Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

14 JANUARY 25, 1960 Television Digest PUBLISHED BY TRIANGLE PUBLICATIONS, INC. WALTER H. ANNENBERG, President PUBLICATION OFFICE Radnor, Pa., MUrray 8-3940, TWX: Radnor 1028 JAMES T. QUIRK, MERRILL PANITT, Editorial Director Business Manager HAROLD B. CLEMENKO, Managing Editor JAMES B. DELEHANTY, DAVID LACHENBRUCH, Associate Editor Asst. Business Mgr. HAROLD RUSTEN PAUL STONE WASHINGTON BUREAU Wyatt Building Washington 5, D.C. Steriing 3-1755 ALBERT WARREN, Chief WILBUR H. BALDINGER WM. J. McMAHON Jr. MARTIN CODEL Associate Publisher NEW YORK BUREAU 625 Madison Ave. New York 22, N.Y. Plaza 2-0195 CHARLES SINCLAIR WEST COAST BUREAU 6362 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood 28, Cal. Hollywood 5-5210 DAVID KAUFMAN AM-FM DIRECTORY Published in January WEEKLY NEWSLETTER TV & AM-FM ADDENDA Published Monday* Published Saturdays TELEVISION FACTBOOK Published in March 8, September Copyright 1960, by Triangle Publications, Inc. Personals: Lester Bernstein, NBC corporate affairs vp, named to represent the network on TIO board, succeeding Kenneth W. Bilby, recently named RCA public affairs vp (Vol. 15:52 pl9) . . . James G. Bergen named daytime sales dir., Robert W. McFadyen daytime sales mgr., NBC-TV. . . . William K. McDaniel named vp for NBC radio, succeeding Matthew J. Culligan, who resigned to join McCannErickson (Vol. 16:3 p9) . . . Richard Golden promoted from CBS-TV sales presentations dir. to dir. of sales presentations & mkt. planning . . . Norman F. Cissna named local sales mgr, of NBC’s WNBQ Chicago, succeeding Kenneth Johnson, resigned to become exec, vp, Daren F. McGavren . . . William E. Coyle, sales promotion & publicity dir. of NBC’s WRC-TV Washington, resigns effective March 1 to join Washington investment house of Ferris & Co. . . . George A. Graham Jr, promoted from sales planning vp to vp & gen. mgr., NBC radio; William F. Fairbanks promoted from national sales mgr. to sales dir. Larry Carino promoted from acting mgr. to gen. mgr., WWL-TV Nev/ Orleans; Maurice J. Guillerman promoted from national sales mgr. to gen. sales mgr. . . . Robert B. Beusse named ad & promotion mgr., WOR-TV & WOR N.Y. . . . Lawrence H. (Bud) Rogers II and Mrs. Rogers are traveling in Europe before he takes over duties as operations vp of Taft Bcstg. Co. March 1 (Vol. 16:2 p 16) . . . William T. Wagner promoted from production mgr. to new post of program operations mgr., KTRK-TV Houston, Tex. . . . Mrs. Karen Rohwer, ex-WOI-TV Ames, la., named promotion mgr., KMSP-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul. Alexander W. McCallum promoted to asst, national program dir., ABC radio . . . Leslie H. Peard Jr., Triangle Stations regional sales development dir., named gen. mgr. of Triangle’s radio KFRE Fresno, Cal., succeeding Robert F. Klein, resigned . . . Carl L. Kowalski advances to partnership in Washington engineering firm of Silliman, Moffet & Rohrer . . . Morton A. Barrett appointed Bolling vp & Chicago office mgr. . . . Maurice E. (Doc) Fidler promoted from regional mgr. to div. mgr., RAB’s member service dept., effective Feb. 15. Chmn. Magnuson (D-Wash.) of the Senate Commerce Committee will address a Washington meeting of TvB Feb. 4 in the Statler Hilton Hotel, where TvB’s wide-screen presentation “The Exponential” will be shown. Members of Congress, govt, officials, advertising & agency executives and delegates to the mid-winter conference of the Advertising Federation of America have been invited. Hot Rod: Rod Erickson, ex-sales vp of Warner Bros. TV (and still linked to WB in an advisory capacity), was wearing 4 hats last week: 1. Network hat: While other deals (see below) simmer, Erickson has been retained as a “special sales consultant” by NBC-TV to line up sponsors (at $1.8 million per % sponsorship with an expected cpm of $2.08) for NBC’s unsold TV-radio 1960 political coverage. This should run 43 to 60 broadcast hours. 2. Canadian hat: The pres, of Rodney Erickson Enterprises is co-owner of a new Toronto production firm, CanTel Ltd. Already offered $500,000 for his interest (even though CanTel has yet to produce a show), Erickson intends to package “live & film shows in Canada that will satisfy Canadian quota requirements and be salable in the U.S. & elsewhere.” He is also considering diversification moves into the Canadian fields of stations and film commercials. 3. Film hat: Erickson’s U.S. firm is now handling sales representation of 2 new filmed comedies. Double Take (about 2 photographers) and Don’t Tell Roger, and a private-eye series. Life & Hard Times of Barney Benedict, packaged by N.Y. commercial production independent Filmways. The latter is now represented in network TV with 21 Beacon St. on ABC-TV. Erickson is also a dir. of Sapphire Ltd. and Walton-on -Thames studio, and handles U.S. representation of Sapphire projects done outside of its production deal {Four Just Men) with ITC-ATV. These projects include a 30-min. drama series Women in Love starring Olivia de Havilland, and tape specials. 4. Station hat: Erickson confirmed a Washington report that he is heading a financial group seeking to buy U.S. TV stations. “We hope to acquire as many as 6 in major markets, and we’re close to 2 deals,” he told us. Conspiracy case against Alexander L. Gutcrma, former head of MBS, & other defendants, is expected to go before the jury in N.Y. Federal District Court by midweek. The govt, rested its case Jan. 20 in the 7th week of the trial. It charges that the defendants (including Robert J. Everleigh & F. L. Jacobs Co.) willfully failed to file necessary financial reports concerning Jacobs Co. with SEC & the N.Y. Stock Exchange. Federal judge Lloyd F. MacMahon dismissed 4 of the 21 counts on the defense motion. Jacobs Co. had previously pleaded guilty but sentence was reserved until conclusion of the trial (Vol. 15:50 p9). Obituary Horace Feyhl, 68, with WCAU radio for 30 years, died Jan. 21 at his home outside Philadelphia. He retired last year as night mgr. & coordinator of remote bests., and had previously been announcer, performer, writer, director & producer with the station. Mr. Feyhl was credited with building some of the first mobile sound units for radio. He is survived by his wife and a son. Miller McClintock, 65, pres, of MBS from 1942 to 1944, died Jan. 10 at his home in Scarsdale, N.Y. Considered one of the country’s leading automobile traffic experts. Dr. McClintock headed the Traffic Audit Bureau from 1933 to 1942. He was also a dir. of Muzak Corp. and Encyclopedia Britannica Films. He is sux’vived by his wife and 2 sons. William Marsh, 50, RCA broadcast & TV equipment div. sales rep for N.C. & S.C., headquartering in Atlanta, was a victim of the Jan. 18 Capital Airlines crash near Holdcroft, Va., which claimed 50 lives. He joined RCA 2 years ago, had been asst, chief engineer of WREC-TV Memphis. His widow and daughter suiwive.