Broadcasting (July - Sep 1949)

Closed Circuit FRANK H. LEE HAT CO., Dainbury, currently sponsoring Drew Pearson, through William H. Weintraub, said to be dropping sponsorship of commentator and appointing new agency. Grey Adv., New York. Official announcement expected early next week. IT STILL appears that Howard S. Meighan, CBS senior vice president and general executive, will have first refusal on West Coast vice presidency in succession to Donald W. Thornburgh, who becomes president and general manager of WCAU stations in Philadelphia Aug. 1. If Mr. Meighan elects to remain in New York where he recently purchased a new home, it's expected another senior CBS executive will be assigned West Cost spot. If Mr. Meighan accepts, it probably will be for specific term, with return to New York earmarked. UNDERSTOOD all but two of NAB directors endorsed appointment of A. D. Willard Jr. as NAB director of TV operations. No acceptance announced though executive v.p. believed ready to accept, with definite announcement due at next week's board meeting. CHANGE in format of Sunoco Three-Star Extra (NBC, 6:45-7 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) expected within fortnight under direction of permanent editor-in-chief, Ray Henle. Paul Harvey, WENR Chicago commentator, joins Sunoco staff for summer replacement and may remain. Mr. Henle also may introduce Hollywood pickup as permanent feature. GENE AUTRY, to tie in with his Sun Country stations (KOOL Phoenix and KOPO Tucson), through Blackburn-Hamilton Co. is negotiating purchase of an unidentified El Paso outlet. He is also co-owner of KOWL Santa Monica, Calif. WHEN WILL FCC bat again with its full strength ? Latest word from Chairman Wayne Coy, heading U. S. delegation to Int. Tel. & Tel. Conference, is that he, along with FCC Vice Chairman Paul A. Walker, will not return until Aug. 19. Meanwhile FCC is hobbling along with only four qualified members of its seven due to failure of Senate to act on confirmation of new seven-year term for Commodore E. M. Webster, whose term expired June 30. Hearing on nomination Wednesday, however, is expected to bring prompt Senate approval. LEVER BROTHERS, Cambridge, will launch first television show in September when company sponsors The Clock on NBC-TV. Show currently sustainer. Agency and specific product not yet designated. GENERAL FOODS (Jello) through Young & Rubicam, New York, negotiating with Meredith Willson as video replacement for Author (Continued on page 70) Page 4 • July 4, 1949 July 8: NAB Standards of Practice Commit'tee, Wentworth-by-the-Sea, Portsmouth, N. H. July 10: FM Assn. Board meeting, Washington. July 11-13: NAB Board meeting, Wentworth-bythe-Sea, Portsmouth. July 11-15: Third National Freedom Forum, U. of Southern California, College of Aeronautics, Santa Maria, Calif. July 14-15: Annual Indiana U. Radio in Education Conference, Bloomington, Ind. (Other Upcomings on page 31) Bulletins FRANK STANTON, CBS president, announced Friday network henceforth would sell time "for the expression of opinion on public issues." Policy revision, occasioned by reversal of Mayflower decision and by intention of CBS to broadcast editorials under its own name, will "not affect Columbia's policy of allocating free time for the presentation of opinions," Mr. Stanton said. RAIL SERIES TO CONTINUE MUSICAL program promoting rail services renewed for another year on ABC by Assn. of American Railroads, Washington, effective Oct. 3. Railroad Hour, started last Oct. 4 as 45-minute musical, recently cut to halfhour. It continues in 8-8:30 p.m. Monday segment during second year. Association officials said to be pleased with results of institutional series. Agency is Benton & Bowles, New York. ADMIRAL RATING ADMIRAL Corp. sponsorship of Hopalong Cassidy on NBC was omitted from listing on page 54, this issue. Its inclusion makes Admiral leading June network sponsor with $50,710 expenditure. June total for TV network billings should be increased to $905,547 and January-June total is $4,416,605. STEINMAN GROUP OPENS WILMINGTON TV OUTLET TWO TV stations have been put on the air within month by Steinman group — WGAL-TV Lancaster, Pa., June 1, and WDEL-TV Wilmington, Del., June 30. Wilmington station took air few hours after FCC had granted commercial STA. It had been on with test pattern since June 13. WDEL-TV has NBC and DuMont network services. RCA-equipped throughout, Wilmington outlet has 330-foot tower 700 feet above sea level with 1 kw audio and 1 kw visual, Channel 7. Antenna is on Shipley Rd., outside Wilmington. Clair R. McCollough, managing director of Steinman operations, supervised project. Station manager is J. Gorman Walsh, also general manager of WDEL. J. E. Mathiot, head of Steinman engineering, is technical director of new video outlet. Business Briefly PHARMACAL FIRM SPONSORS • Whitehall Pharmacal Co. (Anacin, Kolynos), New York, sponsors Breakfast Gang on full Don < Lee Network (Mon.-Wed.-Pri., 7:30-7:45 a.m., PST) 52 weeks starting Sept. 12. Agency, John F. Murray, New York. PILLSBURY SWITCHES # PiUsbury Mills, Minneapolis, starts five-weekly 52-week sponsorship Art Linkletter's House Party Sept. 19 on 214 ABC stations, Mon.-Fri., 9-9:30 a.m. (PST). Firm cancels five quarter-hour weekly sponsorship ABC half-hour Kay Kyser show July 29. DUANE JONES NAMED • IV^lin Firearms, New Haven, Conn., appoints Duane Jones Co., New York, to handle advertising of razor blade division, effective immediately. LEVER APPOINTS Y&R # Lever Bros., Toronto, appoints Young & Rubicam to handle Canadian advertising for Lipton tea and noodle soup. Agency already handles American advertising for these products. GROVE LABS PLANS # Grove Labs (cold tablets), St. Louis, to sponsor two shows for 26 weeks on full Don Lee Network — starting Sept. 26 three quarter-hours of Ladies First, ^ Mon.-Wed.-Fri., alternating on 11-11:30 a.m. slot; starting Sept. 27 Rise and Shine, Tues.Thurs., 6:45-7 a.m. Agency, Gardner Adv. Co., St. Louis. ALL STAR GAME ON CBS-TV # Gillette Saftey Razor Co., Boston, to sponsor All-Star baseball game on CBS-TV from Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, July 12. Agency, Maxon, New York. Gillette sponsoring play-by-play on radio via Mutual. EMERSON DRUG RENEWS • Emerson Drug Co., Baltimore, renewing Inner Sanctum, on CBS (Mon., 8:30-9 p.m.) for 52 weeks effective July 25. Agency, BBDO, New York. CANDY FIRM SPONSORS • Mars Inc. (candy) will sponsor 4:45-5 p.m. (CDT) segment of Howdy Doody (five-a-week, 4:30-5 p.m.) Monday on NBC-TV 13 weeks starting Sept. 5. ABC-TV 'SCREEN TEST' SPONSORSHIP ANNOUNCED ^ ABC-TV's cooperative program, Hollywood Screen Test (Sat., 7:30-8 p.m., full network), sold to two advertisers over seven stations. Murray Grabhorn, ABC vice president in charge of owned and operated stations, said time and talent cost in two contracts top $200,000. Effective Sept. 3, Best Foods Inc., through Benton & Bowles, both New York, will sponsor show 52 weeks over WJZ-TV New York for Hellmann's mayonnaise and Nucoa margarine. Duffy-Mott Co., New York (apple juice, jellies), will sponsor program one year, effective Sept. 24, over ABC-TV stations WNACTV Boston, WFIL-TV Philadelphia, WMALTV Washington, WAAM Baltimore, WEWS Cleveland, WXYZ-TV Detroit. Agency, Youngs & Rubicam, New York. BROADCASTING • Telecasting