Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

BETWEEN '■)& COMMERCIALS KAY MUiVIHUt "Watch and Win"-KPIX's telephone quiz game— is still drawing top mail response, which numbers about 12,000 monthly; and sponsor, Acme Breweries, reports that sales for their new Gold Label Beer are moving at a fast rate. Starring Ben Alexander, voted outstanding TV personality by Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and his lovely wife, Lesley, "Watch and Win" is a unique telequiz, in which viewBen Alexander ers' write-in cards are selected by Ben and Lesley for telephone calls . . . questions . . . and prizes! BASEBALL Biggest news to baseball fans is the fact that KPIX is now lensing the San Francisco Seals' Saturday afternoon home games. The diamond battles, which include a series of eight games, are under the direction of Sandy Spillman and Dave Kees, with Don Klein at mike side. KMX's Saturday games are simulcast over KSFO! NARCOTIC SERIES The three week series on narcotics, recently featured on KPIX's "KMA 438", has been loudly acclaimed as an outstanding service to the community. Handled by Inspector John Kane and Lt. Alvin Nicolini, the programs, which were presented in cooperation with the San Francisco Police Department, covered the entire subject of narcotics as a police problem and an ever increasing menace to society. ADD AIRINGS: KSFO now features Robert Montgomery in "Freedom Is Our Business" for the S. F. School of Nursing three mornings a week. . . . The Ethyl Corporation in sponsoring "Sportscholar" on KPIX Wednesdays at 11:00 P.M. . . . Represented by The Kari Agency, Inc. Represented by Wm. G. Rambeau Co. SAN FRANCISCO Color Controversy (Continued from page 65) tine Electronics Corp., told BROADCASTING • Telecasting that the composite system was developed "as a result of a suggestion made by Sen. Ed Johnson (D-Col.), who stated the industry should be capable of working out a satisfactory compatible color system." Mr. Hirsch said the composite system is not a dot sequential system— the name given to RCA's — and that color is added to the black and white picture as "frequency interleave" components. The RCA system also adds color to blackand-white pictures, he added. Black-and-white pictures, he explained, make inefficient use of available spectrum space, since the energy is "bunched" around the harmonics of the line frequencies, leaving the space between these harmonics devoid of energy. It is in these spaces that color information is inserted. Mr. Hirsch noted that "color information so added is practically invisible in the blackand-white picture but can be extracted in a color receiver to add color to the black-and-white picture." Mr. Hirsch continued: The system is capable of giving better color pictures having the full detail of present-day black-and-white pictures. It takes into consideration peculiarities of the eye and was designed to give no more information than the eye can absorb, and to reserve the information capacity so saved for useful purposes. One of these characteristics is that the eye is far more sensitive to variations in brightness than to variations in color in fine detail. For example, any woman knows that when she matches two pieces of thread she has to compare the color of the full spools rather than single strands. Improvements Tested He said all of these improvements have been tested thoroughly in the laboratories and that some have been field tested. Agreement on the frequency of the color subcarrier and similar remaining details "is expected within a relatively short time, after which the overall system will be thoroughly field-tested for verification, under actual use, of the laboratory experiments," he asserted. The field testing, he said, will be open to participation by "anyone in the industry." FCC sources last week reiterated that the Commission would be willing to look at any system that incorporated marked technical improvements over techniques already shown, but would not venture any specific comment on the Ad Hoc Committee report. The special NTSC committee was set up by Dr. Baker Nov. 20, 1950, to make an "up-to-date appraisal of the state of the art" of color TV. Committee comprised : David B. Smith, Philco Corp. (chairman); Robert M. Bowie, Sylvania; Elmer W. Engstrom, RCA; Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr., Allen B. DuMont Labs; Ira J. Kaar, GE; and Arthur V. Loughren, Hazeltine. Between Nov. 21 and Feb. 27, 1951, demonstrations and discussions were held at Hazeltine in Little Neck, Long Island, RCA in Washington, DuMont Labs at Passaic, N. J., Philco in Philadelphia, GE at Electronics Park, Syracuse, and a final session again at Hazeltine. The Ad Hoc Committee report offered its proposed standards [see text, At Deadline, June 4] and said that "it is expected that numerical values for the standards can shortly be defined by the industry." Committee noted that several organizations have substantial color work underway and stressed the need for bringing together the results of this work and the technical information acquired by the industry at large as a result of further testing. In the meantime, CBS, whose soon-to-be-acquired subsidiary, Air King Products Corp., demonstrated its own CBS type color-monochrome receiver early in the week [story page 70], reported its TV network technical crews — "are literally straining at the leash to get their shows on the air in color." CBS on Monday also demonstrated its system for some 75 fashion directors and other executives from 25 of the nation's larger retail stores, and reported they found it "magnificent." The demonstration consisted of a showing of fall fashions, with reception on a CBS 17-inch color drum receiver, described by the network as giving "the largest direct-view color television ever shown." Miss Rene Cowley, fashion director for Bullock's Downtown, Los Angeles, was quoted as predicting great store use of color TV. Miss Virginia Harris of Boston's Filene's store said color gives "the first real opportunity to promote fashion in television." Miss Helen Taylor, New York color consultant, considered color TV "potentially the greatest sales tool that ever has been invented," and foresaw 100% department store participation in this medium, CBS reported. COAST SHIFT Tatum, Moore, Felix Move DONN B. TATUM, vice president and general counsel, Don Lee Broadcasting System, Hollywood, last week was appointed ABC Western Division director of television and general manager of KECA-TV Los Angeles. He succeeds Richard A. Moore, who resigned to become general manager of KTTV (TV) Los Angeles. Also announced last week was the appointment of Earnest Felix, assistant treasurer of ABC's Western Division, as acting manager of that division. In 1942, Mr. Tatum entered the radio and television industry as Pacific Coast counsel for RCA and its subsidiaries. In this position he also was counsel for the Blue Network, predecessor to ABC, for seven years. In February 1949, he joined the Don Lee Broadcasting System as vice president, general counsel and a member of that network's board of directors. His appointment, and that of Mr. Felix, become effective Friday. Mr. Moore, who had been ABC Western Division director of television and general manager of KECA-TV, will take over the KTTV post July 2. Mr. Moore only last month was named acting general manager of ABC Western Division in charge of radio as well as TV [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 21]. He was to assume those duties last Friday when Frank Samuels, resigned ABC Western Division vice president and general manager, left to join the William Morris Agency as West Coast head of radio and television. At KTTV, Mr. Moore succeeds Harrison Dunham, who resigned several months ago. Mr. Felix joined ABC in September 1944, as auditor in Hollywood. On Jan. 1, 1948, he was named controller and personnel director of ABC's Western Division. Two years later he was elected assistant treasurer of that division. I ! « <y I li ok r. ' tr} k fa Met Iff, lent! !t] aict b'eri Er r« Hi <Jff! IAD (B6i Buy 'Jessie's Notebook' nbC CONSULTANT CLOROX CHEMICAL Co., through Honig-Cooper Co.; Crosley Div. of Avco Mfg. Corp., through Benton & Bowles, and La Choy Foods Div. of Beatrice Foods Co., through Foote, Cone & Belding, all New York, to sponsor on a participating basis Jessie's TV Notebook, starring Jessie DeBoth, over ABC-TV, Tuesday, 12:30 p.m., starting June 19. The program will be a homemaking audience participation show. Larus on DuMont LARUS & BROS. Co. (cigarettes, tobaccos), Richmond, to sponsor The Plainclothesman on the DuMont TV network Sunday, 9:30-10 p.m., starting June 24. The agency is Warwick & Legler, New York. Ginsberg Named for TV APPOINTMENT of Henry Ginsberg, motion picture production ex-' pert, as general consultant for NBC was announced last week by President Joseph H. McConnell. Vice president in charge of studio production and operations of Paramount Pictures for 11 years before his resignation a year ago, Mr. Ginsberg is slated to work closely with John West, vice president in charge of NBC's western operations. He has been identified with the motion picture industry for 30 years, and served as vice president and general manager of the Ha! Roach and David O. Selznick organizations before joining Paramount. He will continue his motion picture activities along with his consulting work in radio and TV for NBC, the network said. Page 78 June 11, 1951 Telecasting • BROADCASTING m Joe U the $01 lie:; iioui ■ tfii fl! kl 3,5 j 1 of he