Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

6 / .»> liicraomcs / Rcroifs ' WYATT Rlinn MARTIN COOEL, Publisher ROBERT CAOEL, Bus. Mgr. ALBERT^WARREN, Senior Ed. Associate Editors; DAVID LACHENBRUCH JAMES S. CANNON JAMES J. CASSIDY Weekly Nemletlers Published Saturdays Editorial Associates; Television Factbooks Published in February & August pjui stone, Wm. J. McMahon, Jr. AM-FM Directory Published in January Wilbur H. Baldinger, Anne G. TV and AM-FM Addenda Published Weekly Bjarhu Copyright 1958 by Television Digest, Inc. EiicrnoMics / RrnoifS WYATT BUIIDINC, WASHINGTON 5, 0. C Personal Notes: John W. Guider, pres, and 10% owner WMTW, Poland Spring, Me. (Ch. 8) takes over temporarily as gen. mgr., succeeding John H. Norton Jr., resigned, according to Feb. 12 announcement by ex-Gov. Horace Hildreth, chairman; Guider, onetime partner in Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson, who retired about 20 years ago to live in N. H., also is pres, and owns 32.8% of Concert Network Inc., operator of FM stations WXCN, Providence; WNCN, New York; WHCN, Hartford; holds CP for WBNC, Boston . . . Gilmore N. Nunn, part owner of WBIR-TV, Knoxville, departs shortly for month’s tour of South America, first attending 5th annual assembly of Inter-American Assn, of Bcstrs. at Punta del Este, Uruguay, March 10-15 . . . John E. Fetzer, pres, of WKZO-TV & WKZO, Kalamazoo, radio WJEF, Grand Rapids, and interested in other TV-radio properties, named chairman of American League TV-radio committee; he’s part owner of Detroit Tigers baseball club . . . John G. Trezevant resigns as NAB news & publications mgr., joins Chicago Sun-Times . . . Bob Vache promoted to program director of KVAR, Phoenix, succeeding Wm. Robb, resigned . . . John Shaw, ex-WFBM-TV, Indianapolis, named program director of WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, succeeding Frank Sisson, who joins sales staff . . . Hugh Barclay, exWEAR-TV, Pensacola, named sales mgr. of WALB-TV, Albany, Ga. . . . Harrison Brooks promoted to chief engineer of WBAL-TV, Baltimore, succeeding Wm. C. Bareham, named technical operations director . . . Lowell H. MacMillan, from radio WHEC, Rochester, promoted to station mgr. of WHEC-TV & WHEC; Howard B. Mouatt promoted to chief engineer of stations . . . Stanley A. Westlake promoted to CBC-TV coordination officer, Toronto, replacing John Dunn, assigned to UN, N. Y. . . . Jacques Liegenguth promoted to mgr. of new sales syndication div. of NBC’s Cal. National Productions . . . Robert S. Taplinger resigns as Warner Bros. v.p. and adv. & public relations director to give full time to Robert S. Taplinger Assoc., public relations firm . . . Elizabeth Crawford, stage name of Martha Rivers (daughter of John M. Rivers, pres. & chief owner of WCSC-TV, Charleston, S. C.) is hostessing nightly classical music show on WCSC-FM . . . R. C. (Jake) Embry, exec. dir. of WITH, Baltimore, this week received Distinguished Mississippian Award bestowed by Gov. Coleman on natives living out of state who have distinguished themselves in education, industry & professions . . . Peter A. McGurk promoted to v.p. of Weed rep firm, headquartering in N. Y. . . . Patrick T. Ahern, ex-Imco Container Corp., named asst, sales mgr. of Guild Films . . . Nathan Zucker, Dynamic Films pres., elected pres, of N. Y. Film Producers Assn . . . Elmer W. Lower promoted to director of CBS News operations, responsible for sports, special projects, syndicated news film, film production, program sales, information services. Denny Promoted to RCA V.P. : Charles R. Denny, NBC exec, v.p.-operations for last IVz years, moves up to parent RCA April 1 as v.p., product planning, a newly created post charged, as stated by pres. John L. Burns, with “responsibility for developing through long-range planning the direction [RCA] should take in evolving its process of growth.” Coincident with the promotion, NBC pres. Robert Sarnoff was conferring with P. A. (Bud) Sugg about replacing Denny in charge of NBC’s 0-&-0 stations, spot sales, radio network, etc., though program subsidiary California National Productions, which also reported to Denny, will henceforth report to J. M. Clifford, exec, v.p., administration. Sugg, who directs the Gaylord {Oklahoman) stations, had not made his decision by week’s end. Denny is a 1933 graduate of Amherst, 1936 graduate of Harvard Law School. He first served with Covington & Burling, Washington law firm, then joined FCC as asst, gen. counsel, rising to gen. counsel and appointed in 1945 as chairman at age 33 — the youngest person ever to hold that post. He resigned in 1947 to join NBC as v.p. & gen. counsel. Pioneer sportscaster Ted Husing, now 57 and recovering from a brain tumor which paralyzed and blinded him in 1954, this week told press, through his N. Y. agent, Mark Hanna, he was dismissed 3 weeks ago from CBS payroll. He now lives in Pasadena, had been getting $150 a week from network which employed him from 1927 to 1946. He quit sports to become a $250,000-a-year disc jockey, then went back to CBS but his sight has been impaired since he underwent operation, and no show could be found for him. Robert J. Rawson, chief of FCC hearing branch, and Herbert M. Schulkind, asst, chief of rules & standards div., designated Commission counsel in network study hearing starting March 3 (Vol. 14:2-6). Allan S. Austin elected pres, of Austin Co., big Cleveland architectural and construction firm which pioneered in TV-radio studio construction, continuing in charge of sales. Obituary Emanuel (Manie) Sacks, 56, NBC v.p. in charge of programs & talent and RCA staff v.p., died in Philadelphia’s Albert Einstein Medical Center of leukemia Feb. 9, having been confined there since last Oct. A 1924 graduate of Pennsylvania Military Academy, tnistee of that school and of the Einstein hospital, he started his career wth the Levy brothers, then operating WCAU, Philadelphia, then worked for Music Corp. of America for 7 years and for CBS from 1940-50. One of the best known and best liked men in show business, he is credited with helping CBS lure Jack Benny and Edgar Bergen away from NBC and with helping launch the careers of such stars as Dinah Shore, Frank Sinati’a, Harry James, Tony Bennett, Doris Day. RCA first hired him as director of aiffist relations for RCA Victor Records, and in 1953 he became its v.p. & gen. mgr. That year he also was named Philadelphia’s “Man of the Year.” A bachelor, he is suiwived by his mother, a brother, 3 sisters. George J. Gercke, 53, USIA movie producer & director, died Feb. 8 in Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., after long illness. Suiwiving are widow, 3 sons, daughter, brother. Abraham H. Siegel, 28, ABC-TV research statistician, died Feb. 11 at Wadsworth Hospital, the Bronx. Sux-viving is his mother.