Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1960)

'St. Andrews-by-the-studio! Many television stations, capitalizing on the resurgence of interest in bowling, have built their own alleys for kegler telecasts. Now comes a television station with a parallel idea for golfing. It will be limited in size, of course, but this will be turned to the benefit of better coverage of "short iron" golf. The station, WXYZ-TV Detroit, plans to have the abbreviated course on the premises of the station's Broadcast House. It will be ready this spring for a regular local show that will feature two pros and two members from area clubs along with visiting celebrities nationally known in the world of golf. A single green, patterned after the 18th hole at Meadowbrook Country Club, is being built. This will be played from three different lies and on three different approaches to the green. Participating golfers will be faced with bunkers, water hazards, trees, up and down hill lies, traps and practically every obstacle to be found on a regulation course. WXYZ-TV points out that because there will be no really long shots, cameras can be kept right on the ball and position. John F. Pival, vice president of the station, further explains, "As the accent will be on the difficult shots — from 100 yards out — the viewer will get closeups of trouble shots and an explanation by a pro or our commentator on how to play the particular shot as well as the rules covering the situation." Marshall Dann, station sports commentator and golf editor of the Detroit Free Press, will do the commentary for the new series. 'The traps will be deep' • That is the agreement of this trio at the brink of one excavation. L to r: commentator Marshall Dann, WXYZ-TV Vice President John F. Pival and Andy Bertoni, superintendent of the Meadowbrook Country Club who is overseeing construction of the station's course. At left in background is WXYZ-TV's Broadcast House. newsfilm for network and local television programming. Charles Van Bergen, director of Newsfilm operations for Marathon, has been named vice president in charge of the new company, it was announced by Konstantin Kaiser, Marathon president. Add five • MCA-TV New York reports sales of its pre1948 Paramount features to the following stations: WMTTV Cedar Rapids, Iowa; KHOU-TV Houston; KTUL-TV Tulsa; WHO-TV Des Moines, and KDAL-TV Duluth, Minn. 'Baf bats 4 million • Ziv Television Programs reports that sales of merchandising items associated with its Bat Masterson Show have reached $4 million, including the sale of about one million gold-headed canes, the lead character's trademark prop. Fast-moving items were said to include comic books, holster sets, western hats, jigsaw puzzles, dungarees, handcuffs and t-shirts. Biblical dramas • ABC-TV has engaged William Goetz, motion picture producer ("Sayonara," "Song of Bernadette"), to produce two Biblical onehour dramas for the network's 1960-61 season, it was announced last week by Thomas W. Moore, ABC-TV vice president in charge of programming. The productions will be based on the life of David and filmed on location in Israel, Mr. Moore said. Mr. Goetz has not previously produced for television. Irving Starr, executive in charge of foreign production for Screen Gems Inc. and veteran motion picture and tv producer, will be associated with Mr. Goetz, it was reported. Syndicated tapes • More than 350 syndicated tapes are screened by tv stations each week, according to Ampex Corp. There are 26 tv series in regular syndication by tape and another 13 in preparation, Ampex reports. The tv networks are now originating 39 shows a week either wholly or partially on tape in New York and Los Angeles: 19 for NBC-TV (11 of them entirely taped), 12 for CBS-TV and eight for ABC-TV. 'Split level' comedy • 20th Century Fox Tv reports that a new half-hour tv film comedy series, Split Level, is going into production at Fox's Hollywood studios. The company has signed a three-year contract with Max Shulman and Rod Amateau, writer and producerdirector respectively of the Dobie Gillis series, to prepare Split Level and continue with Dobie Gillis. Big 8 on 28 • Sports Network Inc., N.Y., has started telecasting Big Eight conference basketball games on 28 midwest stations and will continue each Saturday through March 5. The games start at 2:45 p.m. CST and are sponsored in part by the American Tobacco Co. Schools in the conference are: Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Stag show • ABC-TV has announced a program in production for fall — For Men Only, starring Lee J. Cobb. Desilu Productions is using adventure material of "outstanding dramatic writers" for the anthology. Thomas W. Moore, ABC-TV programming vice president, said Mr. Cobb would work both on and off camera. BROADCASTING, February 1, 1960 31