Show Committee Organizes To Fight Ending of Moab Television With television In Moab to be discontinued before midnight December 31 a group of interested interest Interest- ed residents selected a committee commit commit- tee to look into various methods by which It might be retained or continued In the near future at ata ata a public meeting held at the I Christensen Motor company Monday evening Through an order of the Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral Communications Commission Commission Commis Commis- sion the television se service c n a n o I offered through Moab Broadcasting Broadcasting Broad Broad- I casting and Television Co must be discontinued before January 1 I 1959 The FCC order accordIng according according accord accord- ing to Forrest Simpson president president president dent of came because booster units such as the company company com com- I pany uses on the La Sal mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain to get the signal Into Moab have not been approved by th the government While television as brought into Moab by Is not a licensed operation the FCC in order to force discontinuance of or the booster had informed the company that the license fo for operating operating operating op op- op- op a radio station was at stake At the Monday evening meeting meetIng meeting meet meet- ing several possibilities es were discussed discussed discussed dis dis- dis- dis cussed by the approximately approximate y 40 persons attending Connie Couette who had ar are arranged arranged ranged for forthe the meeting presented present present- ed a plan on which he and others had been working since word of the FCC order had been re re- Mr Couette stated slated that micro wave could be brought into Moab at a cost of of which would have to be raised as an initial payment with th the balance to be paid over a n period of five years This This' he be 1 said l d. d would provide for for- for forthe the installation in- in In Installation of equipment on La LaSal LaSal Sal mountain to send the wave downward into to Mc Moab ab Three channels from Salt I Lake ake City would become available The micro wave which sends only a narrow beam would not provide television to more than 43 percent of the people unless it were sent over wires from a central station in town to individual individual individual indi indi- vidual homes Mr Couette reported reported reported re re- re- re ported that he had contacted in this respect and had learned that the television equipment equipment equip equip- ment of the company could be purchased for which would be about one half its orIginal original original or or- cost Other possibilities were discussed discussed dis dIs- dis- dis cussed Including the th feasibility of obtaining television without the use of wiring Into the homes Two problems were pres presented Inthis in inthis inthis this respect one being whether or not such would be possible I and the problem of obtaining funds either for the needed installation installation in in- costs or for maintaIn maintaIn- ance other othet than by selling the television service The possibility of having television television television tele tele- vision provided under county or city government with funds derived derived derived de de- de- de rived from taxation was also discussed Reasons why had not provided micro wave was also discussed at the meeting Mr Couette stated he had discussed this with Mr Simpson learning that the shortage of or ups hook-ups onto the company's system was resul resulting in financial losses making mak mak- ing it impossible for the organization organ to go ahead as they had originally planned Figures Indicate Indi lath cate ate Mr Couette told the group that thero there were now only about television hook u ups hook s with over obtaining their television television television tele tele- vision from antennas About 50 per cent of ot those using antennas obtain signal coming from the beam into town The other 50 per cent are obtaining television from radiation from the he lines Unel over which sends the sig na nal to its ups hook-ups It was explained ex plumped With these people obtaining ob ob- taming their television free the loss to the company has resulted In 1st their inability to make the wave change Verification of ot this was made Tuesday by Mr Simpson who stated that the television oper opera Continued on Pig Page I 8 Television Continued from Page Pg One On allon of had never been beena a paying enterprise The company company company comp comp- any had continued with its ha television tele vision program progressing to the present stage with plans to utilize utilize util uttI ize micro wave as M soon scon as M possible pos poss sible he said It had been determined de de- de that this would be possible pos pos- sible based on the Income from hook However since public support had been such asit as asit asit it was with persons setting up antennas to obtain their television tele tele- vision free at the expense of the company it was not financially finan finan- dally possible for to continue con its program he said sald Mr Simpson pointed out that was willing to o co-o operate co-operate Crate with anyone or any groups in bringing to Moab the best television tele vision possible and that while he regretted the people would have to be without television at least until some program could be worked out it was Impossible sible for his organization to do anything about it alone Even had the FCC order not come at this time would have had to eventually close closedown closedown closedown down Its television operations because because be be- cause of the lack of public sup sup- support support port he indicated I Naming of the committee came at the close of the meeting upon the recommendation that such sucha a group be selected to examine all possibilities in order that the most feasible might be ed Mr Couette was named chairman chair chili chairman man of the committee with A. A Reed Reynolds Vito E. E Sterling Hunsaker F. F M. M Pim Pirn- pell and William G. G Harding They will make a report of their findings to the public over radio station KURA on December December Decem ber 31 at p. p m. m |