TV's critical mass gathers for the NATPE FCC gets ready to give the money back o Feb14 Broadcastingand arts Our 46th Year 1976 The newsweekly of broadcasting allied ounErst,Lc dy With the 3reathtcking figuren The BionicWomcn' TI MCATV Sute 17H. Fontainebleau Towers -% 'Or cr,wher oPProPr'ole lile WORLDITISION proudly most powerful and OÎ motion pictures RME FEATURING TITLES SUCH AS: TOUCH OF CLASS FEAR ON TRIAL GIVE 'EM HELL, HARRY NIGHT WATCH o COLD SWEAT0 HEDDA I WILL, I WI LL... FOR NOW CALL OF THE WILD o SWEET HOSTAGE nnounces the have ev released 26 MOTION PICTURES OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY And such stars as: George C. Scott Glenda Jackson Charles Bronson Elizabeth Taylor George Segal Linda Blair David Janssen Liv Ullmann Elliott Gould Jennifer O'Neill Lee Majors Sally Struthers James Whitmore Cloris Leachman James Mason Valerie Harper Fred MacMurray Dorothy Malone Freddie Prinze Keenan Wynn VISIT US AT NATPE FONTAINEBLEAU- TOWERS SUITE 16 -C 1,,..., // IS WORLDVISION \\\'.I . // ENTERPRISES INC. MOW/ THE WORLD'S LEADING DISTRIBUTOR FOR INDEPENDENT TELEVISION PRODUCERS New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Munich, Mexico City, Rome THE HOLD- THE-PRESSES SITCOM MORE NEWS THAN IS FUN TO PRINT EXTRA /o tnçcte Oautp QElironírte THE MOST INCREDIBLE CIRCULATION IN THE WEST VOL. 1 PART ONE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1977 DAILY 50¢ (and worth more!) "Front Page Feeney "- Yongestreet's New Half -Hour Situation Comedy Series Ties Viewers Into Knotts of Laughter! "Hee Haw" Company Don Knotts Is "Front Page Feeney ;' to Nashville for Chronicle's Most Inept Reporter. June,1977 Taping MIAMI BEACH (AP, UPI, to become the newspaper's ace REUTERS) -Don Knotts, the reporter. NASHVILLE - "Hee Flaw" famed comedian of television Other regular characters in producer Sam Lovullo has an- Fir and motion pictures, returns to Yongestreet's hilarious comedy nounced that Buck Owens, Roy TV as the star of "Front Page series include "Flash" Fletcher, Clark and the entire cast of "Flee Feeney,' a new half -hour situa- the fearless photographer; Bob- Haw" will return to Music City don comedy to be presented by by Greer, young, beautiful, gor- U.S.A. in June to tape the first Yongestreet Productions as a geously stacked women's libber 13 of 26 all -new hour shows for prime time access series, it was who is the newsroom's copy per - the 1977 -78 season. announced at the N.A.T.PE. son; and Mel Bainbridge, the All regulars will be on hand Don Knotts In the title role of Don Chronicle's famed, powerful and for the multi -week taping sched- Feeney, Knotts will portray a commanding managing editor ule at WTVF Studios. Some 26 Knotts Winner of newsman on the staff of a fic- (played by Edward Andrews). guest stars will also go before tional metropolitan paper, the In the past years, Yongestreet the cameras. Five Emmy Awards Los Angeles Daily Chronicle. has produced such successful net - George Lindsey, one of the Howard Morris, who is direct- work series as 'The Hollywood ing the describes the char- "Hee Haw" regulars, will be on Five -time Emmy winner Don pilot, Palace,' "The Julie Andrews acter as a hand at the N.A.T.PE. Knotts has often been called the Knotts portrays "Walter Hour" and, currently, "Sonny comedian's comedian." And with Mitty type. In his fantasies, he and Cher." Network specials in- good reason! He began to learn is the demon reporter who cov- dude Perry Como, Herb Alpert his craft by listening to radio ers the most dangerous stories, and "Swing Out, Sweet Land,' broadcasts of such masters of often at the risk of life and limb. starring John Wayne, which has timing as Jack Benny and Edgar He rips the mask off evil -doers, now aired three times. Bergen. penetrates areas fraught with Yongestreet's philosophy has The proof that Knotts learned danger and scoops his rivals with always been to give the access well can be found in his success Pulitzer Prize- winning exposes. time period network quality pro - on stage, screen and television. Actually, however, it is the ductions. "Front Page Feeney' is The native of Morgantown, W. research that Feeney does with no exception. From star Don Va, was a fixture on Broadway the aid of the lady who loves Knotts to the script written by in the comedy hit, "No Time for him, Babs Lovelace of the JohnAylesworth,FrankPeppiatt Sergeants,' and was a smash in Chronicle's morgue (played by and Jack Burns to Howard Mor- a tour of Neil Simon 's comedy Susan Tolsky), which enables ris' directorial expertise, it's top hit, "Last of the Red Hot Lovers." dashing, handsome Steve Bradley quality all the way. Buck Owens and Roy Clark He appeared in the movie ver- sion of "Sergeants" and his 12 THE WEATHER other cinematic assignments in- clude starring roles in two recent NEWS BULLETIN National Weather Service fore- Walt Disney hits, "Apple Dump- You can see Don Knotts in reel life - and possibly in real life cast: There's a chance of rain or ling Gang" and No Deposit, -in Suite 1583 -4 -5 of the Fontainebleau Hotel. For those shine today and tomorrow. The No Return," and the soon- to -be- who cannot attend, please call or write Alan Courtney, Presi- temperature will range from high released "Herbie Goes To Monte dent, Yongestreet Program Services - 213/273 -8290 - 357 to low with the possibility of Carlo." His television success is N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. medium range, either Fahrenheit written in that medium's history or Centigrade. books. Broadcasting _ Feb14 TheWeek in Brief IT'S SERIOUS Networks admit that advertiser pressure ranging from common -carrier to minority ownership. on violence is going to bring about changes in PAGE 60. programing. PAGE 29. FILLING THE BARREL Cox will buy another FM station, QUALIFIED HELP Producers are willing to go along with in Philadelphia, giving it seven, the number allowed efforts to reduce violence as long as their freedoms aren't by the FCC. PAGE 67. restricted. PAGE 29. REPLY -TO- CARTER TIME The three commercial GETTING CLOSER At its annual convention, PBS tones networks plan huddles with GOP leaders to discuss time down its demands of CPB in any partnership agreement. for answers to future addresses by the President. PAGE 68. PAGE 31. COMPARATIVE COMMERCIALS Ogilvy & Mather report WILEY'S SUCCESSOR? Tip O'Neill's general counsel, claims that ads involving competing products create Charles Ferris, is the front -runner at the moment for the negative impressions. PAGE 76. FCC chairmanship, but only time will tell. PAGE 31. MORE BOOM BUYING TV advertisers bought MIAMI MARKETPLACE Station programers will be substantially more network minutes in fringe time, talking about innovative programing concepts at this according to TVB analyses of 1976 purchases. PAGE 78. week's NATPE convention, but it's the game shows they'll be buying. PAGE 32. EVERYTHING was UP CBS Inc. sales went over the $2- billion mark in 1976 as the company set new records for WARNER CABLE'S PLAN Extensive service with two - the fifth straight year. PAGE 81. way programing and many other facilities is in the cards for Columbus, Ohio. PAGE 33. NUTS, BOLTS AND RUBLES El A jubilant NBC explains how and why it committed $100 million or more to the STRIKING THE COLORS FCC Chairman Richard Wiley 1980 summer Olympics in Russia. PAGE 84. has all but given up on mandate to collect fees from those it regulates. He tells Congress that proper legislation will PARRYING WITH ASCAP The music licensing have to be passed before the commission can charge its organization wants to hike fees for radio stations, but customers again. PAGE 48. broadcaster representatives counter with a demand for a 25% cut. PAGE 86. THE BIG PAYOFF Investigation on payola and plugola begins this week. PAGE 48. DING -DONG CRISIS The record cold has shut down many schools, but it isn't keeping radio, TV and cable WITH PEN IN HAND The House Communications from bringing the classroom into the home. PAGE 91. Subcommittee's budget is almost doubled as prelude to its rewrite of the Communications Act. PAGE 55. SPECTRUM SPACE The battle continues in comments filed at the FCC about the stances to be taken at the 1979 REPORT CARD Senate committee releases study on all WARC. PAGE 97. government agencies, including the FCC. PAGE 55. VTR COMPATABILITY Broadcasters set up meetings MAKING THE GRADE CPB President Henry Loomis with manufacturers in hopes of getting uniform standards asks Congress for $160- million ceiling for 1980, but for one-inch recorders. PAGE 98. legislators say minority records should be improved or money may be hard to get. PAGE 58. PBS GETS NOD FCC authorizes public broadcasting's plan for satellite transmission. It will cost $40 million. HELD ACCOUNTABLE WSTC -AM -FM appeals judge's PAGE 98. decision that it can be sued for editing of political candidates' radio spots. PAGE 6o. NATPE'S BOYER. He's a man with a mission: To get TV owners to afford full status to their programing IN THE MONEY FCC allocates $300,000 to projects executives. PAGE 121. Index to departments Closed Circuit 7 Finance 81 Playlist 96 Broadcast Advertising... 76 Datebook 16 For the Record 107 Profile 121 Broadcast Journalism. 81 Editorials 122 Media 48 Programing 84 Business Briefly 10 Equip & Engineering 97 Monday Memo 8 Stock Index 119 Changing Hands 60 Fates & Fortunes 100 Open Mike 24 Top of the Week 29 Broadcast mgg is published 51 Mondays a year (combined Issue at yearend) by Broadcasting Publications Inc.