Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

TO M3 03 NOT TO NAB? FM and TV get more "talking over" at NAB board meeting in Colorado's salubrious Estes Park next week (Aug. 5-7), but you can't expect action of any consequence. Right now NAB staffmen assigned to FM are concentrating on "strong panel" for Oct. 21 special FAl session at Chicago convention, will shortly announce list of speakers. This week all FM license applicants and others were mailed form letter from NAB's FM Dept, director Bob Bartley calling attention to session, open to all, whether NAB members or not (though latter must pay §5 registration fee). Bartley also enclosed a form with space for suggested questions to be put to speakers, who for most part will be pro-FM. Meanwhile FMBI's Walter Damm, recognizing complaints about that organization's "merger" into NAB, reports majority, of FA!BI board feel final decision is up to full membership of still-corporately-existent (but pocketbook-pcor ) FMBI v.'hich will have own separate meeting during Chicago convention. Replying to suggestions by Milton Sleeper, publisher of FM and Television Magazine, that a Separate FM association be formed again, Damm agrees that "FM promotion and the steering of FM into right paths. .. .needs to be supervised by a group that has a real interest in FM." But he says an association of FMers to do a real job would need an annual budget of at least $100,000, which he thinks isn't forthcoming from those whose exclusive interest is FM. Most AM-FM operators won't join a second association, he admits. ONLY 37 CPs MAILED; FM BOXSC0BE: Though FCC reports that as of Aug. 1 it had granted 191 CPs for FM stations, fact of matter is that only 57 actual construction permits have as yet been mailed to grantees. About 100 more pend Civil Aeronautics Administration approval of transmitter sites and tower heights, and the rest are being held up for a miscellany of reasons. Hence there will be inevitable and excusable delays in returns of "what-are-you-doing-about-FM" questionnaires sent grantees last week (Vol. 2, No. 30) along with statement indicating Commission won't stand for undue^ delays in getting started. This week 12 more CPs, 26 conditionals were granted, and there was one deletion (Supplement No. 38E herewith), in reporting which the FCC pridefully capitulated this boxscore of FM grants to date: 48 stations licensed, 191 CPs, 487 conditionals, 158 applications in hearing, 208 applications pending. You can find data on all these in our Supplements No. 32, 38-38D and 14A-14A1. With this week's grants. Commission designated consolidated hearings (dates not yet set) on 18 applications from Los Angeles area (Supplements 14A-14M) ; on Baltimore applications of Hearst Radio (WBAL) , Tower Realty Co. and Radio-Television of Baltimore Inc. ; on Bridgeport (Conn.) applications of Bridgeport Herald, Yankee Netv/ork and any others from that community; on San Jose ( Cal . ) applications of Santa Clara Bcstg. Co. and FM Radio & Television Corp. It also renewed 34 licenses of existing FM stations, most of them over objection of Commr. Durr, who insisted they should be required to file program analyses. His colleagues outvoted him on grounds existing FM operations are too tenuous, too sparse (6 hours per day is all they need be on air) to require them to hew to too rigid program schedules at this stage. The man v/ho gave up his grant (an EA for 95.7 me, 10.1 kw, proposed atop Lookout Mountain) v/as Mark K. Wilson, Chattanooga contractor, so that facility is now wide open. STADIUM VVODLD CONTROL TV: To allay fears of TV's encroachments on boxoffice on part of owners of ball parks, race tracks and other sports stadia. Televents Corp.< of America, headed by Mortimer Loewi, executive assistant to Allen B.' DuMont, has approached some of them with offers to install permanent video equipment, including camera chains, at no cost except for profit-sharing arrangement. By controlling pickup equipment, stadia interests could bargain directly with sponsors or theatres rather than with stations or networks. TCA also plans filming daily 15-minute news digests of sports, special events, plans to get going this fall with initial capitalization of $150,000. ■