Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

SiASTHI EOSEl authoritative news service OF THE VISUAL BROADCASTING AE FRE9UENCr MODULATION ARTS AND INDUSTRY pl’SlISiiia I^EEKIY BY 1513 COHSECriCIlT AVLfllYJVASaiJ^aTCj^ 6.D.S. TaE?i!0?IE L11CIM 2323 VOL. 2, MO. 33 September 21, 1946 A work stoppage of Washington printers is imminent, effective next week. Even during current negotiations with employers, union has ordered members to cut overtime work to minimum, do no work at all Saturdays. Since Saturday is our press day, we are accordingly forced to take this job to an outlying shop — despite most cordial relations with our printers and our desire to take no sides in current controversy. Our new printer is unable to secure typewriter-type matrix for his linotype, hence this publication in conventional type. We’d be interested to know your reaction to this temporary change of format. KBC illSD CHANGJHG CillLS: NBC, too, is chang ing call letters of its New York broadcasting outlets Nov. 1, under FCC approval granted Friday. WEAF and WEAF-FM become WNBC and Vv’NBC-FM — the changeover rendered simple by fact no one else had WNBC call. Network hasn’t asked for it yet, but there’s talk of changing TV station WNBT to WNBC-TV. A few weeks ago (Vol. 2, No. 35) FCC also authorized CBS’s WABC to change to WCBS, WABCFM to WCBS-FM, WCBW to WCBS-TV. But CBS had to give quid pro quo to WCBS, Springfield, 111., to get the call, latter changing to WCVS. TWO M03E TV GHMTS: Top flight newspaper publisher Mark Ethridge, of the Louisville CourierJournal (operating 50 kw WHAS), was deeply impressed by CBS’s color TV demonstration during publishers’ convention in New York last spring. But he wasn’t sufficiently convinced of its imminent practicality, apparently, to do what so many others were then doing — withdraw his application for low-band monochrome. On Thursday, WHAS became the second big CBS-affiliated outlet (first was KRLD, Dallas, Vol. 2, No. 37) to be granted a CP for commercial TV. It was granted Channel No. 9 (186-192 me), with 9.6 visual and 7.2 aural power, antenna 529 ft. Same day Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Ames, which long has operated daytime AM station WOI, also got CP for TV — Channel No. 4 (66-72 me), 13 kw visual and 10.4 kw aural power, antenna 506 ft. Like its AM, it will operate on non-commercial basis. Thursday grants brought CPs outstanding to 31, left only 41 applications pending. KNOCK-DOWN MD BRAG-OUT: During some 20 years of Federal regulation of the radio wavelengths, a few broadcasters have been forced off the air for technical violations of one sort or another — but none has ever lost his license on account of over-commercialism or low-quality programs. Thus this week’s application for the 50 kw facilities of Hearst’s WBAL in Baltimore, cited in FCC’s Blue Book of last March as a “horrible example” of over-commercialized operation and ordered to hearing on its license renewal, takes on the aspect of a cause celebre. In effect, the pre-war “Washington Merry Go Round” partners. Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen, intervene in the license renewal proceeding (scheduled for hearing Oct. 1, but due for postponement) and tell the FCC: “We can, and promise we will, do a better job of programming WBAL in the public interest, convenience and necessity; therefore, we should be given its facilities.” Now that the FCC requires “promises of program performance” from each applicant and licensee (legality of which is bitterly disputed by industry spokesmen, though no one has yet essayed to test its power), Pearson-Allen application offers test (1) whether Commission can fix program yardsticks, general or specific, commercial or sustaining, without vioating free speech, (2) whether 3year licenses are to be automatically I'enewed, as has been case up to now, or are subject to review and forfeiture if program promises arc not kept. Property rights issue won’t cut much ice, based on statute and courts’ attitude up to now. That it will be a knock-down and drag-out fight, possibly going to U.S. Supreme Court (none of whose “Nine Old Men” remains on bench) if Copyright 1946 by Radio News Bureau