Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

PLANS for the January kickoff of the "Operation Home Improvement" promotion, sponsored by U. S. Chamber of Commerce [B«T, Dec. 12, 1955], were reviewed at a luncheon for advertising agency executives in Chicago. Among those present were (I to r): D. E. Mackelman, deputy coordinator, Office of Housing & Redevelopment, Chicago; Perry Brand, account executive, Campbell-Mithun Inc.; John Doscher, OHI executive director; Howard Bede, vice president, Leo Burnett Co., and Chester D. Kuttner, executive vice president, Kuttner & Kuttner Inc., which sponsored the luncheon. Among other agencies represented were Foote, Cone & Belding; Young & Rubicam, and D'Arcy Adv. Co. Proclamation of "Home Improvement Year" will be made by Housing and Home Finance Agency Jan. 16. Manufacturers and dealers in building supplies will take part in the promotion, which will include millions of dollars placed in both local and national advertising. NBC-TV KIDS SHOW LAUNCHED A NEW NBC-TV participation show for children, Choose Up Sides, was to be launched Jan. 7 (Sat., noon-12:30 p.m. EST). Gene Rayburn serves as master of ceremonies on the program, during which youngsters on fourmember teams race each other in a series of party stunts, with prizes to winners. CONTINENTAL PROMOTES 'ANNIE' COMPREHENSIVE MERCHANDISING campaign has been set by Continental Baking Co. in connection with its sponsorship of CBS-TV Film Sales' Annie Oakley tv film series in 70 markets. Together with CBS-TV film sales and Ted Bates & Co., Continental has arranged for distribution to retail outlets of Annie Oakley hats, scarves, counter posters, window streamers and large lapel labels. WNBQ (TV) SELLS QUIZ TO SEARS NEW QUIZ SHOW, featuring photographs with certain portions missing and a panel of local personalities, began on WNBQ (TV) Chicago Ian. 4 under sponsorship of Sears, Roebuck & Co. With Bob Murphy as emcee, the program is based on the question, "Can the mind conceive what the eye cannot see?" It includes panelists who try to guess what the pictures depict while home viewers glimpse complete photos. Personalities are Fran Allison, Sam Cowling, Kay Westfall and Len O'Connor. The program is packaged by Bob Murphy Productions. BEAMS MUSIC AT WORKERS CKOT TILLSONBURG, Ont., Canada, has programmed a new afternoon show, Strip Room Serenade, to suit the occupation of the area. But in the stripping room you'll more likely find grunts and groans than bumps and grinds, because the occupation is tobacco farming. This season finds workers busy in stripping rooms where all that is peeled is the leaves from cured plants. CKOT hopes to reach eight to ten workers in each stripping room of some 4,000 tobacco farms in Southwestern Ontario. 'RIDE BACK' IS BACK SCRIPT originally written by Antony Ellis for CBS Radio's Gunsmoke series, titled "The Ride Back," has been adapted for the screen by Mr. Ellis and will be produced by Robert Aidrich & Assoc., starting March 1. The radio version was carried on CBS Radio two years ago. The motion picture will be directed by Mr. Ellis and will feature actor William Conrad, who also will serve as producer. KIDDIE SHOW REVISED IN THE BELIEF that the 6 p.m. time period currently has more "kiddie" tv programs than the New York market can absorb, WOR-TV New York will begin telecasting the new Ray Heatherton Theatre in the Mon.-Fri.. 6-6:25 p.m. slot, starting today (Mon.). The new program, designed to appeal to older children, teen-agers and adults, will feature Ray Heatherton as m.c. and singer, and will include a nightly film short of about 15 minutes in length. It replaces The Merry Mailman nighttime show, also featuring Mr. Heatherton, which was slanted toward children in the early age brackets. WOR-TV will continue to carry the noontime Merry Mailman (Mon.-Fri., 12 noon-12:30 p.m. EST). KVOO-TV, KRMG GIVE SIMULCAST THE EARLY HOURS of Jan. I. 1956. marked a "first" in Tulsa, Okla.. broadcasting history, says station KVOO-TV there, which handled the visual half of the first simulcast in that area. After NBC's telecast of New Year's Eve on Times Square. KVOO-TV showed viewers New Years Eve in Tulsa at the Cimarron Ballroom. Joe Knight, disc jockey. KRMG Tulsa, emceed the show which was broadcast simultaneously on KRMG. DES MOINES HAS HOLIDAY COLOR IOWA'S FIRST locally produced color telecasl was credited to WHO-TV Des Moines on Christmas Day, 1955. A half-hour film story, "The Saviour Is Born." was sponsored by the Central National Bank and Trust Co. of Des Moines, marking the first scheduled use of color projection equipment hs a local station in Iowa, says WHO-TV. STARTS YEAR WITH COLOR WBTV (TV) Charlotte. N. C, became, on New Year's Eve. the nation's 1 8th station to originate local live color programming, it says. The station colorcast a short religious program at 7:30 p.m. and followed it up with an announcement of plans to start regular studio colorcasts within the next few weeks. SKATERS LIKE WCCC SONGS ICE SKATERS by the hundreds, says WCCC Hartford. Conn., have written thanks for the music it began providing them Dec. 31. Closed circuits take music, weather readings, time signals and news from WCCC to Hartford's three biggest skating parks. Mayor Joseph V. Cronin of Hartford and other officials participated in opening ceremonies New Year's Eve. WRITERS GET SQUARE MEAL ON THEORY that the way to the press' heart is through its stomach, KTTV (TV) Hollywood arranged tv dinners in the homes of writers to introduce Standard Oil Co.'s Chevron Hall of Stars. Jan. 3. Maids arrived at guests' homes before showtime to set up tv tables and serve hot meals. KTTV saw that dishes were washed at the meal's end. BING'S 'SING' PLUGGED ONL OF THE MOST extensive promotion campaigns for a single, one-time radio show was claimed last week by CBS Radio. The show was the Christmas Eve Bing Crosby singfest, "Christmas Sing With Bing" (9-10 p.m. EST), sponsored by the Insurance Co. of North America. The nationwide exploitation included active support from Decca Records, competitor Gates Radio Company, quincy, Illinois, u.s.a. OFFICES IN NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, ATLANTA, HOUSTON, and LOS ANGELES Broadcasting • Telecasting January 9, 1956 • Page 113