Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan - Mar 1951)

TBA Poppele Cites TV Role In National Crisis By J. R. POPPELE President, Television Broadcasters Assn. TELEVISION broadcasters across the nation look ahead to 1951 with unswerving determination to back up the Administration with all-out assistance during the present national emergency. The role television can play in uniting the nation to meet the crisis is tremendous and, . Mr. Poppele because of this, the responsibilty of each broadcaster is multiplied immensely. Nearly 10 years ago when the nation faced equally grave threats, television was only a budding industry. Yet, even then, it made valuable contributions to the national defense. Today, the situation is far different; television is one of the most important of our communication services. When President Truman faced three television cameras in his White House office and proclaimed the national emergency, he virtually sat face to face with 40 million Americans. This personal, intimate "chat" with so many of our citizens could not help but make an indelible imprint on the minds of those who saw and heard their chief executive. The power of television to impress itself on a nation has been proved in many ways during the past few years. Now with a national emergency confronting us, television can serve its greatest educational role by keeping the people of America well-informed on civil defense and alerted to sacri BLS ADDS SETS To Living Cost Index TELEVISION sets are being added to the government's official cost-of. living barometer — the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was announced last week by Bureau Commissioner Ewan Clague. Revision of the cost-of-living index, vital to the government's anti-inflation battle and to certain union-management wage contracts which are tied to BLS findings, is part of a general overhauling of the bureau that started last summer. It is expected the realignment will be complete by mid-1952. More than 17,000 families in 91 major cities will be asked about their spending habits for 1950. The survey, scheduled to begin in about 10 days, will be carried out between January and April, the bureau said. The changes in the index — other costs to be included for the first time are beer, baby foods, frozen foods, cakes, cola drinks, ice cream and voluntary hospitalization premiums— are designed to make the index reflect more closely the commodities an average family buys. flees that may be required as a result of the crisis. The emergency tends to spotlight the need for a speed-up in plans to inter-connect the East and West Coasts via coaxial cable and radio relay and thus unite the nation as never before! This should be set into motion without delay. CBS TV CITY Construction Begins in L. A. CONSTRUCTION of the first unit of CBS' proposed $35 million Television City in Los Angeles at Fairfax Ave. and Beverly Blvd. [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 29, 1950], got underway last week. The initial section, being erected on the site of the present Gilmore Stadium now being taken down, will cover approximately 5 of the 15 acres already acquired by the network on that area. It will consist of six studios and a six-story combination crafts and office building. Completion of this first project is expected by early 1952 at which time network programs will be originated from the studios, to be transmitted directly by microwave relay to the East Coast and the rest of the CBS-TV network. Studios, promised by the network to "combine finest working conditions with most modern equipment and facilities that TV engineers and architects can design," will include provisions for broadcasting CBS color TV. Pereira & Luckman, Los Angeles, are the architects and engineers for the new project. William Simpson Construction Co., Los Angeles, is the builder. As soon as arrangements are completed for the KTSL (TV) transfer (story page 19), CBS will move the staff of its Hollywood outlet KNX-AM-FM and the Columbia Pacific network to the new Mutual Don Lee Building on Vine St. The KTSL staff as well as that of Don Lee network remains in the building. Application will be made to FCC by CBS to change call letters of the TV station to KNX-TV. CBS will retain Columbia Square studios as headquarters for network radio and television. GENERAL ELECTRIC announces new TV receiving tube (Type 12BH7) designed primarily for vertical oscillator and amplifier service with large wide-angle picture tubes, but which also may be used in applications where two similar triodes in single envelope are desirable. film ft >J20tt REDART Ltd., Los Angeles, is new firm set up by Exclusive Sales Corp. (Natalie Kalmus TV sets) to distribute English films to American TV stations. Jack Covel, president of Exclusive, will head new firm which will function separately from set distributor company. R. L. Kemp, London (theatre chain), with Los Angeles offices at 1216 W. Olympic Blvd., will work in association with the firm. Effective last week, WKRC-TV Cincinnati has sold INS This Week in Sports to local DeSoto auto dealers association. WTAR TV Norfolk buys Super-Projectall. WBAL-TV Baltimore has installed Trans-Lux rear screen projector. Device supplies unlimited range of backgrounds in life-size proportions before which studio actors appear. Commercial application of projector offers advertisers, using live spots, opportunity to have actual scenes from own stores or show rooms. INS-Telenews reports newsreel sales to following stations: Weekly review to WAGA-TV Atlanta, KRLD-TV Dallas, WCPOTV Cincinnati, and on repeat basis to WOR-TV New York. WEWS (TV) Cleveland began daily newsreel service Jan. 1. Jack Danowitz Advertising Agency, New York, has established production facilities on own premises to produce TV and sales promotion pictures. Firm says it turned out series of 16mm TV film with action and narrative for under $1,000 for a client. Two-minute commercials will be placed on test basis in four markets starting next week. Stations include WTTG(TV) Washington, WAAM(TV) Baltimore, WAGA-TV Atlanta and WDSU-TV New Orleans. SNADER EXPANDS To Open New York Office SETTING a shooting schedule of 20 musical films per week, Snader Telescriptions Corp., Beverly Hills, Calif., will establish a New York production division in mid-January. Production will be split between that city and Hollywood. Louis Snader, president, and Phil Bloom, talent director, will be in New York late this week to complete arrangements and also appoint a director. With recent formation of Snader Telescription Sales on a national basis, Mr. Snader said filming operations must be stepped up to meet the contracted for 960 musical subjects. He further revealed that cost of making the 3 to 3 V2 -minute musical films has increased. Originally budgeted at $1,500 each, subjects now are running from 25% to 40% higher. Firm has already completed 257 films, with 400 promised for March 1 delivery. Firm has moved its Beverly Hills headquarters to 171 South Beverly Drive. Alabama's Alab ama's housewives are making it their business to dial Channel 13 to see what's cooking in WAFM-TV's brand new model kitchen. And they see it live over Alabama's only livecamera TV station. only Only WAFM-TV's Model Kitchen is on the air every weekday from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. And that means no TV competition. Your product gets undivided attention . . . right in the kitchen . . . where it's used ! live TV Live TV with 5 top economists and 23 aides on the scene to demonstrate all household goods makes the Model Kitchen show convincing. Viewers know your product will work for them just the way they see it in use! kitchen i Kitchen recipes using your food products are prepared by the Model Kitchen home economists in front of a studio audience while thousands more look on at home. Housewives can get all of the recipes, too, just for the asking. program Program details on how you can use WAFM-TV's Model Kitchen to sell your product in the busy, industrial-rich Birmingham market may be obtained through us or Radio Sales. Ask about participations and one-minute availabilities. WAFM-TV "TELEVISION ALABAMA" CBS in Birmingham •Channel 13 Represented by Radio Sales Telecasting • BROADCASTING January 1, 1951 • Page 55