Evening star., 1941-09-18
FEC. Hears Troubles
OF Radio Station Hit
By Three-Sided Fight
San Francisco Programs
Of A. F. l., c. ]. O. and
N. A. M. Described
BY J. A. FOX.

Station KYA when caught in the
middle of a three-sided fight in
volving the C. I. O., the American
Federation of Labor and San Fran
cisco businessmen was placed be-
fore the Federal Communications
Commission today as the inquiry
into newspaper ownership of broad
casting stations was resumed.
With the C. /. o. hammering
away at the businessmen and the
A. F. of L. in a radio program over
KYA, the station made a program
contract with the A. F. of L., which
had sought the opportunity, accord
| ing to e. M. Stoer, general manager
of Hearst Radio, Inc, to present
programs rejecting the "conserva-
tive type of labor The contract
was signed in June of last year and,
according to a letter from Reiland
Quinn to Mr.. Stoer which was put
in the record, he believed that both
A. F. of L. and c. /. o. will be at
one anothers threats on the air"
At the same time, according to
this letter, he was working on pro-
gram with the National Association
of Manufacturers.
Other Developments Intervene.
That there were unforeseen de-
velopments, however, was disclosed
by another letter sent two months
later to r. E. Berlin of Hearst Mag
azines, Inc, New York, by Clarence
Linder, publisher of the San Fran
cisco Examiner. Explaining that
counsel had showed him documents
in new controversy lin which KYA
is engaged" he added:
This time 1t is an A. F. L. broad
cast attacking local business firms
which was revised by the station un-'
der conditions Objectionable to the
A. F. of l..
The script ought to have been
revised-it was libelous and danger
Gus. However, the controversy is
about the method
"A combination of the c. I. o. and
the A. F. of L., each raising hell with
business on KYA. cannot be offset
by any powder puff programs sug-
gested by the National Manufacture
ers Association"
Both Labor Programs OF.
Shortly thereafter, according to
further correspondence, the A. F. of
L. cancelled its program because
OF severe censorship" imposed by
the station. On October 8 the C..
I. Q. contract expired and the sta
ton refused to renew it.
Another letter from Mr.. Stoer to
James Lawrence Fly, chairman of
the F. C. c.. in November, 1910.
showed that the commission had in
quired why the C. l. o. renewal was
refused. In this letter explanation
was made that refusal was based
on the fact that the program was
controversial and was therefore con-
trary to the provisions of the N. A..
B. National Association of Broad
caSters) code which provides that
controversial programs cannot be
accepted by a station on a pay
basis"
Another factor, Mr.. Stoer told
SAAoiA man ~, was a UlOdQCdSJ III
September, 1910. which contained
material offensive to the Irish
Catholics of San Francisco" and
brought widespread protests. Only
the intervention of the Irish Consul
in San Francisco saved that situa-
ton, Mr.. Stoer said. He brought out
in this letter that the c. I. o. had
charged that statements in the new
A. F. of L. program were false and
Gbelous" and had demanded a
retraction
This was the second day that the
commission had spent in delving
into the Hearst radio enterprises.
AS the session opened today Chair
man Fly said that it would adjourn
this evening until next Wednesday
and then run through three days.