Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

tiisnu C0DEI’ authoritative nev/s service OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AND FREQUENCY MODULATION ARTS AND INDUSTRY PijBLISHHD WEEKLY BY ,1313 COiiJIECTIClJT AVE.ilW..WAS;ii)iaTO;< S.D.S. mWMl 2023 -VGL 2, 110. 29 July 20, 1946 FILimS m T&m SPECTKBM: In making mass allocations Friday for various services (police, aeronautical, forestry, etc.) in high frequency range above 25 me, FCC announced that FM broadcasters in 42-44 me band must vacate frequencies by Jan. 1, 1947. Before then. Commission v/ill consider whether to let them shift temporarily to TV Channel No. 1 (44-50 me) or require them to go to 88-103 me exclusively. Only a handful of existing FM stations apparently are affected — Yankee's WMTW, atop Mt. Washington, N. H. (43.9 me); Maj . Armstrong's WFMN, Alpine, N. J. (43.1 me) ; City of New York's WNYC-FM (43.9 me) ; plus a few developmentals like Washington Post's W3X0 (43.2 me) and a few others. Also assigned, subject to oral argument if desired by industry interests, were bands for TV pickup — 1,295-1,425 me; TV pickup and TV studio-transmitter link — 6,800-7,050 me and 12,000-12,500 me. For complete details "revision of its table of frequency allocations between 25,000 kc and 30,000,000 kc," we suggest you write FCC for its 12-page mimeographed document dated July 19, 1946 and titled Public Notice 95704; or else write us and v/e'll get it for you. FM FliEEIS PL^H 0RBS!!ED; Like it or not, FCC has decided to make its FM Class B channel "freeze plan" stick — primarily, to mollify those modest, hesitant entrepreneurs who have no AMs to ride until FM pays off ; secondarily, to support channels for "satellite" cities not provided for in original tentative allocation plan (Supplement No. 21). Championed by Senate Small Business Committee, Secretary of War Patterson, veterans' groups, cooperatives and unions, FCC order puts 92 channels in 69 cities on ice until June 30, 1947. Anyone can file for the reserved channels any time until then, assured his application will get equal consideration with any others filed, at hearings, if necessary, after July 1, 1947. Freeze was ordered Wednesday, announced Thursday, less than week after pro and con oral arguments last Friday (Vol. 2, No. 28). Plan, in essence, means that in those 69 cities allocated 5 or more channels, every fifth channel is frozen for future assignment to applicants in either the principal city of the area concerned or in "satellite" cities. FCC defines satellite cities as those with population of 25,000 or more, falling in area of cities in which channels are reserved. "Falling in area" means within radius of 30 miles of principal city in Area I ; within 50 miles in region from Area I to Mississippi River; within 100 miles in region from Mississippi River to West Coast ; within 50 miles for Los Angeles and San Francisco. Order is retroactive, affecting cities where hearings have already been held. Thus, New York City's 18 applicants are currently knocking themselves out over 5 channels, rather than the 9 originally available. Areas like Los Angelos, District of Columbia, Chicago, Boston, Providence, v/here applicants were holding their breaths because applications equaled channels, now have a scarcity. San Francisco presents unusual situation — 6 lucky applicants in area got conditionals before freeze, 10 remaining have to compete for 9 channels at hearing there Aug. Copyright 1946 by Radio News Bureau