U. S. Radio (Oct 1957-Dec 1958)

HOMETOWN U.S.A. Station log Radio News Coverage Focuses On the Middle East Crisis Disregarding the loss in many cases of commercial announcements and program revenue, stations around the nation have been giving the Middle East uproar lull and olten imaginative coverage. The United Nations' special sessions replaced progranmiing on many stations. VVTRE Cleveland aired the sessions on both am and fm and also arranged to relay the UX signal to its 47-station, iom-state baseball network and to local university radio stations. WERE even went as far as stationing girls with portables on street corners to keep an interested public up to dale. .\nd to gauge citi/en reaction in three major areas, the station's news director joined with his counterparts of WWDC Washington and WTMJ Milwaukee in a broadcast. Coverage of the Beirut Marine landings was given a personal angle by KITE San Antonio, Tex., which made arrangements to get the names of the almost 800 Texans reported in the force. The station ta|)ed the surpi iscd reactions of relatives of the Members of district three of the Southern California Broadcasters Association gathered at Arrowhead Springs Hotel are (left to right, first row) Norm Ostby, v.p. MBS; Ben Paschell, g.m. KFXM San Bernardino; Bob Blashelt, g.m. KCMJ Palm Springs; Lloyd SIgmon, v.p. KMPC Los Angeles; Cal Smith, president KFAC Los Angeles. In second row (left to right) are John Michel, KDES Palm Springs; J. B. Robinson and Loyal VIckers, KPRO Riverside; Harry White, KWTC Barstow; R. T. MacKenzie, KCSB San Bernardino; Harry Voelker, KDES; Clair A. Weldener and Lee Batch, KCSB, and Art Holbrook, managing director of SCBA. leathernecks. VVK.\P .AUentown, Pa., provided a similar service, announcing the names of Sixth Fleet and .\rmy personnel from the Lehigh Valley area and interviewing some of the relatives. WSKV Asheville, X. C, piu through telephone calls to various world leaders to learn their rea( tions to the crisis. These resulted in: .\ talk with Premier Kiirusiichev's personal secretary, a reminder from former President Truman that he supported the President's action in sending the Marines and inter\iews with French and British columnists. Although ^VSKV could not get through to Piime Ministei .McMillan, it did get a direct report of a BBC poll which showed the "man in the street" solidly behind the British landing in (oiclan. Network aHdiates also had the op portunity to give the crisis a full news treatment as the network neAvs staffs went all out to provide worldwide coverage. Newscasts, live UN pi(k-ups, reports from overseas correspoiukius and expert analyses preempted many programs during thepeaks of the crisis. Radio Activity • Tlic W'uilcl (jf the Mind, a series of prcjgrams encompassing "a wide KMige of tojjics in science and theluiiiianiiies," has been made available without charge to stations, libraries and boards of education by Broadcast .Music Inc. The series was written by more than 50 "outstanding .\merican scientists and teachers" in cooperation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Council of Learned Societies. • The National Council of Disc Jockeys for Public Service Inc., in association with the USO, has sent 10 disc jockeys on a 21 -day European tour to entertain armed forces personnel and civilian populations. Making the tour are Paul Berlin of KNUZ Houston; Lad Carleton of More tha i 500 voles of confidence from listeners to music program of San Francisco Federal Savings & Loan Assn. are counted by (left to right) Richard Travis, Knollln Advertising Agency; Jonathan Schiller of KCBS; E. Ronald Long, president of the bank, and Harry Untermeyer, KCBS general manager. WKBR Maiulusiei, N. H.: Eddie C;i;nk ol W'lIP, Kansas City, .Mo.; Buddy Deane ol WJZ-TV Baltimore; Elliot Field of KFWB Los Angeles; Larry Fisc her of KTS.\ San Aiuonio; Phil McLean of WERE Clevehuid; Tom OP.iien of WINS New York: Art Pallan of KDKA Pittsburgh, ;iiul Clark Reid of WJBK Detroit. • KYW-FM Cleveland began operations August 1 as "a fine arts station" featuring classical nuisic. E\eiilu;illy, according to Rolland \'. I ooke, Cleveland vice president for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., the station Avill provide spec iali/ccl piogranuiiing to "ajiproach in sound . . . the intellectual life in this area." • KFfI Klamath Falls, Ore., is celebiatiiig its .^5th year oi brcxidcasting, having gone on the air as a 10 wattcr in 1923. It now operates with .5,000 watts in the daytime and 1,000 at night. The station was originally licensed by the Bureau of Navigation, Radio Department. • FCC ajjproval is being awaited by a company headed by Ben Strouse, president of WWDC W^ashington, D. C, which has jnirchased W^MBR Jacksonville, Fla., for more than .S400,()00. • • • 44 U. S. RADIO • September 1958