With solemn assurance from the Justice Department that they would not be violating antitrust laws, the presidents of the three television networks met in secret conclave last week. Topic of discussion: FCC Chairman John Doerfer's "suggestion" that the networks take turns every week presenting a half hour of informational, cultural and educational programs daily, Mondays through Fridays (total: 2½ hours a week).
In Washington vernacular, wrote New York Times TV Critic Jack Gould, Doerfer's "suggestion" fell "into the category of regulation by the raised eyebrow." By even entertaining the proposal, wrote Gould, "the networks have sat down for the first...