Broadcasting (Jan - Mar 1950)

NEW AGENCY A NEW national advertising agency to be known as Carlock, McClinton & Smith Inc., will be established on May 1, it was announced jointly by H. L. McClinton, who has resigned as vice president and director of N. W. Ayer & Son, and Paul Smith, president of Paul Smith Advertising Inc. The firm is expected to have the account of Prudential Life Insurance Co., which sponsors Family of Stars on CBS and the Jack Berch Show on NBC, as one of its clients. Broadcasting learned. The agency will have its headquarters in -New York. Officers of the new organization are Mr. McClinton, president; Mr. Smith, vice president and chairman of the plans board, and M. E. (Mike) Carlock, who has resigned as vice WRUL~SSGNS~GE For Overseas Show INTERNATIONAL General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y., last week contracted for a half-hour weekly program on WRUL Boston, international station. According to Walter S. Lemon, president of the shortwave operation, the inaugural program Jan. 16 established a precedent for American corporations with extensive overseas mai'kets and provides the first opportunity to promote in overseas areas the full conception of free enterprise as it exists in this country today. A report of new developments in the American electrical industry for the people of 70 countries served by International G. E. is planned as part of each week's program. WRUL leases the major portion of its time to the Voice of America, but reserves a block for programs of the non-profit World Wide Broadcasting Foundation and a third portion for programs sponsored by American companies with interests abroad. Carlock, McClinton & Smith Firm May Get Prudential Account RELAXING with conversation at the Jon. 12 luncheon meeting of the Radio Executives Club of New York are (1 to r): Frank Stanton, CBS president; Ben Duffy, president, BBDO Inc., and Robert Kintner, ABC presiden. Mr. Duffy was featured speaker [Broadcasting, Jon. 16], Mr. McClinton Mr. CARLOCK Mr. SMITH Mr. Hill president of Benton & Bowles, vice president and secretary. Mr. Smith's present agency will be merged with the new firm. Mr. McClinton has been with N. W. Ayer since December 1929, in the Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and New York offices. He was first with the public relations department; for 12 years was vice president in charge of radio, television and motion pictures, and for five years had been a member of the board of directors and of the creative production board. Carlock's Background Mr. Carlock had been with Benton & Bowles for seven years. He formerly was with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and had been promotion manager of the Encyclopedia Britannica and prior to that with the Hutchinson Agency, Minneapolis. Mr. Smith, before organizing the agency bearing his name, was with D'Arcy Adv. Co. on the Coca-Cola account for 5V2 years. Between 1932 and 1942 he was art director for Kenyon & Eckhardt. James E. Hanna, vice president and manager of the radio department of N. W. Ayer & Son, will succeed Mr. McClinton at N. W. Ayer as vice president in charge of radio and television. Mr. Hanna has been with N. W. Ayer for the past 22 years. At one time he was in the Detroit office as copy chief and in 1940 moved to the New York office as copy chief of radio. In 1944 he was named vice president and manager of the radio department. Other accounts for CM&S are expected to be announced soon. Prudential Insurance is currently handled by Benton & Bowles, New York. Mr. Hanna HILL APPOINTED PubSisher of Cowles' Papers LUTHER L. HILL, formerly general manager of the Cowles Broadcasting Co. which includes KRNT Des Moines, WNAX YanktonSioux City. W C 0 P Boston and WOL Washington, waj; named publisher of the Cowlesowned Des Moines Register and Tribune at the annual meeting of the company's stockholders Jan. 11. Mr. Hill joined the Register and Tribune organization in 1935 and in 1936 was named general manager of the firm's radio stations. After serving as a brigadier general in the Air Corps, Mr. Hill was named advertising director of the newspapers in addition to his duties with the broadcasting company. He served in these capacities until September 1946, when he was made vice president and general manager of the newspapers. Also at the meeting, Carl T. Koester, formerly controller and assistant treasurer of the newspapers, was named treasurer, and the following officers were ireelected: Gardner Cowles, president; John Cowles, chaii-man of the board; Kenneth MacDonald, vice president and executive editor; Arthur T. Gormley, vice president and business manager; Vincent Starzinger, secretary and general counsel. SET PRODUCTION Near 10 Million for '49 PRODUCTION of radio and television sets totaled 9,680,773 units in 1949 of which 6,391,371 were AM only, 875,505 AM-FM and FMonly, and 2,413,897 television, according to annual figures of Radio Mfrs. Assn. RMA members are estimated to turn out about 809c of TV sets and a somewhat higher proportion of AM and AM-FM models. While the numerical production compared to 14,132,623 sets in 1948, the average dollar value increased as TV output comprised a larger share of the total. Production Gains Early in 1949 the AM-only volume was at a low ebb but it picked up swiftly last August and the production rate in latter months almost equaled that in 1948. Peak 1949 month for AM-only was November, with 787,533 units. FM-AM and FM-only sets went through a mid-year slack period but also spurted in the later months. Added to the 875,505 FM AM and FM-only sets produced by RMA members are approximately 400,000 television sets with circuits tuning the FM band. Allowing for a heavy share of FM circuits in non-member company TV sets, the total increase in FM circulation last year is estimated at about 1,500,000 sets. Peak month in television production last year was November, with five work weeks. That month the RMA companies turned out 414,223 TV sets. In December (four weeks) the TV total was 292,061 sets. As usual, the year-end holidays cut down the December output. Post TV January 121,238 February 118,938 March (five weeks) 182,361 April 166,536 May 163,262 June (five weeks) 160,736 July 79,531 August (five weeks) 185,706 September 224,532 October 304,773 November (five weeks) 414,223 December 292,061 TOTAL 2,413,897 war output of TV sets by RMA companies has passed the 3,500,000 mark and the all-industry total is in the neighborhood of 4,000,000 sets. The 1948 TV output totaled 866,832 sets. [ Auto and portable sets continued in high production last year. In the case of auto sets, production totaled 2,291,884 compared to 3,409,013 in 1948. Output of portables totaled 1,175,056, compared to 2,114,133 in 1948. Following is a month-by-month table of RMA television and radio set production in 1948: FM-AM and FM 147,733 98,969 71,216 37,563 28,388 40,512 23,843 64,179 70,936 83,013 122,603 86,550 875,505 AM Only 561,900 498,631 607,570 468,906 449,128 471,342 318,104 559,076 461,532 587,267 787,533 620,382 6,391,371 All Sets 830,871 716,538 861,147 673,005 640,778 672,590 421,478 808,961 757,000 975,053 1,324,355 998,993 9,680,77; Page 16 • January 23, 1950 BROADCASTING • Telecasting