Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1956)

STATIONS PROGRAM MANAGERS of NBC owned and operated stations and stations represented by NBC Spot Sales met in New York last fortnight [B»T, Feb. 27] and devoted much of their time to a discussion of syndicated color film. Among those in attendance were (I to r): seated, Albert G. Zink, WRGB Schenectady, N. Y.; David Crockett, KOMO-AM-TV Seattle, Wash.; Jerry A. Danzig, director of program planning and development for NBC owned stations and NBC Spot Sales; Harold Grams, KSD-AM-TV St. Louis; standing, Richard Close, director, NBC represented stations, and George Patterson, WAVE-TV Louisville, Ky. Kiggins, Kockritz Appointed Storer Broadcasting V. P/s KEITH KIGGINS and Ewald Kockritz, both veteran broadcasters, have been elected vice presidents of Storer Broadcasting Co. by the company's board of directors, it was announced MR. KIGGINS MR. KOCKRITZ last week by Lee B. Wailes, Storer executive vice president. Mr. Kiggins, before joining the Storer organization in 1954 as administrative assistant to President George B. Storer, was station relations director at NBC, vice president of its Blue Network, and vice president of ABC. In 1948, he established his own radio-tv consulting firm. Mr. Kockritz, director of programming for Storer. was in the promotion departments of WLW and WSAI, both Cincinnati, Ohio, and was program director at KTHS, then at Hot Springs, Ark., before joining the Storer organization in 1941 as promotion manager of WAG A Atlanta. Mendelsohn WTAC Manager DAVID MENDELSOHN, sales manager of WTAC Flint, Mich., has been appointed manager of the station, it was announced last week by lohn M. Shaheen, president of Founders Corp., which owns WTAC. Mr. Mendelsohn, who has been with the Flint station for the past seven years, replaces Jon R. McKinley, who has become general manager of Founders' tv outlet, KTVR-TV Denver. Georgia Big Five Stations Tailor Farming Broadcasts CHANGING PATTERNS in Georgia agriculture are bringing a rearrangement of farm programming on the Big Five stations in that state. Changes were outlined at a meeting of station representatives and their national representative, Avery-Knodel Inc.. in Atlanta a fortnight ago. With the peach and cotton crops "on the decline," the stations are planning special services to the agricultural interests of their respective areas. Northeast Georgia, leading poultry and broiler district, will be served by WGST Atlanta and WGAC Augusta; WTOC Savannah will give its attention to naval stores and pulp wood tree farmers; WRBL Columbus will tailor its agricultural broadcasts to those interested in peanuts, pecans, and watermelons, and WMAZ Macon will concentrate on the middle Georgia livestock industry. NBC Officials Meet to Plan WNBQ (TV)#s All-Color Debut NBC Central Div. officials will meet with New York network representatives in Chicago this week to chart advertising, sales promotion and other plans concerning the debut of WNBQ (TV) as the world's first all-color station. The official changeover will be timed with the opening of the NARTB annual convention at the Conrad Hilton Hotel April 15, and all local live studio programs will be telecast in color. An advertising and promotion barrage is expected, with parent RCA joining in the campaign to sell color receivers and equipment. RCA Victor assumes the role of a "client" in Chicago, sponsoring the filmed RCA Color Theatre on WNBQ each Monday evening. NBC executive talks this week, starting Tuesday (tomorrow), are expected to produce an advertising-promotion-programming blueprint covering other local originations as well. These include Knkla, Fran & Ollie, Bob & Kay with Eddie Doucette, How Does Your Garden Grow?, and others still to be added. Quality Stockholders Vote Support to Proposed Plans PLAN to expand use of radio by national advertisers in the years ahead, conforming to the Quality Radio Group concept, was approved at ci stockholders meeting held Feb. 21 in Chicago. Quality's executive committee will start work on a proposed development of programming designed to serve as a vehicle for delivery of the national advertising message. Stockholders reaffirmed their faith in the Quality concept at what was described as an enthusiastic meeting. Eighteen stockholders were represented. Ward Quaal, WLW Cincinnati, presided as Quality chairman-president. William Wagner, WHO Des Moines, is secretary-treasurer; W. Howard Summerville, WWL New Orleans, is vice president, and William B. Ryan is executive vice president. Quality officers were praised for their contribution to the group and service to the medium as a whole. Quality's operation, Mr. Quaal said, "is a mutual effort by a group of leading stations to emphasize the tremendous value of radio as a source of entertainment, news and information and as a low-cost medium for national advertisers." EXECUTIVES of CBS-owned television stations and of CBS-TV Spot Sales met in New York [B»T, Feb. 27] to discuss all phases of network programming and sales, probing the spot announcement situation extensively. Among those at the second annual meeting were (I to r): Edmund C. Bunker, general manager of WXIX (TV) Milwaukee; Sam Cook Digges, WCBS-TV New York, general manager; James T. Aubrey, KNXT (TV) Los Angeles, general manager; Merle S. Jones, vice president in charge of CBS owned tv stations; Gene Wilkey, CBS-TV representative in St. Louis; H. Leslie Atlass, vice president and general manager of WBBM-TV Chicago, and Craig Lawrence, director of CBS owned tv station administration. Page 60 March 5, 1956 Broadcasting • Telecasting