Television digest and FM reports (Feb-Dec 1947)

6. Kid musicians, service bands and, amateurs: if nothing elss comes of hearing, exaction of promise from Petrillo (and he prides himself on keeping promises) that he will "make a deal" with educators was regarded as great forward stride. He took it on chin in repeated blandishments by committee members "shocked" by stories of child musicians barred from local stations (even from Chicago public schools' own FM station, which operates school hours only), from making recordings, from marching in parades. Same went for service bands (Army, Navy, Marine Corps), hitherto barred from broadcasting without standbys, barred entirely from recording. Also for occasional amateurs and foreign artists. This was subject close to heart of Chairman Kearns (R-Pa. ) , himself an ex-music teacher, still an AFM card-holder. But Petrillo stuck by guns in asserting even Kearns would have to stand trial, probably would be expelled from union, if he accepted invitation to conduct expelled Dr. Maddy's Interlochen (Mich.) summer camp orchestra now on AFM blacklist. FIB. J0HES WIBS HAHDS 100 WH: Columnist Drew Pearson's lone effort to pin the mark of the noxious Black Legion on Congressman Robert Franklin Jones, of Ohio, flopped pretty dismally at Monday's Senate subcommittee hearing — his 3 witnesses being pretty well discredited by their own criminal records or political bias and making no showing at all despite affidavits. So on Thursday committee unanimously reported Jones' FCC nomination favorably; and he'll take Comr. Wakefield's place (Vol. 3, No. 25, 26, 27) in about 2 v/eeks. Friday he v/as confirmed without opposition. Mystery no one has yet divined is how President Truman acceded to choice of a Taft Republican for job. Any way you look at it, GOP put one over — and now it's going to be interesting to observe whether politics resumes its old-time grip on FCC. Already Commission staff is feeling more pressures than usual from Capitol Hill. As for Pearson-Alien team, they still intend to pursue their "Blue Book" application for Baltimore's WBAL facilities, hopeful no doubt Mr. Jones won't sit on case. To published report vacationing Mr. Wakefield would join Washington-San Francisco law firm of Wheat, May, Shannon & St. Clair, headed by ex-FCC assistant general counsel Carl I. Wheat, partners in town said it's first they'd heard of it. Mr. Wheat wired from Los Angeles it's mere rumor, but added: "We haven't even talked with him about it but he would make anybody a good law partner." m EYES ON CLASS B CHANNELS: Now that reserved FM channels have been thrown into the hopper (Vol. 3, No. 27), smart applicants are amending their Class A (community) applications to ask instead for Class Bs (rural-metropolitan) — in those communities where there is still a surplus of channels. In fact, this week Southern California Associated Newspapers received FCC permission to amend its application in that manner; it was one of 16 Class As in Los Angeles area designated for hearing, now is one of 4 seeking Los Angeles' 5 remaining B channels. Other major cities still having openings for Class B stations under the FM allocation (Supp. 52) : Washing ton, which only has one applicant so far for 2 available frequencies; Chicago, 2 for 3; Philadelphia, 2 for 3; Detroit, 2 for 3; Los Angeles, 4 for 5; New York, 2 for 4. Excess of applicants exists in Pittsburgh, 2 for 1; Baltimore, 5 for 4; Providence, 2 for 1. So far it looks as if Class A applicants for New York area will have to go to hearing because there are so many (10 to date). Objecting to FCC's decision on WAAF's position in the Chicago lineup — it's between a foreign-language station (WSBC) and 3 labor stations (WCFL, UAW-CIO, Amalgamated) — station this week asked for a reshuffle, said it would ask for a rehearing if it doesn't get shift. There were only 9 CPs, 2 conditionals (Supp. No. 53-B, herewith). VHAT Ei'lEBiON P HEALLY B0IBG: That TV— FM— AM console for §450 produced by Emerson, about which we reported last week, isn’t the one that's on big little-set producer's line; in fact, it's one of 100 pilot models made last March but discontinued. Apparently even its suburban Washington dealer, who demonstrated for us, didn't know it was non-production model. Actually, Emerson is now in production with $575 TVonly table model, has new consoles still in planning stage — one TV-only, one with AM-FM-phono. Its engineering chief, Dorman Israel, also told distributors' conven