Variety (Apr 1942)

Wednesday, AptU 1, 1942 f ^/E f r . ' EADIO 31 NO TELEVISION MOTHBALIS -f r : '. ■■ Trade Commisb Says 'Oh, Yeah' to Television Come-On, Orders It Out BUT [USING OF RULES^ROBIIBLE Expensive Side Issue of Broadcasting Expected to Stay Primed on Sidelines for Post-War Greenlight— Meantime MateriB|^s and Manpower Grow Scarce and Existing Requirements Are Stem FLY GIVES VIEWS Washington, March 31. Relaxation of present ■ television operating rules Is a reasonable ex- pectation, though operators almost certainly "won't be allowed to do as they please. For the duration, the FCC is on the verge of shelving the present minimum-hour requirement while still seeing to it that ticket- holders continue attempting to per- fect the system. Shortages of men and. materials make a modification probable. The War Production Board, in charge of releasing raw material?, and the in- exorable logic of the war are force- ful .factors in favor of easing ofl the present reqjilrements. With manu- facturers being steered into fabricat- ing guns, shells, ' instruments ■ and other. military materials, and with engineers, at a premium, the FCC will have a hard job explaining why the industry should keep going full scale, with no prost>ect of expanding the audience or attracting - sponsors. No concrete proposals have been unveiled. Commisb engineers.- how- ever, are described- as feeling that the minimum-hour figure should :be reduced materially. . Suggestions have been heaniv[ that the operators should ;be allowed" to use theit own discretion, "except that-all ticket- holders must'make periodic reports on their research and show they are not nierely keeping somebody else from using the ether. Moratorium? Whether the Commish will call a moratorium on construction of pre- viously authorized plants is debat- able. Chairman James L. Fly has said he-does not want unused au- thorizations outstanding. But any bulld-or-surrender order would hurt the applicants trying to break the alleged video 'monopoly' more thap others. Numerous aspirants are caught In a damned-lf-you-do situa- tion, in view <of the constantly tight- ening restrictions on building, etc. Fly's attitude is that television de- velopment must be encouraged and not allowed to stop, so the country can look forward to a post-war in- dustry which would help to take up the employment slack. At a recent press conference fie commented 'the thing we must do is' to keep tele- vision in a vigorous condition, and get all the benefit we can out. of this time which is necessarily devoi;ed to it, and then be ready to shoot the weU-rotmded industry when the let- down comes after the war. It will l>e of tremendous benefit not only to the industry, but to the country to bave such an industry that is ready to go.' The Army and Navy don't want television development stopped, though realizing there is little chance It will produce anything useful dur- ing this war. Gold-braiders most in- terested in. video operation now are occupied with other problems, and BO cannot keep close watch on the experimenters, but they do not favor complete shelving of television for the duration. Most likely guess, in the opinion of Industry people, is that television' will be shoved pretty much back into the laboratory until peace returns. Radio-Television Y'. P. Bankrupt, Owes $22,875 William R. MacDohald, vice-presi- dent of Radio-Television Institute, Inc., filed a volimtary petition in bankruptcy in N, Y. federal court Saturday (28) listing no assets and $22,875 in liabilities. In 1940. be earned $2,481 and in 1941, $2,957. Of the liabilities, $22,715 Is owed to Mary Gordon MacDonald on prom- issory notes. Other liabilities are doctor bills. GoT.-^J.' Howard McGrath of Rhode Island has named John J. Boyle, of WJAR, as Director of Public Rela- tions for the State Defense CounciL Changing Slogans Chicago, March 31. WIND, is changing its five-a- day series from 'Bulletins for Defense' to 'Bulletins for Vic- tory.' Such a switch Is typical of what Is being done to other pro- grams titles and. slogans. Nab Jap's Hideaway DX Eagle Pass, Texas, March 31. ' In a surprise raid made on homes of enemy aliens in the vicinity of Nueva Rosita, Coahuila (Mexico), 90 miles southwest of here, a power- ful shortwave transmitter was dis- covered in the home of a Japanese alien. Washington, March 31. Industrial and governmental drum.' beating about the imminence of television leaves the Federal Trade Commission cold. In curt phrase- ology, the hard-boiled copy reader^ bluepenclled statements of DeFor- est's Training Inc., Chicago, about the great opportunities visual radio holds for young men. Cease-and-desist order told the Chicago outfit Satur.iay (27) to quit asserting 'it won't be vttf long until many of the 23,000,000 homes in the U. S. will want -television recelven.' Commish skeptics explained that 're- gardless of the optimism of various individuals engaged in the television field with respect to its commercial development, delay after delay has occurred to postpone .that develop- ment, and the Involvement of tha nation' in hostilities will undoubtedly result Ih further delay.' I^dythe OIa«ammn,- formerly . with Columbia . Artists, joined the sales ataff of WjNE.W, New York. ^^/r IS NOT INCONVENIENCE^BUT UNEX- PLAINED INCONVENIENCE ^^ TBAT WILL BREAK DOWN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE^'' PAUL CABBETT, Vic* PimUwI «a4 Director ol Public H*Iallou GENERja MOTORS COIUPOUIIOII "Advertising's lask of smoojhing the •way all along Ihe channels of dislribxition belween factory and market will become infinitely more intricate as defense requirements exr tend the area of dislocation. "Many familiar products, familiar packages, accustomed buying habits are likely to be- come distvirbed. Advertising must lead ih* advertiser through this lebyiinlh of chang« by careful and cotitinuous explanation of why and wherefores. "It is not inconveiuence but unexplained inconvenience lhat will break down ipublic confidence." (m«t u, lut, mt afa c^Twuion) ^ To &• F—i BUM I> AMtleu MnlaMi wkoM ■■■ H» —J MtrnlUM <■ • tamlmg lyafcel of bUk U.AMtios'i Htmn . . . whwo iodiiiMU la MU wu tMa aMfliw Ant al MbMs.to A* i m imIi i •I Amilau ntoipib* ami 4*BMnor . . . OJi ifM* ii 4t<l— l i< hf Hm NallMi'f tttHm. Muriel PolUok's connection with NBC as staff organist winds up May 1 and she becomes a freelance. MeanwhUe she's taking a Miami va- cation with her husband. Will Don- aldson, and son, Ted,. WLV