Broadcasting (Apr - June 1950)

check the geographical distribution of the program's audience against the locations of National's 75-odd metropolitan stores. Thus the regular commercials were replaced by a straight announcement of a fairly conventional offer: If within 48 hours the televiewer would send his name and address on a penny postcard, National would reward him with a 20c/c discount certificate usable for any purchase at any National store before a certain date. The agency considered 500 post cards an acceptable response for the purpose of the test. But, playing it safe, it ordered 1,000 certificates. Almost twice that number of requests came in on the first mail after the initial announcement, and by the end of the 48-hour deadline, an avalanche of more than 8,000 cards had been received. The advertiser renewed the program for another 13 weeks, and it is still running. And the bells are still ringing. Of National Shoes overall budget of $200,000 yearly, 85% is still being devoted to radio. In that medium the firm uses 14 quarter-hour programs per week on WINS New York for Showtime and Listen to Lacey; 12 10-minute programs weekly on WMCA New York with Mr. & Mrs. Music, Top Tune Time, Bandstand, Sweet and Solid and Music Box, and three quarter-hour programs on WNEW New York on Make Believe Ballroom. Other Announcements In addition, National uses 15 announcements per week on WLAD Danbury, Conn; 18 announcements per week on WTTM Trenton; 35 announcements per week on WINS New York, 35 announcements per week on WMCA New York; 17 announcements weekly on WNEW New York; 12 announcements per week on WHOM New York; and 27 announcements a week on WOV New York. Radio has been a substantial factor in the success of the company. National Shoes began originally with one store in 1924. Consistently using spots and local radio it has expanded until today it embraces more than 75 stores in the New York area. Louis Fried, the original owner of the stores, is president and general manager. Mac Siegal is in charge of real estate and labor, Irving Siegal is head of the women's division and Fred Siegal is store personnel head and display manager. Snow Crop on NBC-TV SNOW CROP Frozen Foods, New York, through its agency, Maxon Inc., New York, will sponsor a show featuring Faye Emerson, starting June 7 on NBC-TV, Wednesday, 8-8:15 p.m. for 13 weeks. The program was sold by Rockhill Radio & Television. Miss Emerson also appears in a television show sponsored by Arnold Bakeries, New York, through Benton & Bowles, New York, on CBSTV, Sunday, 10:30-45 p.m. TOASTING the special origination of CBS-TV's Toast of the Town in Philadelphia is this group of sponsor, agency and network representatives. L to r: Ray Scott, chairman of Philadelphia Lincoln-Mercury Dealers' Assn.; Richard Boutelle, firm's Philadelphia district sales manager; Donald W. Thornburgh, president, WCAU-TV (CBS) Philadelphia; William Matthews, Kenyon & Eckhardt Inc.'s eastern area L-M field representative, and Norman Bertels, K&E administrative assistant to the account supervisor on L-M. BEHIND WALLS It's TV Grandstand Seats THERE'S at least one group of baseball fans who line up to a man behind continuance of telecasting the games. According to Jim Woods, WAGA-TV Atlanta, this group has sent him a fervent appeal for continued telecasts of the Atlanta Crackers' games in the Southern League. Urging Mr. Woods to "encourage the fans to come out to see the fine games that the Crackers are playing," the letter writers said they too would like to see the games at the ball park "but where we are employed, we are restricted from going to ball games." With TV, they said, "we are not worried about admission, we have the price of a ticket every time the Crackers play." The letter to Mr. Woods came from Cherokee County Prisoners at Canton, Ga. Mr. Fetzer KSL-TV Studios STUDIOS are being remodeled for use by KSL-TV Salt Lake City, with operation slated to begin at that site sometime after midJune, C. Richard Evans, general manager of KSL-AM-TV, has announced. Facilities will be housed in building at 145 Motor Ave., and include a 200-seat auditorium on the first floor and main studio on the second floor, along with dressing rooms and film service laboratories. Studios will be located on both floors. KSL-TV, which has shared space with KSL-AM since June 1949, will introduce a variety of locally-produced shows and utilize new TV techniques, including use of stage setups without loss of time in scene-changing. Programming and staff personnel will be increased, station announced. WKZO-TV STARTS Program Service Thursday PROGRAM SERVICE will be inaugurated formally Thursday (June 1) by WKZO-TV Kalamazoo, Mich., John E. Fetzer, ownerpresident of Fetzer Broadcasting Co. (WKZO-AMTV), announced last week. Station will serve western Michigan and northern Indiana on Channel 3. WKZO-TV has been on the air with test programs during April and May. Dealers and distributors report TV sets are on the move in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, South Bend, Elkhart and other principal communities in the area. Grand Rapids dealers, according to Mr. Fetzer, are noting "above normal" TV set sales. Station's monthly analysis obtained through dealers and distributors shows 50,909 TV sets in the average 40-mile area and 61,851 sets in the average 50-mile area of WKZO-TV as of May 1. It is estimated two thirds of total sets which rely on intermittent service from Chicago and Detroit will be in the position to receive primary service from WKZO-TV. Local origination of programs will continue until such time as the new inter-city relay system from Detroit and Toledo is effectively operating for network service, Mr. Fetzer said. He expects formal announcement of network plans after the relay system is completed. WGN-TV EXPANDS Buys New RCA Equipment WGN-TV Chicago has bought $120,000 worth of electronic equipment and accessories ,from RCA, Station Manager Frank P. Schreiber announced last week. Purchase includes five video cameras and facilities for control room, audio and monitoring. Equipment will be installed in station's new TV studios, 7A and 5B, in the new WGN Bldg. about July 1, Mr. Schreiber said. Studio 7A, 32 by 70 feet, is designed along the same lines as 6A, now in use. The new studio will have a three-camera chain, with a catwalk which gives additional space for lights and scenery. The other studio being built, 5B, is 31 by 25 feet, and will have two cameras. It will include a modem kitchen set-up used on current shows and a small living room set for interviews. Each studio is being built on the "room within a room" principle, Mr. Schreiber said, with surrounding air cushions and shock absorbers. WGN-TV will move its entire facilities from the Daily News Bldg., where it has headquartered since going on the air two years ago, after these new studios are put into operation. Fourteen studios will eventually be housed in the WGN Bldg., seven for AM, four for TV and three to be shared. NBC-TV 'REVUE' Nine Take Saturday Show NBC-TV's Saturday Night Revue, 2 Vi hour variety show, will be sponsored by nine advertisers when it returns to the air Sept. 9, after a summer hiatus. Three sponsors have purchased half-hour portions of the show. They are Campbell Soup Co., through Ward Weelock Co., New York, 8-8:30 p.m.; Snow Crou Foods Inc., New York, through Maxon Inc., same city, 99:30 n.m. ; Crosley Division of Avco., Cincinnati, throuerh Benton & Bowles, New York, 10-10:30 p.m. Six advertisers who have purchased one-minute spots are: Whitman's Chocolate Co.. through Ward Wheelock Co.; Johnson's Wax, through Needham. Louis & Brorby; Wildroot Hair Tonic, through BBDO; Minnesota Mining Mfg. Co. for Scotch Tape, through BBDO; S.O.S. Cleanser, through McCann-Erickson, San Francisco, and Benrus Watch Co., through J. D. Tarcher Co. BELMONT Stakes, June 10, will be telecast by direct relay from WLWT (TV) Cincinnati, WAVE-TV Louisville. KLAC-TV Gross Climbs GROSS close to $iy2 million this year is exoected at KLAC-TV Hollywood, Don Fedderson, vice president and general mans; has announced. According to Mr. Fedderson, the station ! out of red since March 1, and with daylight operation during the two months billing averaged about 600 <7r greater than that of last year. Page 59 • BROADCASTING May 29, 1950 TELECASTING • Page 5