Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

8 Personal Notes: Joseph V. Heffernan, NBC finance v.p., and Robert W. Sarnoff, film div. v.p., elected to NBC board . . . Four Mutual v.p.’s elected to board this week: James M. Gaines, in charge of WOR-TV & WOR, New York; Earl M. Johnson, station relations & engineering; Adolf N. Hult, sales; Robert A. Schmid, adv., public relations and research . . . Arden X. Pangborn, who quit Oregon radio several years ago to become gen. mgr. of WOAI-TV, San Antonio, returns soon to become editor of Portland Oregon Journal, part-owner of new KOIN-TV . . . Frederick W. Ford, chief of FCC hearing div., leaves Commission to become first asst, to Asst. Attoi’ney General J. Lee Rankin, Office of Legal Counsel . . . S. H. McGovern, ex-mgr. of KSO, Des Moines, named mgr. of new KGTV there (Ch. 17), due on air in late Oct.; Bernice Hulane, exKSTP-TV, St. Paul, named program director . . . Walter Compton, ex-mgr. of WTTG, Washington, elected v.p. of North Dade Video Inc., Miami, applicant for Ch. 10 . . . Wilson C. Wearn, ex-FCC engineer, named chief engineer of WFBC-TV, Greenville, S. C. (Ch. 4), due on air in Dec. ...Miss Marion Lonsberry named mgr. of WCBS-TV operations dept., Haworth White appointed station business mgr. . . . Tom Rogstad resigns as program operations mgr., KING-TV, Seattle, to join upcoming KOMO-TV there as production director; Tom Dargan promoted as his successor and as administrative asst, to program chief Lee Schulman, with producer Bernie Carey named production mgr. . . . Dick Kepler, ex-KXLY-TV, Spokane, to be program director of new WEAU-TV, Eau Claire, Wis. (Ch. 13), due on air Thanksgiving Day, under gen. mgr. Harry Hyatt; Marvin Greeley, chief engineer of WISC, Madison, supervising installation and will be chief engineer . . . John Henry, ex-WDAF-TV, Kansas City, named sales mgr. of upcoming KOA-TV, Denver (Ch. 4) . . . Alfred Butterfield, ex-Pathe, named exec, producer of CBS-TV news & public affairs . . . Robert Z. Morrison named sales mgr. of new KCRI-TV, Cedar Rapids, la. (Ch. 9) ... Warren Walden appointed news director, WJAR-TV, Providence . . . Fred Waller, inventor of Cinerama motion picture process, to receive Progress Medal award, highest honor bestowed by SMPTE, at society’s convention in New York Oct. 5 . . . Richard E. Goebel appointed TV director, KOY-TV, Phoenix . . . John Clay promoted to chief engineer, WSAZTV, Huntington, W. Va. . . . Bruce Compton, ex-WJTV, Jackson, Miss., joins upcoming KATV, Pine Bluff, Ark. (Ch. 7) as sales mgr.; Roy Pickett and Louis Brown, both ex-KTUL, Tulsa, named program director and chief engineer, respectively . . . Chauncey C. Brown, ex-KRLD-TV, Dallas, named production mgr. of upcoming KNUZ-TV, Houston (Ch. 39) ... Oliver W. Naylor promoted to sales mgr., WBRC-TV, Birmingham, Ala. . . . Wm. J. Adams named program director, W HEC-T\ , Rochester . . . Frank Barton, TV-radio mgr., Lennen & Newell, elected v.p.; Tony Pan, ex-Wm. Esty, named TV-radio commercial production v.p. . . . Jack Van Nostrand upped to v.p. in charge of west coast office, Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Bayles George Dorsey named production mgr., Burton Bridgens mgr. of public service programs, WNBW, Washington . . . Kenyon Brown, KWFT, Wichita Falls, Tex., appointed chairman of NARTB committee arranging next annual convention scheduled for May 23-28 in Chicago’s Palmer House. Frank Munn, 57, “Golden Voice of Radio” for more than 20 years on such NBC shows as Waltz Time and American Album of Familiar Music until he retired in 1946, died Oct. 1 at his brother-in-law’s home, Long Island. Honorary degree in fine arts awarded by Lake Erie College for Women, Painesville, 0. to star Peggy Wood for her work in the CBS-TV Mama programs. NATIONAL CITIZENS Committee for Educational TV estimates that 27 educational stations will be on air by end of next year, with “well-advanced plans” in 86 other communities. That’s from committee’s first annual report, to be presented to board in New York Oct. 6 by Robert Mullen, exec, director. In a comprehensive review of educational TV’s progress, report states that committee, which is financed by Ford Foundation, was confronted with 3 “formidable problems” when it started functioning at beginning of 1953: (1) Attitude of FCC. “It was abundantly clear that the FCC had only tentatively provided for educational TV. Although the official language was somewhat Delphic, the plain fact was (as Chairman Walker reiterated up and down the land) that the educators had been given a year in which to show what they could do. The FCC reserved the right to withdraw the reservations for educational stations.” (2) Attitude of commercial broadcasters. “Some would be with us, we knew from support already pledged; but we were fearful of large-scale attempts to change non-commercial channels to commercial status. The principle focus of fear in this area involved the persistent effort of Hearst Radio to take over the Milwaukee channel. There were indications that the FCC would not stand with us in Milwaukee, and we felt that Milwaukee was a bellwether for the nation.” (3) Financing construction and operation. “Naturally, the educators had turned first to sources of funds they usually tapped. In a number of cities they appealed to municipal authorities for money with which to build and operate TV stations. In some 22 states legislatures were asked to support more or less elaborate state networks. Even by the time NCCET began operations, it was clear that these appeals would, for the most part, meet chilly reception.” One year’s experience has overcome the first 2 obstacles but third is still far from resolved, report states. It cites FCC rejection of petition by WWEZ, New Orleans, for rule-making procedure so it could apply for that city’s educational Ch. 8 (Vol. 9:35) as example of how possible FCC opposition has melted. And it cites $1,250,000 worth of assistance by commercial broadcasters in form of equipment and financial grants as evidence of improved attitude. As for problems of financing, NCCET says it’s convinced the best policy is to encourage local citizens interested in educational TV to organize non-profit foundations or corporations broadly representative of all the elements in the community to build and operate stations. It lists Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Boston and Cincinnati among cities where this plan is proving effective. Observing that greatest progress has been made in larger communities, report notes that “the whole problem of supplying educational TV to rural areas — even well-todo areas — and to small communities in less favored areas remains a problem unresolved.” NCCET noted lack of enthusiasm for going on air, even where money and equipment is on its way, explained that personnel problems, such as finding competent station mgrs., accounted in part for delays, as well as a fear of inadequate local program resources. Among other educational TV developments this week: (1) U of North Carolina granted CP for Ch. 4 in Chapel Hill. (2) U of Bridgeport offers hour of college credit courses, weekdays 3-4 p.m., via WICC-TV ; U of Toledo offers daily 9:30-10 a.m. credit courses via WSPD-TV; U of Michigan offers 2 hours week, starting Oct. 5, on WPAG-TV. (3) American Council on Education schedules panel on “The Role of Educational TV” Oct. 8 at Washington’s Statler Hotel as part of its 2-day meeting.