Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 44 TELEVISION DIGEST-5 NEW & UPCOMING STATIONS: WGHP-TV (Ch. 8) Greensboro-Hlgh Point & Winston-Salem, N. C. started Oct. 14 ) as ABC-TV outlet. The following day, WMEB-TV (Ch. 13 ETV) Orono, Me. began programming. They are year's 11th & 12th new starters, raise operating TV total to 646, of which 83 are ETV. WATR-TV Waterbury, Conn, got program test authorization Oct. 16 for move to Ch. 20 from Ch. 53. WGHP-TV has 25-kw RCA transmitter, 1255-ft. Kline tower near Sophia, N. C. , studios in Sheraton Hotel, High Point. Principal owner (55%) is WinstonSalem Bcstg. Co. (James W. Coan, pres.) which operates radios WTOB Winston-Salem; WSGN Birmingham, Ala.; KTHT Houston. Coan is pres. & gen. mgr. of WGHP-TV; Nat Tucker, ex-WBTV Charlotte, is program & production dir.; Leo Derrick, ex-WFMY-TV Greensboro, promotion & public relations dir.; Charles Harville, ex-WFMY-TV, sports dir.; Fred Barber, exWSOC-TV Charlotte, news dir. Rep is Storer TV sales. Base hour is $800. WMEB-TV has 25-kw RCA transmitter, 260-ft. guyed tower. Owner is U. of Maine, which also holds CP for WMEM (Ch. 10) Presque Isle. John W. Dunlop is gen. mgr.; Robert X. MacLauchlin, program dir.; Donald Robert, production mgr.; Roger W. Hodgkins, chief engineer. * * * * * In our continuing survey of upcoming stations, here are latest reports received from principals: KBLU-TV (Ch. 13) Yuma, Arlz. has ordered Dynair transmitter, hasn't specified delivery date but plans to \ begin programming Dec. 1 as a CBS affiliate. Tests start Nov. 15, reports Robert W. Crites, gen. mgr. Construction of studio-transmitter building at 1320 Fourth Ave. began early in Sept. It will use 200-ft. Blaw-Knox tower with Jampro antenna. Rep is Grant Webb & Co. , base hour $175. , KNMT (Ch, T2) Walker, Minn, has changed program I ming target to Dec. , writes Glenn W. Flint, gen. mgr. I of owner KCMT (Ch. 7) Alexandria, Minn. RCA 2-kw i transmitter is being installed in studio-transmitter building near Hackensack, Minn. It will pick up NBC -TV via microwave relay from KCMT. Base hour will be $150. Avery-Knodel will be rep. WMEM (Ch. 10 ETV) Presque Isle, Me. has 25-kw 1 RCA transmitter due by Nov. 15, plans Jan. 1 programf ming start, reports John W. Dunlop, gen. mgr. of WMEM < and WMEB-TV Orono, Me. Construction of studios & I transmitter house has been nearly completed; 400-ft. I Stainless tower is scheduled for erection by Nov. 1. KCOY-TV (Ch. 12) Santa Marla, Cal. plans Feb. start, according to James H. Ranger, gen. mgr. , one of 5 owners of grantee Central Coast Television. It has just started construction. GE 10-kw transmitter and 147ft. tower have been ordered, for delivery by Nov. 15. Rep will be Venard, Torbet & McConnell. WXXW (Ch. 20 ETV) Chicago, 111. planned as second ■j outlet by Chicago Eductional TV Assn. , plans to start » "during summer of 1964," writes Duane M. Weise, dir. ) of engineering for WTTW (Ch. 11 ETV) there, which has been on the air since Sept. 1955. Equipment hasn't been ordered, but transmitter will be at 135 S. LaSalle St. , also site of WTTW. It will use a circular 100-ft. tower I to be manufactured to order. "Distortion of the facts" in Ky. campaign for governor between Democrat Edward Breathitt and GOP Louie B. Nunn brought FCC "fairness doctrine" into play. Supporters of Nunn had sent stations radio spots including quote from a President Kennedy news conference, and Ky. Bcstrs. Assn, asked Commission for ruling on their obligations. Spot was as foUows: "The news conference of Pres. John F. Kennedy, originating from the main auditorium of the State Dept, in Washington. Ladies & Gentlemen, the President of the United States. [Voice, presumably that of President Kennedy]: 'Good afternoon ladies & gentlemen. I would say that over the long run we are going to have a mix. This will be true racially, socially, ethnically, geographically, and that's really, finally, the best way.' Breathitt supports this Kennedy policy. Vote against it. Vote NunnLawrence." Commission then quoted from the press conference, showing that foregoing was clear distortion. Kennedy' s use of "mix" referred to lineup of voters, had no implication of miscegenation— that although majority of Negroes vote Democratic, Republicans "could get the support of the Negroes, but I think they have to recognize the very difficult problems the Negro faces." FCC also said there's no "equal-time" obligation of station to carry the announcement—because no personal use of the station by a candidate is involved. "Remarkably little imagination or ingenuity" has been shown by broadcasters in their comments on FCC's proposal to limit commercials, according to Comr. Lee Loevinger. In Nov. 1 speech before Ore. Assn, of Bcstrs. in Portland, he said he could think of several ways to approach subject, though he wasn't proposing or recommending them: (1) Require that amount of station's program content be no less than NAB Codes at any particular time— thus permitting flexibility as Codes change. (2) Establish time standards— NAB' s or some other— "which were considered as prima facie or presumptive specifications of the public interest but which were not conclusive or compelling." (3) Let each station describe its own code to FCC— specifying its maximum time for commercials, minimum time for news and "public service content"— and Commission would hold station to such code. Loevinger also repeated his view that FCC does remarkably good job, despite "stupendous" workload. He'd delegate much more authority to staff. Gov. Collins in Columbus, O. Nov. 1, in speech to Ohio Assn, of Bcstrs. , said of FCC Chmn. Henry's "Omaha Report" on local live programming: "The major conclusion reached by Mr. Henry is that the people have to be told by the FCC what TV ought to be doing. . . Frankly I share his concern, as I think do most TV broadcasters, for the continued improvement of local live programming. . . But I would say to Mr. Henry that his remedy is worse than the illness he diagnoses. " Forfeitures of $600 each, from the 4 Minneapolis TVs, were affirmed by FCC last week. It held stations guilty of failing to identify sponsor of one -min. spots in a Sunday store-closing controversy (Vol. 2:37 p2). In decision. Commission defined "willfuUy" & "repeated," as used in connection with violations, "Willfully, " FCC said, "does not require a showing that the licensee knew he was actir^ wrongfully; it requires only that the Commission establish that the licensee knew that he was doing the acts in questionin short, that the acts were not accidental (such as brushing against a power knob or switch)." "Repeatedly," FCC said, "means simply more than once."