Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

f Section of RADIO DAILY, Thursday. December 22. 1949 — TELEVISION DAILY is fully protected by register and copyright YULE SET SALES REACH NEW HIGH TELE TOPICS \A/ITH PRODUCER Martin Gosch re™~ portedly unable to line up a legit show for scanning on the final edition of "Tonight On Broadway" Sunday, program will present instead a half-hour variety show emceed by Robert Q. Lewis. Produced by Barry Wood, program will feature Harold Lang, Byron Palmer, the DeMarco Sisters and Dorothy Morrow. End of the thirteen-week cycle for "Tonight" means a temporary absence from TV by Esso, although the agency, Marschalk & Pratt, is looking at availabilities and has plans for building its own package should the oil company decide to re-enter the medium. . . . According to the superintendent of schools in Akron, Ohio, school officials there are considering the possibility of providing an additional rest period for pupils during the school day to compensate for the youngsters' lack of sleep because so many stay up too late to watch tele. The official said that the schools are considering extending the rest periods accorded kindergarten set and first graders to those in higher classes because of a noticeable increase in "television fatigue." • TZRA R. BAKER, sales chief of Holly™ wood Television Productions, sends along the following, titled "What Are They Doin' To Me!" I'm praised to the sky — I'm abused to the ground. I'm peddled at a price — I'm sustained at a loss. I'm looked at and enjoyed — I'm ridiculed and scored. I'm young for my years — I'm old for my age. I'm Television! . . . Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney will emcee the Abraham & Straus show over WNBT Sunday, with Brooklyn Dodger hurlers Ralph Branca, Rex Barney and Don Newcombe also participating. (Do you think those guys will be good for 60 wins next season?) • JAMES LAWRENCE FLY has filed incorporation papers in Albany for the new National Society of Television Producers, embracing New York's ITPA and TPA, of Hollywood. Latter two groups are now negotiating to decide on the best method for inclusion of other local and regional producers' organizations under the national charter. . . . Tom Gleba has been named program director of WLW-C, Columbus, and Walter Jacobs has been promoted to production manager of the Crosley station. Both have been with the outlet since it went on the air last April. . . . Joel Chaseman has been named publicity director of WAAM, Baltimore, in addition to his emcee chores on the daily two-hour "Sports Room" stanza. Harriett George remains in charge of local publicity. Editorial Treatment Needed For TV Mews TV reporting of United Nations sessions and similar news events require editorial treatment and background if they are to prove effective in arousing the interest of young people. This is the conclusion of students of the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University who took part in a competition for the best critiques on the recent coverage of the General Assembly. Theater tele received high praise from the students on two counts — the inherent interest in large-screen presentations and the increased dramatic impact obtained by presenting edited highlights. Presentation of awards to the students this week concluded the first phase of a continuing study of TV news techniques. It was jointly conducted by the UN Department of Public Information, Paramount Pictures and the Graduate School of Journalism, with financial requirements assumed by Para. Sloat To KEYL William Sloat, assistant chief engineer of WPIX, has resigned effective Dec. 23, to become chief engineer of KEYL, San Antonio. Before joining WPIX in February, 1948, Sloat was with WEW, Cleveland, and CBS, New York. Chevvy Renews Derby Chevrolet Dealers Association has renewed sponsorship of Friday night Roller Derby airings over WJZ-TV for 13 weeks beginning Dec. 30. New contract was placed through Campbell-Ewald agency. Crosby Firm Signed To Do 10 P&G Films West Coast Bureau of RADIO 'DAILY Hollywood — Negotiations have been concluded between Procter and Gamble Productions, Inc., Compton Advertising, Inc., and Bing Crosby Enterprises, Inc., whereby the latter company will produce a series of ten television film programs of 26-minutes duration. Cost of the films will run between $8,000 and $12,000 with P&G paying varied amounts to be based upon station use and re-use. New series will be shown on "Procter and Gamble Fireside Theater," which is telecast each Tuesday evening over NBC television network. Bing Crosby Enterprises, Inc., will begin production of the films in the immediate future. Frank Wisbar will produce and direct. Contracts were signed yesterday by Everett N. Crosby, president of Bing Crosby Enterprises, William F. Craig, manager of television for P&G Productions, Inc., and Brewster Morgan, manager of television for Compton Advertising, Inc. Gilbert Ralston and Morgan will supervise for P&G and Compton, respectively, with Floyd Holm, manager of Compton's Hollywood office acting as permanent liaison. WAAM Staff Changes Baltimore — John Pondfield, staff projectionist at WAAM, has been promoted to chief projectionist and film editor, it was announced by program manager Herbert Cahan. Also announced was appointment of Barry Cassell, free lance announcer, as staff announcer-writer. TV Gridiron Coverage Aids Gate, L. A. Survey Reveals West Coast Bureau of RADIO 'DAILY Los Angeles — Video coverage of college football games creates greater interest in the sport and tends to increase gate receipts of games, according to a survey by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. The findings of the survey are contradictory to those put forth by the Eastern College Athletic Conference earlier this month when it urged its members to make no TV commitments for the 1950 grid season and recommended action on tele by the NCAA. The Los Angeles study was based on interviews with 805 ticket-hold ers at the Southern CaliforniaUCLA contest here Nov. 19 and random telephone calls to 1,296 homes, according to Richard W. Millar, chairman of the Chamber's video committee. 60% In Favor The report stated that 60 per cent of those at the games who had seen football on TV said that tele coverage "made them want to see more Coliseum games." It added that 22 per cent of the spectators had home receivers and that this was a higher average than the incidence of sets among the general population at the time. TV Seen Nation's Number One Gift For Household Holiday sales of TV receivers reached land-office proportions during the last few weeks with virtually every manufacturer reporting demand far in excess of supply. A nationwide survey by Motorola, Inc., stated yesterday that seasonal sales are from 100 to 600 per cent ahead of last year indicating that video receivers may well be the country's number one household gift. Coupling the Christmas demand with video's fast growing popularity due to lower prices and technical improvements as the reasons for the buying spree, Motorola's vice-president in charge of merchandising Walter H. Stellner said Yuletide sales would have been far greater had manufacturers been able to meet the unprecedented demand. Popular lines are on allocation in most cities and many customers have been forced to wait as long as six to eight weeks for deliveries. Stellner said. He added that the head buyer of one big metropolitan outlet reported that Motorola's sales were eight times greater than last Christmas. While the tube size in greatest demand has been the 12i/2-inch set. with price a primary factor, Motorola said, the trend is definitely toward larger tubes, as shown by the increasing popularity of 16-inch receivers. Customers show a preference for dark wood chassis, consoles instead of table models, and traditional design, although blond wood is favored in modern cabinets. 1949 Film Roundup Set "Exit '49," an hour-long roundup of the most important news events of 1949 is being prepared by Telenews for airing over NBC Jan. 1. 5 p.m., EST, under the sponsorship of P. Ballantine & Sons, through J. Walter Thompson agency. Produced and directed by Paul Belanger, program will be narrated by Robert Trout. Newsreel clips will include the signing of the Atlantic pact, the Hiss-Chambers trial, the probe of the "five percenters," the Kentucky Derby and World Series, Secretary Forrestal's Death and the B-36 inquiry. Quinn Joins WBTV Charlotte, N. C. — Appointment of Bill Quinn to the production staff of WBTV was announced by Larry Walker, director. Quinn formerly was with WTYC, Rock Hill, S. C, and Rural Radio Network.