is quite busy on radio matters this week; hard on the heels of Senator Taylor's letter about FM production (Vol 2, No. 25), Rep. Clarence F. Lea (Pern., Calif.), author of the Petrillo Act, v/rote to the Dept, of Justice asking that an attorney other than J. Albert Woll, Chicago Federal D.A. , be designated to try the WAAF case (Vol. 2, No. 24) because Woll is son of AFL vice president Matthew Woll. ... James L. Middlebrooks , engineering director of the Marshall Field stations, has been named NAB director of engineering; he reports July 1. . . .Bendix announces that it will show its new FM line to radio dealers for the first time at the American Furniture Mart, Chicago, July 8-10; line consists of a table model and a radio-phonograph console. .. .Announcement of a 360,000,000 "Telecity" in the New York metropolitan area was made Friday by Lawrence B. Elliman, Manhattan realtor; although he refused to divulge the backers or the location, Elliman said the TV center would occupy 1,006 acres and would include 24 motion picture studios, plus service, maintenance and laboratory facilities.