Broadcasting Oct 31 - American Radio History

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I 1 TOP OF THE WEER L Meanwhile, at the FCC ...It's still open to question what the television networks would get out of the commission -even if Congress doesn't forbid the FCC from acting on the financial interest and network syndication rules. A decision the commission has tentatively adopted would eliminate many of the syndication, and all of the financial interest, restraints on the networks. While some are suggesting the FCC now would limit the networks to taking noncontrolling financial interests in independently produced programing, others say its too early to say the tentative decision won't fly "It is premature to say that the commissioners have arrived at any consensus," a high FCC official said last week. Nonetheless, FCC Chairman Mark Fowler, well aware of all the talk, has been powwowing with his fellow commissioners, "trying to see what the consensus is, and trying to come up with a consensus," another FCC official said. Other commission sources said Fowler wants to bring the proceeding to a conclusion, even if he has to settle for less than he might want. Said one insider: "If you can't win, you've got to come up with the best you can get." In an interview, Fowler said the commission was disappointed with the Senate vote. "We thought, and still think, the Congress would be better advised to let the expert agency complete its work," Fowler said. Fowler added that the Senate action must still be approved in conference with the House, and even if it is adopted, the legislation is a "procedural, not a substantive" thing, he said. (It would only prevent FCC from acting on its rulemaking for six months; beyond that, it doesn't take a stance on the proceeding.) "If the Congress passed a substantive piece of legislation, the agency would have to obey that mandate," Fowler said. Willard R. Nichols, Fowlers chief of staff, said the tentative decision had never been scheduled for Nov 23 ( "Closed Circuit," Oct. 24). Nichols added that the commission still hoped to conclude the proceeding this year, but didn't offer a date. Although Nichols said the chairman's office did have a "draft" from the bureau in its possession, that, he said, was "not a final draft by any means." sure's opponents might push to remove the language in making tradeoffs with the House. Senate conferees William Proxmire (D- Wis.), Thomas Eagleton (D -Mo.), AI- fonse D'Amato (R- N.Y.), Thad Cochran (R- Miss.) and J. Bennett Johnston (D -La.) sid- ed with Packwood. "During conference you're dealing with a whole different set of strategies. It's difficult to predict what will Bennet slated to head NPR Former AID administrator chosen by network's board to fill vacancy left by Mankiewicz Following a unanimous decision by the NPR board of directors, Douglas J. Bennet, former administrator of the Agency for Interna- tional Development, was elected president and chief executive officer of National Pub- lic Radio last Thursday evening (Oct. 27). His appointment, announced in Washing- ton (and simultaneously broadcast to NPR member stations) last Friday, followed a three -month search and the screening of "about 100" applicants for the $80,100 -a- year position. The job became available last May when Frank Mankiewicz formally resigned amid disclosure of NPR's $9.1- million working - capital deficit. Ronald Bornstein, University of Wisconsin administrator and professor of telecommunications, has been the interim president and chief executive officer since then (BROADCASTING, Oct. 24). Bennet takes over today, Oct. 31. Bennet, 45, was president of Washing- ton's Roosevelt Center for American Policy happen," said one Senate aide. A spokesman for the House Appropri- ations Commiee, chaired by James Whitten (D- Miss.), said it was uncertain when the conference would be held (the earliest would be next week) because of the committee's The Whitten had not taken a position on the issue. It also appears that Whitten may not Studies until earlier this summer. He served as an administrator of AID from 1979 to 1981. Prior to that he was assistant secretary with the Office of Congressional Relations and helped to negotiate the Panama canal treaty. He has served as administrative assistant to Senators Abraham Ribicoff (D- Conn.) and Thomas Eagleton (D -Mo.), and from 1967 to 1969 was assistant to Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Acknowledging his lack of broadcasting experience, Bennet said that NPR's "280 Bennet Broadcasting Oct 31 1983 34 oppose attaching legislative language to the appropriations bill. During a markup on an earlier stop -gap -funding measure, Whitten asked members to refrain from offering spe- cial interest amendments to the measure, but suggested that the amendments might be at- tached to another funding bill. "A lot of things can happen now that we are getting down to the nitty gritty," said one House aide familiar with the rules. Repre- sentative Edward Boland (D- Mass.), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, opposes fastening legislative language to funding bills. A Boland aide said the congressmen doesn't believe the FCC language should be in the bill on both procedural and substantive grounds. Bo- land, the aide stated, feels that it is an issue that only the Energy and Commerce Com- mittee should address. And Boland is not alone. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Din- gell (D- Mich.), who has a reputation for be- ing "turf conscious," reportedly won't stand by and watch his committee's jurisdiction violated. Dingell could possibly offer a mo- tion to instruct the House conferees to strike the amendment. Or, the chairman may at- tempt to persuade House conferees separate- ly to fight the language. Dingell entered the debate over the rules two weeks ago when he registered strong objections to a White House cabinet -level meeting on the rules and is reportedly sym- pathetic to the networks. The bottom line may be, said one House aide, that the admin- istration could veto the bill. While Reagan's close ties to the film industry might make that overriding mission to keep spending down could ultimately win. member stations have plenty of broadcast experience," and "NPR's staff has plenty of journalists. I have management assets, pub- lic policy assets and some political assets that can serve the organization." He said he has "a disciplined approach to finances ... a modest approach to risk -taking... not ex- cessive." He described his management style as "collegial... I'm not a hierarchal order -giver." His plans for the next year will focus on continuing to increase NPR's creative output and audience size, he said, while trying to renew the confidence of "all our constituen- cies" so they can "have complete confidence in our ability to manage our resources." Included in his plans for the network is to "recover some of the capability that seems to have been lost in the cultural area," and in- creasing on -the -scene news coverage, "es- pecially internationally," perhaps through greater use of foundation money. Bennet, a native of Lyme, Conn., has an MA from the University of California, Berkeley, a PhD from Harvard and is a Phi Beta Kappa. The new president, who "contributed reg- ularly" to NPR in the past (and who said he "called [his] family and urged them to con- tribute immediately," following the news of his election), says he sees few things gener- ally accepted and admired. NPR "ought to be one of them."
TODAY'S NEW #1 SYNDICATION HIT! It Gets You Where You Want To Be- First! ...AND TOMORROW'S! Half -hour comedies have been syndication's only long- running successes -and at Paramount there are a lot more where they came from! Something funny's going on at Paramount - now and for years to come! TELEVISION DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION
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