Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Section of RADIO DAILY, Tuesday. November 15. 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright SEE CO-OP EMPIRE STATE ANTENNA TELE TOPICS THE big problem of comedians wearing ' out on a weekly series was raised by no less a personage than Henny Youngman on "This Is Show Business" Sunday nite. Milton Berle's number one boy said that he has turned down offers from eight sponsors (sic) because he did not want to do a show every week. A discussion of Mr. Youngman's professed popularity among advertisers would be out of place here, but the problem he spoke about is real indeed. That Berle has begun to wear thin with many who have seen him since last season is, we think, an accepted fact. That several weekly dramatic shows employ two separate production crews is in itself recognition of the toll that a week-in ?nd week-out grind can take, among performers and behind-the-scenes personnel alike. Similar thinking has been expressed by agency sponsor execs, and it has been reported that the Texaco show will go bi-weekly after the first of the year. . . . The premise that a commercial show must appear every week to make a sales impact is a result of the old radio pattern. TV's appeal and impact are so much greater than AM's that the same conditions need not be applied to both. It is encouraging that the ice has been broken and that one or two bi-weeklies are on the air and more are on the way. We think the trend will grow to the benefit of the industry, talent and the public. • SHORT takes: Marked improvement is evident in "Bow ing Headliners," now on DuMont. Show is much smoother in all departments, aided by Dick Shepard's handling of a quiz portion and also by a camera located behind the pins. . . . Last week the character of George Bigelow, a regular on the AM version of the Aldrich Family, was introduced on the TV program. Expertly played by Lionel Wilson, the role might enhance the show if developed further. . . . Add the Charioteers, Mata and Hari and Charles Sanford's ork to the lineup of the ElginAmeric3n Thanksgiving Day show on NBC. Mel Tolken and Lucille Kalen will script, with choreography by Ester Junger, sets by Fred Fox and costumes by Paul DuPont. • "^AMERA CLUB," new show wih Rex ^Marshall and Fran Larsen, has been auditioned on closed circuit at CBS for possible bankrolling by Pathe Cine, which wi'l market a new Pathe movie camera line in this country. Newell-Emmett has the account, and John Peyser directed. . . . Ted Streibert, Julius Seebach and Jack Poppele, top echelon at WOR TV, will address the ATS meeting at the Park -Sheraton tonite. Forum on program and production problems will highlight the Society's December meet. . . . First public stock issue of Skiatron Corp. offers 275,000 shares at 1$ per. KRON-TV, 3rd In S.F., Makes Debut Tonight San Francisco — NBC's affiliate in the Bay Area, the Chronicle-owned KRON-TV, goes on Channel 4 today. There will be an hour-long dedicatory variety show which will kickoff KRON-TV's air activity at 7 p.m. It will be a dramatized story of San Francisco and the Bay region. The Texaco Star Theater will follow at 8, with a special salute to KRON-TV by Milton Berle. City Now Has 3 Stations The advent of KRON-TV brings the number of stations here to three. The others are KPIX and KGON-TV. KRON-TV will be on the air six nights a week, Sunday through Friday and operate from studios in the Chronicle Building, Fifth and Mission Streets. The main studio is on the ground floor and has 40 x 60 feet of operating space. The second floor has rehearsal studios, cutting and dark rooms and executive offices. The transmission facilities are located at Television Peak in the San Bruno Mountains south of San Francisco where it works in cooperation with KNBC-FM. Charles Thieriot is general manager; Harold P. See, formerly with WBAL-TV and WNBW, is director of operations; Al Isberg is chief engineer, Pat Crafton is program man Pye, Ltd. To Export Sets To U. S. Market Pye, Ltd., giant electronics manufacturing firm plans to begin production of TV receivers for export to this country early next year, William Jones, spokesman for the company, said yesterday on his arrival in New York aboard the America. The sets will be produced at Pye's plant at Ajax, Ontario, he said. Jones also attacked the British government's lack of speed in developing TV and said, "Private enterprise stands ready to build the stations and then let the Government take them over, because the Government is so slow." He added: "There is a $20 tax on our $98 nine-inch table model in Britain and owners have to pay a $5.60 viewing license. 200,000 sets have been licensed in the London area. The radio and phonograph business is more or less dead in Britain bcause there is a tax of 66 2/3 per cent on them." ager. They head a staff totaling 23. Programs will be transmitted on a 15,000 visual power and 7700-watt audio power. Later, when the FCC gives the go-ahead on using the new antenna's directional facilities, the watt output will be upped to 100,000. Sen. Johnson Clarifies Stand On Color -Tele And 'Freeze Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — Lifting of the television freeze now "would be both a scientific and economic absurdity," Chairman Edwin C. Johnson of the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee wrote over the weekend. In a letter to FCC Chairman Wayne Coy, Johnson said "easily identified selfish interests are laboring day and night to lift the freeze now and nothing more." The time to lift the freeze, he said, will be "when the proposed 42 UHF channels are allocated on a city-by-city basis throughout the nation and standards for their use promulgated . . . the sooner that is done, the better." As for color, Johnson said he hopes for broad general standards as soon as possible, with competition then to take the art toward perfection. Compatibility, while desirable, certainly should not be the primary basis for a decision," he added. Johnson called upon the Commis sion to lose no time in approving standards "for the immediate commercial utilization of a larger number of channels in the UHF band so that a realistic nation-wide competitive system of television can be developed. "I regard it as tragic," he said, "for the ultimate development of television that the VHF allocation herefore made is handicapping the adoption of a truly equitable and scientifically practical VHF-UHF allocation. However, I trust that the Commission's final allocation in both bands will take into consideration the problems both of set owners and television licensees and not provide a hodge-podge for each city which may have to be revamped again in a few years." Johnson said his letter was occasioned by the inconsistency of recent reports in the press on his present attitude toward video problems. Other Outlets May Join NBC, ABC Atop Bldg. Plans are being formulated for the construction, atop the 102-story Empire State Building, of a master transmitter antenna mast which could accommodate all stations in the New York area, it was learned yesterday. It was reported also that RCA engineers, with the approval of the FCC technical staff, are working to perfect a transmitting tower which would provide equal signal service to all outlets. NBC Now Sole Occupant For the past ten years, NBC has been the sole TV occupant of the world's highest tower. This year, however, the building demanded a sizeable rent boost, and NBC decided to take in a partner on the site rather than pay the full increase alone. ABC has already received permission from the FCC to move its transmitter to the Empire State from the Hotel Pierre and has begun work on the project. Recently, the building has been sounding out other stations on the possibility of a move. It is believed that only two, CBS and WOR-TV definitely are not interested. CBS recently completed a new installation at the Chrysler Building and feels that it is getting satisfactory coverage. WOR-TV has its own tower atop the Palisades and also is getting good reception. Three other stations, however, DuMont, WPIX and WATV. are considering the possibilities of a switch. In addition to providing improved coverage because of the added height, location of several stations atop the building simplify installation of new receivers and antennaorientation of presently installed sets. Okon WDTV Flack Chief Pittsburgh — Ted Okon has been appointed director of publicity and promotion of WDTV, DuMont o. & o. station here, it was announced yesterday by general manager Donald A. Stewart. Okon formerly was in the promotion department of the J. P. Harris Amusement Co. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. Cleve. Passes 100,000 Cleveland— Sale of 13.617 receivers in Cleveland has boosted the area's total to 101,358, figures compiled by the Bureau of Business Research of Western Reserve University revealed yesterday. Of the total, 95,643 arc in homes. I