Broadcasting (Oct - Dec 1950)

BMI REPORT Shows $4,187,000 Income INCOME of $4,187,000 for the fiscal year ending July 31, 1950, was reported by Broadcast Music Inc. in a financial statement issued last week. Carl Haverlin, BMI president, reported an increase in radio use of BMI music. He estimated that in 1950 radio performances of BMI music will be more than 21 million, a 10% increase over 1949. During the fiscal year BMI paid $2,206,000 for performance rights. Mr. Haverlin said 2,768 broadcasters renewed their BMI licenses for the 1950-59 period. BMI also has licenses with more than 3,200 hotels, restaurants and other music users, he said. Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and all independent Canadian stations are BMI licensees. In the past year BMI has added 20 writers to those under contract, Mr. Haverlin said. TOPIC here is football, as Tidewater Associated Oil Co.'s 25th year in gridiron radio on the West Coast gets into full swing. Exchanging details of this fall's 100 network and independent station Tidewater circuit are (I to r) Hal Ashby, NBC account executive; Harold R. Deal, advertising and sales promotion manager. Tidewater; Mervin McCabe, KFRC-Don Lee sales manager; Ray Randall, vice president, Buchanan & Co., agency, all with offices in San Francisco. DEFENDS AMA DRIVE Brewster Hits Attackers CHARGE by some administration leaders that the American Medical Assn.'s current $1 million-plus advertising campaign is a "plot" and "smear campaign" against the President and Democratic Party was sharply asailed last Thursday by Sen. Owen Brewster (R-Me.). Sen. Brewster described the ■charge, which he attributed to Federal Security Administrator Oscar Ewing, Rep. John Dingell (DMich.) and other party members. as a "flagrant insult" to radio and press media and an attack on the Constitutional rights of free speech and press. AMA allotted $.300,000 out of a total $1,100,000 ad budget for purchase of over 30,000 radio spots for a two-week period ending this coming Saturday [Broadcasting, Oct. 9]. The association and its agencies already are formulating plans for a follow-up drive on behalf of voluntary health insurance, XINTNER DAY Hometown to Roll Out Carpet for ABC Pres. PINAL plans for the celebration of Robert E. Kintner Day, to be "held Oct. 17 in Stroudsburg, Pa., Tiave been made, and will result in a very busy day for the ABC president in his hometown. At 11:30 a.m. Mr. Kintner will Tae met at the T)elaware bridge and escorted into Stroudsburg by a 3)olice motorcade. 'Then at the PennStroud hotel, he "will be welcomed officially by the ■city and representatives of the Pocono Mts. Chamber of Commerce, and serenaded by the Stroudsburg high school band. At 12:15 p.m. members of the "Vacation Bureau, t-ie boards of directors of the Pennsylvania and Pocono Mts. Chambers of Commerce, and tbe Pennsylvania Week Committee will present a scroll to Mr. Kintner at a luncheon in the Mr. Kintner Penn-Stroud. Following the luncheon, a news conference will be held, after which Mr. Kintner will tour the industrial and sports shows at the East Stroudsburg Farmery. After a dinner at the PennStroud with a small group of close friends, Mr. Kintner will go to the State Teachers Auditorium where he will meet Gov. James H. Duff of Pennsylvania. From 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. ABC will join in the festivities by airing a special broadcast from the auditorium. Walter Kiernan as m. c. will introduce Paul Whitennan and the ABC Symphony Orchestra, Pianist Earl Wild, Jimmy Blaine, and Marion Morgan of Stop the Music fame, and by special recording from Washington, Joseph Alsop, who with Mr. Kintner coauthored a syndicated column and two books. During the program. Gov. Duff will present Mr. Kintner with the following citation from the State of Pennsylvania and salute him as "Pennsylvania Ambassador." Citation will read: . . award through Russel M. Seeds Agency, Chicago. Rep. Dingell had characterized the drive as an "insidious tactic to corrupt the public mind," a statement which prompted Sen. Brewster to accuse administration leaders of "growing arrogance in their attacks" upon Constitutional rights. "No thinking person with a shred of respect for . . . free speech and free press would use tie words 'plot' or 'insidious' in describing an open public advertising campaign paid for by private citizens. To do so is a flagrant insult to the newspapers, magazines and radio companies of our country," he declared. Sen. Brewster added: The doctors believe that the voluntary way is the American Way — that unnecessary compulsion by goverrmient is wrong. Their advertisement will say that. So will the advertisements of thousands of other private citizens. Yet before these advertisements even appear the Democratic hatchet men seek to distort the thinking of American citizens with vilificatio]^ and falsehoods. It is clear that the adm-inistration has reached the point where, either through fear or arrant seliishness, it would institute thought control in America. This is the way of dictatorship. Only oppressive governments or cowards are afraid to let the opposition speak freely. ed to Robert E. Kintner . . . who by his enterprise and ability has attained great prominence as a newspaper writer and radio executive. Awarded during Pennsylvania week, 1950." At the close of the air show, for the auditorivmi audience, a special comedy and musical show will be presented. The day's activities will close with a reception and buffet supper at the Penn-Stroud, to be attended by some 300 people. FCC BUDGET '51 Funds Pared $50,000 FCC will issue a detailed allocation of its 1950-51 budget sometime during the next fortnight following notification by the Budget Bureau last week of a $50,000 "holdout" in its $6,625,000 appropriation for the fiscal year beginning last July 1. The $50,000 "reserve" in funds and authorizations represented a 50% decrease in the original sum set by the bureau and indicated a relatively small drop in operating funds as measured against previous estimates from 10% to 12% [Broadcasting, Aug. 28, 7.] The reserve approximated less than a 1% cut. The Budget Bureau had notified the FCC Sept. 11 that it could anticipate a $100,000 slice under the Budget Accounting Act of 1950 which authorizes reserve holdouts throughout all government agencies and departments. The Commission testified at 1951-52 budget hearings last Thursday. Announcement of the $50,000 FCC reserve and others for remainder of the 31 gdvernment agencies and departments, totaling $580,271,335, was made last Tuesday by Frederick J. Lawton, budget director. Last August Congress had rejected amendments calling for a $550 million cut in non-defense funds. The bureau last week also directed "slashes" of $100,000 for Federal Trade Commission, which passes on questionable media advertising, and $7,980,000 for the State Dept. as well as $40 million for the Agriculture Dept. State Dept. spokesmen doubted that the international information program, including Voice of America, would be affected in view of a record-high budget this year as advocated by President Truman. But the Agriculture Dept. will have to forego funds originally contemplated for its information department television program, whose activities will be lumped under radio expenditures. Mr. Lawton stated that it "will probably be necessary during the remainder of the year to release some of these reserves, and it is likewise probable that opportunities will be found for savings in other SPONSORED TIME Ross Shows NBC -TV First OF A TOTAL of 116 hours of Class A time on the four television networks, 76% hours are sponsored by network advertisers and the other 39^2 made up of cooperative sponsorship, local sponsorship and sustaining, according to an analysis by Ross Reports on Tc'cvision. NBC-TV has only 1^2 hours a week of unsponsored A time; CBSTV has five unsponsored Class A hours; ABC-TV has 14 and DuMont 19. BROADCASTING • Telecasting October 16, 1950 • Page 31