Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

Station Accounts: Live commercials delivered by coowners of Gwen & Lorrayne Co., Los Angeles, makers of Pink Ice facial cream, have paid off handsomely for company, which now is moving eastward after extensive spot penetration on West Coast, reports March 1 Advertising Age. Co-owners Gwen Seager and Lorrayne Bunn do commercials live in each new mai’ket, leaving them to local personalities only after they’ve gotten “feel”’ of the product. Recently they used KOY-TV and KOOL-TV in Phoenix, plan to enter El Paso, Houston and other Texas cities shortly . . . A&P Food Stores buys re-run of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars films on WABC-TV, Wed. 9:30-10 p.m., thru Paris & Peart . . . Lincoln Mercury Dealers Assn, buys Chicago Crossroads on WNBQ Mon. 11 p.m.-midnight, thru Lincoln Adv. . . . Evans Fur Co. buys Files of Jeffrey Jones on WBKB-TV, Chicago, Sun. 10-10:30 p.m., thru Arthur Meyerhoff & Co. . . . G. Krueger Brewing Co. to be alt. sponsor (with Carter Products) of Cases of Eddie Drake on WCBS-TV, thru Grey Adv. . . . Ralston Purina Co. buys 130 live partic. on WABD’s Saddle Scouts, Mon.thru-Fri. 5-6 p.m., and Magic Cottage, 6-6:30 p.m., thru Gardner Adv. . . . Pabst Beer buys last remaining adjacencies before and after N. Y. Giants games on WPIX, thru Warwick & Legler; sponsors previously signed are Shulton Inc. (Old Spice shaving lotion) and Paper Mate Pen Co. . . . Pabst also will sponsor St. Patrick’s Day parade on Fifth Avenue March 17 on WNBT, 12:30-4 p.m., thru Warwick & Legler . . . Safeway buys The Playhouse, filmed drama series, for KLZ, Denver, Mon. 1:30-2 p.m., and KPTV, Portland, Ore., Thu. 2-2:30 p.m., thru Foote, Cone & Belding . . . Lewyt Corp. to spend $1,700,000 in 12week campaign for its vacuum cleaners, using 93,000 TVradio spots, thru Hicks & Greist . . . Manischewitz Wine doubles ad budget for 1954, with 907c for TV-radio, thru Emil Mogul . . . Among other advertisers reported using or preparing to use TV: Fry Krisp Co., Jackson, Mich. (Fry Krisp donut & batter mix), thru Rogers & Smith Adv. Agency, Chicago; Idaho Peat Co., Downey, Ida. (Peat), thru Geoffrey Wade Adv., Hollywood; Perfect Plus Hosiery Mills, Chicago (hosiery), thru Arthur Meyerhoff & Co., Chicago; Rutland Fire Clay Co., Rutland, Vt. (Rutland patching plaster), thru Charles W. Hoyt Co., N. Y.; Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., Ft. Worth (Dickie work clothes), thru Evans & Assoc., Ft. Worth; Dixie Paint & Varnish Co. (Dura-lite Paint), thru Mitchell-Werbell, Atlanta; Rice’s Fashion Center Inc., Norfolk (apparel accessories & footwear), thru Shelvo Inc., N. Y. “Briefing Conference” on communications law and regulation, sponsored by Federal Bar Assn, and Bureau of National Affairs Inc. March 29-30 at Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington, will include discussion by all FCC commissioners, staff members Joseph Kittner, Warren Baker, Lester Spillane, plus talks by general counsels of FTC & SEC, Appeals Court Judge E. Barrett Prettyman, NBC’s Joseph McDonald, CBS’s W. Spencer Harrison, AT&T’s John T. Quisenberry, NARTB’s Justin Miller, private practitioners Vincent B. Welch, Wm. C. Koplovitz, Jeremiah Courtney, Charles V. Rhyne, Philip G. Loucks, consulting engineer Stuart L. Bailey. Fee is $40 for Federal Bar Assn, membei-s, $50 for others. Picketing of WOR-TV & WOR, New York, by AFM musicians was temporarily banned by New York state Supreme Court Justice Dineen this week at request of stations which are seeking injunction against picketing. Picket line was set up Feb. 28 after stations dismissed staff of 40 musicians following expiration of their contract with Local 802. In addition to injunction, stations seek $1,000,000 damages from union. Justice Hammer March 4 reseived decision on stations’ motion. Network Accounts: Favorable reviews by critics sa luted debut of NBC-TV’s 11 a.m.-noon Home this week — N. Y. Herald Tribune’s John Crosby predicting “it should be a whale of a show on every count.” Variety’s George Rosen declared show is on “plus side,” should pay off investment of $1,000,000 promotion and $200,000 in equipment, though cautioning against being “too talkie-talkie.” Times’ Jack Gould was a little more reserved, saying show is almost certain to be commercially successful but judgment on its quality should be reserved until more time has elapsed . . . Rybutol to sponsor The Goldbergs as summer replacement for Bishop Sheen’s Life Is Worth Living, on DuMont, Tue. 8-8:30 p.m., thru BBDO . . . Falstaff Beer to sponsor baseball “game of the week” on 60 stations on ABC-TV, thru Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample; some 60 other stations are expected to pick it up on co-op basis . . . American Safety Razor Co. replaces Carter Products as alt. -week sponsor (with Gruen watches) of Walter Winchell simulcast on ABC Sun. 9-9:15 p.m., thru McCannErickson . . . General Foods (Instant Jello) buys 3 partic. on Pinky Lee Show on NBC-TV, Mon.-thru-Fri. 5-5:30 p.m., thru Young & Rubicam . . . Hazel Bishop (cosmetics) drops Peter Potter Show on ABC-TV, substitutes Dr. I.Q. Sun. 9:30-10 p.m., thru Raymond Spector Co. . . . Kent cigarettes buys Father Knows Best from Screen Gems for showing on unidentified network this fall, thru Young & Rubicam . . . Campbell Soup Co. drops Campbell Soundstage on NBC-TV Fri. 9:30-10 p.m. but retains time for replacement in fall . . . Arthur Murray drops Arthur Murray Party on NBC-TV Mon. 7 :30-7 :45 p.m. “The bashful stage of the courtship is over, and Hollywood and TV are ‘going steady.’ ” So said pioneer moviemaker Sam Goldwyn in interview in March 5 U. S. News & World Report. As one phase of “gx’owing interrelationship of motion pictures and TV,” he pointed to pay-as-yousee TV, which he said is inevitable. “With paid TV, Hollywood could take in more money in one night than they can now in 6 months.” Asked if studios will sell old pictures to TV, he replied that good old films can be shown over and over in theatres — to a new audience every 10 years. He said movie industry is making comeback because it is producing better pictures. “You will find that the public would rather pay more money and be entertained than stay at home and see some mediocre TV for nothing.” He added TV is now having some of the troubles which caused movie box office doldrums — poor programs which drive people from their sets, just as mediocre films drove customers from the movies. TV, he declared, was only one of the factors in the movies’ slump. However, Spyros Skouras, pres, of 20th CenturyFox, took different view in press interview March 3. Asked what impact TV has had on films, he replied: “Impact? It’s knocked hell out of us already,” but he said movies have passed TV crisis and are now overcoming it. Britons will have to pay more for privilege of owning TV set beginning in June. Postmaster General Earl De La Warr told House of Lords March 2, annual license fee would be raised from £2 ($5.60) to £3 ($8.40) to keep BBC from going broke and to provide nest-egg for new commercial TV system. N. Y. State Board of Regents this week informed Gov. Dewey it objected to his bill for opei-ation of state’s educational TV channels by private, non-profit corporations (Vol. 10:6). Focal point of objection was provision banning “political” broadcasts, which board contended was too broad in scope and would prevent controversial programs.