Variety (December 1954)

42 RADIO-TELEVISION Variety New York Frank Campanula oil NBC “TV playhouse’' (5) in “Last Boat to Messina” . Renee Taylor tapped for DuMont’s “The Stranger” (3) Edward Andrews cast for ABC's “U. S„ Steel ..Hour” (7) in “One for the Road” . Jack Diftn- ninger upped from eastern sales chief of Blair-TV reps to veepee post . WATV, the Brooklyn Eagle and the Brooklyn Red Cross teaming up in corpuscle drive. Brooklyn campaign is called “Gift of Life,” and, incidentally, it~ is noted that on of the buildings along Madison Ave. r housing sta- tion reps, a tv filrriery: and other radio-tv outfits, is pushing a large blood drive of its own . . Don Morrow, into Sammy KayC's ABC- TV casing. Morrow’s also just inked a longterm pact with Pepto Bismol for the. CBS-TV “Sunday News Special” . . Paul G. O’Friel is DuMont web’s first director of labor relations. Jack Sterling, ringmaster of CBS-TV’s “Big Top,” planing to' Birmingham after this week’s sh \v to be guest of: honor at the “Toy Bowl” game, a grid fray for kids. He’ll also be toastmaster at ban- quet following the contest. Leonard Levin, with Benton & Bowles for the past 20 years, has joined Jack Finck of United Talent Associates, booking agents and rtists reps,. a partner ; Ed- win Duerr exits his. post, as execu- tive producer for television and radio at Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample Dec. 1 . . . Fred L, Gordon named to newly-created post of advertis- ing production manager for CBS- Columbia, the CBS setmakirig ai;m. Bill Britten filling in on WABC- TV’s “Jolly Gene and His Fun Machine” for Chuck Luchsinger, who’s in New York Hospital with a slipped disk in his back . \. . Billy Nalle set in tonight’s (Wed.) Kraft production of “Camille” as the pianist in the story. He just finished composing and playing the music for a Muscular. Distrophy ..Fund radio show, starring Ethel & Albert (Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce) . It’s Ellen Parker—not Eleanor—bn Sid Caesar Show for four more weeks, Got deal after a one-shot . Ilona Massey among those lending glamor to. Front TEXACO STAR THEATRE SATURDAY NIGHT—N.B.C. Mgt.j William Morris Agency Page dinner-dance sponsored by N. Y. Newspaperwomen’s Club for. benefit of educational fund Dec; 3, at Plaza. Marilyn Cantor replaced Hope Lang as singer on Gene Rayburn’s WRCA-TV “Sky’s the Limit” as of Monday (29) . . Borden’s Instant, Coffee steps aside for sister prod- uct Instant Starlac. on Garry Moore’s CBS-TV stanza, reason be- ing Starlac just going into national distribution. Herbert Evers marks return. to tv acting in CBS’ “Lamp Unto M.Y Feet” Sunday . (5) , . . NBC’s Ed Herlihy to speechify Friday (3) at Conference of Public Utility Execs at St. Moritz . Beverly Lunsford into “Robt. Montgomery Presents” Monday (6.) . . Barbara Joyce, cur- rent. in “Stone for Danny Fisher, downtown legiter, to double in tv via NBC’s “Modern Romances” across the Dec. 6 board . . ! Evelyn Ellis, who appeared on initial CBS- TV “Best of B’way” .. stanza in “Royal Family,” back from Coast' after seven, weeks before the cam- eras in Metro’s “Interrupted Mel- ody,” the Marjorie Lawrence bio- pic ! CdproduCer Jesse Zousmer and tech director Bob Sammort of CBS’ “Person to Person,” to H'worid today (Wed.), to handle Bing Crosby remote on Friday (3). Other guest is Mary Margaret Mc- Bride, the NBC’er. ”4- Chicago Leslie Urbach has stdfiped in as exec director of DuMont’s “They Stand Accussed” produced for the web by Jay Faraghan’s WGN-TV program department . Don Her- bert off next month on his four- week Winter hiatus with repeat kines being used on his NBC-TV “Mr. Wizard” Weekender . , . Jack •Drees given the nod as playCaller on CBS-TV’s Big 10 basketball beamings . . Vet lenser Robert Sable added to Kling Studios cameraman stable . . Jtiles Pow- ers tv packaging firm setting up production branches in Detroit, St. Louis and New Haven ; . Toni Arties packaging and moderating new. Wednesday afternoon fei me- angled discussion program on WBKB for the'Alco-Deree Co. . . Pilot of a comedy series featuring Hal Block and Jean Carroll being shot at Kling Studios . . . WNBQ off. the hook with its midnight fea- ture films as Avenue Packard took over Mondaj'S, Tuesdays and Thurs- days.. Sarnoff Conti ued from page 26 work, with a,n established position of leadership in the field, bore the first and heaviest brunt of the de- cline that started in the medium several years ago.” But this does not mean, Sarnoff declared, abandonment of effort and resolve to cope affirmatively Covert a vast, prosperous territory—a rich target for your advertising dollar Steinman Station Clair McCollough, President with the problem. “Indeed, having understood, the seriousness of the dangers lying ahead fqr the me- dium, NBC has been leading the way in developing the patterns of audience and advertiser service which may build a new base for a successful and continuing network radio operation, Arid although no man can precisely foresee the shape of things to come, I assure you that even if it should prove im- possible to build such a. new base for network radio, NBC would be the LAST, and not the first, to abandon the field.” He took another indirect swipe at CBS (and presumably other webs) by stating, “Our adjustment to changing circumstances of net- work radio is well on the way and as a result of systematic considered: action, # NBC. is now again leading in nighttime radio and is actively seeking to bring about similar im- provement in its position in day- time radio. In the meantime, the shocks of radio’s chariging circum- stances have been affecting other networks which have riot fully faced up to the .demands of. the times and have not yet m^de the necessary adjustment in tjpetr bp-, erations. It seems to now stand to lose far mbre' than the NBC Radio Network.” Gen. Sarnoff’s “new patterns, new selling arrangements, jpiew types of programs” were hififed at but not spelled out in his conclud- ing paragraph; “Having weathered the storm which others now iriust face, we have no jitters about the radio network situation. Only 'last week we met with a special com- mittee of our affiliated radio sta- tions and outlined NBC’s intentions to proceed with practical evolution- ary adaptations to meet radio’s new requirements within .the framework of radio network busi- ness.' This is the course on which we ?u’e set and we believe it holds out the best, promise for an effec- tive continuation of our radio net- work. We are confident that radio as a medium wilL continue to live and we expect NBC to maintain leadership in its future.” WVEC-TV Continued from page. 30 a great degree when the v.p. in charge of sales, Harrol Brauer, made a deal with a Long. Island City firm to make “Do-it-yourself” converter kits for between $18 and $30. Manufacturer sold out the first batch and figures the area is good for nearly 20,000 more by the end of 1954. At the present time, conversion figures a r e a b o li t 125,000 in the area which lists about* 220,000 sets. Biggest boost to the. station’s hopes has been the sales and rating figures over the past six months. Acceptance by both local and na- tional advertisers has been in- creasing with each month. During the last six months local sales have gone up over .100% and national sales over 55% with many former “Lay off it” advertisers taking a second and third look at the pic- ture. One advertiser, Sunshine Biscuit Co., tripled its - sales figures in that area and on their return on a new schedule, renewed with WVEC-TV although They dropped 65 other VHF stations throughout the country. Payoff on sales fig- ures is the fact that during the first 11 months the station lost ovef $150,000 but during the last three months lias been completely in the black, . Rating picture .is also brighten" ing tip. Ratings taken during Jan- uary of 1954; as against October, ’54. (ARB) for the area show that despite the fact that the compe- tition still has a large edge, the overall picture indicates WVEC-TV is constantly gaining.. A tipoff on what can happen in the future is iti the 5-6 prh area, where “Pinky Lee” and “Howdy Doody” surpass their V foes and in several other areas they are maintaining almost equal ratings. Station has just opened a new $150,000 studio in Norfolk which provides them with facilities on both sides of the bay. The sta- tion’s aim is to service eventually the entire Tidewater area, about $50,000 people, and their entire promotion and a d v e v tl s in g is themed along that line. Chisrhan thinks he’s got the situ- ation licked; Says the happiest time in his life came when people began referring to the station as Channel .15 rather than “that UHF station,” Wednesday, December 1, 1954 From the Production Centers Continued from page 38- j b, as veepee of NARTB, announced formal opening of his new public relations offices . . . Ron Harold has been added to d.j. staff of WAR£ i WWDC and WRC have teed off their annual Christmas drives, former with a fund collection booth, and latter with its traditional Doll House to collect dolls and toys for underprivileged moppets' . Vet newscaster Gunnar Back returns to radio this week via a daUy news show over WWDC-MBS. ^ IN MINNEAPOLIS Minneapolis’ forthcoming new tv station, KEYD-^TV, has landed local ahd St. Paul American Association teams’ home baseball games for the coming season, carried this year by WCCO-TV. Telecast schedule will coiriprise 44 contests, 12 more than last season. Jack ilomer, who resigned as KSTP-TV sports director to join KEYD-TY, will handle play-by-play. No sponsors have been signed yet by 'KEYD-TV WMIN-TV’s Stuart Lindman launched “Seaking of Families,” a weekly program devoted to a half-hour panel discussion of welfare work by Twin Cities’ family agencies' , . WTCN has appointed announcer-disk jockey Sev Widman program director and added Curt Edwards, a former staffer, and A1 Paulson; erstwhile with WDGY, as radio newscaster and announcer, respectively . . . Two farm families appearing on the David Stone-Bee . Baxter KSTP-TV show, “Cqunty Road 5,” were served their Thanksgiving dinner and ate it as part of the holiday video program , *. . Marcus Loew Jr. and Bob Berger, •the latter son of circuit owner Bennie Berger, in fronyHollywood to vhiroduce tv fil m for their company, of NBA’s “basketball game of the week” here. IN PITTSBURGH Janet Ross to Dade City, Fla., to see her mother and do some deep- sea fishing and Evelyn Gardiner filling in for her at KDKA . , Jack- Fitzhenry has quit engineer’s berth at WENS for a post with WSUN-TV in St. Petersburg, Fla. . . . Chuck Reichblum, WJAS sportscaster, engaged to Audrey Rosenthal . ... Max Kleckner, Oakland. News pub- lisher who broadcasts “Hi Nabor News” on KQV every Sunday after* noon, just celebrated 20th anni of his weekly . . . Charles Ruffin, Jr., former junior director at WQED, has gone with WKAR-TV; another educational station, connected with Michigan State College hi Lansing as a director . . . KQV platter-spinner Joe Deane and his wife cele- brated their ninth wedding anni on Thanksgiving Day . Herbert A; W.aters, formerly with WKJF-TV, has been appointed sales manager of WILY . . . Joe Bock, scenic designer at WDTV for three years and WENS year and a half, off for the West Coast to go into tv there Studs'Terkel’s Lament Continued from page.27 an old lady wearing ^spiLcurls. They should know better. This goes a step beyond Ray Bradbury’s dire prophecy. The per- formers as well as the viewers are raped of their uniqueness. Ahd the label is “Made in New York.” Now they’re tossing Bergen Evans into the Madison Avenue belt-line. Professor Evans is a sin- gularly civilized man. He has good sense and good taste. But I can’t ■ help crossing* my fingers. In his excellent., new work, “Spoor of, Spooks,” Evans writes of the battle of our time. Homo Sapiens vs; Homo Neanderthalensis. The Eggheads against the Jug- heads. And how the bull hide boys are wiping the floor with the think- ers. He ends on an optimistic note. I do, too, I think Evans will prevail. Anyway, Chicago is still a good farm club for the Yankees; We de- veloped a young Behchley, who signs his tabs Gobel, He's master oi the formula; arid not the other. way round. He makes the bed fit him. No Procrustean pallet for George. And we’ve got. Mahalia Jackson out here. Arid Maria Meneghini- Callas on a parttime . job. Any set- plans for them out east? Think there’s a chance of developing Ma- halia into a Jorii James and Callas into a Margaret? If anyone can do it,. New York can. They’ve got the touch. Clever, those hoys. ARTIFICIAL EYELASHES—Absolutely.natural-looking lashes that give you GORGEOUS EYES instantly,' Exotic! Glamorous! Simple, basy . . . put on In 5 sec- onds... can be used over and over again. In < like purse-size case. Black or town ’to DAY TRIAL FREE! Order today at our risk, If'not cons* . pletely satisfied return the eyelashes after 10 days* trial for full refund. HONOR HOUSE PRODUCTS CORP. put on in 5 sec. gain. In compact. only $1 Dept. E-731, ‘.Lynbreok, N. Y. EXECUTIVE OFFICE SPACE OR STUDIO Air Conditioned Ballroom * x on Main Lobby in the Heart of Radio City and the Theatrical District. Approx. 1875 sq. ft,, 25 , x75’ High Ceiling Seating Capacity 200 For Further Particular* Call: W. STUBERFIELD Hotel Victoria Cl 7-7800