NCAA Downs DuMont Bid For Yale Game Videocast

An attempt to televise the Harvard-Yale football game received a flat "no" by the NCAA TV Committee yesterday.

Du Mont television network sought permission Monday to television the game in the New York area, along with this week's Yale-Princeton and Columbia-Navy games. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's TV committee, in rejecting the offer, said it was "amazed that the Du Mont network should endeavor to break down a program with which the network is thoroughly familiar."

Under the NCAA's limited TV schedule, followed by 370 colleges including the Ivy League, one important game is televised each week by the National Broadcasting Company. The Harvard-Yale contest is not scheduled to be televised for the week of November 22.

Robert A. Hall, Yale Athletic Director and head of the NCAA television committee, said yesterday DuMont had been given an equal chance with NBC to get football TV rights, but had lost out. He said present NCAA rules would make any changes for this fall out of the question.

Hall Hits Ponn Plan

At the same time, Hall indicated disagreement with a new television plan proposed by Pennsylvania's athletic director, Fran Murray. Murray earlier this week suggested a trust fund from television receipts as a possible means of making unrestricted video of college games feasible. The Penn Athletic Director suggested individual TV arrangements with an opponent should be made by the schools involved.

Under Murray's scheme, one third of the receipts from TV broadcasts would be turned into a trust fund which would repay other colleges whose receipts have decreased because of the televised games. Murray suggested using 1950, 1951 as base years to determine how much the par- ticular TV broadcast had hurt attendance.

"If you examine all facts," Hall commented, "you must come to the conclusion that Murry is unwilling to recognize the value of scientific research on the impact of TV on attendance, and also unwilling to recognize that as a member of the NCAA, he should either part company with that collegiate organization or develop facts and use those facts in an intelligent fashion to persuade the membership that they are pursuing the wrong course."

Two Weaknesses

Hall picked out what he considered two weaknesses with Murray's plan. "Murray's basis for comparison is the years that have already been hard hit by TV. There is no fair basis for comparison of attendance figures unless you go further back.

"Secondly, Murray's plan provides a strong incentive to buy teams to be on TV every Saturday, collecting the large amount of money that goes with the TV appearance."

Hall emphasized that the entire TV program would get a fair hearing late in December when the NCAA meets to reconsider the program. "Then is the time for him to present facts for any change he advocates," the Yale Athletic Head concluded.

Murray could not be reached for comment last night