Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1955)

Butterfield and Thomas H. Wolf, has announced that Joseph Wershba, formerly of the CBSTV See It Now staff, will direct the filming. The exploration of what, if any, need there is of an agency to "appraise the performance" of mass communication media, is one of the Fund's newest projects, authorized only last May. First report on this proposed commission is expected about the middle of next month. Mr. Hoffman last Tuesday at a ceremony and party held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York said that at the outset the Fund had planned to use a good amount of its $15 million to figure out ways to use this money effectively on television. Mr. Hoffman spoke at an awards ' presentation in the tv script contest held by the Fund. He said the contest and other projects — such as the Herblock show — were part of this overall program. Suitable for Tv Production Mr. Hoffman said the Fund was "confident that the television industry will find many, if not all, of the winning scripts eminently suitable for production." He said the Fund would make efforts to obtain the production of as many as possible of the winning scripts. Prizes totaling $29,000 were presented in two categories: Hour-long dramas and half-hour documentaries. Some 650 entries were received. First prize of $5,000 for the best documentary went to Burton and James Benjamin, two brothers, for their play, Pepito, dealing with the adjustment of a Puerto Rican youth during his first few days in New York. Mrs. Lillian Schoen Andrews won $5,000 for the best of the drama scripts. Her tv play, The Conspirators, is based on the last days of Elijah Lovejoy, abolitionist editor in Illinois who was murdered for insisting on the right of a newspaper editor to print "unpopular" ideas. Jo Sinclair won second prize, $2,500, in the drama class for her We Can't Be the First script dealing with prejudice against negroes in the matter of housing. All four authors are professional writers. Mrs. Andrews was a radio writer for ABC for many years. She is married to Martin Andrews, an ABC Radio director. Among the judges were news commentators Elmer Davis (ABC) and Eric Sevareid (CBS). Milton Krents, former NBC producer and now handling radio-tv for Brandt & Brandt, literary agents in New York, was retained by the Fund as a consultant to assist in placing on the air the 19 award winning scripts. He will survey both commercial and sustaining tv shows in the search for placement of the scripts. Toronto May Get TNT Bout THEATRE Network Television reported last week that a closed-circuit program of a heavyweight championship bout may go international for the first time in history if Loew's Uptown in Toronto gains government permission to carry TNT's telecast of the Marciano-Moore bout on Sept. 20. Nathan L. Halpern, president of TNT, said advance sale of tickets for the closedcircuit telecast "is heavier than for any fight in TNT's history." He added that prospects of a million dollar tv gate looms bright, with the number of theatre bookings "rapidly approaching the 100 mark." Religious Show Available A WEEKLY religious program, The Hour of the Crucified, on 151 radio stations, is now available for requesting stations. The program is tape recorded at the Passionist Monastery in Springfield, Mass., under the direction of Rev. Fidelis Rice. Land-Line 'Stations' To Get NBC-TV Kines KINESCOPES of regular NBC-TV programs, as well as filmed programs, will be supplied to the closed-circuit tv system of "stations" planned by Trans-Community Television Network Inc. of Beverly Hills, Calif., NBC-TV confirmed last week. Details of the circuit that would serve some 15 communities in western states were disclosed to B»T a fortnight ago [At Deadline, Aug. 22]. Under the Trans-Community proposal, "stations" in each town would originate film and local live shows and sell local spots in addition to national accounts. Installations are underway in Douglas, Ariz., and Bishop, Calif. According to NBC-TV, a one-year contract was signed July 1 5 with Trans-Community. As yet, the network and Trans-Community have not determined what programs will be supplied but network spokesmen said Trans-Community would be serviced on the same basis as non-interconnected network affiliates. Under that procedure, kinescopes must be shown within a 60day period. Trans-Community, it was understood, expects to start its programming in the fall with programs shown from two to four weeks after they have been put on kinescope. Problems of property rights and overlap had to be cleared, it was stated by network spokesmen, who noted this was standard procedure. Another problem — that of union clearance — is being solved by Trans-Community which is obtaining "letters of consent" from labor organizations involved, it was said. NBC-TV's position, however, was not deter mined on another request of program origination by the Potomac Valley Television Co., a community tv system in Cumberland, Md. [B«T, Aug. 22]. Potomac plans to run kinescopes of network shows, including commercials, without charge in the five-channel Cumberland system. The wired tv company picks up and relays each of Washington's four tv stations. Adjacencies would be sold to local dealers of program sponsors. NBC-TV spokesmen indicated that the Cumberland operation differed from that of TransCommunity. The latter, they said, clearly operates out of range of tv signals and into markets where a community tv system could not be operated. Cumberland, on the other hand, is a community tv system that utilizes existing stations' signals. Stations of all four networks are in Washington. 'Ring7 Editor Advocates Television Studio Boxing STUDIO BOXING is here, says Johnny Salak in the current issue of The Ring, national magazine dealing with the sport of boxing. Although there may still be doubt in the minds of some broadcasters and boxing promoters about the future of boxing strictly for tv, with little if any "arena" audience, The Ring points out, "If you can't budge the fans out of the living room with anything less than a stick of dynamite, don't fight them — join them. "Which is just what is happening. Promoters are getting tired of seeing empty seats, by the thousand, costing them money, by the thousand. So why, if you can put the same fight on in on iksdh way. SESAC TRANSCRIBED LIBRARY f Series "R" RELIGIOUS R-1301's • GOSPEL SONGS by VEP ELLIS with the Three Macs and the Lee College Chorus SESAC "the best music in America" 475 Fifth Avenue New York 17 Broadcasting • Telecasting August 29, 1955 • Page 79