Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Section of RADIO DAILY, Thursday, October 6, 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright SAG HINTS WITHDRAWAL FROM 4-A TELE TOPICS IN ITS ATTEMPT to bring viewers a glimpse of the legitimate theater, "Tonite On Broadway" succeeds admirably. To accomplish this the program uses a reportorial approach which manages to get across the glamor and excitement of the stage. This very approach, however, does not bring the show off to best advantage. On the opener on CBS this week were three numbers from the hit revue, "Lend An Ear." All brought refreshing new entertainment into the living room and were very effective trailers for the show. But because the cameras were merely reporting on the entertainment offered by another medium the show was not presented as well as it might have been in a studio. Such a move, however, would entail virtually insurmountable problems such as the cost of moving scenery, etc. Pickups, therefore, had to be remotes, and under the circumstances producer-director Martin Gosch turned in a fine job. . . . While speeches in the middle of a show are not exemplary programming, the intermission talks by Dick Walsh, IA prexy; Richard Rodgers, and Esso chief M. J. Rathbone were explanatory and happily brief. . . . John Mason Brown is the commentator and Robert Sylvester does adaptations. Esso animated commercials neatly combined entertainment and sales plug. Marschalk & Pratt is the agency. CRANK MULLEN, former NBC veepee ' and now consultant for WPIX, will represent Jerry Fairbanks Productions in this week's meetings between TV film producers and the AFM. Mullen will have full authority, Fairbanks said, to act for the film company in discussions of wage scales for musicians recording for video films. . . . ABC has taken first option for AM and TV on Roger Kay's new comedy series, "Everything For Angela," starring Mady Christians. . . . Pulse, Inc., will publish future editions of its New York video audience report in a pocket size edition. . . . John Facenda, Philadelphia newsman, has started a new series on WCAU-TV for Bonafide Construction Co., through Gresh Cr Kramer agency. TBA ESTIMATES a total audience of be' tween 17 and 20 million viewers for the World's Series, based on an estimated 2,000,000 receivers in the 29 cities carrying the games, with an average of eight to ten persons per set. . . . Most nebulous tie-in of the week has the Three Flames, sensational vocal and instrumental group, doing a guest shot on WPIX Saturday nite in connection with Fire Prevention Week. According to the WPIX handout, their appearance was arranged through the N. Y. Fire Department division of fire prevention. Raytheon Plea Warns Of Relay 'Monopoly' Washington — With most of the major interested parties asking for postponement, Raytheon this week called upon the FCC to make it clear that it does not plan to award the American Telephone and Telegraph Company "an illegal monopoly" in intercity TV relaying. The company is anxious to go ahead with its own private plans for TV relay, it said, pointing out that its equipment is already in use between Cincinnati and Dayton. Philco, DuMont and TBA all asked for delay of the due date for their comments, asking continuance from Monday of this week to October 24. Raytheon was alarmed at a Commission statement last month warning that TV relay will eventually be an operation for common carriers and that others interested in manufacturing relay equipment or setting up a system would do well to plan for early amortization of their investment. Instead, said Raytheon, let it now be understood that "all of the frequencies now available for common carrier or for private TV intercity relay be made available for assignment to both types of service in the discretion of the Commission on an individual case basis." The Commission proposal looking toward eventual closing out of private relay facilities "is a very serious finding," said Raytheon, calling for assurance from the Commission that it will not aid in the consummation of the "monopolistic intent" of the Bell System. Film Theater 'Series' Draws Near Capacity More than 3,500 cheering baseball fans comfortably seated in Brooklyn's Fabian Fox Theater saw the first game of the World Series on the silver screen of the 4,060seat movie house via television. The audience included a goodly number of exhibitors, radio and video officials studying reception and reaction to the show. During the first few innings of the game, the image was received via microwave relay from the AT&T Building to the theater, but when bugs appeared in this reception, a switch was made to an offthe-air pickup from DuMont's WABD. The latter picture had newsreel quality. Chicago — With 2,300 viewers practically filling the 2,600-seat StateLake Theater of B. & K., theater television was inaugurated here yesterday with the World Series as the featured attraction. Boston — Bostonians, despite their disappointment at the failure of their Red Sox to cop the pennant, filled two-thirds of the 1,800-seat Pilgrim Theater to witness the World Series via video. Scranton, Pa. — Instantaneous showing of the World Series via television was featured here yesterday .at the West Side Theater, a Comerford-Publix house. The 1,800seat theater was more than half filled by the 1,050 patrons who paid 30 cents each for the privilege, all proceeds going to charity. CBS-Type Color -Video Set To Sell For $220-Goldmark (Continued mark said, on technical analysis and on the basis of RCA testimony, "appear to me to present enormous problems which must be solved within reasonable limits of cost and operating dependability." "If either RCA or CTI can demonstrate that they have found satisfactory solutions at reasonable cost to all the problems which seem to confront their system," he added, "I assure you I will be the first to congratulate them. My position in this matter is made considerably more difficult because of the fact that the RCA presentation hinted at no problem in the system what from Page 1) soever. Since RCA failed to point out its own potential problems — even those concerning which the Commission notice called for information— I think it may be helpful to the Commission if I attempt to point them out." Explains System Enumerating the advantages of the operating CBS color system, Goldmark noted that the Columbia system "is not inherently either a mechanical or an all-electronic system. It may be either or it may be a combination of both, depending on the apparatus which is found most desirable to use." Says It Will Not Be Forced into TV Authority The Screen Actors Guild yesterday announced that it will refuse to allow its members "to be forced to join a new union and pay additional dues in order to work in motion pictures used in television." The union also notified other members of the AAAA that it "will fight on all fronts against a proposed raid on the Guild's film jurisdiction." Statement was read into the minutes of a meeting of the AAAA international board early yesterday morning as the day and night session recessed indefinitely. SAG said that if AAAA went along with present plans and established the proposed Television Authority with jurisdiction over films, SAG would probably withdraw from the parent organization. SAG appealed to the live talent unions not to declare jurisdictional war against the motion picture talent unions, and offered to make an agreement for (1) complete cooperation with any existing talent union selected to handle live shows, and (2) complete membership interchangeability for television so that no member of any talent union would be required to pay additional dues in order to work in either live TV or films made for tele. In a vigorous attack on the basic concept of a "Television Authority," which it declared to be "aptly named," the Guild statement said the Guild "sees clearly an attempt to build a new empire wielding control over all actors." SAG ended its statement with a warning that if the other talent unions should reject its offer of cooperation and interchangeability and should seek to take from the Guild part of its motion picture jurisdiction in order to give it to the proposed new union, "Television Authority," the Guild would: "1. Marshal its full strength and that of all its members, including all motion put ure stars, to resist the raid on the Guild jurisdiction. "2. Wage an all-out campaign to expose the pitfalls toward which all performers are being: led through creation of the proposed new union Television Authority. "3. Refuse to obey any orders of the Four-A's Board that are based on an attempt to split the Guild's jurisdiction and infringe on the Guild's contractual responsibilities to its members and thenemployers. "4. Make whatever alliances the Guild deems necessary to defend the lights ol its members In the field of motion pictures. ";">. Reserve it» right to ask the Guild membership to instruct the Guild's Hoard of Directors as to whether the members desire sag to continue :i* a branch of the Four-A's."