Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1952)

Mr. Roger Bacon Ruthrcwff and RyanDallas, Texas Dear Rodge: Whin yuh th' hometown all th' other tergether! wants a real market, keep uv WCHS in mind. Yessir, Rodge, Charleston., West Virginny, is tops any way yuh wants ter look at it! Jest seen th' latest reports from th' Fed'r a I 'Serve Bank of Richmo n d . an' Charlesto'ti has th' biggest percent uv gain in department store sales over what they wuz a year ago uv any uv th' 17 cities in th' district! Yessir, they's up nearly 30 percent— an' they wmn't jest hay a year ago! Folks reely spends money 'round here, an' WCHS'll get yer message across ter more lisseners in this here area then effen yuh used four stations in' town put AWYER W/Zf Holdings Involved jj^g^ SCHOLARSHIPS In Quatman Suit Given in Radio Fields Yrs. Algy WCHS Charleston, W. Va For some interesting information on radio in PLEASE SEE PAGE 29 OF THIS ISSUE peared. One of his representatives has characterized the complaint as "picayune." His description was accurate. Station WIZE is a well managed radio station. It will continue serving ever increasing listeners with the same standards of fidelity and public service it has in the past. SUIT against Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer by minority stockholders of Radio Voice of Springfield Inc. (WIZE Springfield, Ohio) was characterized as part of a "consistent campaign of annoyance ... to force the purchase of their stock at high prices," according to a statement issued in Mr. Sawyer's name by *Dayton attorney Hubert Esterbrook last week. Minority stockholders, in the Court of Common Pleas in Springfield, Ohio, earlier last week, alleged that the radio station made improper salary payments to Mr. Sawyer and his wife, and asked that the court stop the practice and recover $112,080. Specifically, the minority stockholders claimed that WIZE paid Mr. Sawyer $10,000 a year for the last seven years for services which "were negligible in amount and cursory in nature." It is also charged that the station paid Mrs. Sawyer $16,800 for the same time as secretary although she "performed no duties and rendered no service of any kind whatsoever to the company." Stockholders also sued to recover $21,000 paid for rent in Mr. Sawyer's Cincinnati law office and $4,280 paid for the services of a secretary there. Mr. Sawyer owns 52% of WIZE. He owns outright WING Dayton and WOOL Columbus, both Ohio. Plaintiffs in Suit Plaintiffs include George B. Quatman, president of the independent Lima (Ohio) Telephone & Telegraph Co.; .his son, Lima Probate Judge Joseph B. Quatman; Richard B. Davis, restaurant owner; Frank G. Kahle, retired businessman; Louis Kramer of Dayton; Phillip L. Bradstock and Mrs. Simon Maier of Elyria. Both George Quatman and Mr. Davis are members of the WIZE board of directors. In addition to Mr. Sawyer, the suit was directed against John Pattison Williams, executive vice president of Mr. Sawyer's radio properties; Charles Evans, WIZE station manager; Adna Karns, assistant station manager; Charles Sawyer Jr. and Abe Gardner. Mr. Sawyer's statement is as follows: Secretly and without previous inquiry of the management as to salaries, dividend policies, prospects, competition, etc., a group of stockholders, headed by George B. Quatman bought a minority interest in Radio Voice of Springfield Inc. The purchase was made with the specific intent of creating a large nuisance value. He persuaded others to enter into this purchase, including two women. Through his blandishments snd through a voting trust, with 25% interest in the minority stock, he has obtained complete control of the minority stockholders. Since Mr. Quatman and friends acquired these shares, he has carried on a consistent campaign of annoyance. New lawyers for Mr. Quatman have moved in and old lawyers have moved out of the picture with confusing regularity. The object of all this has been to force the purchase of their stock at a high price. No such buyer has ap WILSON TALK Sees Longer Production ELECTRONICS, now undergoing a revolution comparable to that of jet aircraft, "must find the target, direct the gun and pull the trigger" under current development, Defense Mobilizer Charles E. Wilson said last Monday. Mr. Wilson addressed the 1952 Honors Night Dinner of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences at the Hotel Astor in New York. He spoke on "A Revolution in Technique." The Defense Chief observed that the cost of electronic equipment alone in some jet engines is more than the entire cost of two B-29s. The mobilization program, originally on a three-year basis, will be stretched to four years, with peak production indicated from December 1952 to July 1954, Mr. Wilson said. "There will be no sudden and' violent upswing in military production, with a corresponding disastrous downswing in the civilian economy. We are simply going to maintain our production peak a while longer than originally planned," the Defense Mobilizer explained. To ress IRE CHARLES E. WILSON, director of the Office of Defense Mobilization, will be banquet speaker March 5 at the 1952 convention of the Institute of Radio Engineers to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, March 3-6. In addition to the technical papers to be presented at discussion sessions at the hotel, IRE is sponsoring its largest exhibit of latest developments of electronic equipment at Grand Central Palace, where 356 exhibitors have signed for 57,000 sq. ft. of floor space to show some $10 million worth of apparatus, including newest in transmitting and receiving devices and parts for AM, FM and TV, both VHF and UHF. TWO $100 tuition scholarships have been given to the U. of South Dakota by the South Dakota Broadcasters Assn. for high school seniors entering college to specialize in radio broadcasting and station engineering. This was reported last week by Bryon McElligott, general manager of KSDN Aberdeen and president of the broadcasters' group. He said basis for selection will be scholastic standing, speech activities, personality and character of the broadcasting scholarship applicant, and science activities, personality and character for the engineering student. Applicants must prove a financial need. Selected to screen applications are Ray Eppel, manager, KORN Mitchell, chairman; Bill Rohn, manager, KSOO Sioux Falls; Max Staley, manager, KIJV Huron, and Henry Schmitt, publisher, Aberdeen American News. Applicants should write the university registrar or KUSD Vermillion. Winners will be announced June 1. WFAA-AM-TV Dallas-Ft. Worth will sponsor a 7,000-mile farm tour through U. S. and Canada for Southwesterners June 8-22. Murray Cox, WFAA farm director, is in charge. Cost is about $500 each. ZIV IS HONORED By VFW for Cvetic Series CERTIFICATE of Merit was awarded last week by Veterans of Foreign Wars to Frederic W. Ziv Co., New York, radio production and transcription firm, for its new series titled "I Was a Communist for the FBI," starring Dana Andrews. Series, based on incidents in career of Matt Cvetie who, as an FBI undercover agent; joined the U. S. Communist Party,' will make its debut on stations: coast-to-coast in March. Certificate is signed by Frank C Hilton, VFW commander-in-chief and commends the Ziv Compan for "its role in making the Ameri can people more aware of th methods and goals of Communist in the United States, therefor more conscious of the menace o Communism to our nation." Rep. Changes Name KEENAN, Hunter & Dietrich i new name of Keenan & Eickelberg West Coast station and publisher, representative. W. Hubbard Keenan has been elected president anc is headquartered in San Francisco George G. Dietrich Jr. is vice pres ident in charge of Los Angeles op I erations. Other officers includ(i John W. Banister, vice president^ Maxwell J. Hunter, secretary' treasurer, and Laura Murtaugh assistant secretary. Page 84 • February 4, 1952 BROADCASTING • Tclecastixi)