Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

VOL. 49. NO. 53 NEW YORK TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1949 TEN CENTS MEXICAN TV DEVELOPMENT APPROVED Court Test Planned On Transit Radio Issue Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — A court test was promised yesterday by opponents as the District of Columbia Public Utilities Commission okayed Transit Radio operations here. The street-car and bus listening was termed no barrier to safety in public transportation, in a decision which may have sweeping repercussions in other cities. "The conclusion is inescapable that radio reception in street cars and busses is not an obstacle to safety of operation," said the PUC. "Further, it is evident that public (Continued on Page 6) Margaret Truman Fanfare Includes ABC Promotion Margaret Truman's first professional appearance in New York City tonight on ABC's Carnegie Hall series has been marked by an intensive promotion campaign by the network. Pictures, program announcements, advertising mats, station break announcements and special promotion copy have been prepared under the direction of Ted Oberfelder and sent to ABC affiliates. In addition, a (Continued on Page 2) Lever's Pepsodent Div. Reveals Agency Changes The Pepsodent Division of Lever Brothers has announced that several of its products will be handled by new advertising agencies when it moves from Chicago to the new Lever Brothers headquarters in New York. The switches were made (Continued on Page 4) Public Service? The public address system ot Grand Central terminal in New York included in their news announcements yesterday that the Public Service Commission had called a hearing on complaints against the broadcasting of announcements and music in the station. The hearing is set ior 10 a.m., on Wednesday at the P.S.C. offices. New Approach Washington — Attorney Charles DuVall came up with a new justification for a radio station as he argued before the FCC against an examiner's decision which would deny facilities to the Door County Broadcasting Corporation, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. As the United Press later summarized it, DuVall argued for his client that "Sturgeon Bay needs a local radio station as an aid to its cherry growing industry." Record Holiday Biz Reported By Dealers Radio and television set dealers in the New York area report the heaviest sales for any holiday season since the end of World War II with shortages prevailing in some TV table models and in all models of radio receivers, Radio Daily learned yesterday following a check of the distributors. Volume of business in TV receiver sales will increase substan (Continued on Page 2) FCC Minimum-Time Rule Draws FM Stations' Fire Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — FM broadcasters whose transmitters are apart from their AM parent stations, and whose programming in some cases is separate, registered complaints with the FCC yesterday against the Commission's proposed new minimum hours of operation for FM sta(Continued on Page 8) Government To Permit Private Stations To Telecast Commercially; Three Outlets Planned For Next Year Nets Make Available Political Air Time Radio time for reports on the 81st Congress by Republican and Democratic party leaders has been made available by ABC and NBC. The first of the talks will be delivered by Rep. Clarence Brown, on Friday, December 23 from 10:45 to 11:00 p.m. (EST). Senator Scott Lucas, Democratic majority leader (Continued on Page 6) More Than 1,800 Stations In "Democracy Contest" Washington Bureau of RADIO DAILY Washington — NAB has revealed that more than 1,800 broadcasting stations — AM, FM and television — took part in the nationwide Voice of Democracy Contest for high school students this year. The contest annually awards four $500 college (Continued on Page 21 WOR Stages Xmas Party For City's Hospitalized Christmas gifts to 4,800 children in the wards of New York city hospitals and to 4,000 mothers of newborn infants were on their way today from WOR and the station's listeners. A party at Bellevue Hospital (Continued on Page 4) New FM Music Service Being Launched By Field Chicago — Field Enterprises, Inc. operating stations WJJD here and other outlets throughout the country, have organized a new subsidiary called Functional Music, Inc. which will be devoted exclusively to syndicating an FM service to outlets throughout the country, utilizing special signal controlled FM receivers. Howard Lane, general manager of the Marshall Field Enterprises, in making the announcement here, said that the company's local FM outlet, WFMF, has been testing a plan for almost a year now and it is because of the success of the Chicago trial that it was decided to expand the service into the national field. Lane said that several large cities have already applied for the franchise for Functional Music in their (Continued on Page 8) Mexico City — Commercial development of television has been given the green light by the government of Mexico and before the end of 1950 at least two privately owned TV stations will be in operation in the Mex ico City area. The government is granting commercial TV licenses to oper (Continued on Page 7) ill End Mos! Jobs— Pope, Jr. WINS employes were told by Gene Pope, Jr., son of the New York publisher, Generoso Pope, that only a handful of them can expect to continue as station employes if FCC approval is given for Pope's purchase of WINS, the FCC was told yesterday. An affidavit filed by Don Goddard and John Bradford told of (Continued on Page 2> New CBS Daytime Series For Babbitt Starts Jan. 9 "Nona From Nowhere," a new daytime dramatic series to be heard Monday through Friday on 149 stations of the network will start Jan. 9 under sponsorship of B. T. Babbitt Co., replacing that company's "David Harum" programs. The new series, like the "Harum" programs. (Continued on Page 2) Rack II onto Tulsa. Okla. - Cal Tinney is weaving his homespun philoso phy on the airwaves of KRMG. Tinnpy is heard over the station four times daily on news broadcasts and musical shows Tinney has previously starred on NBC television. Mutual. ABC and NBC radio shows. He authored the book "Stop Me If You've Heard This One."