Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1961)

14 FEBRUARY 13, 1961 Congress Harris Committee Is Set: The House Commerce Com mittee under Chmn. Harris (D-Ark.) was ready for business again last week, reorganized for the 87th Congress. The Republican quota was strengthened by one member but otherwise the Committee remained virtually unchanged. Although the 21-12 Democratic-GOP ratio in the last session changed to 20-13, no re-elected Democrat lost his Commerce seat. Rep. Brock (D-Neb.), next-to-last ranking majority member, was defeated last November (Vol. 16:46 p5), so Harris had no party problem in adjusting to the new ratio. The 4th ranking GOP member, Rep. Derounian (N.Y.), dropped off the Committee. A member of the now-dissolved Legislative Oversight Subcommittee, he was tapped by the Republican leadership for an assignment to the more important Ways & Means Committee instead. To replace Derounian & fill the extra Commerce spot, the House Republican Conference picked freshman reps. Sibal (Conn.) & Thomson (Wis.). They go to the bottom of Commerce’s GOP roster. Meanwhile, Republican Reps. St. George (N.Y.), Smith (Cal.) and Hoffman (111.) were assigned to the expanded Rules Committee, which is counted on this year to clear any federal-aid-to-ETV legislation for a floor vote (Vol. 17:6 pl4). All are political conservatives opposed to school-aid bills, but pro-ETV Democrats still had an 8-7 edge on the traffic-controlling committee. The House reorganization left Harris in his usual control of the Commerce Committee machinery, but cogs in his personal political machine back home in Ark. may need some oiling before the 1962 election. Because the state’s population dropped and the Ark. legislature was forced into redistricting which joined districts represented bv Harris & Rep. Norrell (D), one of the legislators faces elimination in 2 years. Commerce member Moulder (D-Mo.), first Oversight Subcommittee chmn. who narrowly won re-election (Vol. 17:2 p4), was back at his old stand, but it still was shaky. His GOP opponent, Baptist minister Robert Bartel, filed an official election protest with the House Administration Committee, alleging irregularities at the polls. The Administration Committee made no immediate move for any investigation, however. Investigative work by the Commerce Committee this year was laid out in a House-approved jurisdictional resolution (H. Res. 108) authorizing probes in a dozen areas. Among them: (1) “Allocation of radio spectrum, color TV, pay TV, educational TV, ownership & control of communications facilities, technical developments in the communications field, and the administration by the FCC of the statutes which it administers.” (2) “Advertising, fair competition and labeling, and the administration by the FTC of the statutes which it administers.” FCC-requested bill (S-683), cutting down on the Commission’s paper work by eliminating some requirements for sworn documents in cases (Vol. 17:6 pl3), has been approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. Action on a companion FCC measure (S-684) by Chmn. Magnuson (DWash.), requiring painting of unused transmission towers, was held up by the Committee pending a possible amendment obliging owners of abandoned structures to tear them down. Identical bills (HR-4113 & 4114) have been introduced in the House by Commerce Chmn. Harris (D-Ark.). Power to reorganize any area of the govt.’s executive branch — subject to Congressional veto — has been approved by the Senate for President Kennedy. With little debate, the Senate passed & sent along to the House a bill (S-153) extending the Reorganization Act of 1949 to June 1, 1963 (Vol. 17:5 p8). The House is expected to approve the measure, which will pave the way for plans the President may submit in line with agency-reform proposals by White House advisor James M. Landis. The Senate vote came after Commerce Committee Chmn. Magnuson (D-Wash.) was given assurances by Administration floor leaders that his jurisdiction over regulatory bodies such as FCC won’t be impaired by terms of the bill. Cabinet status for a revamped expanded USIA, whose new dir. is ex-CBS commentator Edward R. Murrow (Vol. 17:6 p3), has been l-ecommended to Congress by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information. Headed by Yale’s Mark A. May, the Commission said in its 16th report that all foreign information, general education and cultural programs should be consolidated in a single independent agency. The top man in the agency should have direct access to the President, attend cabinet meetings and participate in National Security Council sessions, the Commission said. It criticized lack of coordination now between programs administered by the State Dept, and other govt, offices as well as by USIA. Attack on Edward R. Murrow, new USIA dir. (Vol. 17:6 p3), by the St. Paul Catholic weekly The Wanderer has been carried into the House by Rep. Knox (R-Mich.). Inserted in the Congressional Record by Knox, an editorial in the weekly said Murrow “has been widely regarded as soft on Communism.” At the same time, Sen. Wiley (RWis.) told his colleagues that he’s “delighted” with Murrow’s appointment. Wiley said Murrow’s “great ability” is needed by USIA. CBS Inc. Pres. Frank Stanton deserves his nomination by the Jan. 21 Saturday Review as “businessman of the year,” Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Magnuson IDWash.) told his colleagues. Inserting the text of the magazine’s citation in the Feb. 6 Congressional Record, Magnuson said: “I have known Frank Stanton for many, many years and join with the Saturday Review in saluting him. I commend the article to my colleagues & to the general public.” The magazine singled out Dr. Stanton’s Great Debate campaign last year, called him a “communicator-turned-crusader” for higher public service by broadcasting. Chorus of complaint in Congress against CBS-TV’s “Harvest of Shame" expose of migratoi’y farm workers’ living conditions (Vol. 17:6 pl3) has been joined by Sen. Holland (D-Fla.). He said in a Feb. 6 floor speech that the show was “grossly unfair to both migrant agricultural workers & their employers.” Advice to Congress & FCC on how to “improve broadcasting for our country” has been sent to N.C. Senate & House members by mgr. Lincoln Faulk of radio WCKB Dunn, N.C. Among other things, Faulk supported moves to prevent “fast-dollar” station sales within 3-year license periods. He also said “FCC has the power & duty to look into programming, and, short of censure, use its power to influence programming in the public interest.” The recommendations were inserted in the Feb. 9 Congressional Record by House Commerce Committee Chmn. Harris (DArk.), who was praised by Faulk for “fair & impartial” treatment of broadcasting’s problems.