Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

16 FEES FOR LICENSES, applications, etc., must be collected by FCC starting on or before May 1, 1954. In the works for many years, but never before required, such collections were ordered this week by Budget Bureau Director Joseph M. Dodge, who ordered all such govt, agencies to make similar chai-ges. Executive depts. now collect about $20,000,000 annually for licensing activities. Dodge wants agencies to bring in $30,000,000 more to pay for total cost of administering such activities. Since FCC’s budget is about $6-7,000,000 annually and most of its work is licensing, direct or indirect, Commission may have to collect almost all that amount each year. FCC staff, headed by exec, officer Robert Cox, meets Nov. 9 to discuss subject, to which it had previously given considerable attention after being urged to do so by Congress. Commission has wide latitude in levying fees, so there’s no telling what they’ll be like. Dodge’s order says collections can be made for “processing of applications for and the issuance, renewal, modification, transfer, or termination of any license, permit, certificate, charter, registration, exemption or similar form of authorization . . .” It can also charge “general fees to be paid annually by all parties holding such licenses.” These can graduate according to “volume of business, revenue, or other appropriate characteristics of the individual entities.” In figuring costs of services to be paid for by those regulated, Dodge said following should be included: labor, supplies, depreciation, maintenance — plus 15% for indirect costs. But costs do not include enforcement, rate regulation or “denial proceedings instituted by the agency when involving charges of misconduct or revocation proceedings.” FCC now has over 1,000,000 licenses and permits outstanding, including: 5600 TV-AM-FM and their auxiliaries, 243,000 safety & special services, 730,000 commercial operators, 110,000 amateurs, 1300 common carrier, 500 experimental. By Feb. 1, Commission will institute rule-making to establish fees, under terms of order. If new legislation is needed, recommendations must be submitted to Budget Bureau by Jan. 1. h Three more uhf grantees relinquished their CPs this week. WHKP-TV, Hendersonville, N. C. (Ch. 27) wrote FCC that networks have “reversed” the attitude expressed in early conversations with station and “national and regional advertisers that were once interested in using our facilities now show little or no interest,” concludes that “a uhf station built here at the present time would not only show a financial loss from the start but would have little hope of breaking even in the foreseeable future.” WSEE-TV, Fall River, Mass. (Ch. 46) gave up CP after receiving letter from FCC questioning its diligence in pursuing grant. WBGT, Richmond, Ky. (Ch. 60) notified FCC its decision not to build “was motivated in part by a change in the Commission’s allocation plans after the construction permit was issued.” Since freeze, 17 uhf and 5 vhf grantees have surrendered their CPs. Power increases: KROC-TV, Rochester, Minn. (Ch. 10) and WDAY-TV, Fargo, N. D. (Ch. 6) boosted transmitter output last week from 2 to 10 kw; both use RCA equipment. RCA this week shipped 25-kw transmitter to WBNS-TV, Columbus, O. (Ch. 10). GE shipped 35-kw amplifier to WHBF-TV, Rock Island, 111. (Ch. 4) Nov. 7. KGO-TV, San Francisco (Ch. 7), GE equipment on hand, plans to increase ERP from 25.4 to 120 kw early next month. WNAC-TV, Boston (Ch. 7) now on full 316-kw power. Comments on colorcast of Carmen by NBC-TV Oct. 31 from 3 top hard-to-please TV-radio critics tell their own story: (1) Jack Gould, New York Times, first non-industry observer to get color set (Emerson) in his home — “The doom of black-&-white TV seems only a question of time . . . Electronic reproduction of delicate shadings seemed pure magic. Color TV in the home now is much better than the earliest black-&-white . . . Tuning [was] surprisingly easy . . . Color TV seems certain to precipitate some lively family discussions . . . The hoots and howls that are set up when the husband insists he has properly tuned in magenta can be very disturbing to masculine dignity.” (2) John Crosby, New York Herald Tribune syndicate, watching at NBC Center Theatre — “The addition of color to Carmen [added] about 50% to its effectiveness . . . An immensely vivid and arresting experience. Color TV is still a long ways from the reach of most of us [but] those who sample color TV are going to get mighty restive with their old black-&-white sets. While Technicolor has never pushed black-&-white movie-making off the market. I doubt that the same parallel holds good for color TV. Within a very few years, black-&white may well be obsolescent.” (3) George Rosen, Variety, also at Center Theatre — “A giant step forward . . . Unquestionably the most ambitious and successful effort yet made on the rainbow spectrum ... A stunning event and a milestone in colorcasting.” Also present at Center Theatre were Sam Goldwyn, Sir Alexander Korda, MGM’s Howard Dietz. FCC staff watched show at Laurel, Md. labs, was very much impressed— particularly by fact that show came off without hitch for whole hour. Application for East St. Louis, 111., Ch. 11, was filed this week by KSTM-TV, St. Louis (Ch. 36), whose petition to switch to Ch. 11 in St. Louis was rejected last week by FCC (Vol. 9:44). In covering letter, station argued its application should be considered even though it already is on air on another channel, since application is not for “same community” in which it is now operating. Other applications filed this week were: for Bangor, Me., Ch. 2, by Murray Carpenter, whose purchase of WGUY there pends FCC approval; for Buffalo, Ch. 2, by real estate dealers Samuel B. Darlich & Thomas P. Carley and sugar distributor Vincent C. Bonerb; for Milwaukee, Ch. 12, by local group led by hotel operators Eugene V. Roemer & Leo N. Levy. Seven applications were dismissed, and applications pending now total 433 (109 uhf). [For further details about these applications, see TV Addenda 17 -R herewith; for complete listings of all grants, new stations, applications, dismissals, hearings, etc., see TV Factbook No. 17 with Addenda to date.] Full-page ad in color in Oct. 29 Oklahoma City Oklahoman, operator of WKY-TV, is captioned “Color TV Is Coming and again WKY-TV will pioneer the way.” It juxtaposes pictures of identical bunch of flowers, one in monochrome and other in color, promises “WKY-TV will be nation’s first station, outside of networks, to have color TV” and bases promise on having placed firm orders with RCA for more than $309,000 worth of special color studio & transmitting equipment. To dismay of local distributors, ad’s tagline reads: “When color comes (and it won’t be long now) you’ll see it first on WKY-TV.” Station has repeatedly claimed — and RCA won’t confirm or deny —that it’s first of the 40-odd stations on priority list for colorcasting equipment when available. Westinghouse is definitely negotiating for purchase of 49% of KPIX, San Francisco, nothing final yet. On rumor side, denied by all principals, Westinghouse is reported buying all or part of DuMont, possibly its 3 stations. Westinghouse now owns WBZ-TV, Boston, and WPTZ, Philadelphia, is permitted 3 more under FCC rules.