Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

7 Personal Notes: Frank A. Cowan, asst, director of AT&T Long Lines, wins 1953 Lamme Gold Medal of American Institute of Electrical Engineers in recognition of engineering achievement; it will be awarded June 21 at Pacific general meeting of AIEE in Los Angeles . . . Robert E. Eastman named exec. v.p. and Charles F. Dilcher v.p., John Blair & Co. . . . George B. Storer Jr., managing director of KGBS-TV & KGBS, San Antonio, named v.p. in charge of planning & finance of Storer Broadcasting Co., headquartering at Miami Beach; Bill Michaels succeeds him at San Antonio; James P. Storer and Charles V. McAdam, pres, of McNaught Syndicate, elected to board of Storer Broadcasting Co. . . . Brooke Taylor, program director of WNBK & WTAM, Cleveland, has resigned to resume freelance TV-radio producing; George W. Cyr has been promoted to program mgr. of WNBK, Lawson Doming of WTAM, with Gene Walz as mgr. of continuity acceptance & public affairs . . . James H. Nelson, ex-NBC mgr. of adv. & promotion, appointed staff asst, to pres. Sylvester L. Weaver Jr. . . . John L. Palmer promoted to national sales mgr., KOIN-TV, Portland, Ore. . . . Lawrence H. Rogers, WSAZ-TV, Huntington, W. Va., elected pres., W. Va. Broadcasters Assn. . . . Ray J. Bowley, chief engineer of WPTZ, Philadelphia, assumes combined technical operation of WPTZ with KYW under Westinghouse engineering mgr. Ralph N. Harmon; Sidney V. Stadig, ex-WBZ-TV, becomes his asst., and Thomas T. Ely, from KEX, Portland, becomes asst, chief engineer of WBZ-TV & WBZ under Willard H. Hauser . . . Wilson C. Wearn, partner in Washington consulting engineering firm of Vandivere, Cohen & Weam, is presently on leave of absence to act as asst, to pres. James V. Jolley of new WFBC-TV, Greenville, S. C. . . . W. C. Cothron, exGraybar, appointed director of engineering, WKAQ-TV, San Juan, Puerto Rico . . . Naomi Rector, ex-WPTR, Albany, named asst, program mgr., KFIA-TV, Anchorage, Alaska . . . Arthur B. Hogan, former stockbroker and chairman of Universal Recorders Inc., elected president of Albert Zugsmith Corp., Los Angeles, TV-radio-newspaper brokers . . . David Lowe named acting mgr., Cameron Cornell chief news editor, of news & public affairs, WABD, N. Y. . . . Lynn Cleary, DuMont Network sales dept, business mgr., married this week to Charles A. Christenson, of the Grace Lines; James Caddigan, DuMont program chief, bride’s brother-in-law, was an usher . . . Bob Huber, exWKRC-TV, named program director of upcoming WCET, Cincinnati, educational grantee . . . Charles D. Stevens, ex-mgr, of Chicago office of CBS-TV Film Sales, joins CBS-TV network sales staff . . . L. Mercer Francisco, pres, of Francisco Films, Chicago, elected pres, of American Assn, of Film Producers, comprising non-theatrical film producers . . . Robert Barker, RCA account exec., Kenyon & Eckhardt, elected v.p. . . . Leslie L. Dunier promoted to business mgr., TV-radio dept., Emil Mogul Co. . . . Wm. Burch resigns as Hollywood TV-radio director, Ruthrauff & Ryan . . . Hal Seville, ex-WCAV, named gen. mgr. of radio WHYU, Newport News (to be re-named WACH) and of WACH-TV when and if it resumes telecasting. Judge Justin Miller, retiring NARTB chairman and gen. counsel, was honored at testimonial dinner in Washington’s Mayflower Hotel March 31, attended by about 600 notables in govt, and industry — including at least 150 outof-town network & station executives. Preceding the dinner. Judge Miller was presented with a sci'oll by Vice President Richard M. Nixon, one of 40 of his former law students signing it (he’s former law dean at Duke and USC). Mrs. Miller was jiresented with a Sheffield candelabra by BMI, and NARTB presented the Judge a!id .Mrs. Miller a Chevrolet station wagon. They will make their home at 15.320 Earlham St., Pacific Palisades, Cal. Network Acconnls: Networks go on Daylight Saving Time Sun., April 25, continuing thru Sat., Sept. 25, and NBC-TV explains this means: (1) Program schedules of all NBC-TV stations in DST areas will remain unchanged. (2) All non-interconnected stations will retain program schedules on same local clock hour basis as before DST. (3) Most programs carried on live or kine basis on interconnected stations in Standard Time areas (Mountain Time Zone excepted) will be seen one hour earlier. (4) All interconnected stations in Mountain Time Zone will schedule network programs on clock hour basis, thru quick kine, except for sports and special events programs which will be carried live . . . Trendex rating on General Foods’ 90-min. Rodgers & Hammer stein Show on all 4 networks March 24, polled in 10 cities on overnight basis, showed 66.5 score, indicating program reached 24,000,000 homes, 80,000,000 persons. By networks, ratings were CBS-TV, 33.1; NBC-TV, 25.7; ABC-TV, 5.2 .. . Most sponsors of Show of Shows, says NBC, will continue on summer replacement to be called Saturday Night Revue, Sat. 9-10:30 p.m. for 15 weeks from June 12, with Eddie Albert as m.c., Alan Young & Ben Blue as alternate feature comics; light comedy revue will search for unknown talent . . . Benrus Watch Co., buying 10-min., first sponsor to sign for next edition of Max Liebman’s Show of Shows when it resumes in fall, thru Cecil & Presbrey . . . Toni and 5 Day Deodorant Laboratories (pads) on April 26 take over Tue. 8-8:30 & 8:30-9 p.m. periods, respectively, as summer replacement for Buick-Berle Show on NBC-TV, format of new show undecided as yet; Toni also buys Mon. 7:307 :45 replacement of Arthur Murray Party on NBC-TV . . . Chrysler may carry Stork Club, now local in N. Y. on WNBT, on ABC-TV in the fall. Sat. 10-10:30 p.m., but it isn’t officially announced yet. Marked improvement in commercial practices of some TV programs which prompted complaints 6 months ago (Vol. 9:37,50) were noted by NARTB TV Code director E. H. Bronson in report this week to Washington quarterly meeting of Code Review Board, headed by John E. Fetzer (WKZO-TV, Kalamazoo). Monitoring by board’s staff, he said, has had “salutary effect” and code subscribers responded cooperatively. Referx’ing to group of programs monitored during last 3 months, then monitored again more recently, Bronson said changes recommended by code board had been put into effect by stations and netwoi'ks involved in more than half of cases. In 2-day meeting, Code Review Board also: (1) Conferred with Sen. Bricker (R-0.), Chairman of Senate Commerce Committee, to acquaint him with progress of TV self -regulation. (2) Sent letter to non-subscribers urging their “support in this movement toward continuing improvement of the profession . . .” (3) Adopted resolution expressing appreciation to retiring NARTB chairman Justin Miller for “his leadership and his substantial contribution” to the code. Sen. Edwin C. Johnson (D-Colo.) announced his “final and irrevocable” decision not to run for reelection this year. The outspoken 70-year-old former chairman of Interstate & Foreign Commerce Committee — and now its ranking minority member with keen interest in TV-radio matters — said he had no plans for future, except “to catch up on a lot of little things ... a little golf ... a little fishing ... a little browsing around in the hills of Colorado.” Non-salaried chairman of Western Baseball League, his hobby, he said he wasn’t quitting Senate for any baseball job, as rumored. In reply to question at new.s conference April 2, he said chances that he would l un for govei nor of Colorado were “very dim.” He has served in Senate 18 years.