Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan - Mar 1951)

VOICE HIT Longer Charges Denied CHARGES attacking alleged "errors" by the State Dept. in its participation in foreign frequency allocations and certain programming of the Voice of America have been categorically denied by high department officials. The charges were raised Dec. 18 by Sen. William Langer (R-N. D.) who accused "somebody in the department" of "conveniently or deliberately" overlooking a conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1948, for the purpose of reallocating certain European radio frequencies. As a result, Sen. Langer declared, German listeners today no longer hear American progams, but are deluged, instead, with Russian propaganda. State Dept. telecommunications officials branded the Langer accusation as false and said the "facts are entirely in variance with his charges." Sen. Langer, they said, is not correctly informed. An official said that the State Dept. had sent delegates to the convention to present requirements and to draft preliminary plans but asserted they were "summarily dealt with and ignored." The conference subsequently "denuded" Germany of certain frequencies, it was explained. Officials attributed poor German radio reception to "shared" frequencies and to Russian jamming activities. "The State Dept. has been anything but dilatory or negligent in this matter," a spokesman asserted, adding that it had sent delegates on at least two other occasions since the Copenhagen conference. Sen. Langer had contended that the U. S. was not represented at the allocations meetings. In referring to the Copenhagen conference, Sen. Langer noted that the Communists broadcast from stations at Leipzig and other Russian Zone areas, and stated that "to overcome their propaganda our stations must of course be equally powerful or more powerful." ARCHIE L. LEE D'Arcy Board Chairman Dies ARCHIE LANEY LEE, 62, chairman of the board of D'Arcy Advertising Co., died of cancer Dec. 22 in St. Louis. He was also a director of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of St. Louis, as well as the Western Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and the Coca-Cola Bottling Plants Inc. in Portland, Me. Mr. Lee's advertising career began when he interviewed Samuel C. Dobbs, former president of the Coca-Cola Co., for the Atlanta Georgian while he was a reporter with that paper. Robert W. Woodruff, chairman of the executive committee of the Coca-Cola Co., has credited Mr. Lee with having done more than any other individual to popularize Coca-Cola. air-casters Respects DICK ROBBINS appointed assistant on production of Columbia Pacific Network's Meet the Missus, replacing MAURIE COHEN, resigned to join Oxarart-Steffner (packaging firm). BEN GREER, WSPA Spartanburg, S. C, to WFMYTV Greensboro, N. C, as a n nouncer-producer. DON OWNES, star of Radio Rodeo on WGAY Silver Springs, Md., and PERRY WESTLAND hillbilly singer on show, enter Air Force. ED FISHER, an Mr' Greer n o u n c e r WHIZ Zanesville, Ohio, father of boy, Kip Edward. GEORGE MOORE, WKY Oklahoma City, to announcing staff KLRA Little Rock. HARRY BABBITT, CBS singer, named Brentwood, Calif., "Man of the Year" by Brentwood Parent-Teachers Assn., on behalf of his work in community youth activities. OSCAR L. GERMAIN, certified public accountant, appointed assistant treasurer WHLI Hempstead, L. I., N. Y. CARL SCHEYING and ED LINCOLN to announcing staff WLAN Lancaster, Pa. Mr. Scheying was with WSNJ Bridgeton, N. J.; Mr. Lincoln was with WNOK Columbia, S. C. CHARLES V. (Jughead) HUNTER, program ' director WJW Cleveland, father of girl, Jennifer Lea. TORA REHM, Miss Atlanta of 1950, now emceeing daily women's show on WATL-AM-FM Atlanta. JOHN B. DuBOIS, ABC Hollywood assistant sales promotion manager, father of boy, Dec. 16. DICK PAINTER, KRLN Canon City, Col., to KVGB Great Bend, Kan., as announcer. BILL DeWITT to announcing staff WAVE Louisville. JOHN NATALE, NBC Chicago TV technical director, father of girl, Mary Ann, Dec. 18. GEORGE PHILLIPS, WSVS-AM-FM, Crewe, Va., music director, father of boy. KEN JOHNSON, CBR Vancouver, to Royal Canadian Air Force as jet pilot. ALFRED LEWIS, Toronto freelance producer, and Ruby Mann, Miss Toronto 1950, announce their marriage. NEIL COPELAND, continuity editor CKOC Hamilton, to program director. HAROLD GIBSON, chief announcer CJOC Lethbridge, appointed CKOC continuity editor. JACK VOETH, stage manager Earl Carroll Theatre, Hollywood, to CBSTV Truth or Consequences as assistant to stage manager. He replaces RICHARD GOTTLIEB, transferred to program idea staff. DENNY HAYES, announcer, and WIP ROBINSON III, program director, KNUJ New Ulm, Minn., elected president and vice president, respectively, of local branch of NSPEBSSA, barbershop quartet singing group. CHARLOTTE SLIFE, continuity writer KNUJ New Ulm, Minn., and ROBERT DAHL, relief engineer there, announce their marriage. PROGRESSIVE BROADCASTING SYSTEM adds following to it's station relation field force: FRANCIS O'DRISCOLL, JOSEPH SEIFERTH, CHARLES T. MEEHAN, LEONARD WAYNE, RAY TROTTER, TOM TOYE, JOEL HOLT, HIRAM STRONG, CHARLES BERGER and CHARLES DERRY. W. W. CHAPLIN, NBC correspondent, assigned to European headquarters of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, to cover all activities of General, and Supreme Headquarters of Atlantic European Powers. BOB NOBLE to news editor CBH Halifax. GENEVA JOB OPEN For IFRB Technical Assistant A VACANCY on the Technical Secretariat of the International Frequency Registration Board in Geneva, Switzerland, is to be filled by April 1 this year. Persons interested in applying for the position of technical assistant are urged to write to Francis Colt de Wolf, Chief, Telecommunications Policy Staff, U. S. Dept. of State, Washington, D. C, for copies of qualifications required and further description of the position. Qualifications which a candidate for the position (paying from $2,620 to $3,960 per year with allowances for expatriation and children of school age) should have, include a degree or diploma in physics or electrical engineering from a university or a recognized technical college or from an equivalent professional body; five years experience with a government organization or private company in the radiocommunications field (a shorter period may be acceptable if the candidate has undertaken special studies in radiocommunications engineering) and a broad knowledge in the field of international regulation of telecommunications. WPIC-AM-FM Sharon, Pa., and its staff were warmly applauded by Sharon Herald, daily newspaper, for their work during recent snow storm emergency. Cartoon on editorial page, headed "Old Faithful," expressed appreciation for station's emergency messages, news, reports on road conditions, helps for people in distress, and "valorous staff service." (Continued from page i.2) his "radio luck turned all good." He was able to secure the services of Ken Church as general manager for the station and the two became the top administrative and operating team for the outlet. Mr. Church had many years of experience in sales and management behind him on such midwest stations as WKRC and WCKY Cincinnati and KMOX St. Louis. Together they reprogrammed the station from stem to stern, retaining the best features of the old program structure and streamlining the rest according to the likes and dislikes of the Indiana listeners. At the same time they built the station up to the present 50 kw operation. Mainstay of the programming has been disc jockeys and block programs which have appeal to the large metropolitan audience as well as rural listeners. With the advent of television, Mr. Fairbanks' faith in AM remains paramount. He is nevertheless prepared to undertake the television venture as soon as it is possible. Details of a TV application filed in January 1948 are locked away in his desk drawer. The plans embrace blueprints for new buildings to house both TV and AM, which Mr. Fairbanks is convinced "will still be paying the bills many years hence." A native of Indianapolis, Mr. Fairbanks married an Indianapolis girl, Mary Evans Caperton, in April 1933. They have two children, Anthony Caperton Fairbanks III, a sophomore at Westminster School, Simsbury, Conn., and Richard M. Fairbanks III, in grade school. In addition to Yale, Mr. Fairbanks attended Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and the Milford School, Milford, Conn. Tennis was Dick Fairbanks' hobby until an injury forced him to turn to golf, which he plays with "indifferent success." Aside from that, Mr. Fairbanks is a busy man who finds operation of a 50 kw station allows little time for extra-curricular activities. Gray Appointed GORDON GRAY, president of the U. of North Carolina and owner of WSJS Winston-Salem, N. C, has accepted an appointment to serve on the Scientific Manpower Advisory Committee of the National Security Resources Board, Chairman W. Stuart Symington has announced. The committee, which comprises representatives of education, industry and science, will examine proposals dealing with use of scientific and technological personnel. Mr. Gray, one of 11 members named to the group, recently resigned as special assistant to President Truman after previous service as Secretary of the Army. Page 46 • January 1, 1951 BROADCASTING • Telecasting