Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

RADIO DAILY Monday. October 3, 1949 SOUTHWEST KTSA chief engineer W. L. Egerton, has completed installation of the Frequency Modulation equipment and inaugurated service by San Antonio's fifth FM outlet, KTSAFM. The outlet broadcasts from KTSA's new suburban transmitter site with an effective radiated power of 18,000 watts on channel 281, at the 104.1 megacycle frequency. Present schedule sets broadcasting hours weekdays from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sundays with 100 per cent duplication of KTSA local programming and CBS network shows. Bill Michael is the latest addition to the staff of KMAC, San Antonio. He has taken over duties as a newscaster. There is only one letter different in his name and Bill Michaels, manager of KABC here. That is the letter "s" in the KABC Michaels. Austin Williams, night news editor for WOAI, San Antonio, has returned to his duties following a two weeks vacation on the beach at Galveston. As a public service broadcast, in the current drive to curb reckless driving, KITE, San Antonio, is originating a 15-minute broadcast direct from Corporation Court in San Antonio. Airings are heard Monday through Friday. The microphone is opened and picks up the case that is in progress before the judge at that time. Request has been made to the FCC for the transfer of 200 shares of stock in the Amarillo Broadcasting Co., owners of KFDA and KFDA-FM, from J. Lindsey Nunn to Gilmore H. Nunn, a son. J. Lindsey Nunn has had 50 per cent interest and transfer makes the father and son equal partners. There is no money involved in the transaction. Henry Taylor To Speak At Eastern 4-A Dinner Henry J. Taylor, ABC news commentator who has just returned from a world tour, will be the principal speaker at a dinner next Wednesday night at the Park Lane Hotel, New York, climaxing the two-day annual Eastern conference of the 4-A's. Clarence B. Goshorn, president of Benton & Bowles, and chairman of the 4-A's board, will also be heard. Ray Vir Den, president of Lennen & Mitchell and chairman of the New York council of the association, will preside. RADIO EXECUTIVE'S APARTMENT Ideal 3 room apartment beautifully furnished. Located on East 80th St. Combination office & living quarters, built in sound equipment, special lighting effects. Apartment could easily rent for $250. Will take $150 plus incidentals for equipment. Have Cadillac Club Coupe. Leaving for the Coast. Phone TR. 9-0961 before 12 noon. Mainly About Manhattan, . . .' • • • IT SEZ HERE: Ralph Weil, gen'l manager of WOV, denying reports that the station may drop its Italian language programs. In fact, they recently expanded its schedule, he sez. . . . Talking about foreign languages, WWRL is adding Roumanian and Scandinavian shows bringing its language airings to 14 different tongues. . . . Bill Gargan readying a giveaway series called "Junior Collects." (Ain't the. guy busy enuf with his radio and TV series?) . . . Earl Wilson nixed a fabulous offer from Hearst. Post Syndicate matched the offer to keep him. . . . Boston and Philly loom as first cities to give up televised baseball. Magnates there studying TV effect on the gate. . . . Toughest campaign being waged in N.Y. election since Fiorello LaGuardia is being conducted by Oren Root, running for Borough Pres. of Manhattan. He'll do 6 TV programs on WNBT starting tonight and is inviting his potential constituents to debate, argue or heckle. . . . WPEN's Eddie Newman named president of Philadelphia's new disc jockey ass'n. . . . It's a girl at the H'wood home of Zeke Manners. ... If Libby, McNeil and Libby's "Auction-aire" is a click on TV, every food company in the country will be out for a similar idea. They're watching it like a hawk. . . . Alfred Drake swears the towels in a H'wood duo's home reads "Ham" and "Her." ft ft ft ft • • • AFTER MONTHS of planning and research, the TeleRex Co., who recently established headquarters at 369 Lexington Ave., has come up with what is said to be one of the best ideas in television to date. Highlighted as the "Tele-Rex Plan," the firm is now negotiating with major recording firms on adopting the idea. New Plan figures to play a major part in injecting that so-called 'shot in the arm' that TV programming could use. ft ft ft ft • • • DORIS SHARP, the little lady who thought up Radio Registry and parlayed it into the Important Money, reports that her latest idea — Registry Casting — is a huge success already. Started last April, it's already accounted for 322 actual jobs for Radio Registry clients — and this during the slow summer months. The new service started as a result of traffic in calls to RR for information on talent. Doris immediately saw the value in these calls and put them to practical use. She makes it clear, however, that Registry Casting is not an agent nor does it cast. It is an elaborate system of information on talent to help the director in his casting problems. In response to requests, all her clients are submitted in category of the inquiry. There is no alphabetical or other preference and no recommendations are made. Client's credits and pictures help the director in his selection of talent and the director makes his own choice. The speed with which this service has caught on has not only proved the need for such a central source of information but is proving a terrific help to the actor who can't cover all the casting contacts in town. ft ft ft ft • • • PURELY PERSONAL: Jack Arthur's performance on the Kraft Tele Theatre the other night ranks with any we've yet seen on the new medium. In sum, he was slightly sensational. . . . Caught run-through at NBC of TV situation comedy, "Cinderella on B'way," with comic Dave Burns. Agency boys on the lookout for zany comedy plus songs 'and dances would do well to give this the once-over. . . . We'd like "The Front Page" if it was presented in a theatre or your backyard but John Daly's conception of Walter Burns ain't the way we read it. . . . Interviewing Jerome Zerbe the other p.m., Bill Slater asked him howcum he became a society photographer. "Well," explained Zerbe, "when I was very young, my father was a financial disappointment to me." CHICAGO By HAL TATE VINCE LLOYD, until recently sports editor of WMBD in Peoria, has joined the staff of WGNTV, Jay Faraghan, station's program director announces. His first assignment will be covering collegiate football telecasts with Bill O'Connor. After four years of service in the Marine Corps, Lloyd rejoined WMBD as sports editor. In the new job, he rejoins a fellow alumnus of WMBD, Jack Brickhouse, WGN-TV sports manager. A three-way tie-up has been worked by station WLS, Coronet Magazine, and ABC-TV. On the magazine's October cover will be depicted a painting of an aged fiddler and two young square-dancers in the position, "Honor Your Partner." Nell Tangeman, mezzo-soprano, was presented as Career Performance artist of the Chicago Theater of the Air on the final summer concert over WGN and the Mutual network on Sept. 24. Jean Jones, secretary to Ade Hult, vice-president in charge of the Mutual Broadcasting System Central division, has recovered from cuts and bruises suffered in a traffic accident. Harry Mason Smith, vice-president in charge of sales for station WLM, Cincinnati, was a recent visitor at the Mutual offices. Starting Thursday, September 29, "Comedy Playhouse" will become a full hour program over WGN-?.futual, from 8: 30 to 9: 30 p.m. The first production on the new expanded schedule will be the John C. HolmGeorge Abbott stage hit of the 30's, "Three Men On A Horse," starring the Gold Coast Players, a radio stock company developed for "The Chicago Theater of the Air." The "Comedy Playhouse" series is written and directed by Jack LaFrandre, who manages to retain the original story line and comedy flavor in streamlining the Broadway hits. "Action Autographs," telecast on ABC-TV Sundays from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m., will present the story of World War II's most incredible combat team, the Shark Men, on October 2. Former Marine Captain Jerry Miller will be there in person to tell the tale. Ed Prentiss handles the emcee duties on the program, which is a Jack Brand Production. rVo Cigar? A new approach to quiz shows is claimed by WNEW, New York in its latest offering, "What Comes Next?" Listeners at home are asked to identify popular songs after hearing only the ve-se played or sung. In return they get no mink underwear, no trip to the Riviera, no $50,000 jackpot, and no truckload of dog food — nothing, says WNEW, but "fun."