Broadcasting (Apr - June 1950)

since January 1949. In the interim it had gained a national reputation. A five-minute feature until it went commercial, the program was expanded to a 10-minute, fivea-week format so that a middle commercial situation and open and close sponsor mentions could be included. Clint Youle was a staff news writer at NBC Chicago when Bill Kay, news and special events chief, began developing the weather-news package. While Mr. Ray was shopping around for a one-man talent lineup, Clint volunteered his services and told his boss for the first time that he had learned meteorology during a stretch in the Army. Clint auditioned, sold his brand of carefree, uninhibited weather reporting to management, and carried on casually for several months. His entire report is ad lib, although the sequence is charted in advance. It wasn't until Ceresota started paying the bill that the distaff side of the family was drafted. The Weatherman said "yes" when the client asked if his wife was attractive. Jeanne stumbled through her first commercial, readily adopted an off-the-cuff manner, and the Youles became the talk of TV town without either having any experience in acting, radio or television. Husband Youle charts the weather, follows air currents and hurricane patterns on a map and drawls along his analysis and predictions. Jeanne enters in the middle commercial, surrounded by pastries baked by a Standard Milling home economist for each show. She pegs conversation on a minor incident that happened at home that day, with major blasts directed at Clint when he forgets to put gas in the car or leaves the windows open before a downpour. Covers Wide Territory Formal weather terminology is limbered up after the weather reporter visits the U. S. Weather Bureau nightly. For an hour and a half he exchanges notes and notions with airway and regional forecasters. His resume stresses Chicago weather conditions, but overlaps into Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, the rest of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. He and Jeanne, "chatting with just enough schmaltz to become bosom buddies of viewers," hit a common denominator of homeliness with their audience. Jeanne said once she was tired of housework, and 20 women wrote in to say they knew just how she felt. Once Clint forecast a light rain for Chicago. After the downpour, an irate fanwired "Light rain my eye. Were flooded out of basement." Although Ceresota is bought by women, The Weatherman appeals to both sexes. Because of everybody's absorption in the subject, Mr.' Youle is in demand as forecaster t on Camel News Caravan when NBC-TV picks up a Chicago segment, and on Morgan Beatty's NBC-AM network show. The Chicago Federated Adver SEIL-OUT of NBC-TV's 214 hour Saturday Night Revue is assured as Bill Connolly (seated), general advertising manager for Johnson Wax, contracts for Johnson sponsorship of a segment. With him are (I to r) I. E. Showerman, NBC Chicago vice president; Josh Louis, Needham, Louis & Brorby, and Ed Stockmar, NBC-TV sales tising Club cited the show as tops in the local TV service class at its recent 1950 awards dinner. More tangible awards, however, go nightly to members of the production crew (two cameramen, floor manager, two property men, boom mike operator). When the show is off the air, they divide up the pastries used in the commercial. Bob Wright, the announcer, acts as host. He is actually Bob Zelens, radio and television director of Shaw agency. Mr. Zelens describes the show as an eternal paradox — unprofessional but authoritative, unaffected but effective. He keys the friendliness of the production with the Standard close — "We bid you good health, good weather and good night." TVDEP Mr. Batson SLOAN PREDICTS $1 Billion-Plus TV Sales OVER $1 billion will be spent by American consumers for some five million TV receivers during 1950, F. M. Sloan, manager of Westinghouse Television and Radio Division, told members of the Westinghouse Agent Distributors Assn. meeting in Hot Springs, Va., last Tuesday. Firm's promotion and sales plans were outlined to management representatives of distributors who gathered to see a display of 10 new TV receivers and seven radios in Westinghouse's new fall line. With only 24 million of 44 million U. S. families having TV service available, Mr. Sloan stressed importance of a "prompt solution" of problems resulting in the current TV freeze. He said improved programming, better receiver performance, replacement sales and comparatively low saturation in 60 TV markets "guarantee an even brighter future" for television. Brafson Succeeds Markham CHARLES A. BATSON, assistant director of NAB's Broadcast Advertising Bureau for a year, rejoins NAB Washington headquarters July 1 as director of the Television Dept., succeeding G. Emerson Markham. Mr. Markham resigned June 16 [Broadcasting, June 19]. In announcing the appointment, William B. Ryan, NAB gen e r al manager, recalled that Mr. Batson had directed an extensive survey of TV from the station management viewpoint. The study was titled "Television: A Report on the Visual Broadcasting Art." The results were presented to NAB members at the 1948 district meetings. Mr. Batson joined NAB in early 1946 as information director, after release from active duty in the Army. After conducting the TV study he was attached to BAB under Maurice B. Mitchell, director. There he has been active in TV advertising, working on standard rate cards and contract forms as well as techniques of commercial production and other aspects of the art. He prepared analyses of TV for Sears, Roebuck & Co. and others and set up the BAB Dealer Cooperative Advertising Service. In the service Mr. Batson was in charge of broadcasting from the North African theatre to the U. S., United Kingdom and other allied nations, including announcement of the Italian surrender. He entered radio in 1935 in Greenville, S. C. as program director of WFBC. PULITZER SHOW Sponsor Prospects for TV SEVERAL advertisers are interested in sponsoring a television series based on material which has won Pulitzer awards, Dean Carl W. Ackerman of the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia U. told Telecasting last week. The Journalism school, administrator of the awards since their inception in 1917, is asking $100,000 for the TV rights to the series, tentatively titled Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, he said. Dean Ackerman declined to identify any of the potential sponsors of the Pulitzer video series, which is being handled for the school by William Morris Agency. It is known, however, that Schlitz Brewing Co. of Milwaukee has expressed considerable interest in the program through its agency, Young & Rubicam, Chicago [Broadcasting, May 22], and that the Pulitzer Awards Committee, after serious and lengthy deliberations, deckled that, with proper safeguards, the dignity of the awards would not be imperilled by brewery sponsorship. No Sponsors Yet No offers have been received for sponsorship of a Pulitzer radio series, Dean Ackerman said. Price of $65,000 is being asked for the radio rights to the Pulitzer material, he stated, pointing out that the Morris agency has received clearances from a sufficient number of Pulitzer Prize winners to provide material for a year's series of hour-long radio or video shows. No format has been set yet for either a video or a radio series, Dean Ackerman said. It was pointed out to Dean Ackerman that there was a somewhat ironical aspect of the school's appeal for radio-TV support after the judges have consistently rejected all proposals that the awards be expanded to include broadcast as well as printed journalistic, literary and musical creations. He replied that the idea for a broadcast television series, if it materializes, "in itself will constitute Pulitzer Prize recognition of television." Color Deadline FINAL BLOWS in FCC's heated color TV battle — the proposed findings and conclusions by participants in the lengthy proceeding — are echoing down Commission corridors. Findings are due today (Monday) with July 10 set as deadline for replies, the Commission has announced [Broadcasting May 29]. Current predictions for color decision cite early fall, but FCC Comr. E. M. Webster last week indicated this may be too optimistic (See story Telecasting p. 6). Page 59 • BROADCASTING June 26, 1950 TELECASTING • Page 5