Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1959)

Allied Artists enters tv production field The entry of Allied Artists Picture Corp. into the tv production field was pointed up in an announcement last week that Allied Artists has entered into an agreement to produce two tv film series for distribution by ABC Films Inc. The series will be financed by ABC Films and Allied Artists. Titles and cast information on the programs will be announced shortly and short material will be drawn from more than 200 stories in Allied Artist's motion picture library. The announcement said that production on the two series is scheduled to begin at AA's studios in Hollywood before the first of the year. Recent feature films produced by Allied Artists include "The Al Capone Story," "The Big Circus," "Friendly Persuasion" and "Love in the Afternoon." Screen strike would have no tv effect A strike of Writers Guild of America against the major motion picture studios would have no effect on the writing of tv films, even those produced by those same studios, a WGA spokesman said last week. If the Nov. 3 meeting of the WGA membership, called to consider such a strike, approves strike action and a strike actually occurs, this would bar only those writers who are members of the screen writers branch of WGA from working for these studios. Writers of tv films are covered by a separate contract. Thus, a WGA member might find himself on strike against Warner Bros, so far as theatrical films are concerned, but free to write for one of the eight series Warners is producing for ABC-TV. WGA is currently on strike against 56 independent film producers with the question: Should writers of post 1948 theatrical feature pictures which are released to tv receive additional pay for them? Now the same question has caused a breakdown in negotiations between WGA and the Assn. of Motion Picture Producers, comprising the major studios. Same Issues • The producers' stand is that they face the same issues with other guilds and unions and must consider them on an industry-wide basis, not piece-meal, union by union. The writers insist that if theatrical films made after 1948 are released for use on tv, they should be paid for this use. The WGA contract with AMPP ran its course on May 15 and has been twice extended with Nov. 17 as its present termination date. AMPP has notified WGA that the major studios will not consent to any further extention and that after Nov. 17 the terms of the contract will no longer apply. WGA, which launched its strike against the independents on Oct. 10, has called the Nov. 3 meeting to discuss similar action against AMPP. The guild's tv contracts with the major studios run until Jan. 15, 1960. SAG claims violations Board of directors of Screen Actors Guild has authorized union executives to take immediate steps to halt violations of SAG's collective bargaining contract with Warner Bros., which SAG states have produced "widespread complaints from actors." The SAG action followed a meeting of a special board committee with a large group of Warner's tv stars. Alleged abuses concern violations of meal periods, rest periods and other working conditions, won for actors by SAG in collective bargaining, the union said, adding that failure to correct them would "have a most serious effect on negotiations for a new contract scheduled to start in December." COLORCAS^il Here are the next 10 days of network color shows (all times are EST). NBC-TV Nov. 2-6, 9-11 (6:30-7 a.m.) Continental Classroom. Nov. 2-6, 9-11 (12:30-1 p.m.) It Could Be You, participating sponsorship. Nov. 2, 9 (10-11 p.m.) Steve Allen Plymouth Show, Plymouth through N.W. Ayer & Son. Nov. 3, 10 (9-9:30 p.m.) Arthur Murray Party, P. Lorillard through Lennen & Newell and Sterling Drug through DancerFitzgerald-Sample. Nov. 3, 10 (9:30-10:30 p.m.) Ford Startime, Ford through J. Walter Thompson. Nov. 4, 11 (8:30-9 p.m.) Price Is Right, Lever through Ogilvy Benson & Mather and Speidel through Norman Craig & Kummel. Nov. 4 (9-10 p.m.) Another Evening With Fred Astaire, Chrysler through Young & Rubicam. Nov. 5 (9:30-10 p.m.) Ford Show, Ford through J. Walter Thompson. Nov. 6 (8:30-9:30 p.m.) Bell Telephone Hour, AT&T through N.W. Ayer & Son. Nov. 7 (10-10:30 a.m.) Howdy Doody Show, Continental Baking through Ted Bates. Nov. 7 (10:30-11 a.m.) Ruff and Reddy Show, Mars through Knox-Reeves and Borden through Benton & Bowles. Nov. 7 (1:15 p.m. to conclusion) NCAA Football, participating sponsorship. Nov. 8 (4-6 p.m.) NBC Opera Company presents "Fidelio," sustaining. Nov. 8 (7-8 p.m.) Riverboat, Corn Products through Lennen & Newell. Nov. 8 (8-9 p.m.) Sunday Showcase, RCA through Kenyon & Eckhardt. Nov. 8 (9-10 p.m.) Dinah Shore Chevy Show, Chevrolet through Campbell-Ewald. Negro news service Associated Correspondents News Service, Washington, has been formed to serve the nation's Negro radio stations. Taped five-minute daily newscasts and 15-minute weekly roundups are the services supplied to members. ACNS is designed to better inform the Negro audience with events in the Capital. Correspondents cover Capitol Hill, the White House, State Dept., Pentagon plus other agencies and foreign embassies. Their reports are edited, recorded and sent air mail to participating stations. • Program notes Sports wrap-up • Sterling Sports Div. of Sterling Television Co., N.Y., has sold its Boston Celtics-Boston Bruins radio package of 120 games to Ballantine beer, Blackstone cigars and Dodge automobiles. WHDH Boston will originate the broadcasts for airing on a 12-station network in New England. Yuletide • Trans-Lux Television Corp. is offering tv stations a Christmas holiday package of five films — -"Night Before Christmas," "Christmas Through The Ages," "Christmas Rhapsody," ' Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen," and "Jerusalem, the Holy City." Supermarket • The Daitch-Shopwell stores in the New York area have signed as the first supermarket chain outlets for NTA Storevision, it was announced last week by Ted Cott, NTA Storevision president. NTA Storevision will present the Daywcttch programming of 54 hours of live tv over WNTA-TV Newark, starting Nov. 23 (Broadcasting, Oct. 26). NTA Storevision hopes to beam the Daywatch programming to a total of 400 supermarkets, including 59 Daitch-Shopwell outlets Behavior & peace • The U. of Michigan's WUOM (FM) Ann Arbor is producing Human Behavior: Social and Medical Research, a series devoted to "discussions of current research conducted in areas of the behavioral sciences and medical research." The series, composed of about 40 programs, is produced through a $3,450 grant from National Educational Tv & Radio Center for distribution by National Assn. of Educational Broadcasters. A second series of 20 programs about the problems of international relations and the study-promotjon of world peace will be produced under a supplementary grant from the university's newly-formed Center for Research on Conflict Relations. 84 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, November 2, 1959