Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1956)

PROGRAM SERVICES TELEPROMPTER BUYS SHERATON TV INC. KTBS-TV LEADS according to latest NIELSEN •MONTHLY COVERAGE, Homes Reached 136,860 A Bonus of 6,740 over Station B TELEVISION HOMES in KTBS-TV Area 157,980 A Bonus of 73,720 over Station B * N.C.S. No. 2, Spring 1956 KTBS-7v CHANNEL. (: SHREVEPORT Jf LOUISIANA E. NEWTON WRAY, President & Gen. Mgr. NBC and ABC Represented by Edward Retry & Co., Inc. e 110 • December 10, 1956 ACQUISITION by TelePrompTer Corp., New York, of Sheraton Closed-Circuit Television Inc. from Sheraton Corp. of America, New York, was announced jointly last week by Irving B. Kahn, TelePrompTer president, and Ernest Henderson, Sheraton Corp. president. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In the move, Mr. Kahn said, TelePrompTer acquires the services and personnel of Sheraton Tv, which will operate as a division under the name of Group Communications. He added that William P. Rosensohn, executive vice president of Sheraton Closed Circuit Television, will join the new company as director of closed-circuit activities and that Robert M. Rosencrans, a vice president of the Sheraton closed-circuit subsidiary, also will become an executive of the Group Communications Div. In commenting upon TelePrompTer's entry into closed-circuit, Mr. Kahn said: "Closed circuit has made remarkable progress to date, even though it has been in the developmental stage. It has lacked two essential components for full success, however. First, picture quality has not been up to the standards established by the motion picture industry, and second, it has been promoted as an interconnection service only. , "Manufacturers have answered the questions concerning quality. They have produced a picture that meets exacting standards. We believe that TelePrompTer, through its extensive and unique experience in group communications, can add another required dimension — professional service in staging the complete show; not only the interconnection but a full complement of equipment and supervision required for professional performance, including lighting, effects, staging and script control, providing a supervisory service at each local outlet." Mr. Kahn also pointed out that TelePrompTer's recent association with the Western Union Telegraph Co. provides the company "with electronic and electro-mechanical personnel throughout the country" and will enable the Group Communications Div. of TelePrompTer "eventually to provide nationwide total service in depth in thefield of group communications." He said the new division immediately will launch a program designed to expand and improve the Sheraton closed-circuit activities through the acquisition of new modern equipment recently developed for large screen projection. The engineering aspects will be supervised by H. J. Schlafly Jr., TelePrompTer engineering vice president. Sheraton Corp. entered the closed-circuit field two and a half years ago. Storz Stations Engage Krick THE FIVE Storz Broadcasting Co. radio stations have engaged Dr. Irving P. Krick Assoc., Denver, as weather consultants, effective Dec. 3. The Storz stations are KOWH Omaha, WDGY Minneapolis, WHB Kansas City, WTIX New Orleans and WQAM Miami. Two other stations, KRLD Dallas and WCAU Philadelphia, have been signed to carry Krickcasts, the firm's weather service for clients. Closed-Circuit Firm Organized in New York FORMATION of a firm specializing in closed-circuit tv, Closed-Circuit Telecasting System Inc., New York, was announced last week by Fanshawe Lindsley, president of the new firm and former advertising executive of Fortune magazine. Other officers of the firm are Arthur O. Choate Jr., board chairman; William Rockefeller, secretary, and Charles B. Pearson, assistant to the president. CCTS, with offices at 237 W. 54th St., New York (and with branches planned in Chicago and Detroit), plans to begin operating within the next two weeks and by January will be offering prospective clients big-screen color on a multi-city coast-tocoast mobile network basis. CCTS has ordered $250,000 worth of closed-circuit projector equipment from RCA, which will arrive in time for CCTS' first all-color hookup next month. The firm also is acquiring black-and-white equipment which will allow it to combine color and monochrome in a 90-city hookup. RCA Service Co. will handle this new equipment in the field, both in operating and in servicing. 30,000 Salesmen Due Pointers Via Closed-Circuit Tv Sessions BY MEANS of closed-circuit television, about 30,000 salesmen will view two "TeleSell Spectaculars" on Feb. 26 and March 5, 1957, during which top sales executives will discuss and demostrate the most modern and effective selling methods. The event will be sponsored in 25 cities in cooperation with local sales executive clubs. Each closed-circuit program will last 90 minutes and originate from New York. Facilities are being arranged by Sheraton Closed-Circuit Television, which was sold last week to TelePrompTer Corp. (see story this page). Production will be under the direction of Walter Wanger, motion picture producer and president of Sheraton Tv, and Jim Handy, creator of sales development and training programs. CBS Newsfilm's Year-End Reports CBS NEWSFILM, through its distributing organization, CBS Television Film Sales Inc., will offer as an extra service to its member stations two special 30-minute yearend reports on or about Dec. 15, it was announced last week by CBS Newsfilm Manager Howard L. Kany. PROGRAM SERVICES PEOPLE Jerome Medford, project director, W. R. Simmons, to Advertest Research Inc., N. Y., in similar capacity. Michael Sandler and Virginia Davis have also joined company as assistant project directors and Jessie Lynes appointed national field supervisor. Broadcasting • Telecasting