Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr - June 1951)

JTSR ELECTS Grabhorn Named Managing Dir. MURRAY GRABHORN was unanimously elected managing director of the National Assn. of Radio and Television Station Representatives at its regular membership meeting in New York Wednesday. He succeeds T. F. Flanagan, managing director of NARTSR since its formation in 1948, who resigned because of ill health, NARTSR President Robert Meeker, head of Robert Meeker & Assoc. announced following the meeting. Mr. Grabhorn Mr. Grabhorn, until recently ABC spot sales supervisor, has been associated with broadcasting for more than 22 years. Starting in 1928 with the Don Lee Broadcasting System as a salesman with KHJ Los Angeles, he became sales man ABC-UPT DEAL Justice Dept. Eyes Phases JUSTICE Dept. scrutiny of the proposed ABC-United Paramount Theatres merger was underway last week. H. Graham Morison, head of the anti-trust division, revealed that Justice had requested in writing full details of the $25 million merger. The "close interest" exhibited by Justice reportedly stems from the aspect of the merger which might put UPT back into production, thereby partially undoing the consent decree of March 1949. Under the consent decree, the government required old Paramount Pictures to separate its film production activities from its distribution and theatre-ownership operations [Broadcasting • Telecasting, May 281. Meanwhile, although the transaction was announced on May 23, prospects for completion of the merger before late summer dwindled as spokesmen said applications which need FCC approval will not be filed until after stockholders' meetings in July [Broadcasting • Telecasting, June 11]. Go nnon Leaves B&B CHARLES F. GANNON, vice president and public relations director of Benton & Bowles, has resigned [Closed Circuit, June 11] to form a new firm, Armstrong, Gannon & Assoc., in New York and Washington, D. C. It will specialize in industrial public relations accounts. Spencer Armstrong is the director of Opinion Leaders of America and was previously director of the Bituminous Coal Institute. Mr. Gannon ager of KHJ and then of KFRC San Francisco. Moving in 1935 to New York as manager of the John Blair & Co. offices there, he returned in 1937 to Los Angeles' as manager of KECA, then operated by the Hearst Newspapers as KEHE. In 1938, he was moved to New York as vice president and general manager of Hearst Radio Inc., later known as International Radio Sales. In 1941, Mr. Grabhorn worked with the Philco Radio and Television Corp. on a special assignment, following which, in 1942, he moved to ABC. A member of the Radio Pioneers and of the Radio Executives Club of New York, for which he has served two terms as president, Mr. Grabhorn's appointment becomes effective July 1. However, he met June 14 with the NARTSR subcommittee and a group from the MBS News Increases SINCE June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel, MBS has almost doubled its program time devoted to news, th network stated last week. Prior to that date Mutual presented a total of 4 hours and 45 minutes of news broadcasts weekly. Today the network schedule includes news programs totalling 7 hours and 45 minutes a week. Hudson Using Ziv HUDSON MOTOR Car Co., Detroit, through Brooke, Smith, French & Dorrance, same city, is spotting five Ziv transcribed shows in 53 cities for 13 weeks. They are Bold, Venture, Boston Blackie, Guy Lom.bardo, Philo Vance or Favorite Story. Affiliates Committee to discuss ways of repelling further inroads on the radio price structure (story page 23) . Mr. Grabhorn was to assume the post of general manager of WPTR Albany last Friday [Broadcasting • Telecasting, June 4]. In view of the NARTSR developments, Robert L. Coe, radiotelevision consultant for the Schine interests, announced the appointment of Morgan Ryan to be WPTR general manager, effective today (Monday). Mr. Ryan is a former ABC executive. f VANS NAMED Succeeds Wallace at NBC APPOINTMENT of Jacob A. Evans, manager of sales development, advertising and promotion for NBC National Spot Sales, as manager of radio advertising and promotion, effective today (Monday), was announced last week [Closed Circuit, June 11]. He succeeds George W. Wallace who resigned to join Reader's Digest International. John K. Herbert, vice president and general sales manager for radio, announced the promotion of Mr. Evans, who joined the network's New York offices in 1946 as a sales promotion writer. He became manager of audience promotion in 1947 and was advanced to the National Spot Sales post in 1948. Before joining NBC he was radio music conductor and a composer at WJR extension studios, Ann Arbor, Mich., and in 1946 became sales manager of KSTT Davenport, Iowa. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Mr. Evans was educated at Western Kentucky College, Bowling Green, Ky., and at the U. of Michigan, from which he holds a master's degree in music. He served during World War II in the Air Force and was overseas in the Marianas Islands area. ACKERMAN BACK Renamed CBS Vice President' HARRY S. ACKERMAN, who stepped down from a CBS vice presidency a year ago, was returned to that post in charge of network programs in Hollywood last week in a move which was seen as a forerunner to other CBS executive changes. Howard S. Meighan, vice president and general attorney, who is in charge of Hollywood operations including sales, station operations and general administrative functions, is slated to return to New York shortly. Reports that he would return to the New York headquarters . have persisted foi several months, and indications las1 week were that the return maj come this month. Mr. Ackerman's election to a vice presidency came Wednesday at £ board of directors meeting whicr also named James B. Conkling president of Columbia Records, tc the CBS board membership re cently vacated by the resignatior of Isaac D. Levy [Broadcasting « Telecasting, June 4]. The boarc meeting coincided with the CB£ stockholders meeting at whicr Columbia's acquisition of Hytroi Radio & Electronics Corp. was ap proved (see story page 25). Mr. Ackerman gave up a vic<: presidency last June in order t< Mr. Conkling Mr. Ackermai share in equities in shows he ere ated. At that time he became ex ecutive head of production and waf signed to a new long-term contrac by the network. He has been with CBS since 1948 when he left the vice presidency ir charge of radio program operation; for Young & Rubicam to become CBS executive producer. He hac been with Y&R since 1936. Namec CBS director of network programs Hollywood, in June 1948, he sub sequently was advanced to the vice presidency which he gave up ir June 1950. Drawn for Broadcasting • Telecasting by Sid Hix "Run 'um like hell, Swift Antelope! Tell 'urn Great White Squaw before she leaves Washington we want 'um new reservation too!" KATY Joins ABC KATY San Luis Obispo, Calif., has affiliated with ABC, becoming the networks' 297th radio affiliate ABC announced last week. The station, which is managed by Johr Rider and owned by the Pacific Broadcasting Co., transmits fulltime with 250 w on 1340 kc. Page 24 • June 18, 1951 BROADCASTING • Telecasting