Sponsor (July-Dec 1950)

by all four major networks ia mi speculate on what conditions will be then, the world military situation being what it is. It was anticipated by some network officials in the early days of TV that jurisdictional disputes might interfere with programs going on the air. This has not proved to be so. The most important jurisdictional disputes remaining to be settled involve TV actors. These have prevented working out contracts with the networks which would set minimum wages, and define working conditions. The battle is sectional — Eastern against Western unions. The West Coast unions were concerned mainly with motion pictures until the advent of TV. and are worried about losing their control of the movies. The West Coast performers' union, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), claims jurisdiction over all persons, extras excepted, performing on film or sound track. Screen Extras Guild (SEG) claims jurisdiction over extras. They are contesting jurisdiction with the American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, Actors' Equity Assocation, American Federation of Radio Artists. The parent union of all these unions is the Associated Actors and Artistes of America. The AAAA has appointed a "Television Authority" to make recommendations on wages and working conditions, but SAG and SEG have called it "illegal" and refused to have anything to do with it. The question of jurisdiction is now before the National Labor Relations Board for settlement. It will take probably another year to settle and could easily take two, optimistic reports to the contrary. Another situation which has prevented setting of minimum salaries and working conditions is an internal dispute (not jurisdictional) within the overall writing union as to who shall represent TV writers. The parent of all the writing unions is the Authors' League. Its unions include the Radio Writers' Guild, Television Writers' Group, Screen Writers' Guild. Dramatists' Guild. The Authors' League itself hasn't solved the question of which of its unions will represent writers in television. SWG, for example, wants representation where TV film is concerned. RWG seeks control of all live programing, as docs TWG. which has worked closely with television longer than the others. The Authors' League has appointed a temporary body called the National Television Committee to act informally for all its groups until the question of representation is settled. The NTC will present its package of demands to the networks this fall. If the NTC succeeds in its demands, the chief results will be to set minimum salaries. This will affect only the second echelon of talent. Musicians of the AFM (American Federation of Musicians — Petrillo's union) are still generally forbidden to make sound tracks for TV films. But live network rates have been set at 90r/r of radio rates and local rates at 80% of radio rates. Current agreements run through 1950. The overall TV union picture is relatively simple now because only three areas. New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, are concerned. This is because TV unionization is presently concentrated largely in those areas. For all practical purposes network sponsors have only network-union relations to contend with, and each network has thus far managed to keep jurisdictional differences on a workable basis. There have been a few instances of unions' insisting that the networks use more men than actually needed; but this has not been a significant factor in the bill to the sponsor. TV unionization of individual stations throughout the country has made negligible progress thus fan. so local problems have been few. But there have been exceptions. The big hope for the future is that networks, individual stations, and unions will continue to devise production shortcuts. Since the whole production operation is still in a state of vigorous experimentation, there are yet unimagined savings in time — the biggest single consumer of production dollars — to be worked out. * + * EREEa^d PETERSNatf ~Rtf/i&ie*£a£ve4 DRUG STORES ON THE AIR (Continued from page 30) show, and a minute at the end. Our punch is in 'Get it at Whelan's,' 'Get it at Whelan's,' 'Get it at Whelan's'; and we feature low prices, high quality and friendly service." Whelan's sent the following memo (illustrated) to its store managers: "Mr. Store Manager: It is most im SPONSOR