Sponsor (1956)

travels over the northeast region filming people and winter scenes. . . . W< U-TY will start "live" colorcasting on New Year's Day. First program will be Philadelphia's colorful Mummers Parade. CBS last week came to the rescue of an NBC station. It happened like this when KOMO-TV's S\lvania award got sidetracked in the Christinamail rush. CBS in llollvwood sent its own Sylvania award to the Seattle station in time for the governor of W ashington to use it in a presentation ceremony. . . . Connecticut servicemen stationed in Europe will be seen on WKNB-TV, \\ <'st Hartford, delivering filmed Christmas greeting to their families KFMB-TV. San Diego, in a ditto good-will move for Navy personnel serving in the Pacific. Tv applications: Between 3 December and Li December two stations received construction permits and five applications for new stations were filed. Construction permits include: Kai-er Hawaiian Village for Channel 13, Honolulu's permit allows 12.9 ku visual, Radio Station WSOC, Inc. for Channel 9. Charlotte, N. C, permit allow 316 kw visual. Applications include: Arthur Y\ . Schwieder. Idaho Falls. Ida., for Channel 6. Butte. 6.1 kw visual, with tower .'!.17o feet above average terrain, plant 8161.091. yearl) operating cost $175,000: Copper Broadcasting, Butte, for Channel 6. 66.072 kw visual, with tower 100 feet above average terrain, plant -_'<>n.">21. and yearly operating cost $260,000; Southwest Broadcasting for Channel !!. F.Ik City. Okla.. 14.86 kw visual, with tower I2.1 feel above average terrain, plant $55,537 . yearl) operating cost $70,000; Eastern States Broadcasting for Channel 6. New Bedford. Mass., LOO kw visual, with lower 1,000 feel above average terrain, plant $582,180, yearl) operating cost $565,000: Grande Bonde Television I Robert S. & \\ . Donald McCaw i for Channel 13, La Grande, Ore., 15.6 ku visual, with towei L,934 feet above average terrain, plant $67,300, yearly operating cost $60,000. Thirty thousand children in the New York area have entered \\l'l\c Popeye drawing contest. . . . \\FK\TV, Green Baj has begun broadcast ing from it new towei height is 1,165 feet above average terrain and i said to be the highest in \\ isconsin. RADIO STATDONS K3I A and the rainmakers . . . early this \ear when a near-drought threatened in the area around K.\I \. Shenandoah. la., the station's farm service department went into action. Merrill Langfitt, farm service director, and his associate, Jack Cowing, set up a mass meeting in KMA's auditorium to discuss the lack of moisture problem. Over 250 farm leaders attended the confab and decided on a cloud-seeding program. Experts from Irving P. kink Weather Modification Division were on hand to tell what could be done. KMA points out that the station helped organize the farmers but that the farmers took over from there. Nine counties participated in the program — seven in Iowa and two in Missouri. Over two and a half million acres were included. KMA kept the farmers up-to-date on the project through daily reports from Krick "weather central" in Denver. These reports told what cloud seeding operations were being carried out. and what opportunities the future weather patterns held. Four months after the operation began, Merrill Langfitt went into the field and checked on results. His preliminary findings showed "a little over five inches of extra rain this year.'" because of the cloud seeding project. W VRL's promotion idea at work — the Arlington, \ irginia station is pa-sing out red and silver \\ ABL relied ing bumper stickers . . . and station personnel are authorized to stop motorists displaving the tags and give them free passes to motion picture theatres. . . . Network tv has nothing on local radio sections when it comes to dishing out lots of money. KLIF. Dallas, has just finished a treasure hunt promotion with a $50,000 check as prize. I.e- than seven hours before the contest deadline the check was found and the prize claimed. h^W has put its facilities at Uncomplete disposal of the I nitcd Hungarian Societies of Cleveland. Willi ."">.imio refugee families expected in the area, the station will serve as an information center, give out new-. make announcements, and help refu i gel in touch w ilh friends and relatives. . . . Boston \\ T \< > i changing to a new programing format built around the "favorite Fifty" records of the week and strong personality disc jockey team. . . . WPAT, Paterson is reviving I \1 broadcasting and expects that WPAT-FM will be on the air with a full-time schedule by the first of the \ear. NETWORKS Notes on NBC's 30th Anniversary: Robert W. SarnofT announcement that in the upcoming year NBC will in-titute live programing for educational tv stations on a nationwide basis brought enthusiastic reaction from educators. The NBC president also stated program^ will be given free of charge to educational stations and that $300,000 has been put aside for the project. Educational programs will be telecast during afternoon times which do not conflict with NBC TV's regular schedule. Other highlights of Sarnoffs talk: the implications of feature film (as reported in SPONSOR SCOPE 15 December) and his remarks that it could "change the entire character and scope of television if it is not thought fullv as-e-scil l>\ broadcasters in long-range terms." Programing changes outlined at the NBC anniversary celebrations in Miami touched on the new format for Tonight which will feature five syndicated columnists operating from New ^ ork. Chicago and Los Angeles and be "a combination of Wide Wide World and Today." Another plan under way is to change the Mondav through Friday 7:30-8 p.m. (ESI I music-news segments. Six NBC radio affiliates thai have earned their 30-year stripes also received \wanl ol Merit plaques. The] were: W.I \K. Providence: WWJ. Detroit: WTIC. Hartford: KSD. St. Louis: WCSH, Portland, Me.; and \\ DM . Kansas City, Mo. ABC TV vice president. Oliver Trey/., commenting on Robert \\ . Sarnoff's remark that, "three-network competition can <>nlv add to the overall strength of our medium,' said that \BC i plea-ed and looks forward to aiding both NBC and CBS for the common good of the industi j . \t presstime (and too late to show on sponsor's Comparagraph, page 35) CBS T\ announces a title change 66 SPONSOR 22 mi EMBER 1956