Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

DECISION DUE CN OVERLAP: It's a pretty fair deduction FCC v/on't write or rewrite any rule to cover FM overlap problem (Vol. 3, No. 9), but will act on individual cases as they arise. Commission's thinking will become more apparent when it decides 30-odd cases involved in recent hearing, probably next week. But some inference may be drawn from conditional grant last week to Donald W. Reynolds for Okmulgee, Okla. (Supplement No. 47-J) . He also holds CP for Fort Smith, Ark., which overlaps Okmulgee to extent that its 50 uv/m contour includes all of Okmulgee's 1,000 uv/m contour and about 80;$ of Okmulgee's 50 uv/m contour. FCC granted 8 CPs, 4 conditionals this week (Supplement No. 47-K herewith), also granted 5 CPs for educational FMs, issued roundup on these non-commercials Showing 6 operating, 28 CPs, 16 applications pending. New quarterly edition of our Directory of FM Licensees, Grantees and Applicants, bringing Supplement No. 47 and all pink addenda sheets up to date under one cover, will be issued next week. . S3GHT AND SOUND ... Magnificent performance, with full 15,000 cycle range broadcast in Washington, better than 8,000 off line on Baltimore and Alpine stations, marked Army Air Force’s inaugural Wednesday of FM’s first hookup — Continental Network (Vol. 3, No. 12). In addition, Schenectady’s WBCA and Hartford’s WDRC-FM took it off air, rebroadcast it with good results. Other FMers can also tap into line, or take it off air, without any restrictions except that they first test adequately. Excellent programming, if continued during rest of series of 7, augurs well for demonstrating FM at best. Solution to FM interference with N. Y. aircraft landing system (Vol. 3, No. 12) involves temporary change of frequencies for WGYN, which goes to 98.1 me. (No. 251) and WNYC-FM, to 94.1 me (231)— effective until March 1, 1918, by which time airliners will be equipped with receivers better able to filter out unwanted signals. WOR’s WBAM, now conducting propagation tests, won’t come on its assigned 96.5 me until after deadline. Frequencies were obtained by borrowing from New York’s 4 “reserve” channels, although July 1 is date set for end of reservation plan. Airborne Instruments Laboratory Inc., Mineola, N. Y., has added branch at 2627 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, Cal., to provide field measurement service for FM, TV, AM, police, etc., specializing in adjustment of directional antenna arrays and proof of performance. Robert D. Martin, ex-Edwards & Martin, Detroit, is in charge; Mineola headquarters is headed by Hector Skifter, ex-KSTP. “Facsimile Newspapers” is title of latest Editorial Research Reports, Washington news research bureau, serving mainly editorial writers. Written by staffman Kendrick Lee, report is pretty complete compilation of all that’s known on subject, including discussion of Mayflower decision’s effect on ether-borne newspapers. Farnsworth’s drift-correcting, push-button tuning FM set (Model GK-143) is the latest FM receiver to incorporate these vital characteristics for flawless FM reception (Vol. 3, No. 12). The Fai’nsworth set includes AM and phonograph, has built-in dipole for FM signals. Bureau of Internal Revenue ruled this week that TV set in public place doesn’t make such place a cabaret, thus liable to 20% amusement tax. Decision was announced in letter to TBA’s J. R. Poppele and superseded all previous rulings on subject (Vol. 3, No. 12). Aide to Scripps-IIoward’s James Hanrahan in planning and building TV station WEWS, Cleveland (Supplement No. 18-B), will be technician-newsman J. Harrison Hartley, v.ho leaves NBC’s TV Dept. April 15. Radio should play a more “responsible” part in today’s unsettled world. This is how the Time Inc. and U of Chicago-sponsored Commission on the Freedom of the Press says it should be done: (1) Agencies of mass communication must accept the responsibilities of common carriers of information and discussion; (2) radio industry must take control of its programs and treat advertising as it is treated by newspapers; (3) constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press must be recognized as including radio and movies. There are other recommendations in report issued this week but the foregoing apply most specifically to radio. They are also discussed in new book, “American Radio,” by ex-OWI news and features chief Llewellyn White, radio expert of the Free Press Commission (U of Chicago Press, $3.25). Busiest little beaver in FM these days is Leonard Asch (WBCA, Schenectady). He’s (1) incorporating the Liberty Broadcasting System, a proposed $6 million mutual, exclusively FM net work that will combine land line, radio relay and transcription services; (2) directing first regional I’M A meeting at Albany’s Ten Eyck Hotel April 14; (3) organizing an FM seminar for his Radio Consultants Inc. to be held April 24 to 26 at Washington’s Hotel Statler which will take up operating and management problems for FMers, fee $100 per person, $15 for registration; (4) participating in AM engineering conferences for AM application he’s interested in for Albany, N. Y. TV for barrooms, restaurants, public places offers attractive enough market that 4 ex-DuMont engineers headed by Horace Atwood Jr. have established Industrial Television, Inc., 36 Franklin St., Nutley, N. J., to offer receiving unit with several screens that can be operated through remote control tuner. Unit would include public address system and provide for FM reception during TV off-hours. Plans call for 75 sets first year. GE’s proposal of $4-85,000 FM transmitter with miniscule output (2-plus watts), for educational “radio workshop” use, sounds fine to U. S. Office of Education’s radio chief, Franklin Dunham, but he says it’ll serve only one function of educational radio. Other function, mass education, still needs high power, he says. TV’s 2S-hour-per-week rule was waived once again this week, until June 30. FGC received TEA proposals too late to act upon them before previous waiver of rule expired March 31. Decision is expected on TBA proposals (Vol. 3, No. 12) shortly. Milwaukee Journal (WTMJ-FM), pioneer in FM, holder also for CP for FM in Wausau (Supplement No. 47-D), this week applied for third FM outlet — Green Bay.