Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

RADIO DAILY: Monday. November 14, 1949 ANA-AAAA Adopt BMB Resolutions (Continued from Page 1) search needs that can best be served by a tripartite, cooperative organization," the ANA said in a resolution by its Radio and Television Group that, as far as radio advertisers are concerned, research into station coverage area is the type of activity falling into that category. Improvement Seen Possible BMB's present service in this respect could be improved, the ANA declared, by the addition of data on "time of year," giving seasonal variations in station coverage. In forwarding the resolution to BMB, the ANA's president, Paul West, voiced "the determination of advertisers not to slip back to the early chaotic days in media research. ... If we retrogress, eventually economic necessity, brought about by more intense competition and the growth of new advertising media will force us to regain the position we now have. ..." The resolution was described by the ANA as representing the combined judgment and experience of the 212 members of its Radio and Television Group. It was prepared by the group's steering committee, whose chairman is A. N. Halverstadt, manager of radio and television for the Procter & Gamble Co. Approved By Board The 4-A statement was issued on behalf of, and "with the entire approval" of the 4-A board of directors, an announcement by that organization said. The 4-A statement, however, while "endorsing the need for Broadcast Measurement Bureau, Inc., and for the type of audience information which BMB supplies," added: "We do not feel that this additional information or service should be specified or spelled out at this time. It must come, if and when it comes, as a natural growth and to fill a definite need." S)end $3i r t It day (Jreetinad ^Jo November 14 Hazel Estes Morton Downey Budd Hivlick Wanda Ellis Dick Nesbitt Dick Powell Johnny Desmond Martha Tilton November 15 Franklin P. Adams Carol Bruce Norman E. Beck November 16 Albert A. Grabe Jim Jordan Lucien Dumont Gordon R. Gray Lawrence Tibbett Jean Sargent Mary Margaret McBride Louise Starkey November 17 Frank Fay Wiley Walker Jack Lescoulie Quin Ryan Mainly About Manhattan. . . 1 • • • WEEK-END CUFF NOTES: Watch ior more NAB membership resignations if the board decides to set up Broadcast Advertising Bureau as private enterprise. . . . many dues-paying members feel that service of BAB is due them as members of the industry association. New policy at NBC (both radio and TV) is that scripts submitted must be read within one week. Nice consideration if they live up to it . . . Chesterfield cigarettes considering bankrolling Joe Franklin's "Smoke Dreams" in Jan. . . . NBC interested in a TV show with Doris (Radio Registry) Sharp called "Meet the Actor." Is there no end to Doris' versatility? . . . Frank Cooper now handling Mickey Rooney. . . . Jean Sabion, due to make a film in Paris, expected back here in Feb. . . . Doug Storer. who started Bob Ripley's "Believe it-or Not" feature on radio some 20 years ago and has managed it ever since, stepped into the role of emcee on the TV version's final stanza last week and did a right smooth job. Series is off until Jan. 4th when it comes back bankrolled by Ballantine Beer. . . . Radio Row loses one of its more eligible bachelors when Jerry Layton ties the knot March 19th with lovely Sherill Cannold, Bob Taplinger's Gal Friday. . . . NBC planning to adapt Clare Eooth Luce's "The Women" ior video. . . . Peter Donald sez the reason the preem of Berle's film in Lindy's is off is because Lindy couldn't iind room for the popcorn machines. ft ft ft ft • • • JUST THINKING OUT LOUD. There's no question but that the world's greatest speakers are heard over the radio and rarely are any of them 15 minutes or at most a half-hour of time. In emergencies, the Pres. of the United States has spoken longer, but it is the exception rather than the rule. Why then does the broadcasting industry at its gatherings (such as District Meetings, for instance) have speakers who run for an hour or more until the original group of say 225 listeners has dwindled down to a mere handful? Why can't the industry put into practice what it so finely preaches? What's more, the worst offenders in this dep't are usually men who know better and who actually represent the industry. ft ft ft ft • • • TELLING ON TELEVISION (or views on video): Saturday night is the loneliest night of the week — on television. Don't the networks think that anybody stays home that day? Certainly the way the programming goes at present, video won't keep 'em there. . . . The new Sunday p.m. Paul Whiteman show has too little production arrangements and too much dancing. 'Pops' is deserving of a better fate. . . . Poor scripting is hamstringing Al Bernie. The talent is there but who is to express it? . . . Name stars are raving about the way producer Frank Telford handles them on CBS' "Silver Theater" on Monday nights. . . . Sidney Paul turned in a contract-winning performance on "H'wood Screen Test" last week. . . . Marty Glickman is easily the standout television football reporter. His comments on a game fully reflect his varsity background. Conversely, however. Marty does not scintillate in his radio basketball coverage as he strives to keep up with every maneuver rather than describe the pattern of the play. And, as for Marty's over-use of the word "swish," how about that. ft ft ft ft • • • SMALL TALK: ABC's sports ace, Joe Hasel, is celebrating his 20th ann'y in radio this month. Nice goin,' Joe, and here's to the next 20! . . . "Versatile Varieties," produced by Frankie Scott and Charlie Basch, takes a nine-week hiatus on the 18th leaving with a Pulse rating of 19.0— highest in their time slot. rutnttr IN W AM II NARND Confab Opens MORE than 100 radio and TV news directors attended discussion panels in the annual threeday convention of the National Association of Radio News Directors. At the weekend convention, whose main theme was the building up of the prestige of news directors within stations to executive levels, the main speakers included NARND president Sig Mickelson of WCCO, Minneapolis; NAB president Justin Miller; Benjamin Cohen, assistant secretary general of the United Nations; NAB public relations director Robert Richards; Edwin C. Canham, editor of the Christian Science Monitor; Elmer Davis of ABC; Edward R. Murrow of CBS and General Omar N. Bradley. Among the over-all problems of broadcasting to be taken up at the NAB board meeting tomorrow will be the future of the new Broadcast Advertising Bureau and of the Broadcast Measurement Bureau. The question of whether the NAB should remain within the fold of the NAB or be set as a private enterprise will be considered. According to a survey released at the NAB's 2nd district meeting at Asbury Park, N. J., 64 per cent of the small market stations have solved one of their sales problems by paying their time salesmen from 15 per cent to 20 per cent commissions, thereby producing the best results. . . . WCBS landed sponsors for both the AM and TV coverage of the local elections: F. M. Sohaefer Brewing Co. for radio and United Fruit Co. for television. . . . Before the tumult and the shouting of the elections were over, MGM launched what it described as a four-day "saturation campaign" in behalf of its new film production, "Battleground." The campaign consisted of 285 spots, transcribed "Jody Chant" commercials bordering on "irritation" advertising, over eight New York stations: WNBC, WCBS, WJZ, WOR, WNEW, WINS, WMCA and WMGM. iHighlighting the continued upsurge in network business was the signing of a seven-year contract for the radio broadcasting of the World Series by Mutual, with Gillette Safety Razor Co. as the sponsor. Under the deal signed with Baseball Commissioner Albert B. Chandler, Mutual will serve more than 520 MBS stations plus an auxiliary list of some 200 stations in the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Cuba and Latin America. BROADCASTERS . . . You can set yourself a top-flight promotion man with an outstanding record. This man has been a radio station sales promotion director for four years, and has had long experience as a time salesman and in station programming. Write RADIO DAILY, Box No. 286, 1501 Broadway, N. Y. C.