American television directory (1946)

DIRECTORY OF TELEVISION A listing of advertisers, advertising agencies, packagedshow producers, telecasting stations, organizations and publications — with their video activities summarized. _ _ ADVERTISERS _ Abraham & Straus, Inc., 420 Fulton St., Brooklyn. Department store. (See Bloomingdale’s in this list of Adver¬ tisers. See WNBT under Stations.) Acme News Pictures, Inc., 461 8th Ave., New York. Sponsored news program over WBKB in June, 1945. (See Henri, Hurst & McDonald under Agencies.) Adam Hat Stores, 657 Broadway, New York 12. William Pludo, vice-president, is in charge of television. Sponsored “Adam Hats Television Sports Parade”, boxing bouts from Ebbets Field, begin¬ ning July 22, 1941 over WNBT. Pre¬ sented two bouts in August 1941, then, on October 28 sponsored wrestling matches from Ridgewood Grove Arena. There were 18 pickups to May 1942. Early in 1945, Adam sponsored a sports program over WABD, featuring Tom and Bill Slater. All shows were pro¬ duced through Buchanan & Co., Inc. Admiral Corp., 3800 Cortland, Chicago 47, Ill. Maker of Admiral Radio. Pre¬ sents “Young Chicago” over WBKB every Thursday. Conducts auditions for talent in cooperation with the Chicago Board of Education. Aetna Life Insurance Co. & Affiliated Companies, 151 Farmington Ave., Hart¬ ford, Conn. Stanley F. Withe, manager, advertising and publicity department, is in charge of television. Aetna ex¬ hibit at the New York World’s Fair included a television demonstration us¬ ing educational films. In 1944, Aetna, first insurance company to use tele¬ vision, presented a commercial broad¬ cast over the NBC-GE-Philco network to promote Aetna Multiple Lines and Aetna Check Forgery insurance. Two 21-minute educational films, costing $1,000 each, were used. Company has full facilities for production of 16-mm sound films; plans to produce 10 or 12 one-reel educational subjects. Air Transport Association of America, 1515 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Wash¬ ington 5, D. C. (See Cecil & Presbrey under Agencies.) Aldens Chicago Mail Order Co., 511 Paulina, Chicago 7, Ill. Miss Ide Bodian, fashion catalog manager, 200 Madison Ave., New York, is in charge of tele¬ vision. Television activity began in August 1944, with three telecasts over WABD. Conscious of the promotional possibilities of television for a fashion catalog, the company experimented with it from this angle with an eye to antici¬ pating its postwar potentialities. Desires primarily to bring the mail-order cata¬ log to life. Account is handled by Buchanan & Co. American Central Manufacturing Corp., Connersville, Ind. Maker of American Kitchens. On January 28, 1945, the company sponsored a comedy, “The Queen Was in the Kitchen”, produced by Gerald 0. Kaye over WABD. Pro¬ gram advertised “Planakit” matched kitchens. Subsequently, Jam Handy made a “behind the scenes” film show¬ ing how the program was telecast. This was used for sales promotion through¬ out the country. American Institute of Food & Home Products, 509 Madison Ave., N. Y. C. (See WABD under Stations.) Elizabeth Arden, 681 Fifth Ave., New York 22, N. Y. (See WRGB : Stations.) Association of American Playing Card Manufacturers, 420 Lexington Ave., New York. (See J. Walter Thompson under Agencies. See WRGB: Stations.) Atlantic Refining Co., 260 Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. Wallace Orr, N. W. Ayer & Son, Inc., is the company tele¬ vision representative. Company spon¬ sored first football game on television, September 1940; first night football game, September 1941; first network football game, September 1944 over WPTZWNBTWRGB. Live and film talent used in commercials varying from 45 seconds to 5 minutes. Televised 35 to 40 times. Company plans to con¬ tinue experimentation. Augusta Knitting Corp., 700 Broad, Utica 2, N. Y. Maker of Jones Quality Underwear. (See Norman D. Waters Many of these listings, compiled by Richard Manville and Patricia Murray, were published in Printers' Ink for July 6, 1945. They have been revised and greatly augmented by Margaret Rice and Barbara Jones. Changes or omissions called to the attention of the Editor, will be incorporated in future yearbooks. under Agencies. See Television Work¬ shop under Producers.) L. Bamberger & Co., 131 Market, New¬ ark 1, N. J. Department store. (See WNBT under Stations.) Black, Starr & Gorham, Inc., 594 Fifth Ave., New York. (See Norman D. Waters under Agencies. See Television Workshop under Producers.) Block Drug Co., Inc., 190 Baldwin Ave., Jersey City, N. J. Maker of Omega Oil. (See Cecil & Presbrey under Agencies.) Bloomingdale's, Lexington Ave. & 59th St., New York 17, N. Y. Ira A. Hirschmann, vice-president, is in charge of tele¬ vision. In August 1939, Bloomingdale’s and Abraham & Straus (Brooklyn) ap¬ plied jointly to the FCC for a television license. Application was filed by Metro¬ politan Television, Inc., subsidiary of the stores. Bloomingdale’s put on a series of intra-store millinery shows. Early in 1942, the store participated in a fashion series on WNBT. In January 1945, Mr. Hirschmann was appointed to organize frequency modu¬ lation and television activities for Federated Department Stores, which, in addition to the two stores named, includes F. & R. Lazarus & Co., Inc., Columbus, the John Shillito Co., Cin¬ cinnati, and Wm. Filene’s Sons Co., Inc., Boston. Bloomingdale’s experimental television station is W2XMT. Boots Aircraft Nut Corp., New Canaan, Conn. (See Cecil & Presbrey under Agencies.) Botany Worsted Mills, Dayton Ave., Pas¬ saic, N. J. Charles F. H. Johnson, Jr., vice-president, is in charge of television. Through Alfred J. Silberstein-Bert Goldsmith agency, Botany sponsored a series of one-minute animated cartoons which promote Botany ties and forecast the weather. Beginning in October 1941, these spots appeared over WNBT four times weekly. In mid-1945, Botany moved this advertising to WABD, later returned it to WNBT. Company is look¬ ing forward to color television to obtain actual display of its ties. Bulova Watch Co., 630 Fifth Ave., New York 20. R. F. Warren, advertising manager, is in charge of television. Bulova was the first advertiser to use commercials over WNBT. Beginning in 1941, the company had spot commer¬ cials six times a week. Except for the period when the war curtailed NBC television activities, Bulova has been a steady advertiser and now has two announcements a week; they consist of one-minute time signals with a visual animated clock face and a musical back¬ ground of the Minute Minuet. The Biow Company handles the account. The Butterick Co., Inc., 161 Sixth Ave., New York. Promoting its fashion pat¬ terns, Butterick gave the first commer¬ cial seen on WABD in May, 1943. Buxton, Inc. (leather goods), 47 W. 34th St., New York. (See J. Walter Thomp¬ son under Agencies.) Calvert Distillers Corp., 405 Lexington Ave., New York 17. (See Geyer, Cornell & Newell under Agencies.) 96