Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

Telecasting Holes: Record $25,C00,000 for TV film production is budgeted in 1953, notes Dec. 24 Variety, which presents company-by-company breakdown and comments: “Most significant fact is that 35 out of the 45 vidpix series which will be shooting [next year] are pre-paid, with sponsors picking up the tab, a far cry from the day when embryo producers were shooting all over town with high hopes but no angels” . . . Paramount Pictures is entering TV film field through its Paramount TV Productions, with 39 half-hour drama shows to be made by independent producers Edward J. & Harry Lee Danziger for release and sale by Paramount . . . Columbia Pictures expanding TV film production to utilize one-third of its stage space, and changing name of TV subsidiary, Screen Gems Inc., to Columbia Pictures Television . . . Universal-International’s TV subsidiary, United World Films, discontinues most TV film work pending “study of TV market” . . . RCA record dept.’s custom sales div., under mgr. J. P. Davis, entering TV film distribution (not production) shortly after Jan. 1 to parallel services of its Thesaurus radio transcription library with film library; project is separate from NBC-TV film div., which syndicates to stations . . . TV-radio-film rights to Mark Hellinger stories purchased from his estate by Les Hafner, who plans to produce 26-weelc series on Hal Roach lot . . . Mickey Spillane, mystery writer, has sold film rights to 8 novels to producer Victor Saville . . . WCAU-TV, Philadelphia, this week became first station outside N. Y. & Hollywood to lease Teleprompter equipment, as Teleprompter secy. Irving Kahn released preliminary report setting forth exploitation plans, including tieup with RCA Service Co., and stating company has converted 1951 net loss of $15,000 to 1952 profit of $60,000 . . . Talent strike hit Chicago’s WGN-TV and AM stations WGN & WLS Dec. 23, when members of AFTRA walked out to enforce contract demands, but executives and supervisory personnel kept stations on air; the other Chicago TV stations signed 2-year union contracts . . . Temporary injunction to prevent work stoppages by NABET obtained by WWJ-TV, Detroit . . . Crosley’s James D. Shouse has offered Greater Cincinnati Educational Foundation use of WLWT tower for an educational TV station, if and when it gets one; means saving of at least $100,000 to the foundation . . . Dangers of censorship, and telecasters’ efforts to forestall it, are subject of “Congress vs. the Plunging Neckline,” mostly about Harris subcommittee hearings, in Dec. 27 Saturday Evening Post . . . Deadline for entries for George Foster Peabody TV-radio awards set for Jan. 14, says Dean John E. Drewry of U of Georgia’s school of journalism, to which entries should be sent . . . Milwaukee Public Museum, municipally-owned, inviting applications for newly created $5098 post of curator in charge of TVradio programs. Next TV Factbook — Pre-Print Orders Our semi-annual TV Factbook No. 16 will be off the presses shortly after Jan. 15, 1953 — containing basic data on all opex-ating stations & networks (including rates) ; complete tabulation of applications for new stations, detailing principals involved, facilities requested, etc. (and starting new series of weekly Addenda) ; list of all new-station grantees (with reported starting dates); directories of TV set & tube manufacturers, transmitter & studio equipment makers, film & live program suppliers, community antenna systems, theatres equipped for TV, FCC personnel, legal & engineering consultants, etc., etc. One copy goes to each full-service subscriber. Extra copies, if pre-print orders for 20 or more are placed by Jan. 3, cost $1.50 each; single copies, $3. REPUBLIC PICTURES’ sale of 104 feature films to WCBS-TV, New York (Vol. 8:51), drew bitter reaction fi-om theatre owners, with some implications of boycott among exhibitors. Bulletin of Allied Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Pennsylvania commented acidly: “It is too bad that [president Herbert J. Yates] feels it necessary to compete actively with the industry that made Republic what it is today.” Harry Brandt, president of 100-theatre circuit that bears his name, was quoted in Dec. 24 Variety: “I wonder what Republic’s sales manager is going to get in film rentals from theatres now. If he wants to sell to theatres, he’ll have to ask for the same terms he’s getting from TV . . . for the same money and based on the number of people who’ll see the pictures.” Mr. Brandt said his circuit was Republic’s best New York area customer. Republic, meanwhile, was reported negotiating with 2 other CBS-TV stations — wholly owned KNXT, Los Angeles, and 45%-owned WTOP-TV, Washington — for lease of the same 104 feature films as it released to WCBS-TV. Asking price to KNXT reportedly is about $200,000, or about what Republic got from WCBS-TV, and Washington station is said to have been offered the films for some $100,000. Another big film deal may be in wind — this time involving more than 300 old RKO feature films. Matty Fox’s Motion Pictures for Television resumed negotiations for the oldies this week after attempt to buy control of movie company fell through (Vol. 8:47). Fact that the TV networks intend to assert and protect program ownership rights is especially important in light of community TV systems’ practice of picking up and relaying programs — is manifested anew in letter from L. S. Frost, NBC-TV Hollywood public relations director, warning owners and operators of movie theatres against exhibiting telecast of New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Game. “Any unathorized exhibition of the telecast would be in violation of theatre-TV rights owned and reserved by the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn.,” said letter, “and also of similar rights and certain other proprietary rights of the NBC.” New York City’s WNYC, municipally-owned non-commercial radio station applying for commercial uhf channel No. 31 in competition with WNEW, met opposition of city’s Commerce & Industry Assn, on grounds that annual cost to city would be nearer $2,000,000 than the $380,000 proposed. Opposition arose at city budget hearing this week, where it was alleged cost of producing a TV show is 7 times that of AM; that WNYC now operates on budget of $315,000; that proposed TV allocation would require $236,607 for transmitter, $87,338 for studio equipment, $54,000 for mobile unit. WNYC-AM is currently center of controversy as result of city comptroller’s suggestion it be scrapped to save money. “TV’s most forward step in 1952,” says ABC engineering v.p. Frank Marx, “was the realization that transmitting antennas had to be specifically designed for the local situation, in order to do a good job.” He predicts that the trend toward tailor-patterning of antennas for the height, power, gain and topography of the specific situation “will do a great deal to improve reception generally— and this is doubly true in uhf.” Consumer boycott of sponsors of TV films made abroad is being “carefully considered” by West Coast AFL Film Council, chairman Roy Brewer says. Film unions oppose overseas production of TV films, adds Mr. Brewer, except when story requirements make it essential to shoot scenes in foreign location.