Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

THS: CHANGING SCENS Zenith Sales Corp. Realigns Top Executives Zenith Sales Corp. has announced a major realignment of and additions to its top executive staff. L. C. Truesdcii, president of Zenith Sales Corp. made the announcement. "The company's increase in color tv volume alone is expected to equal the total sales enjoyed by a number of well known companies," he said. "To assure continuing top level concentration on each important segment of our business and to handle this expanding volume in the most effective way, the following promotions and changes are effective immediately." Key organizational changes are the promotion of Walter C. Fisher to executive vice president and director of sales, Philip J. Wood to vice president in charge of marketing; and the addition of J. D. Dougherty as vice president, sales manager. Erik Isgrig, vice president and director of advertising, will have overall responsibility for all phases of the company's expanded advertising and promotion in all media. D. D. Thompson will continue as national advertising manager; Joseph J. Ptacin, sales promotion manager; and Howard Fuog, advertising and promotion production manager. Continuing in their capacities as market development managers are W. G. Prick, who is in charge of television; J. B. Anger, stereophonic high fidelity and phonographs; and Charles C. O'Brien, radios. Walter Fisher Philip Wood Other new appointments and assignments announced by Truesdell include: John McCallister, as manager of product development; Andrew Sarkady, who recently rejoined Zenith, as manager of commercial planning; and Henry Hector, as manager of production scheduling and distribution, with full responsi NEW CALL LETTERS APPROVED BY FCC Principals of Philadelphia's new WPHL-TV present checks to members of city's Television snd Rad'o Advertising Club who picked the call letters, approved last veek by FCC. Bill Vogt (center), TRAC president, watches as (left to right) executive vice president Leonard Stevens and President Aaron J. Katz, of WPHL-TV, hand checks to Walter MacDonald, of Atlantic Refining Co., and Henry C. Wehr. Club's Jean Ritter, another winner, was not present. Station will begin broadcasting next summer on channel 17 as Philadelphia's fourth commercial station. .iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii I iiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiii' bility for this operation. Alex Stone has been appointed manager of the distributor analysis department; and R. L. Anderson will continue as manager of sales statistics, with both operations included as part of llic new commercial planning section, under Sarkady's direction. Tom Preston will continue as manager of the sales training department; Ralph Spcnny, assistant treasurer and credit manager, will continue to head this department; and William A. Nail to head the public relations department. The service department will continue under the direction of Brian Marohnic, and the parts and accessories department will continue to be headed by John Adams. An important part of Zenith Sales' expansion, Truesdell said, is the creation of a new executive committee. Truesdell will serve as chairman of this policy and planning group with Messrs. Fisher, Wood, Dougherty, and Isgrig. Norman Gittleson Dies November 9 Norman (Git) Gittleson, 46, New York salesman for Sponsor since mid-August, died Nov. 9 in Detroit. A pioneer in television and a winner of the coveted George Foster Peabody Award, Mr. Gittleson had a wide range of broadcast experience in his lifetime. After serving four years in the navy during World War II, he made his radio debut as a salesman with WGKV Charleston, W. Va. He became sales manager at WTIP in the same city and in 1949 joined WFMY-TV Greensboro, N. C, as sales promotion manager. Two years later, he became general manager of WJAR-TV Providence, R. I. In succeeding years, he was executive vice president of WMURAM-TV Manchester, N. H.; general manager of KLMS Lincoln, Neb., , and president of Broadcast House ^ Enterprises, Manchester. Before coming to Sponsor, he was regional director of the Radio Advertising Bureau. Active in broadcast circles, Norman Gittleson 52 SPONSOR