Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

MARTIN COOEU Publisher ROBERT CADEU Bus. Mgr. ALBERT WARREN. Senior Ed. WILLIAM WIGHT, ManagingEd. Associate Editors: Weekly Newsletters Published Saturdays WILBUR H. BALDINGER Television Factbooks Published in March & September PAUL STONE AM-FM Directory Published in January WM. J. McMAHON Jr. TV and AM-FM Addenda Published Weekly ANNE G. BJARBU Copyright 1959, by Triangle Publications, Inc. Personal Notes: Edward E. Voynow, exec. v.p. of rep Petry in charge of Chicago area, becomes pres., succeeding Edward Petry, now chairman; Martin L. Nierman promoted to exec, v.p.; Ernest Lee Jahncke Jr., to v.p. . . . Alexander (Sandy) Stronach Jr., ex-ABC v.p., ex-William Morris Agency, has resigned as v.p. of MCA-TV, expects to announce affiliation with adv. agency shortly . . . Willet Brown, veteran Don Lee executive who resigned as its pres, several months ago, is retiring from all active operations, has informed staff he will continue to be associated with Thomas F. O’Neil in “other areas of RKO Teleradio Pictures Inc.”; now reporting directly to O’Neil instead of Brown are John T. Reynolds, v.p.-gen. mgr. in charge of KHJ-TV, Los Angeles; Norman Boggs, v.p.-gen. mgr., KHJ; Wendell Campbell, v.p.-gen. mgr., KFRC, San Francisco . . . George M. Burbach, retired ex-gen. mgr. of St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s KSD-TV & KSD, has been discharged from hospital after siege of nervous exhaustion, will spend part of winter with Mrs. Burbach at The Breakers, Palm Beach, Fla., starting Jan. 24 . . . Thad H. Brown, NAB v.p. for TV, and Mrs. Brown are parents of a 6-lb. son, Lauren, born Dec. 30 in Washington Hospital Center . . . Paul H. Goldman, v.p.-gen. mgr. of KNOE-TV, Monroe, La. & WNOE, New Orleans, promoted to exec, v.p.; Ray Boyd named engineering v.p. of stations owned by ex-Lt. Gov. James A. Noe; Jack Ansell Jr. named sales v.p.; Harry Arthur, program v.p.; Ansel Smith, operations v.p., Mac Ward, news v.p. . . . S. B. Tremble promoted to station mgr. of Meredith’s KCMO-TV, Kansas City; Richard C. Evans promoted to mgr. of KCMO . . . Monte Strohl, ex-mgr. of KEPR-TV, Pasco, Wash., promoted to sales mgr. of Cascade Bcstg. Co., Yakima, succeeded by Wm. Grogan . . . George W. Bowling III moves to N. Y. headquarters of rep Bolling Co., succeeded as Beverly Hills office mgr. by David Cassidy, exAdam Young . . . Robert W. Jensen, ex-radios WGST & WIIN, Atlanta, named southern sales div. mgr. of rep Forjoe & Co., Atlanta, succeeding Barney Ochs . . . Robert Schulman, ex-TimeLif e-Fortune Northwest bureau chief, named special features director of KING-TV & KING, Seattle . . . Charles F. Cremer promoted to news director of WREX-TV, Rockford, 111. . . , Abe Mandel, ex-Ziv, named western hemisphere sales mgr.. Independent TV Corp. Obituary Edward John Noble, 76, who earned a fortune making Life Saver mints, purchased old Blue Network from RCA for $8,000,000 in 1943, was first head of newly named ABC Network and engineered its merger with Paramount Theatres Inc. in 1953 to form ABC-Paramount, died at his home in Greenwich, Conn., Dec. 28. He was chairman of the AB-PT finance committee, had been chairman of exec, committee of Life Savers Corp. when it was merged with Beech-Nut Packing Co. in 1956. He first got into radio as purchaser of New York’s WMCA in 1941 when owner Donald Flamm ran afoul FCC regulations. He had been original chairman of Civil Aeronautics Authority, 1938-39, then Under Secretary of Commerce for about year; on CAA, he served with Robert H. Hinckley, who is still an AB-PT director and ABC’s Washington v.p. Survivors are his widow, a daughter, Mrs. David S. Smith whose husband is Asst. Secy, of the Air Force, brother R. P. Noble. Col. Joseph Harvey Long, 95, chairman of Huntington Publishing Co., publishing Huntington (W. Va.) HeraldDispatch and Advertiser and operating WSAZ-TV & WSAZ, died Dec. 28 after 3-year illness. His youngest son Edward Harvey Long, treas. of the operating companies, died at age 60 last Nov. 18 of cancer (Vol. 14:47). His wife died in 1944. Surviving are his son Walker and a brother Harry, of Kokomo, Ind. Walker Long is pres, of the company and father-in-law of Lawrence H. (Bud) Rogers II, pres. & gen. mgr. of the stations. William Phillipson, 50, independent TV producer, exABC v.p. in Hollywood, later partner in Henry Jaffe Enterprises handling Texaco Star Theatre and Producers Showcase, died in N.Y. Jan. 1 after short illness. Surviving are widow, daughter, mother. Robert J. Laubengayer, 74, one of earliest newspaper publishers to go into radio, founding KSAL, Salina, Kan. died Dec. 27 in Topeka. He formerly published Salina Journal. Edward B. Noakes, 55, v.p. of McCann-Erickson, died Dec. 23 in Queens General Hospital, N. Y. John F. Lewis, news director of WBAL-TV & WBAL, Baltimore, named chairman of Freedom of Information Committee, Radio-TV News Directors Assn. James Bennett of KLZ-TV & KLZ, Denver, is vice chairman. Other members: Nick Bazzo, WSAZ-TV, Huntington, W. Va.; Edward Ryan, WTOP, Washington; Sam Zelman, KNXT, Los Angeles; Gabe Pressman, WRCA, N. Y.; Ray Moore, WSB-TV, Atlanta; Wm. Sheehan, WJR, Detroit; Bill Minshall, WIS-TV, Columbia, S. C. CBS’s Robert Trout has been elected pres, of Assn, of Radio & TV News Analysts, same network’s Bill Downs (Washington) and John MacVane (UN) elected v.p.’s. Other officers: Blair Clark, CBS, secy.; Cesar Saerchinger, treas.; ABC’s Quincy Howe (retiring pres.), NBC’s H. V. Kaltenborn & Leon Pearson, exec, board. Complete Videotown survey (Vol. 14:46) now available in brochure form from Cunningham & Walsh Inc., 260 Madison Ave., N. Y. 16. Another broadcaster turned priest is 54-year-old Father Aurele Seguin, who quit Quebec staff of Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on death of his wife 11 years ago to enter a seminary and was ordained recently in Ottawa — the ordination ceremonies on TV-radio networks being supervised by one of his sons, Robert. Onetime NBC Washington & European newsman Max Jordan, now Father Placid Jordan, O.S.B., stationed at Beuron Abbey, Germany, is currently in U. S. on special mission, headquartering at 125 Home Ave., Rutherford, N. J. Record high NAB membership of 2326 was reported this week by membership committee (Ben B. Sanders, KICD, Spencer, la. & Joseph J. Bernard, KTVI, St. Louis, co-chairmen). Thomas D’Arcy Brophy, ex-pres. of Kenyon & Eckhardt, named head of advisory council, Syracuse U School of Journalism. 7