Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

Section of RADIO DAILY. Friday. December 16. 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright VIDEO DIRECTORS NAMED BY CBC TELE TOPICS AT LEAST ONE NET has established the practice of refunding 75 per cent of rate in case of video failure and 25 per cent if only audio goes out, thus indicating that TV is 75 per cent visual. If more producers would recognize this fact, programming would be immeasurably improved. A case in point is "Easy Aces," which bowed on DuMont Wednesday nite. Format of the show is so restrictive that it provides nothing to attract the eye even though it is on film and thus can embrace a much wider scope than live production. Briefly, it runs something like this: Jane and Goodman Ace are seen seated in a living rom watching their TV receiver. Some old films which they are watching are inserted and they talk about them. The talk is very amusing, indeed, but all that is seen for most of the show are tired, dull film clips. Had a video failure occurred at any point during the show, or for the entire quarter-hour for that matter, viewers would have lost nothing whatsoever. As we said before, the Aces' conversation is very funny, but there's really no need to use tele to broadcast conversation. Ace is too good to be bound by such a narrow format; we'd like to see him do a situation -comedy show for TV along the lines of "Mr. Ace & Jane," one of the best AM series ever aired. . . . Produced by Ziv Television Programs, Inc., show is directed by Jeanne Harrison and written by Ace, George Foster, Mort Green and Jack Raymond. • IN AN INDUSTRY that abounds with ' complications, the station affiliation situation has never been known as a shining example of clarity. Multiple affiliation is the rule rather than the exception, and in virtually every one-station city, the outlet takes programs from all four webs. This has been especially grievous to everyone who has tried to clear station time for a network show. Now, however, ABC has come up with a switch that has brightened an otherwise dull day. The web announced yesterday that as of Dec. 17 it will have two — count 'em — two affiliates in Cleveland. The new affiliate will be WXEL which will carry those ABC shows that WEWS, the web's primary outlet, will be unable to air because of prior commitments. WXEL will be a primary DuMont outlet, while WEWS also has multiple affiliation. • COOPERATING WITH New York's ^ water conservation drive, DuM production chief Frank Bunetta yesterday armed two stage hands with buckets and sent them to the Hudson River to dio out enough water for use on tonite's "Hands Of Murder" stanza. Script for this week's edition of the mystery series is built around a murder committed as a result of bootlegging in water. Rates Still Going Up, Three Stas. Set Boost Three more stations have issued new rate cards, revised upward, as part of the general industry rate increase prompted by the rapidly growing circulation. Latest to announce rate boosts are KTLA, Los Angeles; WTMJ TV, Milwaukee, and WWJ-TV, Detroit. The Detroit News outlet, managed by Harry Bannister, has increased its basic hourly rate from $500 to $600, effective Feb. 1. This is an increase of 20 per cent, while the number of receivers in the area, now 130,000, has gone up almost 100 per cent since June. WTMJ-TV, owned by the Milwaukee Journal and headed by Walter Damm, has issued its sixth rate card although it has been on the air only two years. New card, effective Jan. 1, establishes a basic hourly rate of $450, an increase of $100 over the previous rate set Oct. 1. The new KTLA card, announced by George Shupert, director of commercial operations for Paramount TV. is the station's first in a year. It boosts rates about 20 per cent — to $600 per hour — while circulation has grown 500 per cent during the past year. FCC Okays Time Rate Washington — The FCC yesterday approved a $395 monthly charge for telephone lines within the city of Rochester for the connection of WHAM-TV to the NBC-television network. Cowan Eng'g Chief Of AT&T Long Lines Frank A. Cowan, assistant to the general manager of the AT&T Long Lines Department, has been named head of engineering for the department, succeeding Horace H. Nance, who is retiring Dec. 31 after more than 39 years with the Bell System. The Long Lines Department is the branch of AT&T responsible for TV networking, and Cowan has had broad experience in the engineering of both coaxial cable and radio relay systems. Cowan started his career with the department in Atlanta soon after graduation from George Tech in 1919. He has been with AT&T ever since and during the war did liaison work between the communications industry and the armed forces. Bank Renews Newsreels Boston — The National Shawmut Bank of Boston has signed a longterm exclusive contract with INSTelenews, renewing sponsorship of the daily and weekly newsreels on both stations operating in this area. The newsreels are carried by both WBZ-TV and WNAC-TV directly preceding network time, under the title of "The Shawmut Newsteller." The Bank entered the TV field last year by placing the INS-Telenews daily and weekly newsreels with both stations for complete coverage of the area. The resultant gratifying increases in business prompted the bank to renew for three years. RCA-DuMont Patent Battle Enters Third Round In Court Wilmington, Del. — The longstanding patent patent battle between RCA and DuMont entered the third round this week when DuMont challenged the validity of certain RCA patents in a declaratory judgment suit filed in Federal Court here. The complaint denies infringement charges originally brought by RCA and alleges that the RCA patents are invalid "to the extent that they may have colorable relevancy" to equipment of the DuMont organization. The battle between the two receiver manufacturers dates back to March 22, 1948, when RCA filed suit in Los Angeles against DuMont, Paramount Pictures, Television Productions, Inc., and three DuM dealers, charging infringement of patents. Four days later, DuM filed a declaratory judgment suit in Wilmington. When RCA later sought to add eleven new patents to its California suit, all but two were rejected. The latest DuMont suit, it was said, covers the remaining nine patents. DuMont's latest suit charges RCA with monopoly and restraint of trade. It further alleges that RCA has misused the nine mentioned patents and other patents owned or controlled in a manner contrary to public policy, as a result of which the patents are unenforceable. None of the three suits has as yet been brought to trial. Mutrie And Seguin Set For Toronto And Montreal Montreal — Fergus Mutrie of Toronto, and Aurele Seguin of Montreal yesterday were named directors of television for the CBC, the first appointments to be made in Canadian television on a full-time basis. The appointments were announced in a press statement by Dr. Augustin Frigon. general manager of CBC, who said the two radio executives have been assigned to work full-time on development of CBCTV in Montreal and Toronto. Alphonse Ouimet of Montreal CBC assistant chief engineer, will continue to act as co-ordinator of television. Programs Next Summer Dr. Frigon said Canada's first television programs will probably be on the air by midsummer of 1951. An earlier start would be impossible, he added, due to the time needed to build transmitters and studios in Montreal and Toronto and to gather and train a television staff. Both Mutrie and Seguin have recently returned from Europe and the United States, where they made extensive studies of television systems. Mutrie, Regina born, is well known on the Pacific Coast in both music and agricultural circles. His father, J. T. Mutrie, has established at Vernon, B. C, one of the largest seed farms in Canada. The Montreal television director has been in radio for 16 years, occupying various positions with CBC in Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal. Statement By Dr. Frigon In announcing the new appointments, Dr. Frigon said the CBC has "fairly extensive" plans on hand which will be implemented in the near future. He did not give any details. Congoleum Picks Up Tab On NBC's Garroway Show Congoleum Nairn Co.. floor covering firm, will sponsor "Garroway At. Large" over the NBC web beginning early in February. Contract was placed through McCann-Erickson. Sale gives NBC a 7-10:30 p.m. sellout two nights a week — Sunday, when Garroway is aired at 10 p.m.. EST, and Tuesday. Originating in Chicago, program has been on the air since April as a sustainer. Price of the package is said to be about $5,000.