Broadcasting Telecasting (Jul-Sep 1960)

year, the producer may elect to bring his entire tv film production under the tv scoring plan of the major motion picture producers, guaranteeing a minimum of an hour of recording for each half-hour of tv film produced by the company. Fringe Benefits ■ Sideline musicians and copyists also get increased benefits and all employes are covered by the present motion picture health and welfare plan. MGA has the right to reopen the contract on this point, on 60 days notice. Pending ratification, ATFP member companies have made arrangements for live scoring of two-thirds of the new filmed programs produced in the current production year, MGA said. ■'In just two short years since we announced the formation of MGA, we have increased the number of American made shows utilized live music from approximately 5% in 1958 to more than 75%, covering all prime network tv film time, the overwhelming majority of whom are under MGA contract in the major studios or the proposed ATFP contract as outlined," Mr. Read said. "With the exception of the Danny Thomas Show, this is all new work, which the AFM previously forced into using foreign canned music." WABC to start new religious show policy WABC New York has "reappraised and realigned" its Sunday religious programming structure. Next month the station is cancelling 10 paid religious programs. New public affairs, news and music programs will be substituted. Included will be 90 minutes of public service time for use by New York religious broadcasters. The decision is effective at the close of broadcasting on Sept. 1 1. Negotiations are underway with four New York religious bodies to determine how their free time period will be put to use. As yet, the new religious block Hour-long weather Continuous weather reports and forecasts will become a morning feature on WTIC-FM Hartford, Conn., starting in October. During a 12-month test, the unceasing reports will be broadcast from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. with additional hours to be scheduled as the public demands. The test is being conducted by the station and the U.S. Weather Bureau and is expected to demonstrate the value of a public weather communications service which could be transmitted continuously over fm multiplex channels which require low-cost receivers. has no fixed time period, no title and no specific format. But it will be divided among the local Protestant Council, the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Rabbis and the National Assn. of Evangelicals. Their joint program will be produced in cooperation with WABC's public afl:airs department. A WABC spokesman points out that while the total number of Sunday religious program hours will drop from 13 to approximately IVi hours, the station will still be carrying "almost double that of any other New York radio station. Aside from the 90 minutes being given to local religious broadcasters, which was described as a move to develop a "complete New York religious composit," the station will be carrying paid ABC network programs as well as 90 minutes of sustaining network religious programs. Representatives of the participating groups expressed "enthusiastic" endorsement of the new broadcast policy, the station reported. NTA realigns National Telefilm Assoc., N. Y., has realigned its sales operation into two main divisions — eastern and western. E. Jonny Graff, vice president, will be in charge of the eastern division, with headquarters in New York, while Berne Tabakin. vice president, will head the western division, headquartering in Beverly Hills. The move follows the spin-off of NTA from National Theaters & Television and the shift of NTA headquarters from Beverly Hills to New York (Broadcasting, Aug. 15). AFM tries to block sale of post-*48 films The American Federation of Musicians last week sought temporary and permanent injunctions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that would block the sale of 122 post-"48 Warner Bros, pictures, to Creative Telefilm & Artists Ltd., Toronto. Creative Telefilm plans to lease the films to tv stations. The union alleges that under the terms of contracts between musicians and the producer, the films may not be exhibited on tv without prior negotiation and consent of the union. The court is asked to decree the contracts valid and to bind Warner Bros., the defendant, to their terms. An AFM spokesman later said that the contracts, entered into by the leading producing studios, including Warner Bros., specified that the companies would negotiate with the AFM before they released films to tv. He said the pacts covered work performed by musicians between 1948 and 1958. In the past, he added, several formulas were implemented for payment when theatrical films were sold to tv. These included 5% of the sales price to the Musicians' Performance Trust Funds, and a re-scoring fee amounting to onehalf of the television rate, which went to the musicians. The spokesman added that in the future, the AFM is committed to a formula in which any payment would be directed to the musicians only. Officials of Warner Bros, would not comment on the union's action. The show cause order is returnable tomorrow {Aug. 23). The AFM complaint notes that "according to information and belief," Warner was to receive a payment of $11 million on Sept. 1 for the 122 feature films and was to share equally with Creative Telefilms in all receipts realized over the first $11 million. Columbia plans sale of post'48s to tv Columbia Pictures Corp. will start to release the first of its 400 post'48 pictures later this year through its tv subsidiary, Screen Gems, Abe Schnei 68 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, August 22, 1960