Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

,'ERSONNEL RELATIONS UNIONS' SPAT CAUSES DROPPING OF TELECAST; CBS MAY SUE IBEW POSSIBILITY of legal action against the International Brotherhood of Electrical j Workers by CBS was reported last week following cancelation April 21 of a special WCBS-TV New York telecast from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The program, the ceremonies of the Antionette Perry Theatrical Awards, was to have been sponsored by the Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Co. of New York, but failed to come off because of a jurisdictional dispute between the IBEW and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes. The issue: who had the right to light the program? This jurisdictional strife has been going on for 10 years. At issue is IBEWs insistence that it do the lighting on tv remote pickups. While IBEW does the lighting on most remotes and . LATSE handles lighting in tv studios and theatres, the electrical workers feel that coverage of such affairs as the WCBS-TV Tony" awards ceremonies April 21 constitutes a "remote" while IATSE insists such a program is a "theatrical affair." So, it would appear, does CBS. On April 9, it appointed Local 1 of IATSE to handle all lighting matters on the Pepsi-Cola program. But it was not until April 18 — four days before the program was to be aired — that the heads of Local 1212 IBEW took their complaint to the station. (Since all uch matters are handled not by the station but by the network, the issue was referred to William C. Fitts Jr.. CBS vice president in :harge of labor relations.) Negotiations ran :hrough late Friday afternoon. At around 2 o.m., Sunday, the day of the telecast, IBEW's Local 1212 brought in its own equipment and lighting crews. Principal Arbitrator Lawrence Langner. administrator of the Theatre Guild, it was learned, even went so ar as to offer payment to both unions if they -vould end their dispute and allow the program to go on the air as scheduled. He 'ailed. When IATSE refused to budge. Local '212 Business Manager Robert Pantell ordered the IBEW camera crews to quit their •ameras, a network source reported. Deadline Decision Sam Cook Digges, WCBS-TV general nanager, said that despite the dim news, he I till "had hoped for a last minute change-ofnind," and kept the 11:15 ID on for more han 30 seconds to see whether anything .ould "come through" from the Waldorf. jVhen a picture failed to materialize. WCBSV master control threw in a Hollywood eature film that was originally scheduled r a delayed "late show*' at 12 midnight, ■arlier that evening. WCBS-TV Program )irector Hal Hough had persuaded Sam late, WCBS general manager, to make the 1:15-12 midnight radio time slot available jor a "public service" pickup from the hotel, t did so by cancelling a sustaining dance and program. Though the Pepsi-Cola bottlers did not have to pay for the time they had ordered, they reportedly lost some 516,000 on a show that never went on the air. It was understood that the local bottlers had invested S4.000 in prior newspaper advertising and approximately S6.000 on special commercials for j the program. Additionally, it had paid $5,000 to the American Theatre Wing, "sponsor" of the "Tony" awards for "telecasting rights." (ATW is a non-profit organization devoted to the betterment of the professional theatre.) Pepsi and ATW had also staged a joint "gala press reception" early in April at the Hotel Savoy-Plaza estimated to have cost $1,000. WCBS-TV lost some S 8,000 on the program. Pepsi-Cola bottlers were to pay the station $4,000 for time and $4,000 for fa cilities. Talent was not provided by WCBSTV save for the off-stage services of a staff announcer. Two Alternatives Open CBS' labor relations vice president. Mr. Fitts. declined to discuss the means CBS would take in preventing further last-minute cancellations of tv shows because of such labor disputes; and what punitive action the network would take as regards the IBEWIATSE T.K.O. of the "Tony" telecast. However, he said that the network has two causes of action it can take against the electricians under terms of the National Labor Relations Act. One is on violation of the nostrike clause written in the contract, signed between network and union; the other is based on the violation of the Taft-Hartley law. However, he made it plain that CBS intends to take no disciplinary action against the cameramen who walked out "because they are only following orders from above." Those "above" at Local 1212 of IBEW were not available for comment although called repeatedly last week. Mr. Pantell's office at IBEW reported that he was "in conference" or "attending all-day meetings." However, Vincent Jacobi, president of Local 1 IATSE was most willing to "go on record" as saying that "the people at IBEW were damn fools for trying to set a precedent." CBS. he declared, "did the correct thing by refusing to knuckle under." Mr. Fitts said. "WTe are not going to let the matter drop and forget it. As for specific action, there are several possibilities." He declined to specify them. One of them, it was understood, would be to take the entire case before the National Labor Relations Board for mediation. The other would be to institute a suit for "collective damages." i.e.. on behalf of advertiser, agency, station and "sponsoring" American Theatre Wing. (The dilemma faced by CBS is that the network has contracts with both unions, but neither contract makes reference to which union shall have jurisdiction over lighting responsibilities on a tv remote.) The WCBS-TV "Tony" telecast is not the first program to be scratched on account 5>tr s>punt S1R1PPETH NO. CENTRAL WISCONSIN ON WSAU-TV REPRESENTED BY THE MEEKER CO . INC. or HARRY HYETT *With only J_8_ class "C" announcements .... 66,520 BUTTERNUT COFFEE can strips were sent to WSAU-TV. Altho ALL North Central Wisconsin was stripped— there's still plenty of COVERAGE: population 540,420 TOTAL RETAIL SALES $567,064^000 GROSS FARM INCOME $207,408,000 SOURCE: 1 956 SRDS ESTIMATES of Consumer Markets. WAUSAU, WIS. OWNED AND OPERATED BY WISCONSIN VALLEY TELVISlON CORP. Broadcasting Telecasting April 29, 1957 • Page 61