Ross reports on television programming. (1950)

WOR-TV COVEBS THE DODGERS (Continued) SOME OF GIFFENS TECHNIQUES that have von good notices for Dodger telecasts are based on such theories as: It's better to follow the players than the baseball . try for matching shots of the same subject when switching from a long shot to a close -up.,.,. try to anticipate the play.... use the wide angle shot from behind home plate between innings to relieve any feeling of claustrophobia . If he had another camera, Gif fen says that he’d place it on the ground slightly off line with the pitcher and catcher on the 1st base side, so that he could show the actual pitches more definitely. But for the most part he’s mighty happy with the freedom that four cameras give him. Worthy of note are two innovations by other New York sta¬ tions. During the World Series last year, WABD, the DuMont outlet, used a camera in the right field bleachers to get an unusual view of the pitcher-batter-catcher subject This year, in addition to the dugout camera, WPIX has initiated the "wipe" technique of switching shots. All the stations are now superimposing pictures of the baserunner and the pitcher and similar interesting approaches to the play. FROM THE BROADCASTER’S VIEWPOINT, television is now a much better deal than it was a year or two ago. No longer required to follow the director's roving camera, the Dodger trio of announcers Barber, Desmond & Scully have both an assistant director and a mechanical system through which to contact Gif fen if they wish the camera turned on some special target. The mechanical system is based around a model baseball diamond equipped with strategically-placed lights. If the announcer does not wish to interrupt his monologue to give instructions to the AD sitting next to him, he merely flicks the switch of the light nearest the point on the field he's after and a duplicate board lights up in the control room, giving the director his cue. A bigger problem, according to the broadcasters, is the difficulty of attuning commentary to first radio and then TV since the trio di¬ vides the AM-TV chore. The differences in tempo of speech and the difficulty of re¬ membering the different sponsors (Schaefer shares AM coverage with Post Cereals) are annoying at any rate. Interesting is the fact that the broadcasters claim it is easier to slow down their commentary for television than to speed up for radio. SCHAEFER COMMERCIALS ARE UNIQUE & WELL INTEGRATED Under the supervision of BED&O's Walt Tibbals, the Schaefer commercials strive for a simple, personalized approach preferring live spots to film in order to get variety, warmth and adaptability to any particular situation. A typical com¬ mercials schedule during a ball game might find first a bar sequence, then a film spot, then a scene in a grocery, then the introduction of a salesman via a picture, then a public service plug, followed by a kitchen scene, then an ad lib by the broad¬ caster, then a bar scene again, winding up with an animated film spot. Commercials are usually inserted at the middle of the first and succeeding innings, since It is felt that with the home team coming up to bat there is a heightened interest on the part of the viewer. All voice over narration is by the announcer in order to maintain the close connection with the audience. Almost a trademark of this year's Schaefer commercials is the "beer-drinkin£ camera", which is used three or four times a game. The beer is actually poured "into" the camera by means of good coordination on the part of the hand which raises the beer glass toward a special guiding frame, as well as the cameraman and the broadcas¬ ter who watches the action on his monitor in order to synchronize his voice with the action. Schaefer uses cold beer for the commercials in order to insure the right head. Incidentally, while the team is away, both the camera crew and the commercials crew work to develop new techniques, new art work, scripts and sales gimicks for the return ROSS REPORTS page 18 WOR-TV COVERS THE DODGEPS