Broadcasting (Apr - June 1950)

FELLOWS ELECTED Heads Boston Radio Club HAROLD E. FELLOWS, general manager of WEEI Boston and director of CBS operations in New England, was elected president of the Radio Executives Club of Boston at the final business meeting of the 1950-51 season last Wednesday (May 3) at Hotel Touraine. ApMr. Fellows proximately 150 broadcasters and agency executives attended the session. Highlight of the meeting was presentation of the all-industry film, "Lightning That Talks," by Maurice Mitchell, director of NAB's Broadcast Advertising Bureau. Mr. Mitchell said that a tighter, 20-minute version called "Lightning That Sells," was being prepared. Other Officers Named Other officers elected were: Edmund J. Shea, radio and TV di: rector, James Thomas Chirurg Co., first vice president; Jan Gilbert, radio and TV director, Harold Cabot & Co., second vice president; Elmer Kettell, Kettell-Carter, station representative, treasurer; Rudolph Bruce, advertising manager, New England Coke Co., secretary. Named to the board of directors were: W. C. Swartley, manager of WBZ-AM-TV, representing Boston stations; Gerald Harrison, president of WMAS Springfield and WLLH Lowell-Lawrence, out of town stations; Paul Provandie, vice president, Hoag & Provandie Inc., advertising agencies; Stacy Holmes, publicity director, Filene's, advertisers; Bert Georges, Transcast Corp., related businesses. ZUGSMITH SUIT Court Grants Defense Motion i A DEFENSE motion to amend the complaint filed four months ago by Albert Zugsmith, who is suing Smith Davis, radio stations and newspaper broker, for $2.5 million on charges that Mr. Zugsmith was improperly deprived of his share of revenue from the brokerage firm, was granted last week by federal court. The defense motion to dismiss the ' complaint for lack of a cause of 1 action was, however, denied. Federal Judge William Bondy, sitting in the U. S. District Court, Southern District of New York, ordered that some sections of Mr. Zuzsmith's complaint be clarified "by alleging the facts relied on to sustain the conclusions." Judge Bondy also granted a motion to quash the service on Smith Davis & Co., an Ohio corporation, and one of the several defendants named in Mr. Zugsmith's suit. isqi (Beneroso |3ope 1950 A SOLEMN Requiem Mass for Generoso Pope, 59, president of WHOM New York and publisher of II Progresso, Italian language newspaper, who died on Friday, April 28, was offered on Monday, May 1, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. The funeral cortege was led by 300 New York City policemen and the Police Dept. band. Mr. Pope, who was an honorary Deputy Police Commissioner, was given the funeral honors of that rank. Mayor William O'Dwyer and Police Commissioner William P. O'Brien headed the line of honorary pallbearers. Italian Born Born April 1, 1891, in the province of Benevento, Italy, Mr. Pope arrived in the United States at the age of 10 and worked as a water boy for a sand company on Long Island. Fifteen years later he became president of that company. At the time of his death he was president of Colonial Sand and Stone Co. Inc., largest organization of its kind in the world. In 1928 Mr. Pope purchased the Italian language newspaper and in 1946 acquired WHOM, a station with a large Italian audience. Generoso Pope Jr. is executive vice president and general manager of the station. Whether or not Mr. Pope's death will affect the management of the station is not yet KYOS KVCV KHSL Mrs. McClung Named Head FOLLOWING the death of Hugh McClung, owner of KYOS Merced, KVCV Redding and KHSL Chico, [Broadcasting, May 1] his widow, Mrs. Mickey McClung, has been elected president and general manager of the three properties. Active with her husband as assistant manager for several years, Mrs. McClung announced there will be no change in operational policies or organization. Elsworth Peck will continue as manager of the central offices of the McClung broadcasting stations in Merced. Charles H. .Kinsley Jr. is KYOS station manager, with M. F. Woodling continuing in similar capacity at KHSL and Fred M. Stuelpnagel at KVCV. known. Throughout his life Mr. Pope had been active in many charities and served as chairman of the Committee of Americans of Italian Origin for the American Red Cross. During the last war he was chairman of war bond drives and sold over $400 million worth personally. He also was active in New York political affairs and served as treasurer of the 1949 New York Democratic mayoralty campaign. Congressional leaders from New York last week paid their respects to Mr. Pope. Tributes were offered on Capitol Hill by Reps. Abraham Multer, Gary L. Clemente and Anthony F. Tauriello, all Democrats, and were inserted in issues of the Congressional Record. Surviving are his wife, and three sons, Fortune R., Anthony J. and Generoso Jr. NAB BRIEFING Precedes Board's June Meet SUMMER meeting of the NAB board of directors, to be held June 20-22 at NAB headquarters in Washington, will be preceded by an indoctrination session for new members [Closed Circuit, May 1], NAB anounced last week. Eleven new board members will take part in the catechism, scheduled June 19. Serving as instructors will be NAB President Justin Miller; General Manager William B. Ryan and Secretary-Treasurer C. E. Arney Jr., flanked by department directors from the NAB staff. Mr. Ryan assumed his NAB post last Monday and devoted the first part of the week to meetings with staff members. He is expected to take part in the scheduled May 15 meeting between NAB officials and representatives of the four networks [Broadcasting, May 1]. The network meeting will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. Tentative agenda as proposed by Judge Miller includes such topics as NARBA, international relations and activities of the various NAB departments. WFRC PETITION Cites Economic Factors WFRC Reidsville, N. C, petitioned FCC last week to designate for hearing the new AM application of Reidsville Broadcasting Co., operator of WREV (FM) there, on grounds the city cannot support two AM outlets. WFRC, a regional outlet on 1600 kc with 1 kw fulltime, directional, opposed the WREV(FM) bid for a new AM station in the city on 1220 kc with 250 w daytime. WFRC contended the hearing would prove "it is not possible for another radio station to operate in the Reidsville market without both stations slipping below the low water mark permitted by the Communications Act." Similar Case Cited The "low water mark" concept was brought out in a similar case in early April, that of WKUL Cullman, Ala. [Broadcasting, April 10]. WKUL asked the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to set aside an FCC grant for a new Cullman station on grounds the city couldn't support both. WFRC said in FCC's memorandum opinion, denying WKUL's request that the new Cullman grant be set aside, the Commission indicated it had authority to use its discretion in designating hearings on economic claims, depending on their merit. WHITE'S YEAR MBS Honors Its President FRANK WHITE'S first anniversary as MBS president was celebrated last Monday at a luncheon given by Theodore C. Streibert, president of WOR AM FM TV New York and chairman of the Mutual board. The directors of the network, Mr. Streibert said, are pleased with the improved outlook in the sales picture and said they all looked forward to Mr. White's continued leadership in the future radio and television operations of Mutual. Mr. White's executive staff also were guests at the luncheon. NIELSEN RATINGS* (TOTAL U. S., INCLUDING SMALL-TOWN, FARM AND URBAN H OMES— and including TELEPHONE and NON-TELEPHONE HOMES) RANK OF TOP PROGRAMS, EVENING, ONCE-A-WEEK Current Current Previous Rating Rank Rank Program Homes 1 1 lux Radio Theatre (CBS) 21.9 2 3 Jack Benny (CBS) 20.0 3 2 Godfrey's Talent Scouts (CBS) 19.8 4 5 Amos 'n' Andy (CBS) 18.4 5 6 You Bet Your Life (CBS) 18.1 6 8 My Friend Irma (CBS) 16.7 7 4 Charlie McCarthy (CBS) 16.7 8 19 Red Skeiton (CBS) 15.5 9 7 Fibber McGee & Molly (NBC) 15.1 EXTRA-WEEK MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 1950 Current Current Previous Rating Rank Rank Program Homes 10 11 Day in the Life of Dennis Day (NBC) . . . 15.1 NOTE! Number of homes is obtained by applying the "NIELSENRATING" (%) to 39,281,000— the 1949 estimate of Total United States Radio Homes. (*) Homes reached during all or any part of the program., except for homes listening only 1 to 5 minutes. Copyright 1950 by A. C. Nielsen Co. BROADCASTING • Telecasting May 8, 1950 • Page 43