Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1955)

PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONS 'TIME CAPSULE' A TAPE RECORDING and a 16 mm sound film were WGN-AM-TV Chicago's contributions to "time capsules" placed in a column of the new $40 million Prudential Bldg. there during civic ceremonies Dec. 8. According to Frank P. Schreiber, vice president of WGN Inc., the tape contains review of news events of the month preceding dedication, while the film shows WGN-TV facilities. WNBQ (TV) also donated film to the capsule [B«T, Dec. 5]. WGN-TV has a steel tower and antenna atop the 41story building and will build color facilities there. All Chicago radio-tv stations gave special coverage to the dedication ceremonies. CBC PLANS HOLIDAY SPECIAL PLANS FOR 5 hours and 45 minutes of special Christmas Day programming are nearing completion for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Trans-Canada and Dominion networks. Christmas Almanac is the most ambitious radio broadcast undertaken by the CBC in its 20 years. The program will involve an estimated 20,000 miles of network wire-line circuits, more than 30 studios, 20 mobile broadcast teams and some 400 entertainers, commentators, musicians and singers from all parts of Canada and CBS offices in Paris and London, England. ARMY BUS USED FOR COLOR BORROWED ARMY recruiting bus was used by WTRF-TV Wheeling, W. Va., to bring the Army-Navy football game in color to Wheeling citizens. And they came out — 2,500-strong to see the colorcast on WTRF-TV's curb side RCA receiver. Crisp weather caused a moderate turn-over of watchers, the station says, but there were never fewer than 300 people standing before the color screen. WRCA COLORCASTS WEATHER WRCA-TV NEW YORK has set its Weather with Tex Antoine program for telecast in color weeknights at 6:45 p.m. and again at 11:10 p.m. EST, in keeping with WRCA-TV's stepped up colorcasting scheduling. The station also reports that it recently made its first use of color through a rear projection system during its 30minute Jinx Diary program. STEREOPHONIC GOOD WILL CHRISTMAS feature using stereophonic sound will be aired jointly Dec. 24 by KYW, using its am signal, and WFLN (FM), both of Philadelphia. The program will consist of holiday musical pickups featuring local choirs and caroling groups, including a concert by inmates of Graterford Prison. It will be titled Sounds of Christmas. Producers are Gordon Davis, KYW, and Raymond Green, WFLN, with direction by Bill Schwarz, KYW and Jim Gray, WFLN. ELEPHANT TRUMPETS NEW SHOW LARGE mechanical elephant outfitted with elephantine signs advertising WRCA New York's new early morning show, Pulse, will visit various sections of the city as attentiongetter for the program's debut. WRCA promotion plans also include full-page newspaper advertisements, subway and railroad billboards, air promotion and special mailings. SCHEDULE NEW YEAR SHOWS NEW YEAR'S Eve gaiety will be brought to New York tv viewers by both WCBS-TV and WRCA-TV, which have scheduled special, sponsored programs to bring in the New Year. WCBS-TV will present New Year's In New York (11:15 p.m.-l a.m. EST), under the sponsorship of the Federal Nut Co. (Chock Full o'Nuts coffee), N. Y., through Grey Adv., N. Y. WRCA-TV's New Years Eve program will feature Guy Lombardo and his orchestra from the Hotel Roosevelt grill (11:15 p.m.12:15 a.m. EST) under sponsorship of Miss Clairol (hair preparation), N. Y., through Foote, Cone & Belding, N. Y. CARTB LISTS PROMOTION DATES A LIST OF holidays and special days marking some historical event in Canada's history has been compiled by the Canadian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters for use by its member stations in planning special programs. The list is for the calendar year 1956 and also includes dates of regional and national broadcasting association conventions. It is available from the CARTB office at 108 Sparks St., Ottawa, Canada. AMAHL RETURNS ON NBC GIAN CARLO MENOTTI'S "Amahl and The Night Vistors," NBC-TV's annual Christmas opera, will be telecast for the sixth consecutive time this year on the Alcoa Hour, (Dec. 25, 9-10 p.m. EST). The Aluminum Co. of America sponsors the program through Fuller & Smith & Ross, Pittsburgh. WBAP-FM Ft. Worth General Manager George C. Cranston (I) and Program Director William Barclay look on as Mrs. Betty Tonahill, owner of Scooters Radio Supply, signs a new 52-week contract for time on the fm outlet. Scooters was one of the charter sponsors of WBAP-FM when the station began separate programming from WBAP last February. Weekday commercial time has operated on a sold out basis since the initial week. PAPERS USE RADIO NEWSPAPERS of Manitou Springs, Colo, believe in radio as the medium for theii Christmas good will stories. For the third yea; KCMS-FM Manitou Springs has sold time tc the Colorado Springs Free Press for a daih program of Christmas choral and orchestra music — no "pops" allowed, and only brie; half-hour messages from the sponsor to le listeners know the program is a public service Another Colorado Springs paper, Weekend, ha bought a similar program on KCMS-FM thi: year, and like the Free Press, is backing up it: programming with printed advertisements. UNEXPECTED FIND PUBLICITY stunt of KONA (TV) Honolulu, promoting the station's change from ch. 11 to ch. 2, led to the discovery of an unidentified murder victim. For seven weeks KONA had been running a treasure hunt contest offering the finder of a hidden replica of the station's tower more than $2,500 in cash and merchandise. A series of clues was given which pinpointed the finding place as Koko Head mountain. Police estimated that more than 5,000 people were combing the mountain Nov. 16, the day a man's body, with two bullet holes in its head, was found by tower hunters Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Alameda. The tower was found the following night by two Honolulu brothers, Victor and August Cuban, who had been searching daily for seven weeks. Police called the traffic jam created by 10,000 hunters the day the tower was found "the worst in Oahu history." A police investigation is now underway to determine the identity of the man, believed to have been dead six or eight weeks when found. The bullets were recovered from beneath the body and police said the victim would probably have never been discovered in such inaccessible terrain had it not been for the thousands searching for KONA's "tower." ALLEN BANDER AND COMPANY FDR THE PURCHASE AND SALE □ F RADID AND TELEVISION STATIONS 1701 K St., N. W. • Washington 6, D. C, NA. 8-3233 Lincoln Building • New York 17, N. Y., MU. 7-4242 111 West Monroe • Chicago 3, Illinois, RA. 6-3688 Page 104 • December 19, 1955 Broadcasting • Telecastin