Broadcasting (Apr - June 1950)

'ENDING WJR Detroit-CBS contract negotiation sescn in Detroit were: G. F. (Fritz) Leydorf, WJR vice presi■fent in charge of engineering; William G. Siebert, WJR rector and secretary-treasurer; Harry Wismer, WJR sneral manager and assistant to the president; H. V. kerberg, CBS vice president in charge of station rela tions; G. A. Richards, chairman of the board, WJR WGAR Cleveland and KM PC Los Angeles; Joseph H. Ream, CBS executive vice president; John Patt, WGAR director and general manager; Worth Kramer, assistant general manager of WJR; James H. Quello, promotion-publicity director of WJR. AcMAHON NAMED Heads Senate 'Voice' Group EN. BRIEN McMAHON (D3nn.) has been named to head a ecial Public Affairs Subcommite of the Senate Foreign Relations jmmittee set up to consult with ate Dept. on Voice of America id other international information ograms. Other members of the group, one eight created to confer with the ate Dept. on various policy matrs, include Sen. William J. Fulight (D-Ark.) and Sen. H. Alex■Aer Smith (R-N. J.). Names of le subcommittees correspond ughly to structure of State Dept. The special group will be availcle for consultation with Edward irrett, Assistant Secretary of ate for Public Affairs, who superses Voice and other activities, It is not primarily designed to -.ndle legislative matters, it was rphasized. No regular schedule meetings has been set, but comttee members expressed hope they )uld take place "at least once a Dnth" to enable them to keep urrently informed" on State 2pt. activities. WEVD _ 117-119 W. 46 St *NRY GREENFIELD, Me. Director N.Y.19 STRIKE NOW A LUXURY Should Never Occur, Hayes Tells AFRA Meet EFFICACY of the strike threat in union contract negotiations is almost gone in broadcasting, John S. Hayes, WTOP Washington vice president and general manager, told a meeting of the AFRA Washington local. Having been on both sides in contract negotiations, Mr. Hayes said, he was convinced a strike should never occur. It is almost equally difficult for the union or for management to face a strike with equanimity, he explained. Salary scales, in general, have been pushed to a level so high that the organized employe in broadcasting can probably no longer afford the luxury of a strike, he suggested. Nor can management face the prospect of a strike without apprehension, Mr. Hayes said, with risk of error by inexperienced replacements a frightening element. Mr. Hayes explained that in most large stations the manager is an employe of an absentee ownership, a situation fraught with many problems. He said union negotiators occasionally are prone to overlook the fact that a manager "is not dedicated solely to the principle of holding the line but that he may well be attempting to work out some form of compromise which will meet the union's request, the requirements of his own board of directors, and still fall within the realm of what is possible to accomplish." In viewing the union situation Mr. Hayes said, "I get a little weary sometimes listening to some of my colleagues who persist in thinking of trade unions as organizations which devote themselves to the harassment of management and the potential bankruptcy of the industry. I get a little weary also of listening to friends within the broadcasting union movement who persist in thinking of management as a group of men who have dedicated themselves to the unhappiness and enslavement of their employes. "It so happens that both of these groups are wrong. Both management and labor have a great stake in this industry of ours. Neither of us can prosper, and certainly the industry cannot prosper, unless both management and labor look upon their respective efforts as a joint endeavor." WJR WGAR SIGN Renew CBS Affiliations NEW two-year contract between WJR Detroit and CBS, to run from Sept. 30, 1950, to Sept. 30, 1952, was announced last week by G. A. Richards, chairman of the board of WJR, WGAR Cleveland and KMPC Los Angeles. It also was announced that WGAR has renewed affiliation with CBS for an additional two year period beginning Oct. 1. Representing the network at negotiations conducted in the WJR executive offices were Joseph H. Ream, CBS vice president, and H. V. Akerberg, CBS vice president in charge of station relations. Harry Wismer, WJR general manager, and assistant to Mr. Richards, and William G. Siebert, WJR director and secretary-treasurer, represented the Goodwill Station along with the board chairman, it was announced. WJR has been a CBS affiliate since September 1935, corresponding at that time with the outlet's increase in power to 50 kw on clear channel. WGAR, also 50 kw, has been a CBS affiliate since 1937. Many of the union complaints against management, Mr. Hayes said, arise from actions of supervisory personnel and may not be known to management. He declared negotiations "really go on for 365 days a year." favorite subject ROADCASTING • Telecasting In the past decade, some 20 radio readership surveys have been conducted, not by BROADCASTING, but by stations, agencies, representatives, etc. Twenty surveysone answer. BROADCASTING first. May 8, 1950 • Page 69