Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

8 RADIO DAILY Monday, October 3. 1949 Researcher Ponders Future Of AM-TV (Continued from Page 1) addition — perhaps, a virtually irrelevant backdrop," he said. "It might be an advertising message. It could be something that the viewer doesn't have to watch but can still get the course of developments from the spoken word." While guessing that the eventual demise of radio as such is "inevitable," Deckinger predicted that this remains "a long way off." On this subject he said: "I have a pretty good hunch that radio, on a cost basis, is going to be able to hold its head, in. a national way, pretty high for some time to come. And don't forget this, either. Most people believe that radio is a tremendously efficient mass medium for reaching people. I would wonder if it isn't true that the cost of reaching people by radio could be doubled and radio could still be efficient as against, say, newspapers or magazines or billboards, or some other medium." Approves Simulcasts Later he countered this speculation by adding: "... I believe that radio before too long will be unable to support very expensive radio properties, unless the cost of radio comes down — or unless a part of that cost is diverted over to a charge, in a bookkeeping way, against television. ... I think that this will partly be handled by ingenious solutions to the question of simultaneous broadcasting and telecasting. If I can charge part of the cost of Jack Benny against both radio and television then I've got a solution to the question of how to finance Jack Benny for both television and radio." He concluded: "So I think that part of the 'whateo' of which we've been speaking is a new pattern for television and radio which blends the two together." Baseball Sponsors Renew For '50 Season On WORD Spartanburg, S. C— Before 1949 baseball season in the Tri-State League ended, WORD and WDXY, FM affiliate, renewed the contract for sponsorship of all Spartanburg Peaches games to be played in the 1950 season. All games played by the Peaches in the 1949 season were jointly sponsored by the Spartanburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company, The Aug. W. Smith Department Store, Cudd and Coan Insurance Company and the White Dot Grocery Stores. As a part of a package sale, the sponsors of baseball received a yearround program on WORD and WDXY. The package price was in excess of $20,000, which was the largest radio advertising contract ever negotiated in Spartanburg. All four sponsors renewed for the 1950 season on the same terms of their 1949 contract. ★ THE WEEK IrV RADIO * Beer Sponsors Show Sharp Rise By AL JAEGGIN ===== BREWERS and their distributors throughout the country have more than tripled their use of radio and television over that of previous years, thus compensating in large measure for the loss of revenue resulting by the decision of the m'ajor networks to ban liquor commercials, it was indicated in a Radio Daily survey. The poll of brewers and 'their agencies showed an awareness by the beer industry of the fact that home consumers constitute "the most rapidly expanding beer market." The Publishers Information Bu reau released a new set of figures of billings on the four m'ajor net works for the month of July, to tailing $12,090,579, and for the first seven months of this year, amounting to $112,862,890. NBC led the list for the first seven months with $37,873,390, followed closely by CBS with $37,323,652. . . . ABC increased its revenue during the week with the signing of a contract with William R. Warner & Co., Inc., involv ing more than one million dollars in time charges and services, for sponsorship of Walter Winchell, beginning Jan. 1. . . . Additional revenue will come to Mutual also from the Benrus Watch Co. which contracted for spots before each World Series game. . . . NBC was dickering separately with Pennsylvania Rail road, American Airlines, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Penicillin Corp., for sponsorship of the newlyacquired "American Forum of the Air" on both NBC radio and television nets. . . . The Club Aluminum Products Co. renewed for the fifth consecutive year its sponsorship of "Club Time" over ABC, Tuesdays, 10:45-11 a.m., EST. . . . Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer has picked up the tab on 12 New York giants pro football games over WMGM, New York. . . . WHLI, Hempstead, N. Y.. reported eleven 52-week contracts for programs and one deal for hourly time signals, reoresenting combined gross billings of $60,000. The Republican Liberal Fusion Party will sponsor a series of broadcasts in behalf of candidates for Mavor, Comptroller and City Council President, over four New York Citv stations: WNBC, WJZ, WOR and WMCA. . . . The IndeDendent Citizens' Committee for the Election of Herbert Lehman, a Democrat, for the U. S. Senate will sponsor a series of 15-m invite broadcasts over a statewide CBS network. "America's Town Meeting of the Air," which represents a sizeable chunk of income to Town Hall. Inc., may become a free agent when its current contract with ABC exnires on Dec. 31. according to trade rumors, because the co-op program reportedly has not been naving off to the network ... A network of 14 FM stations in Pennsylvania. New York. West Virginia and Ohio on Saturday began carrying the playby-play broadcasts of the Duquesne University football games. . . . The football games of the University of Michigan will be carried by a net work of nine AM and five FM sta tions throughout the state of Michi gan. Because of what was described as "pressing financial circumstances," Kermit-Raymond Corp. and Transcription Broadcasting System, Inc., joint package producers, called a creditors' meeting. . , . Two district meetings of the NAB had to be changed because of conflicting hotel schedules. District No. 3 meeting will be held at the Skytop Lodge, Skytop, Pa., Oct. 26-27. District No 2 meeting will be held at the Berkeley-Carteret, Asbury Park, N. J Nov. 3-4. . . . William B. Quarton of WMT, Cedar Rapids, la., advised broadcasters attending the NAB's 10th District Meeting at Des Moines to watch the Government for possible attempts to restrict freedom of radio. As one precaution, he emphasized the need for a strong in dustry trade organization. . . . One industry organization, the Institute of Radio Engineers, announced the formation of a Professional Group of Quality Control, to be headed by R. F. Rollman of Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Inc. . . . The subject of government regulations came up at a meeting of the Northmount Lions Club in Montreal. T. J. Allard, general manager of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, charged that the CBC was "complainant, prosecutor, judge, jury and hangman all in one operation." . . Industry observers who returned to Washington from the Quebec NARBA conference indicated a strong possibility that the United States may have to share about 10 clear channels in acquiescence to Cuba. The FCC turned down the bid by WCAR, Pontiac, Mich., to move into Detroit. . . . The Commission also refused the bid of the United Automobile Workers, CTO, for a station in Detroit. . . . An okay, however, was registered by the Commission on the application by the Coast Radio Broadcasting Corp. for a new five-kw daytimer in Los Angeles . . . The FCC bypassed the Radio Features, Inc., case on giveaways in Chicago and decided to concentrate its fight for the edict in the NewYork court test with ABC, NBC and CBS. Another division of the Avco Manufacturing Corp. which figured in the week's news developments was the one engaged in manufacturing. Avco's Crosley Division announced a giant $2,000,000 "giveaway" contest to spur the sale of its newest products. ... In 'another effort to acquaint the public with radio and television, especially the current FCC hearings on TV. the RMA engaged a corps of publicists ("Selvage & Lee, Inc.) to assist the radio and television industry in the job. M-G-M Attractions On WMGM Oct. tO (Continued from Page 1) Radio Attractions series, "The Story of Dr. Kildare," debuts with Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore starring. This show will be heard each Wednesday, 7:30-8 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 14, WMGM will present the first in a series of full-hour productions of hit films, first of which will be "Vacation From Marriage," starring Deborah Kerr and Ivor Francis, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Also starting next Monday, Oct. 10, is Paula Stone's "Hollywood, USA," which will be aired Monday through Friday, 12-12: 15 p.m. It will be transcribed in Hollywood. New WLIB Owners Aim At Special Audiences (Continued from Page 1) tion held at the station for Mrs. Schiff and the WLIB staff. Novik and his brother, Harry, a Stamford, Conn, retailer, own 65 per cent of the stock. Samuel H. Hains, a CPA, owns 20 per cent, and Norman B. Furman, of the advertising firm of Furman, Feiner & Co., owns 15 per cent. Morris Novik, as spokesman for the new owners, said that no staff changes are contemplated. Mrs. Schiff said, in reply to a question, that if and when she disposes of her Los Angeles and San Francisco stations, which are for sale, she will be out of radio to stay. Her duties as publisher of The New York Post leave her no time for other business interests, she said. In line with Morris Novik's plans to give Negroes a greater voice in New York radio, especially on his newly acquired station, WLIB, the station on Friday broadcast the 40th Anniversary meeting of the founding of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, 8 p.m. Speakers on the half-hour broadcast were Mayor William O'Dwyer and Roy Wilkins, acting national secretary of the organization. The program originated from City College of New York. Buys WSNY Football Sked The Schenectady Works of G. E. have purchased sponsorship of WSNY's twelve game football schedule, made up of leading Union College and area High School games. General Electric previously sponsored the entire play-by-play baseball schedule of the Schenectady Blue Jays over WSNY during the 1948 season. CBS V.-P. Is Guest Hubbell Robinson Jr., CBS vicepresident and director of programs, appeared as a guest-expert Friday night on the "You and Humor" program over CBS. Robinson gave his views on radio humor in an interview with Dwight Cooke, the show's host.