Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

models, where the visual element is so highly important." Said General Foods* Howard Chapin: "Television has reached the stage -of development where -General Foods has decided on participation. ... is looking toward the pre-emption of time franchises." No one has yet put forward any tangible plan other than advertising for TV’s supporting revenues, except for occasional "paid subscriber" ideas v/hich FCC, as dispenser of wavelengths, frowns upon. Nevertheless, debate still rages, and Some prophets are still dubious. In Feb. 21 Printer' Ink, for example, juxtaposed No-Yes arguments of Zenith's Gene McDonald and ABC’s Paul Mowrey make interesting reading. McDonald again insists high cost means "advertising will never support large-scale television." Mowrey rebuts by citing advertisers, relating "pulling power" of animated sight and sound, showing costs aren't too great to faze Sponsors. To the lists we've published of TV sponsors on New York's 3 stations (Vol. 3, No. 6; Vol. 2, No. 40), we can now add those currently on Chicago's sole video outlet. Paramount's WBKB: Henry C. Lytton Co., General Mills, The Fair Store, Commonwealth Edison, Elgin Watch Co. And if you want a list of old-time sponsors on the pioneer TV stations, we .still have a few of our Supplement No. 1 (Sept. 1, 1945) listing them, v/hich we'll send you on request. It’s these lists of former and current TV sponsors which NAB, turning attention to commercial TV for first time, intends to collate as part of survey its sales managers TV subcommittee has requested. And National Retail Dry Goods Assn. , 100 W. 31st St., New York City (Howard Abrahams, sales promotion manager) has agreed to undertake a survey of retailers in cities now having TV stations, or slated to have them, asking whether they propose using video advertising and what help they want from NAB. TV committee of NAB is headed by (Gene Thomas, ; WOR, and includes Sam Cuff, DuMont; G. Emerson Markham, GE ; James McConnell, NBC; Arthur Hull Hayes, CBS. THE FCC OH CAPITOL HILL: Trade press hoopla about Congressional investigation of FCC. crackdowns, etc. seem to be just that, if not wishful thinking. Talk-it-over session Tuesday between House Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee and FCC (all commissioners and pranking officials) left latter pleased as punch. Sparked by persuasive personality of Chairman Denny and cooperative attitude of Rep. Wolverton (committee chairman), there was Spirit of frankness and open-mindedness; if there's going to be crackdown, it will come by v/ay of budget cuts, which all government agencies are due to suffer in current economy drive. Blue Book inevitably came up. Chairman Denny replied "no comment" when asked whether he had really said, as reported, that some NAB officials had told him they agreed with it ; that some had even said they thought NAB itself should have issued it. It's no secret that certain broadcasters, high in NAB ranks, have indicated such an attitude. Whether they were merely "apple polishing," as one observer put it, is another story. Fact is that bitter words and demands for reform legislation (as yat undrafted by .industry) have cooler minds fearful lest Congress, with many of its important members harboring outspoken gripes, especially against commercials (Vol. 2, Nos. 45, 51), enact even worse restrictions than >now prevail. OVERLAP SOLUTIONS PH0P0SE2: A thaw should begin soon among the 30-plus FM applications (and Crosley-Dayton TV), frozen up to now because FCC hadn't made up mind what to do about multiple ownership. It's apparent most commissioners were impressed by' Attorney Theodore Pierson's (Yankee Network) contention, at oral argument Monday, that applications be considered individually, rather than against an arbitrary blanket rule. Policy so far has been to grant no applications involving any degree ef common ownership when there is overlap of 1000 uv/m (FM) or 500 uv/m (TV) contours. Pierson agreed commonly owned stations should not be permitted if "substantial competition" would exist under diverse ownership. But he suggested these factors be weighed: area and population duplicated, AM listenership, studio locations, retail trade areas, cultural and political affinities of duplicated population. Commission didn't latch onto Attorney Paul Segal's (WADC, Akron) unusual suggestion — no grants where common ownership is over 30%, duplicated daytime pop