Amber Light

This week found radio wrestling rather self-consciously with its soul. The tempter was that familiar old devil, John Barleycorn, represented by Schenley Industries, Inc. Schenley had quietly asked if the networks would now be willing to sell time on the air for whisky advertisements.

Because of radio's slump in billings, and the punishing cost of keeping television rolling, Schenley had picked a good moment to pop the question. As Variety noted last week, radio's scramble for new income had begun with giveaway shows, progressed through "deodorants, medical books, mail-order selling and questionable products" until today "the lid is off.. . . and practically . . . anything goes."

Affirmative No. But the ban on "hard" liquor was one rule radio had never broken. In 1939 the 17th Annual Convention of the National Association of Broadcasters had even written it into its official standards of practice: "Member stations shall not accept for advertising [any] spiritous or 'hard' liquor." True to their pledge, the networks said no to Schenley. But their refusal somehow sounded as if they wished they could say yes.

CBS qualified its negative answer by pointedly limiting it to the "CBS network," which seemed to leave the way open for single-station deals. ABC, rumored willing to accept even a network liquor show, announced cautiously that it had "reached no decision." NBC unblushingly offered the facilities of its' network-owned Station KNBC in San Francisco for a test run. Perhaps in deference to NBC's own policy manual (under the heading: "Business Classifications Unacceptable on NBC" it lists wines and liquor), NBC stipulated that Schenley commercials could be broadcast only after midnight on a disc-jockey show.

Angry Man. During the negotiations, the radio industry was casting nervous glances over its shoulder toward Washington. Colorado's Ed Johnson, chairman of the Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, stormed that the radio plans of "certain large distillers" were "vicious" and "reckless," and called the wavering radiomen "stupid." The Federal Communications Commission, which has indirect power to keep radio in line, reacted more mildly. FCC Chairman Wayne Coy was in Europe, and Commissioner-in-Charge Paul A. Walker would admit only that he had received some complaints against giveaway shows and other radio practices which he declined to specify. Said Walker soothingly: "The matter is under consideration, but I would hesitate to say anything until some conclusion [on liquor advertising] is reached . . . We have to decide first whether we do or do not have jurisdiction in this matter."

It was not exactly a green light for radio. But, on the other hand, neither was it red.

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