Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

15 Persona! Notes: Hamilton Shea, NBC director of operations and controller of owned-&-operated stations, appointed gen. mgr. of WTAM & WNBK, Cleveland, succeeding John McCormick, who resigned April 4 . . . Edward P. Morgan, partner in Washington radio law firm of Welch, Mott & Morgan, returns to firm April 15 after year’s leave of absence as OPS director of enforcement . . . A. Harry Becker, chief of FCC’s administration branch, under general counsel, resigned April 11 to open own law offices in W ashington’s Ring Bldg.; phone Executive 1228. He joined Commission in December 1941, has headed up clear channel and daytime skywave cases, among others . . . Leonidas P. B. Emerson, attorney in FCC Compliance Branch, has resigned to join newly established radio law firm of McKenna & Wilkinson (Vol. 8:14) .. . Mark Woods, ex-ABC president and vice chairman, who joined with J. R. Warwick to form Woods & Warwick ad agency, has decided to reside in Florida; agency has been dissolved and Warwick has joined Kenyon & Eckhardt as v.p. . . . Edward Content, consulting engineer, joined E. C. Page staff April 1 to handle Voice of America installation at Okinawa . . . Joe Dine, chief of NBC press dept., resigns to become public relations director, Ziv Television Programs Inc., N. Y. . . . Harry Wismer has joined WOR & WOR-TV in general executive capacity, will also handle sportscasts . . . Edgar Kobak, ex-MBS president, now BAB chairman, elected president of Advertising Research Foundation; will continue his consultant business at 41 Park Ave. . . . Walter J. Rowe, ex-Benton & Bowles, named TV-radio timebuyer, Hewitt, Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, N. Y. . . . Herschell Lewis, ex-WKY-TV, Oklahoma City, now TV-radio director, Gershuny Associates, Chicago . . . John K. Churchill, media research chief, Benton & Bowles, ex-BMB and CBS, joins A. C. Nielsen Co. as v.p. . . . Mrs. Doris Corwith, NBC radio supervisor of talks & religious broadcasts, elected president of American Women in Radio & Television Inc. at Detroit convention last week . . . Margaret Cuthbert, NBC radio supervisor of public affairs, retires June 1 after 25 years with network. Station Accounts: General Tire gets a co-sponsor of the Broadway TV Theatre on WOR-TV, New York (Vol. 8:12), with R. J. Reynolds Co. (Cavalier Cigarettes), thru Wm. Esty & Co., splitting commercial time in each of the IV2hour dramatic shows repeated Mon., Tue., Thu. & Fri. at 7:30, Wed. at 8; “road show” concept of playing same show 5 consecutive nights, changing billing weekly, is new to TV, starts with Ann Dvorak and Vinton Hayworth in The Trial of Mary Dugan, April 14-18 . . . MGM using 20-second and 1-min. films in about dozen markets to plug new musical film Singin' in the Rain — testing what may be wider use of TV advertising; agency is Donahue & Coe, N. Y. . . . Life Magazine, thru Young & Rubicam, is having series of 13 one-min. TV spots filmed by Robert Lawrence Productions Inc., N. Y. . . . Among other advertisers reported using or preparing to use TV: Freewax Corp. (floor wax), thru Liller, Neal & Battle Inc., Atlanta; Northwest Airlines Inc. (Orient Express line), thru Cunningham & Walsh, N. Y.; Nil-O-Nal Co. (Nil-O-Nal super lanolated cream for hair), thru O’Neil, Larson & McMahon, Chicago; Shawnee Inn Inc. (resort hotel), thru Gunn-Mears Adv. Agency Corp., N. Y.; Liquinet Corp. (Twurl hair conditioner), thru Sherwin Robert Rodgers & Associates, Chicago; Hobart Mfg. Co. (Kitchen Aid dishwashers), thru Buchen Co., Chicago; Pervo Paint Co. (paints), thru Hixson & Jorgensen Inc., Los Angeles;. Kordol Corp. of America (Dordolin arthritic 6 rheumatic drug), thru Duane Jones Co., N. Y. Mutual Broadcasting System, only radio network without TV counte rpart, continues to do well, reports president Frank White; first quarter billings went to $5,126,201 from $4,617,598 same 1951 period, up 11.17e. First step in forming educational TV network was signed into law April 5 by New York’s Gov. Dewey. Measure sets up 15-man temporary commission to study educational TV, with an eye toward State’s proposed 11station educational network. Financed by $25,000 appropriation, commission is directed to: (1) Study desirability of governmental operation and control, and feasibility of operation by private educational groups. (2) Look into cost of construction and operation of stations and methods of financing them. Commission is empowered to act immediately after channel allocation “to make and sign any agreements and do and perform any acts that may be necessary or desirable.” Uniform TV film standards may be in offing if Joint Committee for Inter-Society Coordination acts on suggestion by NARTB’s Recording and Reproducing Standards Committee. NARTB engineering director Neal McNaughten says he’ll propose film standardization to JCIC, which comprises Institute of Radio Engineers, Society of Motion Picture & TV Engineers, RTMA and NARTB, after JCIC studies possibility of modernizing current disc and magnetic recording standards. Film studies would cover such topics as magnetic sound stripe on film, sprocketed tape, synchronization and video-on-tape. Point was made at recent JCIC meeting that such standards would necessarily be general in nature, to accommodate future TV film developments. Merger of TVA and AFRA on July 1 has been approved by members of both organizations if overall merger with 3 other talent unions is not accomplished by that date. AFRA members voted 98 % for merger, TVA 82%. Nationwide referendum approved constitution for combined organizations, which would be known as American Federation of TV & Radio Artists. Study is now being completed at U of California and Cornell U industrial relations schools on plan for merger of AFRA, TVA, Actors & Chorus Equity Assn., American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists — all members of Associated Actors & Artists of America (AFL). TV discussions and papers will occupy first day of April 21-25 convention of Society of Motion Picture & TV Engineers at Drake Hotel, Chicago. Featured in TV talks will be RCA’s M. C. Banca on industrial TV; Victor Trad, Trad TV Corp.; Frank H. Rissle, Motiograph Inc., and John M. Sims, GPL, on theatre TV; Robert E. Lewis, Armour Research Foundation, on “A Color or Stereoscopic Frame-Sequential TV Viewer.” Other TV speakers will include Fred Barton and H. J. Schafly of TelePrompter Corp., A. D. Fowler and LI. N. Christopher of Bell Telephone Labs and Consultant Sam H. Kaplan, Chicago. Edmund A. Chester, CBS Radio news & public affairs chief, has resigned to become gen. mgr. of RHC-CadenaAzul, operating 14-station Cuban radio network and planning network of 6 TV stations. Heading group purchasing it is Caspar Pumarejo, who recently sold his interest in Union Radio’s CMUR-TV (Vol. 7:32). Unverified is report that Elliott Roosevelt is involved with him and others in acquisition from Amando Trinidad of Cadena Azul. Chester is a former Latin American correspondent for AP. “Pattern for TV Profit,” series of articles described as “basic text for those planning to operate TV broadcast stations,” began in March issue of Milton B. Sleeper’s Radio Communication. Roy F. Allison is author in collaboration with A. B. Chambei'lin, CBS; Raymond Guy, NBC; Rodney Chipp, DuMont; Frank Marx, ABC; Thomas Howard, WPIX. Democratic National Committee has named Joseph Katz Co;, Baltimoi'e & New York, to handle its TV-radio timebuying for 1952 presidential campaign.