Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

7 Network Accounts: DuMont signs 12 new clients, in cluding several regional sponsors, representing more than $4,000,000 in gross time sales: Consolidated Cosmetics Inc. (Lanolin-Plus shampoo) for They Stand Accused, houi-long weekly drama series on time and date to be announced, thru Frank E. Duggan Adv., Chicago; Miller Brewing Co. & Atlantic Refining Co., All-Star football game Fri. Aug. 13, from 9:30 p.m., thru Mathisson & Assoc., Milwaukee, & N. W. Ayer; Hamm Brewery & Drewys Ltd. U.S.A. Inc., Greatest Football Plays of the Week, starting Sept. 30, thru Campbell-Mithun Inc. & MacFarland, Aveyard & Co., Chicago; Brewing Co. of America, Cleveland Browns’ games, thru Lang, Fisher & Stashower, Cleveland; Atlantic Refining Co. & Chevrolet Dealers Assn., Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers & N. Y. Giants games; Plymouth Motors, for special Thanksgiving Day game between Detroit Lions & Green Bay Packers, thru N. W. Ayer; Vitamin Corp. of America (Calometric weight reducer) & M-G-M as partic. sponsors of Paul Dixon Show, starting Aug. 2, Mon.-Wed.-Fri. 3-4 p.m., thru BBDO & Donahue & Coe; Walter H. Johnson Candy Co. (Power House candy), for Captain Video, starting Oct. 7, Thu. 7-7:15 p.m., thru Franklin Bruck Adv. In addition, an unidentified client bought Tue. 9-9:30 p.m. time period for mystery show starting Sept. 14 . . . Bishop Sheen quoted as saying he hopes sponsor Admiral will not carry out plan to limit his Life Is Worth Living on DuMont to 63 stations live, rather than 179 live and film used last year; neither Admiral nor DuMont would comment . . . Format shakeup of CBS-TV’s 7-9 a.m. Morning Show, which has attracted only 9 partic. sponsors (4 currently) in 4 months on air, will place greater emphasis on entertainment rather than news, as reflected in replacement of newsman Walter Cronkite with comedian Jack Telecasting Notes: TV film prices should be based on fixed percentage of individual station’s rate card for the time segment when the films are used. This, says WFILTV gen. mgr. Roger W. Clipp, would have effect of stabilizing both prices and stations’ film-buying methods. Currently, TV film series are offered at prices ranging from 50% below to 300% above station rate cards for the period in which they are played, he said . . . Clipp proposal brought immediate retort from TV film industry spokesmen as “pulled out of thin air,” ignoring cost of producing the film program and bound to cause confusion and pandemonium in TV film industry. They said film prices must reflect cost of production, can’t be standardized or pinned to the time charges of stations that use them . . . Reverse twist: Matty Fox’s Motion Pictures for TV Inc. now preparing to go heavily into theatrical film production — its first movie. Operation Manhunt, due for release soon by United Artists. Strangely, MPTV’s 2 big theatrical properties were both results of contact made while filming TV interview with former Soviet Embassy code clerk Igor Gouzenko who exposed Canadian spy ring; first movie deals with Gouzenko’s experiences, second will be based on his widely acclaimed first novel. Fall of a Titan. Fox is reported looking for other movie properties . . . Biggest draws at night clubs and theatres now are TV stars — “worth their weight in gold at boxoffices,” reports Hollywood columnist Ha! Humphrey. “A performer connected with almost any of the top TV shows can demand fabulous dough [and] draw sell-out crowds.” He cites My Little Margie’s Gale Storm at Dallas State Fair and her $12,000-a-week booking for 3 weeks in Las Vegas, Private Secretary’s Ann Sothern at $20,000 a week in Las Vegas and a booking at Chicago’s Chez Paree, I Married .Joan’s Jim Backus in successes in San Diego and Madison, Hit Parade’s Dorothy Collins at Las Vegas, and of course Paar as m.c. . . . Pontiac to sponsor Red Buttons Show on NBC-TV in fall, Fri. 8-8:30 p.m., replacing Dave Garroway Show, thru MacManus, John & Adams . . . BristolMyers to sponsor Honestly Celeste, starring Celeste Holm, on CBS-TV starting in fall. Sun. 9-9:30 p.m., thru Young & Rubicam . . . Pet Milk to be co-sponsor (with Johnson’s Wax) of Life with Father on CBS-TV in fall, Tue. 1010:30 p.m., and (with Armour Co.) of George Gobel Show on NBC-TV, Sat. 10-10:30 p.m., thru Gardner Adv., St. Louis . . . Quality Jewelers of America to be alt. sponsor (with Exquisite Form Brassieres Inc.) of Stop the Music on ABC-TV starting Sept. 7, Tue. 10:30-11 p.m., thru Grey Adv. . . . Remington Rand and Esquire Shoe Polish to be alt. sponsors of Masquerade Party on CBS-TV starting Sept. 29, thru Young & Rubicam & Emil Mogul Inc. . . . Sterling Drug Co. to sponsor as yet untitled mystery show on ABC-TV in fall, Fri. 9:30-10 p.m., thru DancerFitzgerald-Sample ... 5 new sponsors on NBC-TV’s Today, Mon.-thru-Fri. 7-9 a.m.: Grove Laboratories (Fitch shampoo), 78 partic., thru Harry B. Cohen Adv.; Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 17 partic., thru McCann-Erickson; American Express Co., 15 partic., thru Benton & Bowles; Prince-Gardner Co. (billfolds), 12 partic., thru Grey Adv.; Campbell Soup Co., 5 partic., thru Grey Adv. Biggest hookup to date, with 310 stations on 4 networks, surpassing the 235 used on General Foods’ Rodgers & Hammerstein extravaganza last spring (Vol. 10:14), is assured for special 2-hour electrical industry program Sun. Oct. 24 from 9-11 p.m., marking 75th anniversary of Edison’s invention of electric light. Sponsored by Light’s Diamond Jubilee Committee, thru N. W. Ayer & Son, program will mark TV production debut of David 0. Selznick, is expected to attract top-rung entertainers. Lucille Ball-Dezi Arnaz in their hit movie The Long, Long Trailer . . . Australian films used in U. S. telecasts have doubled in year, most of them documentaries made by Dept, of Interior, reports Australian News & Information Bureau . . . Ziv-TV to open offices in Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, possibly other European cities, sends Edward Stern, pres, of international div. over on survey . . . Westbrook Pegler does 2-series yap at Peabody Awards in columns this week based largely on “expose” by Jack Lait Jr., TVradio editor, Los Angeles Examiner. “By careless common consent, Peabody Award is respected,” is essence of complaint, which sees “leftist” significance in fact that Ed Murrow and Elmer Davis each won it 3 times, other winners including Cecil Brown, Raymond Gram Swing, Wm. Shirer, Eric Sevareid, Martin Agronsky, Charles Collingwood, Paul White, Chet Huntley, Gerald W. Johnson. Our prediction: Peabody Awards will outlast both Messrs. Pegler and Lait, as will the reputations of winners . . . “CBS brass winces at each new headline” about Arthur Godfrey, reports July 21 Variety, noting that none of Godfrey’s shows is among top 10 in latest Nielsen ratings and that the continuing “newspaper notoriety” may have been a contributing factor; June 12 Nielsen rates Talent Scouts 11th (it was No. 2 for several years), Arthur Godfrey & His Friends 32nd . . . Atlanta’s WSB-TV & WSB about to begin construction of new $1,500,000 home, whose architecture will typify charm and dignity of Old South; Austin Co. is builder of structure on Peachtree St., which will include 50x75-ft. & 40x50-ft. studios and all modern TV-radio appurtenances . . . Helen Traubel, the opera star with flair for comedy and musical satire, signs exclusive CBS-TV contract. Power increases: WAAM, Baltimore, July 12, to 316kw ERP; WABI-TV, Bangor, due to go to 30-kw ERP Aug. 4.