Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

12 IN SHARP DISAGREEMENT with football TV survey report by National Collegiate Athletic Assn. (Vol. 8:19), NARTB and Jerry Jordan this week issued separate statements using NCAA’s own National Opinion Research Council survey to disprove claim that “TV does definite damage to college football attendance.” NARTB’s research director Richard M. Allerton termed NORC survey inconclusive and “contradictory.” Using Commerce Dept, figures, he said college football admissions in 1949 increased $10,000,000 over 1948 and he attributed to decreased college enrollments the relatively small 1950 decline of $3,000,000 from peak year of 1949. In 3-page rebuttal to NCAA report, Allerton contended: (1) Unrestricted TV in 1950 stimulated enough football interest so that even restricted TV areas in 1951 had better attendance than non-TV areas. (2) NORC’s sampling procedure wasn’t true crosssection of those attending college games. (3) TV ownership is proportionately greater in middle and lower income groups, not upper and middle, as NORC says. (4) Report’s Table 17 shows 9% of owners, 34% of non-owners, in lowest economic level, but Table 18 shows 34% of TV owners, 9% of non-owners, in lowest economic level. (5) NORC’s claim that TV stimulated only 1% of fans to attend games means TV accounted for 140,000 additional spectators, “a sizable group in itself.” (6) Report compares non-TV areas and restricted TV areas; true cross-section would compare non-TV areas with um-estricted TV areas. Jordan argued NCAA’s publicity release omitted most important fact proved by NORC’s survey — that colleges in TV areas “reported only a moderate loss of 4% from their 1950 levels, compared to a more serious 10% decline for colleges with no TV competition.” He bolstered his statement by quoting NCAA report: “By far the largest attendance decline last year occurred in the Rocky Mountain district, one of the 2 districts with practically no TV. In 6 of the 7 NCAA districts where comparisons are possible, the colleges with no TV competition fared worse than those with TV competition, in 1951 attendance compared with 1950.” ■ California oilman Edwin W. Pauley, one of 5 partners owning Los Angeles Rams, this week filed motion to intervene in Justice Dept.’s' suit against National Football League and its 12 member clubs on charges of illegally conspiring to restrict TV-radio broadcasts of football games. Pauley’s motion says he was not involved in decision by Rams or NFL, of which Rams is member, to restrict broadcasting; that he has no voice in management of Rams; and that he has always opposed restrictions on broadcasting. Philadelphia Federal Court will hear argument on the motion June 9. If permitted to intervene, Pauley will ask court to rule separately that he was not a party to any alleged conspiracy to restrict football broadcasting. Owners of San Francisco’s KPIX & KSFO (Wesley I. Dumm, Robert E. Gaylord, Philip G. Lasky) are principals in application of KXA Inc., Seattle, which they also own, for Channel No. 7 there. Also applying this week was WSSV, Petersburg, Va., seeking Channel 8. That makes 534 applications now on file, 48 of them for uhf. Filing amendments to old applications were WTAD, Quincy, 111. (Lee Newspapers), seeking Channel No. 10; WASK, Lafayette, Ind., No. 59; KMBC, Kansas City, No. 9; WPTF, Raleigh, N. C., No. 5. [For details of foregoing applications, see TV Addenda H-R herewith; for complete list of applications, see TV Factbook No. 1U and Addenda to date.] Faster action on ABC-United Paramount merger may be requested of FCC shortly. Companies are considering asking Commission to sever merger question from dragging Paramount hearing and render quick “yes” or “no.” This week’s sessions, meanwhile, comprised FCC’s crossexamination of A. H. Blank, United Paramount director, and direct examination of Arthur Levey, president of Skiatron Corp. Commission questioned Blank at great length concerning his activities as owner of a midwestem theatre chain which went bankrupt and was sold to old Paramount Pictures Corp. in 1929. Blank became Paramount’s trustee of the chain, A. H. Blank Co., which was reorganized into Tri-States Theatre Corp., now UPT subsidiary. Levey continued his testimony to the effect that number of manufacturers and Hollywood producers wanted to buy into his Scophony Corp., thus help develop its TV patents. But, he said, part-owner Paramount prevented infusion of new capital. Paramount counsel will attack Levey’s testimony in cross-examination which may start next week. Mass production of TV programs in world’s most modern TV plant will begin Oct. 1 when CBS-TV opens first 4-studio unit of its $7,000,000 Television City in Hollywood, president J. L. Van Volkenburg told May 14 press conference in New York. He said initial unit “will start with a production capacity of as much as 28 hours per week, almost half the present output of all 18 CBS-TV studios in New York.” The new studios, he said, can turn out “22 times as much entertainment product in a year as any of the largest Hollywood movie lots, and about 23 times as much annually as New York’s entire legitimate theatre.” Unveiled for newsmen was 2-ton 14xl5-ft. electric working model of new studios, to be exhibited publicly on national tour beginning this month. “Largest TV center in the East” is what CBS says it will make of New York’s Sheffield Farms Co. depot and office building, purchased this week for undisclosed sum. Structure, which occupies most of block bounded by 10th & 11th Aves. and W. 56th & W. 57th Sts., contains 405,000 sq. ft. of floor space “highly adaptable to TV.” Railroad spur runs into basement; first floor has 20-ft. ceilings. CBS plans to take possession in fall. Question of movie stars’ rights to block release of their films to TV became more confused than ever this week when Los Angeles Federal Judge Ben Harrison denied injunction sought by Gene Autry to prevent Republic Pictures from selling his old pictures to TV. Last October, Judge Peirson M. Hall, of same court, granted Roy Rogers injunction against Republic in similar action. Republic has filed appeal. Judge Harrison ruled Autry’s position was “untenable and unfair” in seeking to prevent Republic “from enjoying the full share of the profits to be derived from said photoplays.” Autry’s attorney said he would appeal. Leonard Reinsch, chief of Cox TV-radio stations, including Dayton’s WHIO-TV & Atlanta’s WSB-TV, is now full-time consultant helping handle TV-radio phases of political campaign for Democratic National Committee in collaboration with Kenneth Fry, TV-radio director. He was Democratic radio aide in 1944 campaign, then radio advisor to President Truman for several years. Zones in FCC’s allocation plan should be changed to include all of West Virginia in Zone I, WHIS, Bluefield, W. Va., claimed in petition filed with Commission this week. Station notes that population density is 110.6 per square mile in portion of State now in Zone II, whereas rest of State has 76.6 density; that Zone II portion is “culturally, economically and socially” linked with rest of State; that mountainous terrain would provide safety factor in allocations. With rezoning, station says, Bluefield could then get vhf Channel 6.