Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1962)

4 JANUARY 8, 1962 CURRENT CAPSULES Speculation about Ch. 3 Philadelphia was renewed last week when Ford filed amendment to Philco's application before FCC — which seeks comparative hearing with NBC's WRCV-TV. Amendment reflects Ford's takeover of Philco. Ford counsel William Gossett told us: "It was filed to comply with FCC rules. Since the matter is pending before the Commission, we don't propose to discuss it publicly." FCC wants full story on Miami Ch. 6, last week ordered cancellation of initial decision favoring South Fla. Amusement Co. and a further hearing to explore "faked letter" and "log concealment" charges against applicant's Pres. Sherwin Grossman (Vol. 1:5 pi, et seq.). Commission said it couldn't conclude, from written responses, either that Grossman faked letters to FCC, as charged by competitor Coral TV Corp., or that he had nothing to do with them, as he has told Commission. Letters were from Buffalo civic leaders, urging FCC to shift Grossman's uhf WBUF-TV to Ch. 8. "Log concealment" charge is that Grossman falsely testified in Miami hearing that he had turned WBUF-TV logs over to NBC when he sold station to network. View of TV-radio's freedom-of-speech position, as seen by Wall St. Journal Pres. Bernard Kilgore (Vol. 1:9 pi), is "short-sighted," according to NBC Chmn. Robert W. Sarnoff in one of his memos to TV-radio editors. Kilgore had said: "We are going to get the issue of freedom of the press obscured dangerously if we try to stretch it to fit the radio & TV industries that operate and apparently must operate for some time in the future under govt, licenses." Said Sarnoff: "American newspapers face no threat to their freedom today; nobody is dreaming of licensing them. They would have nothing to gain but a bad precedent if the govt, were permitted to infringe the freedom of broadcasters." He said, however, he continues to believe that FCC has right to hold broadcasters "reasonably accountable" for program promises. Personals Peter B. Kenney named NBC Washington vp, a position which has been vacant since resignation several years ago of Frank M. (Scoop) Russell who continues as consultant to NBC. Stanley B. Cohen & Stanley Neustadt advance to partnership in Cohn & Marks, Washington communications law firm. . . . George Moore, WRGP-TV Chattanooga sales mgr., named vp. . . . N. Thomas Eaton, news dir., WTIC-TV & WTIC Hartford, promoted to news vp. Dr. Gerhart D. Wiebe, former asst, to pres, of CBS, and CBS Radio psychologist 1946-55, leaves Elmo Roper & Associates to become Dean of Boston U. School of Public Relations & Communications. . . . Marvin Lowe appointed Screen Gems North Central Div. sales mgr. Rupert Copponex, ex-producer-dir., WDSU-TV & WWL-TV New Orleans, leaves own ad agency to rejoin WWL-TV as program dir. Robert L. Tuttle & Paul S. Watson, both ex-WSFATV Montgomery, named sales mgr. & operations dir., respectively, of new WCCB-TV Montgomery, going on air about Feb. 1. Duncan Miller, ex-Magazine Advertising Bureau promotion dir. & former promotion mgr. of radio WABC N.Y., named TvB sales promotion dir. James P. Storer, ex-national sales mgr., radio WIBG Philadelphia, named asst. gen. mgr., radio WJW Cleveland; he is son of Storer Bcstg. Chmn. George B. Storer Sr. Robert C. Doyle, ex-ABC & NBC, and a former dir. of David Brinkley's Journal, named National Geographic Society TV Services Div. chief . . . John Brigham appointed San Francisco TV mgr. of Peters, Griffin, Woodward. Kenneth Curto, sales mgr., Triangle’s WFIL-TV Philadelphia, named gen. mgr. of group’s radio KFRE Fresno, succeeding H. George Carroll, assigned to hq staff, Philadelphia . . . John S. Stewart named Devney-O’Connell N.Y. vp & sales mgr. Liquor advertising charge against radio KBEA Mission, Kan., was dropped by NAB Code Authority which ruled station did not willfully or grossly violate code in recent ads which caused month’s loss-of-license for a Shawnee, Kan. liquor store. Tapes of KBEA broadcasts made by code monitors on Nov. 29 & Dec. 6 contained mention of word “liqueur” & use of word “liquor” as part of store name. Code Authority Dir. Robert D. Swezey said broadcasts took place prior to new code ruling that word “liquor” cannot be used even in store name, and that infractions did not warrant disciplinary action. Kan. liquor laws prohibit advertising of liquor. Attack on FTC, in Jan. 5 Wall St. Journal, belabors agency for inaugurating Congressional-type investigation hearing in St. Regis Paper Co. case (Vol. 2:1 p4). “Now there’s nothing necessarily wrong with an open hearing,” Journal said, “except that in this case the plain and privately admitted intent was to do no small amount of browbeating. The FTC likes the procedure so much it’s toying with the idea of investigating not only companies but whole industries in this fashion. And it probably would simplify the agency’s work and speed its decisions if it could cow all concerned at one fell swoop.” Application for Ch. 37, Montclair, N.J., is being prepared by N.J. Educational TV Corp., which plans station as first of 6 interconnected educational stations in state. Station is scheduled to be in operation this year, with 500 kw ERP. Orville J. Sather of Teaneck is president of the corporation. Installed last week as members of the board of trustees were 3 N.J. university presidents, including former TV performer (Herb Shriner Show) Dr. Mason Gross of Rutgers. FCC Chmn. Newton Minow has been named one of nation’s 10 outstanding young men, in annual selection by U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, will receive award at ceremonies in Santa Monica, Cal. Jan. 19-20.