Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

INTERNATIONAL Three German Outlets Plan For Commercial Television THREE West German broadcasting organizations have announced plans to join two stations already on the air with commercial television programming. The newcomers will be Hesse Radio, Frankfurt; South German Radio, Stuttgart, and South West German Radio, BadenBaden. Already established in commercial tv are Bavarian Radio, Munich, and Radio Free Berlin, with a half-hour sponsored each day. Oct. 1 has been mentioned as a possible starting date for commercial programming by the three newcomers to the field. There has been no official announcement, however. The two stations now airing sponsored programming are facing legal suits from German newspaper publishers, who contend commercial tv in its present form is illegal. All broadcasting in West Germany is semiofficial, preponderantly non-commercial and financed by license taxes on sets. Addition of commercial television on three outlets would leave two in West Germany without sponsored programming. They are North German Radio and West German Radio, which cover 63% of the country's total television audience. At the same time commercial tv appeared likely to expand, it was announced that Bavarian Radio expects to have its commercial operation out of the red by the end of this year. Radio Free Berlin, which has been telecasting the daily Bavarian Radio show by relay line, also has announced it will originate its own commercial show on Mondays, in addition to the half-hour from Munich, to be carried now Tuesday-Saturday in Berlin. Advertisers on the Bavarian Radio commercial telecast have been led by soaps, cleansers and polishes which accounted for 15.62% of commercial revenue in 1956. Foods were in second place with 11.7%, followed by coffee 10.78%, toiletries and toilet goods 10.58% and smoking materials 5.06%. Canada's Atlantic Broadcasters Elect Arthur Manning President J. ARTHUR MANNING, CKCL Truro, Nova Scotia, was elected president of the Atlantic Assn. of Broadcasters at its annual convention April 25-27 at Amherst, N. S., succeeding John Hirtle, CKBW Bridgewater, N. S. Jack Lewis, CKEN Kentville, N. S., and CFAB Windsor, N. S., was elected vice president, with Tom Tonner, CKCW Moncton, N. B., as treasurer, and Geoff Stirling, CJON-TV St. John's, Newfoundland, as treasurer. The AAB will recommend to the June meeting of the director of the Canadian Assn. of Broadcasters that enforcement measures be taken for an industry code of ethics and business practices. Don Jamieson, CJON-AM-TV St. John's, Nfld., suggested in his keynote address that the industry eliminate some of the business practices which have begun in recent years. He iden tified these as saturation of commercials and contests, which have caused criticism of the industry, he said. Mr. Jamieson said, "The trend to cheap saturation spot advertising cannot fail to have a detrimental effect on programming. Gimmicks and give-awavs provide little in the way of either entertainment or information. It is well-nigh impossible, therefore, to nvoid the pitfalls of mediocrity." He urged broadcasters to carry out a thorough house cleaning and combine the best qualities of ethically sound business and good broadcasting. Station representatives and advertising agency personnel were on panels which discussed how both these facets of the industry could be served better by the broadcasting station staffs. Canada Stations, Networks To Give Free Political Time FREE TIME on radio and tv stations and networks is being made available to Canada's four political parties for a six-week period from April 29 to June 7 in connection with the general election June 10. CBC has announced that six hours is being set aside on both English and Frenchlanguage tv networks. Twelve hours is available in each language on radio networks, with English-language network time being divided eight hours to Trans-Canada and four hours to Dominion network. CBC is also making available on eight CBC tv stations 12 quarter-hour periods for local candidates. Tv time is divided into 24 quarter-hours, giving the Liberal party eight periods. Conservatives seven periods, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (socialist) five periods, and Social Credit four periods. This was arranged by mutual consent with the parties, and is to some extent based on representation in the last Parliament. On radio networks the 48 quarter-hour periods are divided on a similar basis. Television network free political broadcasts are live between Quebec City and Winnipeg, kinescope on other stations, and are all in evening time. On radio, 75% of English network time is evening, 25% daytime, while on the French network evening time takes two-thirds and daytime one-third. In addition to these free political broadcasts, patterned on preceding elections, there will be purchased time available on individual independent stations and specially setup networks. THE TEMPTRESS THE Rev. G. Westerdale Bowker, who has been losing his Steventon, England, flock to the / Love Lucy show on Sunday evenings, hereafter will hold church services in the afternoon. His church pews have been almost vacant since the series started. But now the realistic minister, who noted, "I don't have a set, and have never seen Lucy," expects to recover his own "Nielsen" rating. ITA Invites Program Bids For Isle of Wight Tv Outlet BRITISH Independent Television Authority (ITA) is inviting applications from companies for the job of "program contractor" for the Isle of Wight station which is to be put into operation in 1958. The station, ITA's seventh, will cover an area in southern England with more than two million population. Other stations are planned to cover the rest of southern England, but these will not be launched before 1959 or 1960. The Isle of Wight station, likely to open in late spring 1958, will increase ITA coverage area to about 80% of the total population (or about 40 million persons). Building the ITA network to this point will have taken about 30 months. Another 5% of the British population will be added to the ITA coverage area in 1958 through the opening of an additional station on the northeast coast. Total coverage then will be 85% of total population. Currently there are three million homes in which ITA programs are available. With the increase rate at 160,000-170,000 per month, it now looks as if circulation will pass the five-million mark by next winter, if the current increase rate continues and if central Scotland, south Wales and the West are added, as is contemplated. INTERNATIONAL SHORTS Associated Screen News Ltd., Montreal, Que., has started all-Canadian independent adventure film series, McLain of Hudson's Bay, half-hour adventure film based on early Canadian fur trade. Location of series will be in Laurentian mountain area north of Montreal and in Montreal ASN studios. William Morris Agency, N. Y., will handle U. S. sales of series. Robert Lawrence Productions Ltd., filmed commercials producer, has doubled size of its facilities at 32 Front St. West, Toronto. Included in expansion is addition of screening room and installation of Simplex Preview Projector and other equipment. CFCR-TV Kamloops, B. C, joins CBS-TV as secondary non-interconnected affiliate and will be listed in Canadian group. Correspondence for station should be addressed to Walter Powell, commercial manager, CBC, 354 Jarvis St., Toronto. CJVI Victoria, B. C, increases power to 10 kw. CFPL-TV London, Ont., has installed equipment to transmit color programs as soon as it is given permission to do so by Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s board of governors and Department of Transport. Station reports equipment can handle slides and films as well as network programs as soon as these are available from CBC. Currently there is no color tv transmission in Canada, and CBC does not expect to be ready to transmit color till year from now. Radio Representatives Ltd., Montreal, Que., has moved to larger quarters at 1411 Crescent St. Page 108 • May 13, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting