Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1953)

4 owns 42.5‘S of new WTAP, Parkersburg, W.Va. (Ch. 15) and who last week resigned as mgr. of KFMB-TV, San Diego. Of the initial decisions, only Sacramento's came after hearing; other 2 resulted from dropouts, should be finalized shortly. Exceptional accolade was presented McClatchy organization and KFBK by examiner Thomas Donahue in initial decision favoring it over Sacramento Telecasters, whose ownership includes principals of KMOD, Modesto. Citing McClatchy' s long history of radio and newspaper activity, Donahue said: "Viewed in its entirety, [McClatchy' s record] is symbolic of the type of activity that has made radio the great medium it is today. To those v/ho would say such activity has been dictated by self-interest we reply that, if so, it has been an enlightened self-interest and highly beneficial to the public." This record, he said, more than offsets fact that McClatchy owns AM and newspaper in Sacramento. FCC's denial of addition of Ch. 6 to Logansport, Ind. last week (Vol. 9:45) was followed by text of opinion this week. One statement is particularly noteworthy: "It should be kept in mind that [WSAL] is not quarreling with the number of assignments to Logansport but merely to the fact that a vhf channel has not been assigned, asserting -that the uhf channel assigned there is worthless. In making the numerous assignments in the Sixth Report, the Commission recognized that many of these assignments would not be utilized for a number of years. The mere fact that applications for many of the channels assigned have not yet been filed in the relatively short period since the lifting of the freeze is no indication that such assignments are wasted or worthless." In other actions. Commission: (1) Granted WNHC-TV, New Haven, Conn., permission to operate simultaneously on both Ch. 6 and new Ch. 8 for 30 days before switching completely to latter. FCC saw no objection to such operation which is for purpose of giving viewers time to adjust to new channel. (2) Issued initial decision proposing to deny application of WLAN, Lancaster, Fa. for WGAL-TV's Ch. 8. In the most litigious case since freeze, examiner J.D. Bond said WLAN should be "denied for default" for failing to come forward at hearing with evidence on its financial qualifications. (3) Set Dec. 11 for start of following hearings — St. Louis, Mo., Ch. 4 ; Houston, Tex. , Ch. 13; Ogden, Utah, Ch. 9. (4) Decided to meet Nov. 17 and hammer out a final decision on multiple ownership rules — if possible. Personal Moles: James M. Gaines, onetime NBC v.p. who resigned to become v.p. in charge of General Teleradio’s WOR & WOR-TV div. and member of MBS board, leaves Dec. 31 to become gen. mgr. of WOAI-TV & WOAI, San Antonio, succeeding Arden X. Pangborn, now editor of Portland Oregon Journal . . . Cyril M. Braum resigns as chief of TV div., FCC, to become engineering consultant for Joint Committee on Educational TV ; leading contender as successor is Joseph Nelson, chief of TV applications branch. Resignation is second major one in recent months, hearing div. chief Frederick Ford having joined Justice Dept.; top candidate for that vacancy is asst, chief Robert Rawson . . . Samuel B. Groner, for last 6 months law secy, to FCC Comr. Hennock, and before that for 7 years in Dept, of Justice, has resigned to enter private practice; successor is Arthur Blooston, from FCC Bureau of Safety & Special Services . . . Jack R. Poppele, ex-engineering v.p., WOR-TV & WOR, named v.p. in charge of industrial advertising, Scheck Adv. Agency, Newark . . . Henry E. Rhea promoted to chief engineer, operations & maintenance, WTFIL-TV & WFIL, succeeding Louis E. Littlejohn, now chief engineer of WHUM-TV, Reading . . . James Richards named eastern sales mgr. of General Teleradio’s Don Lee network and KHJ-TV, Los Angeles, succeeding George Whitney, now gen. mgr. of KFMB-TV & KFMB, San Diego (Vol. 9:45) . . . A1 Constant promoted from operations mgr. to station mgr. of KONA, Honolulu . . . Larry Walker resigns as v.p. & secy.treas. of Jefferson Standard Bcstg. Co. and asst. gen. mgr. of its WBTV & WBT, Charlotte, to become exec, v.p.-gen. mgr. of TV operations for WSOC-AM-FM, Charlotte, ap plicant for Ch. 9 . . . James Wm. Lucas, exWorld Broadcasting System, named gen. mgr. of new KTAG-TV, Lake Charles, La. . . . Charles F. Grisham, ex-gen. sales mgr. WLWA, Atlanta, named local sales mgr. of WABT, Birmingham (formerly WAFM-TV) . . . Robert C. Weigand promoted from sales mgr. to asst. gen. mgr. of WTVN, Columbus, under J. W. McGough; Edward G. Richter Jr. now sales mgr. . . . John E. North, ex-WOR-TV, appointed sales mgr. of new KEDD, Wichita (Ch. 16) . . . Robert C. Rheineck appointed chief engineer, CBS-TV newsfilm dept. . . . George Jenkins, theatrical designer, named head of CBS color TV design dept. . . . Andrew Ross named director of graphic arts, ABC-TV . . . Douglas G. Cole, exWREX, Duluth (not related to mgr. James C. Cole) named chief engineer of WFTV there, succeeding Normal P. Gill, who returns to WEBC . . . Wm. Wood, CBS-TV Washington director of public affairs, named gen. mgr. of upcoming educational WQED, Pittsburgh (Ch. 13), due in Jan. . . . Georgia McCarty, ex-WORZ, Orlando, named promotion mgr. of WVEC-TV, Hampton-Nox-folk, Va. . . . Jack Ryan, ex-NBC Chicago public relations mgr., named Zenith asst, public relations director . . . Francis Coleman named program director, CBMT, Montreal; Fernand Guerard, program director, CBFT, Toronto . . . George Diefenderfer promoted to mgr. of network radio sales, NBC cental div. . . . Eugene S. King, ex-program director, WEEI, Boston, named chief of radio branch, U. S. Information Agency, Paris, reporting to director Theodore F. Streibert . . . lleber Wolsev, ex-KSL and recently TVradio director of Gilham Adv., Salt Lake City, appointed journalism instructor at Brigham Young U.