Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Thursday. December 15. 1949 RADIO DAILY 3 Public Hearing Set On Wired Radio Issue (Continued from Page 1) Benjamin Feinberg, said "The Commission has received many complaints that the New York Central Railroad is compelling passengers waiting in its station to listen to certain commercial and other broadcasts. Passengers of course, have no choice in the use of a railroad terminal. They are forced to use it in order to get to their destination. They pay for the right to use the terminal. They are not there at the sufferance of the railroad." "Full Consideration" To Be Given Feinberg continued "The suggestion that the railroad can take advantage of the enforced presence of its passengers to compel them against their will to listen to points of view which its management or lessee selects, whether regarding commercial products, political matters or current events, is one which the Commission feels should be most carefully studied and explored." He added that "full consideration will be given to these questions and any others which relate to this practice." The broadcasts which emanate from the north balcony of the terminal were begun on October 1. They are heard 17 hours a day from 7 a.m. to midnight. The railroad has said that the money received through the broadcasts is helpful in carrying on station services. An estimated $1,800 weekly is received from the lessee of the public address system, The Terminal Broadcasting Company. The company says organ selections and classical music occupy about 80 per cent of the broadcast time. Covers Hotel Opening Miami— Scott Bishop, WIOD program director, was in Captain Eddie Rickenbacker's party which flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico December 9 for the opening of the new CaribeHilton Hotel. Bishop had tape recorder aboard the Eastern Air Lines Constellation which carried such notables as hotel owner Conrad Hilton, Gloria Swanson and her daughter Michelle Farmer, Alexis Smith, Craig Stevens, Robert Preston, Janis Carter, Leo Carrillo, Jon Hall and others. Bishop rounded out a half-hour of interviews and description of the three-day trip for play-back on his station Monday, December 12. Magnavox Sales Up Fort Wayne, Ind. — Magnavox Company sales topped $3 million during November, Richard A. O'Connor, president, told stockholders at a meeting on Tuesday. Sales in October were $2.7 million and $3,150,000 in November, he reported. O'Connor said sales in the quarter ending on September 30 were $4.3 million and he indicated that December sales would equal those in November. Baseball Broadcasting Skeds Discussed At N. Y. Meeting (Continued Commodore Hotel. Ford Frick, president of the National League says that he understands the thinking of National League clubs on the policy realignment but does not ex pect to make an announcement re garding radio until later today or possibly, tomorrow. The American League's radio director, Al C. McEvoy, said yesterday that no announcements affecting his league would be made until after the first of the year since whatever is decided at the meeting must first be ratified by the league's eight clubs. Several Proposals Made Discussing Tuesday's premature leak of Mutual's proposal to broad cast the "game of the day" to web affiliates in n o n baseball cities, league and club officials said that several such proposals had been ad vanced by networks but that no decision could be made without full agreement from all 16 clubs con cerned and pointed out that "it will take some time to reach an agree ment acceptable to all clubs." This opinion was concurred in by Abe Schechter, Mutual vee-pee in charge of news and special events. He said that the proposal was an involved one and that he regretted the premature disclosure of negotiations. Attendance Decline Explained Questioned by Radio Daily, club owners and officials were unani mous in attributing the fall in last year's attendance to "normal busi ness trends," and none would say that radio and TV baseball coverage had adversely affected baseball's box offices. Most were emphatic in expressing the belief that radio had "played a considerable part" in building game attendance over recent years and said that television coverage "should further stimulate box office action. A few officials stated that it was really too soon to tell what effect video would have on the box offices. Frick Expresses Opinion Ford Frick, expressing a "personal opinion," said that radio has, and TV should, stimulate interest in the game. Branch Rickey, Brooklyn Dodgers chief, said he believed that "TV can't hurt us and most probably will help us." Brooklyn was one of the few clubs which showed an increase in attendance last year. The realignment of broadcast policy was brought on by a Justice Department ruling that no major league broadcast may be carried in a minor league town where a ball game actually is in progress. Other than this stipulation, the effect of the government agency ruling should be to lift all other bars on radio broadcasting of ball games. In the past, no major league game could be aired in a minor league town without consent of the major and minor league clubs concerned. This was done to prevent broadcasts from hurting minor league game at from Page 1) tendance, but has been changed to prevent, through technicalities, charges that radio made the national game subject to anti-trust laws. The reason for delay in announcing the new broadcast alignment is, by admission of both leagues, the fact that the subject is so involved that to date no one has known exactly how to solve the problem. The major leagues, of course, are anxious to protect the interests of their minor league properties. Simply stated, the Justice Department ruling provides that a broadcast may be made from any ball game to any city in the nation, provided there is not a professional ball game in progress in that city at the time of the broadcast. A three and one half hour prohibited broadcast period was set in the case of single games and a five and one half hour period for double headers. In other words, according to Frick, there is nothing to prevent the broadcast of a major league afternoon game if the local club is playing that night. To further complicate matters for the leagues, the Washington ruling applies only to AM and FM transmission and not to video. Robinson Gets Award Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn second baseman who was recently signed by ABC for a sports program, yesterday received the George Washington Carver Memorial Award from Frank Gannett of the Gannett Newspapers and baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler. Following the ceremonies, which were televised last night on NBC's "Camel News Caravan," Robinson told Radio Daily that he "would like very much to make a permanent career of broadcasting provided I could tie it in with my boy's clubs activities." He pointed out that his years as a player were limited, and, seconded by Mrs. Robinson, said that he was "thrilled" with the ABC program which starts Jan. 22, 1950. Watch Company Buys NBC 'Detective' Series "Richard Diamond, Private Detective," the sixth NBC-built program to be sold in recent months, has been purchased by the Helbros Watch Company for sponsorship in early March, 1950, it was revealed yesterday. Dick Powell is starred and, according to an NBC spokesman, will participate in one commercial each week. Other NBC packages which have found sponsors recently include: 'Dragnet" (Liggett & Meyers for Fatima), "Baby Snooks" (for Turns by Lewis-Howe Co.), "The Halls of Ivy" (Schlitz Brewing Co.), "Screen Directors Playhouse" (RCA-Victor) , and "One Man's Family" (Miles Laboratories). Dorland Co. is the agency for Helbros. WWDCInWashingfon Sold To WOL Owners (Continued from Page 1) today's sale, the Peoples Broadcasting Corp., will operate on 1450 kilocycles using the call letters WOL with the total power of 250 watts and a 250 watt booster. Capital Broadcasting will retain its WWDC call letters and operate on 1260 kilocycles with 5,000 watts of power. Both FM stations will remain at their present dial positions. Also Owns WRFD The Peoples Broadcasting Corp. also owns station WRFD in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. Negotiations were conducted on behalf of the Peoples Broadcasting Corp. by James R. Moore, general manager. Capital was represented by Ben Strouse, vice-president and general manager, and Thomas N. Dowd of the law firm of Pierson and Ball, Washington. Howard Stark, New York, was the broker. The sale raises a question about the future of WCFM, local cooperatively-owned FM station. WCFM is heavily in debt to the Ohio group, and it is not unlikely that with the shift of support to the newly-purchased outlet WCFM may turn in its license. Seeking Historical Data For Radio Pioneers Club (Continued from Page 1) authentic data on the early days of broadcasting. Questionnaires will go to some 400 members including 110 new members who have joined the past month, and they will be asked to set down "firsts" with which they were actually connected, also additional interesting and exact experiences during their pioneer radio days. Work will be headed by Charles Hodges, chairman of the Historical Recording Committee. Historical data will be printed in the membership roster book. Woods, Kaltenborn, Kobak Named Hedges also announced that he had appointed H. V. Kaltenborn, Mark Woods and Edgar Kobak as nominating committee for the election of officers to be held in the spring at the annual banquet. Joseph Barnett was appointed chairman of the banquet committee. Those present at the executive committee meeting were: Mr. Hedges, H. V. Kaltenborn, O. B. Hanson, Charles Hodges, Jos. Barnett, Charles Keller, A. L. Alexander, Dorothy Gordon and M. H. Shapiro (for Carl Haverlin). Will Cover Testimonial Dinner WMGM will broadcast a part of a testimonial dinner in honor of Walter P. Reuther, president of the UAW and v-p of the CIO, on Friday, December 16 from 10 to 11 p.m. The chairman of the affair being held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Astor will be Gov. Chester Bowles of Connecticut. I