Broadcasting (Jan - Mar 1949)

'Tccknical RUSSEL SCHAFFER has been appointed chief engineer at KA.YX Waterloo, Iowa. He replaces R. MOORE, resigned. PETER WOLF has been appointed chief engineer of WMDN Midland, Mich. BILL DOUBLEDAY, KWBR Oakland, Calif., has joined KWBR-FM as announcer and engineer. He replaces BILL FILERS who left Jan. 3 to join Air Force. J. R. POPPELE, vice president in charge of engineering at WOR New York, has been re-elected to the board of directors of the Veteran Wireless Operators Assn. HY RUBIN, staff engineer at WNJR Newark, N. J., is the father of a girl, Marilyn. CHICAGO FM Listening Survey Made FM LISTENERS in the Chicago area tune in their sets 69.4% of their total radio listening time, it was revealed in a special survey conducted by Mary Feil, senior in the Department of Speech at Northwestern U., Evanston, 111. In querying 1,000 persons in the area, Miss Feil found that 98 persons devoted 90% of their time to FM, 57 give 80% and 40 listened 70%. Only two listened 5% of the time, with 13 tuning in 100%. FOR A BETTER . . . MERCHANDISING PROMOTION AND SELLING JOB! * IN FLINT, MICHIGAN, IT'S . . . WBBC 1000 WATTS UNLIMITED * 2ND HIGH HOOPER IN LESS THAN A YEAR Summer '48 Index A BOOTH STATION That's Going Places With MUTUAL W. ELDON GARNER Commercial Mgr. Nat. Rep. Forjoe & Co. FITZGIBBONS PLAN IBA Rejects Proposal tising budgets for the presentation of high quality television programs on local stations and on networks. These manufacturers include General Electric Co., Philco, RCA, DuMont and Admiral, among others. You can be certain that these budgets will continue to expand as television moves from the more populous East to the communities west of the Rockies." TELEVISION Broadcasters Assn. has rejected the "Television Guild" plan of cooperative advertising by video set manufacturers on TV stations proposed by L. 0. Fitzgibbons [Broadcasting, Jan. 3]. Mr. Fitzgibbons, then commercial manager of WOC Davenport, now general manager of WXLW and * WXLW FM Indianapolis, suggested that each TV set-maker contribute 3% of his retail sales to a pool to be used for the sponsorship of programs on TV stations. He predicted the plan would create more and better TV programs, give an assured income to stations and stimulate the sale of video receivers. In its reply, dated Jan. 26, TBA said that Mr. Fitzgibbons' proposal had been studied by the TBA board and that comments also had been solicited from the association's manufacturer members. "It was the consensus of the board, as well as the manufacturers, that the plan, broadly speaking, is not feasible and while the motives — improvement of program quality — were commended, it was felt that quality programming will be a natural adjunct of industry expansion," the TBA letter to Mr. Fitzgibbons stated. "As a matter of fact," the letter continued, "the quality of programming in areas where television station operations are on the increase and receiver distribution is mounting, has vastly improved in the short space of a year. This trend is not only likely to continue, but will spread to sectors where television service is just beginning, or about to be launched. Negative Aspects Weighed "Negative aspects of the proposed project were held to be weighted greatly against the advantages of better programming, which, it was felt, would come even without adoption of your plan. Sacrifice of the competitive aspects of advertising — the lifeblood of free enterprise and the reason for American leadership in world trade — was one compelling factor working against the proposal. "Another was the well-grounded contention that the American system of broadcasting has always been free to the listener and should remain that way for the viewer. The potential television set owner might understandably resent the 'tax' on his set purchase, even though he were to be told the additional fee would mean better programming. Manufacturers today are concerned with the problem of reducing the cost of receivers and are working to provide methods of making more simple installations so that prices can be brought down. "In the final analysis, a number of major television receiver manufacturers are already appropriating large sums from their adver MANUFACTURING Firms' Profits, Sales Up U. S. manufacturing corporations showed an estimated aggregate net income after taxes of $2.9 billion during the third quarter of 1948, according to the quarterly report released Friday by the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission. Compared with the precedingquarter, the report shows an approximate $60 million profit rate increase. Total sales of all corporations for the JulySeptember period were placed at $42.1 billion, a 3% rise over the previous quarter, while costs and expenses amounted to $37.4 billion. Of the $4.6 billion net before taxes, $1.7 billion was provided for Federal income taxes, $1 billion for dividends, and $1.9 billion was retained as corporate earnings. Total assets of all manufacturing corporations were estimated at $106.7 billion at the end of September 1948. On stockholders' equity, industries showing highest rates of return were motor vehicles and parts, lumber and wood products, and petroleum and coal products. KLER ROCHESTER Personnel Is Announced PERSONNEL assignments for KLER Rochester, Minn., an ABC affiliate, owned and operated by the Rochester Broadcasting Co., have been announced. President of the full-time outlet, which commenced operation on Dec. 1 on 970 kc, 500 w daytime and 1 kw night, is Alice P. Mayo. Personnel includes C. T. Hagaman, general manager; Robert Bouchier, program manager; Robert Fick, commercial manager; Boynton Hagaman, chief engineer, and Elizabeth Gahre, director of publicity and promotion. Studios are located in downtown Rochester, at 7,) 229 First Avenue SW. The station |1; is represented nationally by Adam J. Young Inc. I'utntabU ARTHUR E. SUTTON has been appointed general sales and production manager of Broadcast|| Productions Inc. FREDERIC W. ZIV Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced that its Cisco Kid will be available via open-end transcriptions in March 1949. Program is currently heard on Don Lee network under sponsorship of Interstate and Kilpatrick bakeries in California, and cooperatively on rest of network.' Program will continue on Don Lee as open-end series effective in March, and will retain those sponsors abovementioned. SPENCE CALDWELL, for past four years manager of program division of All-Canada Radio Facilities, To ronto, has resigned to form S. W. Caldwell Ltd., to handle transcribed syndicated shows, scripts and handle radio advertising productions. Office will be in Victory Bldg., Toronto. KSIJ Gladewater, Tex., has signeci wjth FREDERIC W. ZIV Co., Cincin-i nati, Ohio, for five of its packaged productions. Contracts for 52 weeks were signed for half-hour Wayne King Show, Philo Vance and Lightning Jim; and quarter-hour Old Corral and the Barry Wood Show. 7(/^ BM1 1^ Another BMI "Pin Up" Hit— Published by Lutz DAINTY BRENDA LEE On Records: Eddy Howard— Mer. 5208; Eastman Trio—Trilon 188; Don Churchill— Trilon 206; Jack Lathrop— Vic. 20-3119; Peter hind Hayes — Dec. 24519; Jack Smith — Cap. 15328; Jerry Wayne — Col* On Transcriptions: Bob Grabeau— Capitol BROADCAST NUS NIW TOIK • CHICAGO • I JSIC INC 580 FIFTH AVENUEV W| . HOiiYwooD NEW YORK 19,N.Y. V i Page 68 • January 31, 1949 BROADCASTING • Telecastinj