The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-19
NEWSPAPER RADIO
 STATIONS FIGHT
Federal Commission Has Taken Recess Until We'd,
 nesday on Its Inquiry

washington, Sept. ie. - (Up)- The federal communications conl- mission has recessed until next Wednesday It's inquiry Into news paper ownership of radio stations after hearing a Kansas City, Mo, editor testify that publishing and broadcasting 60 "hand in hand"
 If you have more newspaper owa- ership, you have better radio" Roy A. Roberts, managing editor of the Kansas City Star, said.
 Would q ban on newspapers own Ing stations have Q serious econo- mic effect on newspapers" Com- missioner T. A. M. Craven asked.
 "r think 1t would" Roberts an- Swered, "but I think 1t would have Q serious effect on radio as we'll"
 Developments yesterday included correspondence and exhibits intro- duced during testimony by H. Dean Fitzer, manager of the star-coEi- troled station WDAF, Kansas City, showing that Q group Of newspaper owned radio stations obtained Q spe- cial rate for music rights from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) which was declared ct the time to represent Q reduction in music costs of about one-third.
 Agreement 1889 to 1e4O
 The agreement was in effect from 1882 to lo40, Fitzer testified. He al- tered the l03T estimate of savings to those stations, saying the amount varied according to the station and actually was no advantage ct all to some.
 Fitzer was questioned by FCC Chairman James L. Fly as to what ASCAP "got out of" the agreement. Fitzer maintained that ASCAP and D. 0. Mills, ASCAP general manager, bought nothing and got nothing" !" He said Mills suggested" that news paper stations get together and he "guessed" AsCAP got "a good deal of good will and friendly attitude" from the papers.
 Commission Counsel Thomas E. Harris questioned F1tzer on the amount of space given in the Kan- sas City Star to of Jan. 19, 194l, which Fly estimated was devoted 30 per cent to WDAF.
 That's right" Fitzer said, "and that is why don't think this is a representative exhibit
 "I think it is a fairly typical sheet" Harris said.
 Not Unfair, He Said
 Donald D. Davis, president of Kansas City Station WHB, later tes- tifid that he did not consider the Stars treatment of radio news "un- fair," believing it to be a matter of publishing policy. He did object to the Stars practice of carrying only WDAF in it's daily log on programs, such as a presidential speech, which are duplicated" on other stations.
 q think newspaper-radio opera ton the logical development of newspaper dissemination in the coEn- munity," Davis said. '@rhe Star does an excellent community job and there is a nice tie-up between the paper and the station"
 F1tzer testified that WDAFs news caster, Shelby Storck. is a young man of little or no journalistic ex- perience and one of the lowest paid members of the stan.
 Harris said, in answer to an inS quiry from Commissioner George Henry Payne, that he developed the information to shove that 6 news paper may not necessarily take ad- vantage of its opportunities" to broadcast news.
 Davis detailed his station's news coveTage and contented it was more extensive" than that of WpAF.