Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOL. 16: No. 40 Stations THAT FINANCIAL FORM 324: Broadcasters are irked, naturally, with FCC’s proposal to require a greatly increased amount of financial information in its annual questionnaire form 324 (Vol. 16:45 p3). But the Commission will give the industry plenty of time to get its irks off its chest — having last week extended the deadline for comments from Dec. 9 to Feb. 1, as requested by NAB. Though the new form asks for approximately the same amount of information that FCC used to get up to 1953, the industry had hoped that its long-fought battle for simplification would stay won. However, we’re told that the FCC move for more information was produced by the belief of some Commissioners that they can better judge a station’s ability to carry out its programming plans by having more extensive financial data on hand. Most industry complaints are focused on the proposed requirement that operators disclose their non-broadcast investments & income. NAB has asked its members to supply it their views which will be used as a basis for NAB’s comments. Radio vp John Meagher reports that about 30 comments have been received so far. Of these, he says, about 80% have objections to various aspects of the FCC proposal, while the balance say they don’t care one way or the other. Some operators may not be aware that the Commission keeps replies in strict confidence and therefore think their financial souls will be bared. However, most are aware of the confidential nature of their replies, but they see no public benefit in filing the data. Actually, most are irritated with the work involved. To smaller stations, it’s quite a headache. If the Commission goes through with its revision plans, the new form won’t be adopted until well into 1961. Therefore, broadcasters won’t have to use the form until they get it in 1962, covering 1961. One broadcaster termed the move “a step backward.” “I have the feeling that the FCC believes it’s on the spot and must make a showing to Congress,” he said. “I imagine that the Hill has asked for data that the Commission doesn’t have — and it wants to be able to comply.” Another broadcaster had similar thoughts: “I think that the FCC is reacting to political & other pressures, and deems it necessary to give off an aura of more intensive regulation. But there’s such a thing as overdoing it. The Commission should gather only the information it needs for legitimate regulatory functions.” WDAM-TV Laurel-Hattiesburg, Miss, has filed an application for transfer of control with FCC as follows: Wm. S. Smylie family, now 100% owner, will hold 43.75%, while S. A. Rosenbaum (11.5% of WTOK-TV Meridian) will have 43.75%, Marvin Reuben (vp-gen. mgr. of WDAM-TV) 8.33% & Jerry P. Keith (sales mgr. of WDAM-TV) 4.17%. Rosenbaum is to pay $5,250 and assume half of the station’s $100,691 in obligations. Reuben pays $1,000, Keith $500. The Smylies will have a first option to repurchase the stock of Reuben & Keith. WFRV (Ch. 5) Green Bay, Wis. has been sold for approximately $1.6 million to George Norton Jr., owner of WAVE-TV (Ch. 3) Louisville and WFIE-TV (Ch. 14) Evansville, Ind. The sellers also are grantees for WIRM (Ch. 8) Iron Mountain, Mich. 11 NEW & UPCOMING STATIONS: Piggy-back satellite operation began in Canada when CBUAT-1 (Ch. 9) Nelson, B.C. advanced its programming target from Dec. 1 and began Nov. 25 with the Grey Cup football game. The outlet is operated by CBC as a satellite of CBUAT (Ch. 11) Trail, B.C. which, in turn, operates as an unattended repeater of CBUT (Ch. 2) Vancouver, B.C. CBUAT-1 also is an unattended repeater. It uses a 150-watt Canadian GE transmitter with an antenna on a telephone company tower. CBUAT-1, along with CBUAT, is sold as a bonus to CBUT, which has a $680 hourly rate. The debut of the Nelson outlet raises the Canadian on-air total to 77. Note: WTVI Fort Pierce, Fla. which began programming Nov. 29 (Vol. 16:48 pl2) has $300 base hourly rate. Rep is Forjoe. * 4! J|S In our continuing survey of upcoming stations, here are the latest reports received from principals: XHFA (Ch. 2) Nogales, Mexico, planned as a Spanish & English border outlet, has a Christmas target, reports Mort Zimmerman, pres, of Electron Corp., which is supplying the transmitter. The owners are Drs. Felipe & Francisco Arriola, with the former to be gen. mgr. The transmitter will be on 5200-ft. Cabellero Mt., using a 150-ft. tower. Base hourly rate & sales rep not yet reported. Visalia, Cal. (Ch. 43), granted to Norwood J. Patterson’s Sierra Bcstg. Inc. will go on the air about Jan. 1, he reports. Patterson, who owns 40% of radio KSAN San Francisco, also owns the former plant of off-air KVVG Tulare (near Visalia), which has a 100-ft. guyed tower. It will use a GE transmitter. Sales rep not chosen. KOAP-TV (Ch. 10, educational) Portland, Ore. plans to begin tests Jan. 15, writes Grant S. Feikert, engineer for grantee Oregon State System of Higher Education. It has a 5-kw RCA transmitter on hand, but the studio-transmitter building is only 30% completed. KSLN-TV (Ch. 34) Salina, Kan., owned by Prairie States Bcstg. (radio KAWL York, Neb.), is expected to start tests next Feb. -March, but a programming target has not been set, according to Pres. Melville L. Gleason. It has a 1-kw RCA transmitter and most of the other equipment on hand, but the plans for the studio building are still on blueprints. It will use a 221-ft. tower. KVNU-TV (Ch. 12) Logan, Utah is planned as an educational outlet by its new owner Utah State U., according to Burrell F. Hansen, chairman of radio-TV at the school. Transfer of the CP from Cache Valley Bcstg. (KVNU) was approved by the FCC last Nov. 8. Utah State will ask for different call letters and hopes to have the outlet on the air a year from now. However, all plans are tentative, depending on how the state legislature acts on a request for an appropriation. A studio with TV-tape recording facilities is being completed for the school, and it expects to use this for Ch. 12 also. Boyd Humpherys will be chief engineer. Anti-payola consent orders drawn up by FTC have been signed by these record firms, settling cases in which they were charged with making illegal payments to TV & radio disc jockeys: General Distributing Co., Baltimore; Triumph Records Inc., N.Y.; Jay Kay Distrib. Co., Detroit. Transfer of KBAK-TV (Ch. 29) Bakersfield, Cal. from the Chronicle Publishing Co. to Reeves Bcstg. & Development Corp. was effected Nov. 15.