Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Section of RADIO DAILY. Thursday. December 15. 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright N. Y. BASEBALL TEAMS SET FOR TV TELE TOPICS 1_|ANK LADD didn't have very much to ' ' do Tuesday nite when he subbed for the vacationing Milton Berle on the Texaco show, but most of what he did offer was done well. Ladd's dead-panned resemblance to Gov. Dewey was a striking contrast to Berle's frantic antics and he was backed by a solid entertainment lineup that made the stanza top vaudeo. . . . Highlight of the show was a skit starring Bert Lahr as a mustached, bespectacled Viennese doctor. It was burlesque at its hilarious best and by far one of the funniest bits TV has shown. Opening spot was filled by the sensational Acrornaniacs, one of the best acrobatic acts around. The charming Mary Hatcher, of "Texas, L'il Darlin' " sang a number from the show, closing with a brief duet with Ladd. The Ink Spots, Gil Maison's amusing animal act and juggler Stan Cavanaugh were all good. Only real letdown in the show was the closing skit with Connie Sawyer and Ladd, which was weak script-wise. Entire production, however, was most pleasant and producer Ed Cashman rates a bow for this one. \A/E VE RAVED before about "Actors ™ " Studio," and now we'd like to register a wholehearted rave for Ann Shepherd, who starred in "The Midway" on the CBS stanza Tuesday nite. Her performance was wonderfully exciting and completely credible all the way through. . . . Alvin Boretz, listed here yesterday as scripter of DuMont's "Shoppers Matinee," actually writes only the dramatic portion of the show. . . . Alan Handley, NBC producer, is trying to find a way to get a pygmy elephant to climb three flights of stairs. Handley is doing the A&S Christmas shindig on WNBT from St. Nicholas arena and the beast will be one of the acts. . . . Weekly 20-minute participating disc jockey show bows on WGN-TV, Chicago, Friday, featuring Rey Blanco and Ruthie Brand. Two bankrollers have already signed for time. . . . Tom Harmon will call the plays on KTTV's coverage of the UCLA home basketball schedule. rvICK KROLIK, publicist for Schwerin Research Corp., has been named TV service exec, for the firm and Bill Snyder has been named to a similar post for AM. They'll work to improve liaison and coordination between research, programming and sales. . . . Kingman T. Moore, NBC director, lectures at Town Hall today. His topic: "The Director Is An Artist." . . . New York's water shortage will be the theme of "Hands of Murder" on DuMont tomorrow nite. Set in the year 1952, play will involve black marketeers and bootleggers in H O Tele Mfrs. Planning To Hypo TV Dealers (Continued from Page 1) town meetings of radio technicians which were held under the auspices of the RMA in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington. Meetings would be held where stations are now or where planned. Sprague, who has served as chairman of the town meetings committee for the RMA, while absent at yesterday's meeting will probably be one of the key men in the committee set up comprising some fifteen set manufacturers who are both RMA members and non-members. While this is not strictly an RMA group it is expected that Bond Geddes, executive vice-president of RMA, who was here for the Palmer House session, will have an active voice in the pattern for the proposed TV dealer confabs. R. C. Cosgrove, RMA president, was not here for the session, Browning Howard, head of the Philadelphia public relations firms bearing his name, was here as professional consultant to the group and will undoubtedly be active in the organizing of the dealer meetings. Included among the firms who were represented here at the meeting were: DuMont, RCA Victor, Motorola, Stromberg-Carlson, Capehart, Zenith, Westinghouse, Philco, Admiral, Hallicrafters, Crosley and Wells-Gardner. Grave Problem George Lefferts, director of NBC's "Kraft Television Theater." recently encountered a unique casting problem when five character actors refused to play the lead in the show's "Nantucket Legend" aired last night. Role called for lead to deliver greater portion of his lines while standing in a grave he had dug for himself. WENR-TV Skeds Ad Men's Kids Parly Chicago — Second annual Christmas Party for The Off-The-Street Club, an organization for underprivileged youngsters subsidized by Ihe American Federation of Advertising Men, will be aired by WENRTV Dec. 24, 4:30 p.m., CST. Show Toppers To Participate Top names of show business will take part in the program for the youngsters, the majority of whom have never seen a motion picture, according to club director Col. Auguste Mathieu. Last year's party, aired by WBKB, brought donations for the club from viewers all over the Chicago area. One viewer, who refused to publicize his gift, sent in a check for $1,000 "to be spent as the club sees best." New British Station Claimed To Be World's 'Most Powerful London — The world's most powerful video transmitter — that's what BBC calls its new station at Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, which begins regular program service Saturday. Films aired during test operations by England's second station have been seen 150 miles away at Ripon, in Yorkshire. Images strong enough to be photographed off the tube are being received in Leeds — 93 miles away — and in Liverpool, nearly 80 miles distant, engineers for the BBC said. Wakefield, Yorks and Bristol, nearly 80 miles from the transmitter, all report good results, and BBC claims that the new outlet will eventually set a world record for long-distance transmission. London newspapers are playing up the tests, pointing out that no known station in America is capable of beating Sutton Coldfield. It has been said also that the new station will not utilize its full power until regular programming is begun. The unexpected range of the station may cause the BBC to change its plans for further provincial stations. The next one is projected for southwest Yorkshire. If Sutton Coldfield overlaps that area BBC will either modify the design of the third station or move it further north. Another alternative would involve a wholesale reorganization of BBC plans to cover the country with TV. The Sutton Coldfield outlet will serve a potential 6.000,000 viewers in the industrial Midlands. It will carry programs originating at BBC's London studios via radio relay and coaxial cable. Sponsors Signed On Hull, WPIX And WOR-TV Despite rumors of a major baseball league ban on television circulated at the end of last season, the three New York teams have already signed for video coverage of the 1950 schedules. The Brooklyn Dodgers, National League pennant winners, reflecting president Rickey's feelings that TV cannot hurt gate receipts, have signed a three year pact for scanning of all home games, night and day, over WOR-TV under sponsorship of F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Co. through BBD & O. Night Games Important Schaefer bankrolled the Dodgers over WCBS-TV last season but moved to WOR-TV because the CBS flagship could not carry all night games in their entirety last season because of network commercial commitments. Advent of the baseball season in April will mark the beginning of seven-day-a-week programming for WOR-TV. which will air the games via a special coaxial cable to be installed from Ebbets Field to the station's transmitter in North Bergen, N. J. Red Barber and Connie Desmond will describe the games. Chesterfield cigarettes will again bankroll the New York Giants games and is negotiating with WPIX, which carried the schedule last season. Ernie Harwell and Russ Hodges will be behind the mike. Newell-Emmet is the agency. For the third successive year, Ballantine beer and ale will bankroll the champion New York Yankees home schedule over WABD, through J. Walter Thompson. Mel Allen probably will return as sportscaster. WABD is the only station to control TV rights to the games it will carry. In the case of the Giants and Dodgers, the teams signed directly with the sponsors who in turn placed the games with the stations. Hardina To Radio Sales; Had Been With WCCO Alfred J. Harding, formerly sales manager of WCCO, Minneapolis-St. Paul station, has been appointed to the New York television sales staff of radio sales, radio and television stations representative as an account executive effective Jan. 3, it has been announced by George R. Dunham Jr., eastern sales manager of radio sales-television.