Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Section of RADIO DAILY. Tuesday, December 13, 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright DuMONTASKS TAX AID FOR COLOR TELE TOPICS HOLLOWING THE DELIGHTFUL Paul ' Whiteman show on ABC Sunday nites is an opus called "Hollywood House," which does nothing to hold the audience attracted by Pops. Sub-title for the Coast origination might well be "Never give the audience an even break." Most of the gags were antediluvian and the few switches were telegraphed from 'way back, while the two-fold piece de resistance was a squirting Coke machine and a seltrer bottle fight. These and other antics seemed to be material that even Berle has discarded. . . . Regulars involved in the stanza, which followed the delightful Paul Whiteman show, are Jim Backus, as the manager of the hostelry of the title; Dick Wesson, as a bellboy therein, and the Page Cavanaugh Trio. Guests this week were the singularly unappealing Joe Besser, Florence Bates, as a high societytype con gal, and Connie Haines, who happily was allowed to sing without taking part in the other activities. Of the lot, Wesson tried hardest and with the most success, but he too was defeated by the script. . . . Program is produced by Joe Bigelow and directed by George Cahan. THE TV UNIT of New York City's ' WNYC is looking for a motion-picture director and a film-tele writer. Letters of application, giving experience, should be sent to unit chief Cliff Evans at 500 Park avenue. ... It had to happen sooner or later dept.: During a closeup of singer Evelyn Lynn on WKY-TV, Oklahoma City, recently, a fly chose her nose for a landing strip and came in on the beam. Evelyn brushed it away, but the insect returned again and again. For several minutes poise and charm battled against the determined pest until a cameraman walked onto the set with a flyspray and ended the battle. . . . Detroit distributors polled by WXYZ-TV report a continuing shortage of receivers — 9,243 were sold there last month to bring the Motor City's total to 137,765. . . . Carlton Morse has signed stylist Frances Hodges to an exclusive pact to design wardrobes for femme cast members of "One Man's Family." ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE spot campaigns on the air has been developed by Ruthrauff & Ryan for Dodge autos. Their talking animal films produced by Jerry Fairbanks are now regularly aired by 56 stations. . . . Bob Stevens, of CBS, is taking a breather from his chores as a director to devote more time to producing his, .two shows, "Suspense," and "Romance. ' One of Stevens' stories, "Bomber Command," is being adapted for "Suspense" by Halsted Welles. WXEL, 3rd In Cleve., To Debut Saturday Cleveland — WXEL. this city's third station, will begin commercial operations Saturday with top officials of DuMont, RCA, CapehartFarnsworth participating in dedication ceremonies and dinner along with local and state political leaders. Station has signed a primary affiliation contract with the DuMont web and will carry also ABC, Paramount and WPIX programming. Basic,, evening hourly rate will be $500 and spot rate $60. Owned By Herbert Mayer Owner Herbert Mayer, president of Empire Coil Co., will serve as president of the outlet. Franklin Snyder is commercial manager; Russell Speirs, program director; Thomas Friedman, chief engineer, and Barbara Snyder, publicity. Station has installed GE transmitter and film equipment and RCA studio cameras. Six-bay superturnstile antenna is atop a 437-foot tower adjacent to the transmitter building in Cuyahoga County,, ten miles south of downtown Cleveland. Digges Takes CBS TV Post Sam Cook Digges has been appointed manager of television for the Chicago office of CBS Radio Sales effective Jan. 3, Carl J. Burkland, general manager of CBS Radio Sales announced yesterday. Digges has been with the CBS sales organization since April, '49 and previously was associated with WMAL-WMALTV. He was active in a number of Washington advertising and philanthropic organizations before coming to New York last April. Tibbelt Opera Group Signs For CBS Series CBS has signed with Lawrence Tibbett and Henry Souvaine for a program series by the Opera /Television Theater, of which Tibbett is artistic director and Souvaine managing director. Initial production, Bizet's "Carmen," will be aired Jan. 1, 5-6. p.m., EST, with Gladys Swarthout, Robert Merrill and Robert Rounseville in the lead roles and Tibbett serving as narrator. -; Future plans call for presentation of operas in 60 to 90 minute periods with a reportory company of guest conductors and singers. Programs will originate from the CBS studios. Boris Goldovsky, operatic director of the Berkshire Festival, will stage the group's preem. Walter Ducloux will be musical director and CBS designer Richard Rychtarik, formerly with the Metropolitan Opera, will do the sets. Dorland Ups Barnes Howard G. Barnes, director of Dorland, Inc.'s radio and TV division and member of the ; Plans Board sinee -he joined the agency in 1948, has been upped to vice-president in charge of radio and TV. New post is part of Dorland's expanded radio and TV activities. < For the past 10 months, Barnes and other agency toppers have been carefully testing out degree of interest in video' on part of their accounts and conclusion was such that agency is pulling out all stops on behalf of the medium. Some of Dorland's video-active 'clients include A. S. Beck, Helbros Watches, Ameritex Fabrics. Telenews-INS Near Black Ink In Three-Way Newsreel Service With new clients being added almost daily, the Telenews-INS threeway newsreel service is nearing the break-even point, a spokesman for the combined operation revealed yesterday. The daily, newsreel, the combine's most popular TV feature, is currently being aired by 37 stations in all parts of the country and is sponsored on 27 of these outlets. The weekly news roundup, using footage "salvaged" from the daily operation, is now on 23 stations, of which 13 have landed sponsors. "This Week In Sports," a weekly quarter-hour roundup utilizing its own coverage, is commercial on seven stations and carried sustaining by five other outlets. In addition, a three-minute portion of the reel is bankrolled on the N1BC web by Bond Clothes. Circulation., Most Important The spokesman said that the end of red ink for the newsreel is dependent, like* most stations, on circulation." The continuous increase in circulation, coupled with a very low percentage of cancellations, he said, points to break-even status in the near future. Sees 'Breah9 Vital To Advance Of Polychrome (Continued from Page 1) equipment costs more rapidly than is now permitted, and suggested other tax changes. Some companies. Dr. DuMont told the Congressmen. "are experimenting along the line of how bad a color picture they can get away with. But we don't go that far." He said there should be no FCC authority for color TV until the picture is as clear and as well defined as the best black and white picture of today. He traced rise of the Allan B. DuMont Laboratories, from the start in 1931 with $1,000, until today, when capitalization is about $22 million. Sales this year are estimated to go to $45,000,000, with $80,000,000 predicted for next year, he said. Sees Expansion Needed Dr. DuMont made it plain that he did not see how such phenomenal growth would have been possible as the tax laws stand today. Observing that the plant expansion accomplished since the war is already outmoded, he said new expansion is already needed. He hopes to be able to finance it out of profits. DuMONT Dep't Store Signs WNBT For Two-Hour Xmas Show Largest department store venture into TV to date was claimed by WNBT yesterday when it announced that Abraham & Straus, Brooklyn store, had signed for a special twohour program on Christmas Day. Originating from St. Nicholas arena at a cost said to be in excess of $10,000, program will feature a carnival format with animal, wild west, trapeze and trampoline acts, children's entertainers, sports celebs and St. Nick. Pact was placed through Kieswetter, Wetterau & Baker, with Joseph Goodfellow representing the station. Milwaukee Tops 60,000 Milwaukee — Set sales again set a new record in the Milwaukee area during November with a 60,000 total, according to latest monthly survey of dealers and distributors.