Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

i32ATIMG BUILDING BAN: CPA’s tightening restrictions on commercial construction. adding more barriers to radio building plans, haven't deterred some enterprisers eager to get going. NAB's engineering director, Jim Middlebrooks , before his war service in charge of CBS engineering construction, recently chief engineer for the Marshall Field stations, has been telling inquirers to exert their ingenuity to duck CPA entirely — making sure a construction job costs no more than the §1,000 limitation. Since towers are exempt, some broadcasters have found they can use prefabricated metal garages, quonset huts, even log cabins, to house transmitters and yet come within §1,000 cost. One broadcaster actually went into building business with CPA approval, put up a home for a veteran, em.ployed the veteran to care for his transmitter, housed in one of the rooms. Another bought a house, did same thing. Local conditions vary, but even further cut of 25-30% in CPA approvals Should not cause broadcasters to give up, says Middlebrooks ; survey local situation, see what's available, exercise ingenuity, he advises. CPA Administrator Small's announcement of new restrictions came Wednesday, confirming warning by Housing Expediter V/yatt (Vol. 2, No. 34). Wyatt's National Housing Administrationis expected to take over entire enforcement program from CPA in near future. CONFUSION OH ?M QUFHIf: Admitting that instructions about answering its FM granteeprodding questionnaire (Vol. 2, No. 30) are confusing, FCC is notifying all conditional grantees and CP holders that questionnaire is not to be filled out until latter, actually have^ construction permits in their hands. Deadline is 15 days after date specified for beginning of construction. Commission has received flock of answered questionnaires and bewildered queries from confused grantees who have not yet received actual CPs. SIGHT AHD SGUHB; Decision on Boston FM hearing should be forthcoming in next few v.'eeks. Commissioner Durr, who heard cases there last April, is hopeful he can have it out of v/ay before he leaves for Moscow Telecommunications Conference Sept. 28 as member of U.S. delegation headed by State Dept.'s Francis Colt DeWolf.... Neither TV nor FM applications of News Syndicate Inc. (New York News) are expected . to be affected by death in auto accident Thursday of Roy Cjl Holliss, acting president since recent death of Capt. J. M. Patterson. Business Manager F. M. Flynn, who may succeed Holliss, has been handling radio contacts. .. .FCC attorneys say that new rules concerning legal procedures (FCC Public Notice 97564) , adopted Aug. 27 and promulgated to implement Public Law No. 404, incorporate only minor changes; discussion of rules, open to bar and press, will be conducted Tuesday by Asst. Gen. Counsel Harry Plotkin. .. .Having determined by survey that principal reason for TV v/ithdrawals is cost, DuMont plans to offer a 1 kw community-type video installation at under §100,000 to include everything from studio to transmitter. Preliminary data for layout have been submitted to FCC.... FCC staffers say commercial facsimile still awaits proposed standards from major industry ’proponent s, notably W. G. H. Einch and John V. L. Hogan, who have not yet compromised differences. . . . "Simpler" application forms for new stations are due from FCC in couple months, but changes proposed so far are not radical. .. .Raytheon' s claims for its new 10-watt monitoring amplifier, designed for either FM or A]»I, include: low distortion, excellent frequency response, high gain, simplicity of operation and servicing. .. .Extensive data on 94 transmitting tubes, including hf and uhf, is contained in GE's new 600page loose-leaf manual; copies are available for §2 from company's Electronics Dept., Schenectady. ... In proposed $550,000 purchase of WJBK, Detroit, F<?rt Industry Co. (George B. Storer) interests acquire also an FM conditional, which means one FM v/ould have to be dropped since company is already conditional grantee in Toledo, applicant in Miami, Atlanta, Wheeling, Lima, Zanesville. .. .Bristol , Tenn.'s WOPI reports its newly authorized FM (Supplement No. 41A) v/ill be on air by Nov. 15 from 2,210 ft Whitetop Mountain, in nearby Virginia. ... New legal assistant to CBS's Earl Gammons in Washington office is James Neu, recently out of Army, replacing Ivcnneth Yourd, now on N.Y. staff of Gen. Atty. Julius Brauner. ... Chicago Federation of Labor's WCFL got 50 kw grant from FCC Thursday, upped from 10 kw on 1000 kc.... Charles E. Thompson, associate of late George B. Porter (Vol. 2, No. 33), on Oct. 1 rejoins Washington law office of Andrew G. Haley (nev/ address: 1703 K St. NVV) , v/ith whom he was associated as partner in 1942-44.