Variety (Jan 1949)

Wednwlay, Jwmary 26-, 1949 IIA»10 4S Inside Stuff-Ra^ Jimmy Spltalny, who copped the nod on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program Jast Monday (17), is a nephew of Phil Spitalny and the son of Maurice Spitalny, Pittsburgh hooker and radio maestro. It was only a few months ago that young Spitalny decided to turn comic, Since then he's been breaking in his turn at minor spots in east and midwest. Before that and ever smce his high school days, except for army service as an officer iii AAF, he had a dance orch of his own in and around Pittsburgh. Couple of years ago Spitalny made a break for the first time, dropping the b4t0» to try bis luck as a comic on west coast, but nothing happened then and he returned to Pittsburgh and reorganized. Now he's going out on the road at the head of one of Godfrey's theatre units. Some marginal newspaper-owned FM stations have come up with a not-strictly-legit scheme to bolster their in-the-red operations. Adver- tisers are offered dollar's worth of cuffo ad space in the paper for every dollar's worth ot air time bought. Papers skirt' FCC ban on free space by billing the ads strictly as program promotion. However, sponsor's name is plugged in big ^pe- Pra6tice is seon pointing up anew the weak commercial position Of FM. But newspapers are holding on to FM licenses, feeling prestige of being in Tadio hypoes circulation. Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) AFRA is putting out a "yearbook" designed as a catalog for talents of its members. Book will go into hands of advertising agencies and potential sponsors as a directory of talent available on Ibcal stations. Staff of KSTP> however^ is non-AFRA, turning down membership in unit vote. That fact prevented KSTP staffers from serving with Dr. IQ Show for several weeks some time ago, despite fact that station broadcast the show. Navy is preparing to issue a new series of 13 platters featuring Eddy Duchin and his orch, to go on the air weekly, commencing the first. 'Vt'eek'in March. Disks will ,promote officer procurement and Naval. Reserve recruiting. 'The recordings will star such, .vocalists as Kay Armen, Eugenie Baird; : Connee Boswell, Maxine Sullivan,- Anita Ellis, Nan Wynn, Jane Pickens, Bea Wain, Yvette, Nancy Donovan: and Janette Davis. Platters; to run IS minutes, will be available for stations throughout the country.. B-B Pen Earmarks 75G I For Tele Pic Commercials! Hollywood, Jan. 25. i I B-B Pen Co. will spend $75,000 i on television commercials this year. Pictorial Productions has been I inked lo make the one and two-j minute vidpix. Films wiU feature' . sports and entertainment person- |alities and other "names in the ■, news."' ■ ■ 'I I Pen firm will beam the commer- i cials on all stations in the east. I Single spot i.> skedded to run each I day on a single station, using a round-robin effect. B-B is making enough films so that there will be no duplications within any 10-week period,' CIRCLING THE KILOCYCLES Cleveland—WTAM has added to its staff announcer Bob Shelley, former of WLOK, and Eugene Myers, sales. Columbus, O; —- Maurice E. White, farm program, director of WHA; .Univ. of Wisconsin, moyes here Feb. 1 as director of WOSU's "Farm and Home Hour" and radio editor of Ohio State University's Agricultural Extension Service. ton and supply WOW with two programs a week, an area report and a state report. This is first time any radio setup here has at- tempted this. Houston—Walker Co. has been . engaged as national representa- tives by KLEE-AM 5,000-watt in- dependent station here, effective Feb. 1. Omaha—WOW inaugurating a, Kansas City—Vie Peck recently new service with Walter E. Cronk-1 joined the Staff of the Kansas City ite as Washington correspondent, i Star's WDAF, principally as a Cronkile is set to live in 'Washing- ' sports announcer. COLUMBUS GETS INTO TV PICTURE MARCH 27 Columbus, Jan. 25. , March 27 looks like TV-Day in Columbus. James Leonard, gen- eral manager of WLWC, the Cros- ley video station in construction here, said that is the date telecasts will start, barring unforeseen cir- cumstances. Work on the trans- mitter building is nearly complete and erection of the 578?foot tower with FM and TV antennas, will ber gin soon. However, it Is likely Columbus video set owners who have been straining (with some success) to view Cleveland and Cincinnati telecasts, will be able to pick up WLWD, Crosley's Dayton televi- ^on outfit, which will begin oper- ating early in February. Meanwhile, the Columbus Dis- patch-owned WENT is also in the construction stage with erection of its 595-foot tower already under way. ■ KLAC-TV Combining Shows | To Boost Programming Hollywood, Jan. 25. ! KLAC-TV is weaving seven of its 15-minute television shows into | two 30-minute programs. Station i execs feel that they have had too many straight vocal and instru- mental programs, without story line, planted in schedule. Carol Brent, David Street and Robert Maxwell programs have been strung together. Show will be given a format and titled "Pent- house Serenade." Three- other 15- minute shots featuring Bill Bryan, Barbara Nunn and Rolande G'er- beau have also been wrapped up into "Club 13"'which will roll once weekly. . KCUL in Spring Preem Fort Worth, Jan. 25. Port Worth's newest station KCUL, a S.OOO-watter, is scheduled for day and night operation begin- ning next spring. The station will have a six-tower transmitter. Associated in the broadcasting venture are Bruce Chambers, gen- eral manager; Restor Cuesta, chief engineer; and . Johnnie Andrews, local businessman. THEBKELSEN AFFT. Minneapolis, Jan. 25. Erwin, Wasey and Co. announced appointment of Donald F. Therkel- sen as radio director. ' He had held similar position With Bozell & Jacobs. Appointment was announced by Ray C. Jenkins, exec veepee of agency.- "V.ry Titillating" Potl^, Danvar, CoJ. nuriMias WttlKK? 'or Ivary riakn Ce$, Mon. Ihni rri. J:45.» P.M. With JOHN K. M. MeCAFFERY Written Md birceted liy ADDISON SMITH TV Soundtrack Scale Ready in 60 Days .Hollywood, Jan. 25. Television soundtrack recording 1 scale • will be effected within 60 j idays, according to J. W. Gillette, j I International studio representative j I for American Federation of Musi-1 i cians. Gillette has received offt-; I cial notice from the federation re-1 i garding the scale negotiations. i . Gillette met with Television Film Producers Assn. members here last week. General discussion did not involve coin payment for musicians but did point out different prob- lems., involved in video producing from those ♦run upon in Tnotion. picture producing. GHARIOTTE TV BID Greensboro, N. C, Jan. 25i Gordon Anderson, manager of WCOG, Charlotte, said the Inter- city Advertising Co. of Charlotte, owner of the ABC outlet, has ap- plied for a new commercial tele- vision station at Charlotte. Inter-City als6 owns WAYS and WAYS - FM in Charlotte, and WKIK in Columbia, S. C. K60-TV Preps Test Pattern San Francisco; Jan. 25. KGO - TV, following completion of its 608-foot tower alongside the Sutro mansion between Twin Peaks and Mt. Sutro in the center of San Francisco,, is set to start test patters about Feb. 1. Frisco's only operating TV sta- tion is KPIX-KSFO which preemed Dec. 23. DEARAb We all admif Jan August Is phenomenal, but did you see the further development in this issue on page 5.1. JOE The First Piano Quartet is under exclusive long-term contract for radio, television, concerts, records and all branches of the musical and entertainnnent field to FADIMAN ASSOCIATES LTD. 1501 Broadway, New York Personal Direction: Edwin Fadiman