American television directory (1946)

STATION ACTIVITIES STATION ACTIVITIES Vv'ABD, 515 Madison Ave., New York 22. PL 3-9800. Owned and operated by Al¬ len B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc. Commercially licensed; also retains ex¬ perimental license W2XWV. Allen B. DuMont, president; Leonard F. Cramer, executive vice president; Samuel H. Cuff, general manager; Robert F. Jamie¬ son, assistant manager; Milton J. Alex¬ ander, advertising manager; Philip Fuhrmann, sales manager; Louis A. Sposa, program service manager; Sal¬ vatore Patremio, chief engineer. WABD (formerly W2XWV) has been on the air almost every week since June 25, 1942. It was the first station to invite advertising agencies and ad¬ vertisers to share its facilities and pro¬ duce experimental programs for the purpose of developing programming and commercial techniques in the new me¬ dium. The first commercial shows were presented on May 5, 1943 in behalf of Adam Hat Stores and Butterick Pat¬ terns. Advertising agencies and advertisers who have presented shows at DuMont’s station include: Charles M. Storm for Tintex, Hillman Publications and Park & Tilford; Reiss Advertising for PressOn, Inc.; Cecil & Presbrey for Boots Aircraft Nut Corp. ; Ruthrauff & Ryan for Lever Bros.’ Rinso, Spry, and Life¬ buoy Soap; A1 Paul Lefton for Rival dog food, Loft Candy Corp. and Pal Blade Co.; Kenyon & Eckhardt for various lines of fashions and cosmetics; Compton Advertising for Duz, Ivory soap and Mobiloil; Benton & Bowles for Post-Tens cereal; Newell-Emmett Co. for Chesterfield cigarettes and Proc¬ tor Electric Co.; Abbott Kimball for several fashion and cosmetic lines; J. Walter Thompson Co. for National Peanut Council ; Alfred J. SilbersteinBert Goldsmith for Botany Worsted Co.; Anderson, Davis & Platte for Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Co.; Buchanan & Co. for Chicago Mail Order Co., Adam Hats and sustaining shows for DuMont; Young & Rubicam for Sanforized; Campbell-Ewald Co. for U. S. Rubber Co.; American Institute of Food & Home Products for various food brokers; Marschalk & Pratt for Esso Marketeers. In addition, the Amer¬ ican Television Society, WOR, WNEW, Television Workshop, RKO Television and American Broadcasting Co., have made extensive use of WABD facilities. DuMont’s future plans include active cooperation with advertising agencies and their clients. Transformation of the great John Wanamaker Auditorium and adjoining space into a “television showplace” will be completed about February 1. This expansion provides WABD with an additional 4-camera television studio, 50' x 60' with a 50' ceiling and viewing balcony accommo¬ dating 700 guests; a 3-camera studio, 34' x 35', and a 2-camera studio, 20' x 38'. Programs will be interchanged with DuMont’s Washington, D. C. station early in 1946, thereby setting up a first leg of DuMont’s proposed network. WABD’s most successful shows, as indicated by audience return cards, have been audience participation shows (John Reed King — “Thanks for Look¬ ing”), adventure shows (Doug Allan — “Thrills & Chills”) and newscasts (Sam Cuff — “Face of the War”). WBKB, 190 North State St., Chicago. Randolph 5300. Owned and operated by Balaban & Katz Corp. Commercially licensed. Capt. William C. Eddy, who commanded “Radio Chicago”, huge Navy radio and radar school, has returned as television director. Warren Jones is program director; A. H. Brolly, chief engineer; Herbert T. Lyon, publicity director. First on the air in 1940 under Capt. Eddy’s direction, WBKB during the war turned most of its facilities over to the Navy’s radar training program; presented many shows promoting Navy radar recruiting and war bond sales. WBKB handles sponsored programs directly. Commonwealth Edison presents a weekly quiz show, “Telequizicalls,” and earlier sponsored “Cooking by the Dial,” and an every-other-week comedy drama, “Welcome to the Walkers.” Mar¬ shall Field & Co. sponsors a weekly variety show, “Wednesday Matinee.” Admiral Radio presents “Young Chi¬ cago,” a program for discovering and displaying high-school talent with a future in television. Elgin National Watch Co. offers a 3-minute time sig¬ nal. The Fair, Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. and others are also clients. The station will continue testing new ideas in news presentation, drama, vari¬ ety, etc., in anticipation of large-scale television. Sponsors are invited to ex¬ periment under the station’s guidance. WCBW, 15 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, owned and operated by Columbia Broad¬ casting System, Inc. MU 6-6340. Com¬ mercially licensed. Transmitter in tower of Chrysler Bldg. Lawrence W. Loman is vice-president in charge of television ; Worthington Miner, manager of tele¬ vision; Dr. Peter C. Goldmark, director, department of research and develop¬ ment; Ben Feiner, Jr., assistant direc¬ tor, television programs; George Moskovics, commercial manager. Columbia first went on the air with a regular television schedule from July 1931 to February 1933, using a scan¬ ning method called the “flying spot.” On Sept. 3, 1940, Columbia demon¬ strated the first 3-color process (devel¬ oped by Dr. Goldmark) for television transmission within a 6 megacycle band. On July 1, 1941, WCBW began black-and-white telecasts on a 15-hour weekly schedule and tested many basic program formats: news, quiz shows, variety, open-forums, sports (with a studio audience), ballet. At the FCC’s suggestion live operations were reduced to four hours a week from June 1 to Nov. 27, 1942. After a wartime sus¬ pension, live program transmission was resumed on May 5, 1944 and has con¬ tinued on a 4-hour-a-week schedule since. WCBW has received awards for excellence in presenting the news, “The Missus Goes A-Shoppin’ ” and “Opin¬ ions on Trial.” Since July 16, 1945, CBS has invited commercial sponsors and agencies to participate in experiments with tele¬ vision program production. Benrus and Bulova watches sponsor spot commer¬ cials; Encyclopedia Britannica Films cooperates with WCBW on an educa¬ tional series, and Lever Bros, presents a group of programs. Columbia lists the following pro¬ grams in order of favorable public acceptance: 1 — The news; 2 The Missus Goes A-Shoppin’ ” (audience participation) ; 3 — “At Home” (in¬ formal variety program) ; 4— “There Ought to Be a Law” (open forum dis¬ cussion). Columbia believes many of its single shows, particularly dramatic piograms, have been effective, but finds it difficult to substantiate audience ac¬ ceptance unless a series following a regular format is presented. WNBT, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York. Cl 7-8300. Owned and operated by the National Broadcasting Company. Com¬ mercially licensed. Transmitter is lo¬ cated in tower of Empire State Build¬ ing. John F. Royal, vice-president of NBC in charge of television; Noran F. Kersta, manager of the television de¬ partment; O. B. Hanson, vice-president and chief engineer; John T. Williams, business manager; Reynold R. Kraft, sales manager. Experimental station W2XBS ( WNBT’s predecessor), “The Nation’s Pioneer Television Station,” was li¬ censed on July 19, 1928. NBC tested electronic television at the Empire State tower in 1934 and installed its television studios at Radio City in 1935. A broad¬ cast of the opening ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair, April 30, 1939 launched its public service program schedule. WNBT call letters went on the air along with commercial programs on July 1, 1941. The station now tele¬ casts regularly six days a week with a weekly schedule of 17 hours. NBC has pioneered in coverage of special events and sports, presents boxing from Madison Square Garden on Mon¬ days and Fridays; baseball from the Yankee Stadium or Polo Grounds once a week during the spring and summer; college and professional football, bas¬ ketball and hockey during the fall and winter. Recently, by film and direct pickup, WNBT has covered the home¬ coming of generals and admirals, V-E and V-J day celebrations and other im¬ portant current events. During 1942-43 more than 140,000 New York City air raid wardens received their basic train¬ ing via WNBT. Before the war, more than 130 ad¬ vertisers used NBC facilities to experi¬ ment with television. These included: Abraham & Straus, Bloomingdale’s, Aetna Life Affiliated Companies, L. Bamberger & Co., Botany Worsted 107