Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

6 NETWORK COMPETITION for TV outlets, especially in one-station markets, is reaching new intensity in the jockeying between CBS and NBC for stations to carry their sponsored coverage of political campaigns. Philco and NBC announced sponsorship deal this week which looks every bit as big as Westinghouse-CBS tieup (Vol. 7:52). Philco will present more than 60 hours of TVradio coverage of the Republican and Democratic national conventions starting in Chicago July 7 & 21, respectively — plus pre-convention broadcasts and NBC coverage of November presidential elections, including election returns. TV-radio coverage of actual convention proceedings will be pooled by the networks, as usual — but sidelights, interviews, pre-convention broadcasts, etc. will be handled individually. NBC promises “the largest lineup of radio and TV stations ever assembled by a single network,” while CBS expresses confidence it can clear time on 50 stations. Obviously, both goals can’t be met — short of a sharedtime arrangement. Even if all contemplated 1952 cablemicrowave extensions are completed in time for July’s conventions, there’ll be only 22 interconnected markets with 2 or more TV outlets. Big conflict will be for remaining 36 interconnected single-station areas. It won’t be only a 2-way battle, either. ABC this week wired TV stations not to commit themselves before it reveals its convention setup. DuMont hasn’t yet disclosed its plans. Some telecasters speculated ABC may offer cooperative local sponsorship deal, which might find considerable favor among affiliates because less of their scheduled commercial income would be lost. Telecasters are none too happy about terms of NBC and CBS propositions. CBS offers to pay stations for only 15 of its planned 30 hours of convention telecasts, NBC offers pay for 20 out of 30 — and will charge sponsors accordingly— with affiliates carrying the rest free. Outcome should provide real test of network loyalties. It may show whether NBC can hold its 41-station basic network (Vol. 7:52). One basic NBC affiliate pointed out that while he’s required to choose NBC first, much of the convention telecasts will be in “station time,” over which network has no option. He also said affiliation contract doesn’t require him to sell time on the cut-rate basis proposed for the political conventions. NBC and Westinghouse executives are reported out in the hinterlands, visiting the stations personally to woo telecasters in behalf of their rival presentations. But in some locations, choice may be restricted by technical limitations. Shortage of cable facilities may dictate shared-time arrangement in a number of areas — with stations running NBC coverage on cable time allotted to NBC, CBS coverage on CBS’s cable time, etc. Like CBS, NBC has grandiose plans for its convention telecasts. It says it will staff them with more than 100 top news reporters, commentators and writers, plus some 200 technicians. New portable TV camera, the “walkie-talkie-lookie” will be used for first time to bring viewers onto convention floor and platform, in hotel rooms, corridors, etc. NBC is already building 2 complete TV studios, one radio studio, in the International Amphitheatre convention site, and studios in Hilton Hotel party headquarters. Personal Notes: Herbert V. Akerberg, CBS station-relations v.p., designated member of NARTB-TV board with return of network and its 2 wholly owned stations to association membership (Vol. 7:51) . . . Neville Miller, Washington radio attorney, onetime president of FCC Bar Assn., named chairman of American Bar Assn, standing committee on communications to sei’ve out term of late Louis G. Caldwell; other members: Ben S. Fisher, E. L. Gary, John Kendall, John T. Quisenberry, Carl Wheat, B. P. Gambrell . . . Lester Gottlieb promoted to v.p. in charge of CBS radio network programs, Guy della Cioppa v.p. in charge of network programs, Hollywood . . . John B. Lanigan, exconsumer advertising specialist, Time Magazine, Feb. 1 joins ABC-TV as sales v.p., succeeding Fred M. Thrower, now CBS-TV sales v.p. . . . Frank C. Oswald, ex-WGAR, Cleveland, appointed administrative asst, to Edward Lamb, operating Erie’s WICU & Columbus’ WTVN, along with AM station WTOD, Toledo, and planning to purchase WHOO, Orlando, Fla. . . . Irving Settel, ex-adv. mgr. of Concord’s Inc., named consultant _on sales promotion, merchandising & advertising for DuMont film program div.; he’s currently preparing TV Advertising & Production Handbook to be published by Crowell in Sept. . . . Paul Tiemer named mgr. of Boston office, Paul H. Raymer Co. . . . S. Tebbs Chichester Jr. joins WMAL & WMAL-TV, Washington, as promotion mgr., succeeding Howard Bell, now with NARTB . . . Robert L. Lippert Jr., son of head of movie firm bearing name, placed in charge of Tele-Pictures Inc., handling Lippert’s TV sales . . . Frank M. Reed succeeds George W. Clark as mgr. of Chicago office, John E. Pearson Co., station reps . . . George P. Adair, consulting engineer, and wife back from 7-week trip to Indochina and Europe after making telecommunications survey in Indo-China for ECA . . . David Savage, WCBS-TV film dept, mgr., elected v.p., National Film Council . . . Col. William Mayer joins ABC-TV as executive asst, to Harold L. Morgan Jr., program v.p. . . . Milt Goodman named general sales mgr., Screen Gems Television, Will Baltin continuing in production-station relations. JUSTIN MILLER, who left Federal Court of Appeals judgeship to become first paid president of National Assn, of Broadcasters, now is NARTB chairman and general counsel, may be next U.S. Attorney General. If Attorney General J. Howard McGrath quits as result of pressures growing out of tax scandals, Judge Miller is most likely choice for the cabinet post. His selection, it’s understood, has been urged upon President Truman by Chief Justice Vinson of the Supreme Court, with whom Judge Miller sat for 5 years as an associate justice of Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Justice Vinson himself, intimate of President Truman, is most frequently mentioned as choice for Democratic nomination for President if Mr. Truman doesn’t choose to run next fall. Judge Miller’s appointment would be hailed by the broadcasting industry, because he has such intimate knowledge of their problems and is very highly regarded personally and as a jurist. Cux-rently, he’s acting pai't-time as chaix’man of the Salary Stabilization Board. If he became Attorney General, it would mean returning to Dept, of Justice, to which he came in 1934 from post of dean of Duke U law school on leave to act as special assistant assigned to Solicitor General’s office to argue Supreme Coui't cases. He was named to Court of Tax Appeals in January 1937, and later that year appointed to cii'cuit coui't on which he sat for 8 years. He’s native of California, 63, graduate of Stanford, with degrees from Yale and Montana univex-sities, after which he taught law successively at Oregon, Minnesota, Stanford, Califox-nia, Southern California and Duke univex-sities, becoming dean of latter two. Move from Newark to Empire State Bldg, to join other 5 stations, requested of FCC by WATV, was put on ice until fi-eeze-end this week when Commission informed station that move conflicted with pi-oposals, filed in fx'eeze hearing, that Channel 13 be assigned to Providence, cochannel with WATV at Newai'k.