Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1958)

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR on Search for To CAMERAMAN on Love of Life was Al morrow: Herman Glazer, senior unit mgr. Schneider, assistant to CBS-TV president. UTILITY MAN — possibly the best dressed to hold that job in television history — was Warren Harr, whose regular position is manager of scenic design. Here he keeps cable out of camera's way on set of Search for Tomorrow. BOOM MAN on daytime serials last week was Larry Lowenstein, CBS-TV director of press information in New York. other report, added a shoeshine boy to its staff for the Arthur Godfrey tv show — in case the fill-in cameraman cut off their heads and showed their feet. Another developement in the Godfrey camp had one of the substitute cameramen, a CBS staff photographer in real life, rolling a tv camera with one hand and shooting still publicity pictures with the other. On a Godfrey radio show, meanwhile, substitute technicians picked up applause from another studio. But on the whole, at least as of late last week, things were going smoothly enough that the audiences of many shows detected nothing amiss. Officials were especially pleased with the production of U. S. Steel Hour Wednesday night. After that, there was talk of sending an "executive camera crew" to the West Coast to handle Studio One live if the strike lasts that long. The men handling these unfamiliar chores came from virtually every department of the network except labor relations, which was busy with problems of its own. Among the areas represented: purchasing, accounting, real estate, sales, CBS-TV Spot Sales, Film Sales, traffic, casting, press information, station relations, program pro motion, advertising, research and business affairs. Technical operations supervisors, of course, were key figures. Commanding generals for Operation Strike, operating on the New Y'ork front, were Edward L. Saxe, tv operations vice president, and Davidson Vorhies, director of technical operations for the radio network. While the first duty of the substitute technicians was to keep the shows on the air, their regular duties could not be forgotten. (Bob Martin, Marc Merson and Eddie Blum of the casting department were reported to have cast this week's Verdict Is Yours during commercials on Arthur Godfrey Time, where they were filling in on cameras and sound.) Heads of departments were at their desks as usual (except longer, in most cases); secretaries were on hand, and no department had all of its supervisory and executive people out on technical work at one time. Thus fundamental business kept moving. Officials tried to arrange things so that people on technical assignment would have as little regular work to do as possible, and to keep their hours down. On the average it was estimated the work day was run ning about 12 hours, but often it was longer. Hotels near 485 Madison Ave. headquarters foun I new business; several executives said they had been away from home as long as four days. Perhaps a typical schedule was that' of Harry J. Feeney, CBS-TV business news manager. Assigned to As the World Turns as a utility man, he worked on that halfhour show from 8 a.m. until it went off the air at 2 p.m., checked into his office to catch up on regular work and finally got away in early evening. On Friday morning he was scheduled to report at 5:15 a.m. to get ready for the Sunrise Semester local show at 7-7:30, then after a 30-minute break, check in at another studio 25 blocks away for the 8-2 stint on World Turns, Distinguishing feature of the whole opera1 tion, aside from a sort of organized disarray, was the high good humor of the temporary technicians. They obviously were intent upon turning in the best jobs they could, but for the most part it was clear they were loving every minute of it. Even the performers got into the swing. One actress, walking up to a group of new faces, deadpanned: '"Which one of you is Mr. Paley?" Broadcasting April 14, 1958 • Page 33