Variety (Apr 1949)

27 Miller: The Mayflower Is Docked' Chicago, April 12. As far as Justin Miller, NAB prexy, is concerned, the FCC has already scraptied the highly-controversial Mayflower decision. Judge MUler's flat (and to many, surprising) assertion that "the aban^ donment by the FGG of its Mayflower Doctrine" (which he tossed at the delegates to demonstrate the widespread development of news, commentary and editorial analysis in hundreds of stations), caused quite some corridor flurry. Some saw in the flat statement a bid on Judge Miller's part to "smolce out" FCC chairman Wayne Coy, who is also due to address, the convention delegates. But whether Coy would "bite" and take up the challenge was considered broblematical. ^'Although," said Miller, "some commissioners seem still to hold tenaciously to the: idea that. they, must shoulder the impossible ' burden of regulating American; t'astes^after the manner of Radio Moscow and BBC—and of effecting "equitable distribution" of broadcasting time between self-appointed exponents of every re- ligious, irreligious, political, economic, social, historical and other theory, it seems to be pretty deflnlteiy settled that the broadcaster —the individual licensee—4s the one' whose power and duty it is to decide what programming policies and content are best suited to serve the pul>Iic interest of his community. Neither Congress, Commission, networlc, advertiser nor commentator can do this for him." RCA s Swope Pact Seen Hypo to NBC Programming; Reprisal to CBS? KEY ROLE SEEN White Appt. as MBS Prez Confuses Affiliates; Still Questing No. 2 Man Hoover's Cross-Boarder Former President Herbert Hoover will be heard on a special week-^long, cross-the-board series over CBS starting Monday (18). With Lyman Bryson, the ex-Presi- dent will be featured on "You And the Hoover Commission," in infor- mal discussions of the commission's background, organization and find- ings. ,. •■■ "You And " is aired at 6:15 p.m. RCA's appointment this week of> Herbert Bayard Swope to the spe- cial position of adviser and con- sultant to all RCA activities, in- cluding the NBC web, is believed part of the overall RCA-NBC bid to bring in the top creative talent available in its efforts to hypo radio programming. Web has re- cently instituted an all'Out search for showmen with production knowhow in its attempts to recoup the losses caused by the" recent CBS talent raids. Fact that Swope only recently resigned as a member of the CBS board, on which he had served on the exec committee since 1932, has led some trade observers to view - Ivis shift to the RCA-NBC, combine as a direct reprisal to the CBS raids. Specific duties to which Swope will be assigned haven't been indicated, but it is believed doubtful that he'll take over as chief of the NBC television opera- tion, a post which the web is re- portedly trying to fill at this time. Exec veepee Charles R. Denny has been carrying most, of the TV load until now, but doesnt have the full time to devote to tele' from his other web activities. | Tuesday night at 8 period opening Swope was one-time exec editor imrT i „ i., of the old N. Y. World, during "P on NBC next season. It is cur- which time he won a Pulitzer prize rently occupied by the Alan Young and the newspaper was awarded sJjqw, sponsored by Turns. There w "t? A7±f.' has been talk that Turns may drop per .of the U.S-. Atomic fcnergy • ■ ,^ , „ „„a„«» Commission to the United Nations the show at the end of. the season and recei ved a m edal of merit for In anticipationthat the chent may "his Wrk aT^^'tant to Sec. of , re-li-n^tsh-the-trmeT^ome-of-the War Robert P. Patterson. He'll I e.stablished comics on NBC have Frantic Bids For Tuesday at 8 AM Despite Berle TV Interesting situation has cropped up regarding the possibility of the Chicago, April 12. The indies appear to have stolen the NAB show this year. Of even more major significance, however, is the whole temper and feeling within industry ranks re- flecting: the pattern for the future, in which the independent station operator ' in America, is playing a dominant role, in the moulding of broadcasting..; Whatever the role of television in the future, one thing appears to be crystallizing itself --»-the : indie station today is the one most truly representative of radio. The "indie upbeat" is reflected in the multiple convention activity highlighted by the following fac- ets:: Whatever stimulation of excite- ment was . offered in this year's NAB Management Conference was generated principally : by the "Bread and'Butter" Sessions! of the unaffiliated membership which, on Sunday, came into its: own at NAB convention with its completely own agenda. The Ted Cott-sparked "Declaration of the Independents" sounded off two years ago at the Atlantic City convention had reached fulfillment. I In his solo convention talk, NAB prexy Justin Miller addressed him- self to the unaffiliated boys and, without mincing words,, demon- strated that the networks were no longer the sacred cows of the in-, dustry. Judge Miller illustrated how the unaffiliated stations have achieved such stature today that it is now possible to achieve com- plete national coverage, without benefit of networks. This was in refutation -to. claims that broad-: casting in America is controlled by the four networks. Again, Mil- ler accented the fact, that, more and more, the trend in radio is toward local autonomy. The NAB prexy likened the indie operator today to ■ the indie voter who swings the election. Similarly striking were the reve- lations by Dr. Sidney Roslow, head of Pulse research organization, who came armed with figures to illustrate how the indie stations in America, through their selective program patteringi have been (Continued on page 48) continue his other activities as vee- pee of the Long Island Park Com- mission, board chairman,' of: the Overseas News Agency, a member of the exec committee of Freedom House, and a member of the Amer- ican Society of Newspaper Editors, which he helped found. GF May Sponsor 'Goldbei^' m AM put In a bid for the time, which would bracket them hack-to-back with Bob Hope, who is heard at 8:30. Eddie Cantor, dissatisfied with his present Friday night slot, would like to make the switch and, among others, so would Jimmy Durante, also heard Friday night for Camel clgarets. The 8 to 9 Tuesday segment on which the comics are casting en- vious eyes is in opposition to tele- vision's No. 1 show, Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theatre. While it is recognized, that Berle's potent video pull makes a dent in the New York metropolitan area, which boasts half the nation's TV audi- ence,: as far as the coast-to-coast Kobftk Kudosed Chicago, April 12. Continuing as chief topic of talk todiy (12) was the ova- tion accorded Ed Kobak, out- bound Mutual prexy, at: yester- day's (11) two major events of the NAB convention. Prac- tically emerging the "hero" of the broadcasters' confab, Kor bak alone of all the' top inr dustry brass on the dais at Monday's ' luncheon session was called on ■ via prolonged applause to take the bows. The incident was duplicated at the night sessions )»f the FM asseniblage. Revival of Gertrude Berg's "The Goldbergs" on radio, now that it is solidly entrenched as one of --- , , j the top TV shows is being eyed ' radio bankroUers are concerned by General Foods. ,«vf..nh<.H Tn thf (»F is dropping the Jack Carson WOR PACTS ROSENHELD FOR INSOlNIiUSTRElCH ,Ioe Rosenfield, Jr., early morn- ing disk jockey of WNOE, New Orleans, will take over the all- night show of WOR, on May 1' when Jack Lescoulie bows out. ROsenfield will call his 2-6 a.m. show, "The Happiness Exchange," a record show featuring phone calls and ' mail from listeners pitched to "sharing happiness." Pacting of Rosenfield is in line with the station's policy of having a strong personality and a lot of gab aimed at insomniacs on the all-night stanza. Lescoulie, who has done some tele chores, is being con- sidered for network AM and TV spots. Chfld. Steps in Where Luckies Fears to Tread , CBS has agreed to a deal where*- by BiU Lawrence will go into the Chesterfield, Supper Club : cross- the-board musical as summer re- placement for Perry Como. This is despite the fact that the maneuver involves the switchover of one of its upcoming prize artists to- the rival NBC network. Oddly enough, American Tobac- co tried to negotiate a similar deal with CBS permitting Lawrence to go in as permanent replacement for Frank Sinatra on the Lucky Strike NBC Hit Parade show. This, too, in spite of fact that Lucky Strike has a top-rated stake in CBS via its bankrolling of Jack- Benny. CBS acquiesced on the Chester- field- Lawrence tieup on NBC principally because the singer, as one. of the principal cogs in the Arthur Godfrey AM morning show and Wednesday night TV program, is already integrated into the Chesterfield program pattern. The ciggie outfit is plunking' down a couple of million -dollars on an 'annual basis for the AM and TV Godfrey shows, and in addition is picking up the tab next season for Bing Crosby, who also joins the CBS roster. CBS reasoned it wouldn't make much sense antagonizing that kind of a client, even though NBC -shares-in-the spoils. - — — By an odd coincidence, it marks the second such "lend - lease'' of CBS personalities for the NBC Supper Club. Originally, Como moved over to the Chesterfield show while under contract to Cor lumbia, but the pact has since ex- pired. WSAY Pads AFRA Rochester, N. Y., April 12. Strike of the American Federa- tion of Radio Actors against WSAY has been settled. Management signed an AFRA shop contract, to wiiich it had objected vigorously. show at the end of the season and is currently mulling a replacement for the Friday night CBS spot as a companion show to "My Favor- Husband," which It bankrolls 1 back-to-back. GF recently ac- of New Yorkers quired the TV version of "Gold- berg's" to plug its Sanka Coffee. It Would now be interested in a revival of the comedy on radio, al- though not for simultaneous broad- casting, since the video edition is heard Monday nights. they're far from perturbed. To the Cantors and Durantes, network ra- dio still means Dallas, Spokane, Duluth, Seattle and Wichita, and Berle's Texaco show at this stage of the TV game, is not the menace ' to radio conjured up in the minds IJi's. Berg, the show's creator and star,, is also interested in bringing the: show ,back to radio, where it enjoyed k 17-year reign Defore going off about three years ago'. , ■., Voung 6c Rubicam is tl^'e agency. Bea Wain's Guester Bea Wain, whose "Mr. and Mrs. Music" disk-jockey series with her i I husband, Andre Baruch, ends Sat-; I urday night (16) on WMCA, New | j York, planes to Boston immediate- 1 ly after the windup broadcast for| I a guest shot on the Vaughn Monroe i ' program that night on CBS. I It's the first in a series of guest j appearances, I CBS' 34G Rebate on Benny CBS is reported to have rebated $34,000 to American Tobacco Go. because of failure of the .Jack Benny Lucky Strike show to hit the guarantee rating figure for the month of March. Situation un- precedented in radio annals, stems directly from the deal negoti- ated by CBS for Lucky Strike's continued sponsorship of the Benny show following its switchover from NBC to Columbia Jan. 2, '49. Among the multi-faceted aspects of the Benny-CBS-American T6bacc6 deal, Columbia web board chairman William S Paley, it is Under.stood; agreied to a $3,000-per-point rebate in tire event Bennv failed to average his NBC rating for the previous season. The January and February Hoopers found Benny riding the Hooper crest on CBS, frequently leading off the Top 15 brigade^ But the March figures showed a decline, the supposition being that it nose- dived below the guarantee. Benny: is currently in the No. 3 spot with a 22.3 rating. Last season this time he was in the No. 4 po- sition with a 25.5. Situation comes on the heels of the revelation; that Benny's Amusement Enterprise Corp. film, "Lucky Stiff," may wind up $400,000 in the red,, with Benny Indemnifying CBS agatniit the loss. Chicago, April 12. Frank White, newly appointed prexy of Mutual, was formally in- troduced to the affiliate member- ship at the Mutual meeting held Sunday (10) in connection with the NAB Chi convention. For the most part, reaction of the affiliate station operators to the upheaval, which saw ex-Colum- bia Records president step in as successor to Edgar Kobak, was one of confusion and bewilderment. For the most part they :weren't too familiar with the inneivorganiza- tional friction which resulted in Kobak stepping out at the invita- tion; of the directorate, Primarily. ■ they were concerned with the man- ner in which the executive reshuf- - fie would affect their own Individ- ual setups. Top moment of the affiliate meeting came when Kobak stepped to the rostrum to address the sta- tion men. There was^a spontaneous standup ovation for him. , White takes over May l. Reports are that he signed a three-year contract at :$85,000 annually. White says he has no immediate plans to - bring in outsiders, He's still con- fronted with the problem of finding - a good No. 2 man as general man- ager (as successor to Robert Swe< zey, who resigned several months back), and also a program manager . to succeed Phillips Carlin. It was thought that the g.m. post might be filled from within present net- work ranks. Subsequent developments in the wake of the White appointment were: Kobak Immediately: an- nounced he was setting up a busi- ness consultant organization with Mutual as the first client. (Reports are still current that eventually he may negotiate deal to move to NBC on; an upper echelon level). £d- . (Continued on page 48) FCC Lops (Nf 2 Mote Stallees Washington, April 12; Pursuing a policy of encouraging surrender of FM permits by per- mittees stalling on construction, the Federal Communications Com- mission last week dismissed two requests for new authorizations after the applicants had allowed the original permits to lapse. Applications for new permits "were denied WCCP~ of" SavanffalT" and WALA of Mobile. Three other applications for stations were also . dismissed at request of the appli- cants.. In the AM field, five applicants for stations dropped out during the week, among them being the Nash- ville Radio Corp. of Nashville, which had applied for a 5kw full- time outlet on 1,410 kc. Partly offsetting the FM dismis- sals were issuance of authorizations for- new metropolitan FM stations to WDLS, Jacksonville, 111., and WOLS, Florence, S. C. In addition, there were three applications foi? new stations, two of which were for low-power non-commercial educa- tional outlets. One of these was filed by Boston Univ., School sf Public Relations, for a 250 watt , operation. AM deletions were largely offset by granting of four applications for new stations. These included -a 50kw day and 10 kw night outlet in Tulsa, to'a company headed by millionaire oilman and Sen. Robert S. Kerr (D Okla ); a fulltime Ikw station in Saginaw, Mich., and a: fulltime Ikw station in Turlock, Cal. There were also two appjica-; tions received for daytime stations^ ■Kaye Gets Chrysler "Sammy Kaye's Showroom," 15- I minute airer of light dinner musics I will be sponsored . three times; I weekly over WJZ, New York, by' Ch<-ysler Sales . Division,; starting May 9 at 6:45 p.m. I Initial contract is for 26 weeks. McCann-Erickson is the agency.