Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1957)

CAS WALKER (1), Knoxville, Tenn., city councilman and operator of a chain of supermarkets, signs for the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour, 7-8 a.m. Monday-through-Friday show on WBIR-TV that city. With him is John P. Hart, WBIR-TV president. WJR's Total Advertising Sales Hit Record $3,516,764 in '56 GROSS advertising revenues of $3,516,764.70 — a record high — were garnered by WJR Detroit during the year ending Dec. 31, 1956, a report released last week to stockholders revealed. The amount is a 27.5% increase over advertising sales for 1955 ($2,759,802.56), according to John F. Patt, president of WJR, The Goodwill Sta / w tion Inc. Non-network sales in 1956 reached a new high, increasing exactly 40% over the preceding year, the report showed. After Federal income taxes, net profits totalled $478,112.09 as against $274,738.61 for the same period in 1955. And net earnings per share amount to $.88 as compared to $.50 for 1955 — these figures based on 542,130 shares outstanding at last year's end. KBST-TV Now KEDY-TV KEDY-TV are the newly-granted call letters for the KBST-TV Big Spring, Tex., television station, now owned-and-operated by Texas Telecasting Inc., W. D. (Dub) Rogers, president of Texas Telecasting, announced last week. Soon after Texas Telecasting took over operations from Big Spring Television Inc., Mr. Rogers said, KEDY-TV's program schedule was enlarged to an average of 15 hours each weekday. Texas Telecasting also operates KDUB-TV Lubbock and KPARTV Sweetwater-Abilene, both Texas. KTVX (TV) Increases Rates KTVX (TV) Tulsa, Okla., has issued a new rate card (No. 4), raising its rates effective this Friday (March 15). Hourly rates are being raised for the following: Class AA — from $500 to $600; Class A— from $400 to $500; Class B— from $300 to $400. Class C rates will remain the same — $200 for one hour. «K ABOUT IHf HEW 1957 TtltPRONlPTtlf MOD V! «.,e th.n 1,000.00° h.,.,s ot T.feP..-pTe. ,e,l.rm..,.esl 1 Pottnli Pending %Q WTPA BARES HEART WTPA Harrisburg, Pa., presented a live, one-hour remote program of a heart operation performed last month at the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. Don Wear, station manager, who directed the nine-man control crew in WTPA's mobile unit, narrated the program which showed an operation to relieve coronary thrombosis. Six doctors, nurses and the patient made up the "cast" for the show, televised for' educational purposes and to support the 1957 Heart Fund drive. The second portion of the program included films of more difficult operations and of related fields to heart surgery — research, patient care, preparation for an operation, technical apparatus used, discussion of the normal and the diseased heart and types of medical and surgical treatment. MR. JOHNSON WTIC Promotes Johnson, Others As Firm Is Given Tv Go-ahead WALTER C. JOHNSON, assistant general manager of WTIC Hartford, Conn., has been named vice president and general manager of Travelers Broadcasting Service Corp. (WTICAM-FM and ch. 3 WTIC-TV), it has been announced by President Paul W. Morency. The announcement followed the FCC decision not to delete the sole vhf channel assigned to Hartford in last fortnight's deintermixture proceedings [B«T, March 4]. WTIC was granted ch. 3 last July but had been forbidden to build until the FCC had dealt with the deintermixture proposal. Also promoted were Leonard J. Patricelli from program manager to vice president, programs, and Bernard L. Mullins, public relations director, to vice president for that department. Irwin Cowper, assistant sales manager, was named sales manager. New Post for William Berns WILLIAM A. BERNS, WRCA-AM-TV New York news and special events director, has begun a year's leave of absence from the stations to take the post of managing director of the Marine Amphitheatre, Jones Beach, Long Island. Mr. Berns will return to the NBC-owned outlets March 1, 1958. He will report to New York State Park Commissioner Robert Moses, who asked for Mr. Berns' services in a letter to Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, RCA and NBC board chairman. As managing director, Mr. Berns will work with bandleader Guy Lombardo, who produces the annual shows at Jones Beach. THZPrompier Corporaiion I 311 West 43rd St., New York 36, N.Y. • JUdson 2-3800 HERBERT W. HOBLER, V. Pres. Sales JAMES BLAIR, Eqpt. Sales Mgr. LOS ANGELES • CHICAGO • WASHINGTON, D.C. • PHILADELPHIA t DETROIT • MIAMI • TORONTO • LONDON Page 82 • March 11, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting