Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

7 Personal Noles: Norman Knight resigns as mgr. of DuMont’s WABD, N. Y., to accept unidentified station ingr. post “outside New York City”; he’ll be replaced Nov. 15 by George L. BarenBregge, currently sales mgr. of WDTV, Pittsburgh . . . Harold G. Cowgill, ex-v.p.-gen. mgr. of WTVP, Decatur, 111., one-time member of Washington law firm of Segal, Smith & Hennessey, is leadingcontender for job as chief of FCC common carrier bureau, vacant since Jan. 1953 . . . John Derr, CBS Radio sports director, takes over for TV as well in combined unit, reporting to Sig Mickelson, v.p. of news & public affairs . . . Eugene Muriaty, who as Navy officer was adviser on NBCTV’s Victory at Sea series, named adv. mgr., WBZ-TV, Boston . . . Law Epps. ex-WJBF-TV, Augusta, Ga., named sales mgr. of WIS-TV, Columbia, S. C., succeeding Tom F. Daisley, who has resigned to form adv. & consulting service in Columbia . . . Wm. T. Stubblefield, from Washington office, named west coast mgr. of brokers Blackburn-Hamilton, San Fi-ancisco . . . F. E. Fitzsimonds, KFYR, Bismarck, N. D., elected director of NARTB district 11, replacing John F. Meagher, now NARTB radio v.p.; by virtue of title, Fitzsimonds also becomes member of NARTB radio board . . . Ted Cramer promoted from program director of new KTVX, Muskogee, Okla. to station mgr.; John Devine, ex-KCBD, Lubbock, Tex., replaces him . . . Jack Hurford named operations mgr., John Lee studio mgr. of WXYZ-TV, Detroit . . . Claude Ratliff promoted to station mgr. of U of Missouri’s commercial KOMU-TV, Columbia, replacing George Kapel, resigned; Charles D. Sigsbee, production mgr., succeeds Ratliff as program mgr. . . . Brent Kirk, e-x.-W ashing ton Post & Times-Herald, named sales director, KUTV, Salt Lake City . . . Elden Anspach, ex-WREX-TV, Rockford, & WOWT^’, Omaha, named program director of upcoming WTVW, Milwaukee; Carl Zimmermann, ex-radio WEMP, named film director . . . Louis F. Allen, ex-WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, named asst. gen. mgr. of WMUR-TV, Manchester, N. H. . . . Edward Rosenheim Jr. appointed director of U of Chicago Round Table, replacing George E. Probst, now asst. gen. mgr. of upcoming educational WGBH-TV, Boston . . . David B. Graham resigns as TV-radio operations mgr., Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample . . . Lois Win.ston resigns as TV-radio publicity director. Fuller & Smith & Ross, N. Y., to enter TV ad field in Mexico City . . . Joe Csida, one-time Billboard editor who now runs 2 music publish ing houses and a talent management operation — Trinity Music, Towne Music and Csida-Grean, respectively, began “Sponsor Backstage” column in Sept. 20 Sponsor Magazine, will specialize in TV film . . . James McCormick named mgr. of new CBS-TV Film Sales office in Memphis . . . Geo. M . Clark affiliates his rep firm with Walker Co., takes position at Walker N. Y. headquarters . . . Robert S. Jones named TV-radio mgr., Sidney Garfield & Assoc., San Francisco . . . Richard M. Brown, KPOJ, Portland, Ore., named chairman of NARTB membership committee, succeeding Henry B. Clay, KWKH, Shreveport . . . Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith to be honored as “father of TV” at N. Y. testimonial luncheon by National TV Film Council Sept. 30, with Milton Berle as toastmaster and Hazeltine research v.p. Arthur V. Loughren as guest speaker. Clem .1. Randau, 59, long active in broadcasting and publishing, committed suicide Sept. 21 by taking overdose of sleeping pills at his home in Litchfield, Conn. He had suffered stroke several weeks ago. He formerly owned 54% of KXOB, Stockton, Cal. and 4.12% of WNEW, N. Y. when both were TV applicants. He had also served -with WJJD, Chicago; KOIN, Portland, Ore.; KFBI, Wichita; KJR, Seattle; old WSAI, Cincinnati. He was a former v.p. of United Press and business mgr. of old Chicago Sun and recently purchased weekly Litchfield Enquirer. Edward Klauber, 67, retired CBS exec. v.p. and chairman of its exec, committee who was instrumental in formulating program standards which led to adoption of NAB code in 1938, died Sept. 23 of heart ailment in N. Y. Hospital. A former night city editor of New York Times, he joined CBS in 1930 as v.p. & asst, to then pres. Wm. S. Paley, was pi’omoted to exec. v.p. following year, was elected a director in 1937 and chairman of its exec, committee in 1942. He retired because of ill health in 1943 but shortly thereafter joined Office of War Information as assoc, director under Elmer Davis, whom he previously brought into CBS, as well as many other outstanding newsmen, such as Edward R. Murrow. He was also a founder of BMI. ■ James M. Cecil, 63, chaii’man of Cecil & Presbrey, died Sept. 17 at his home in Mill Neck, Long Island, after brief illness. Sweeping shake-up at ABC-TV this week resulted in resignations of 9 officials and consolidation of TV-radio functions in news & special events, sales development & research, and adv. & publicity depts. Alexander Stronach Jr., v.p. in charge of TV network, resigned, along with TV program v.p. Charles Underhill and his asst. Charles Holden; TV public affairs director John Pacey; TV adv. director Mitchell DeGroot; station relations mgr. William Wylie; asst, national sales mgr. William Materne; Donald G. Buck, operations director of sales & station traffic; chief accountant Walter C. Tepper. Pres. Robert Kintner offered no explanation of wholesale shifts, other than to say that consolidation had been under discussion for some time and that “certain people were found more qualified than others.” -John Daly, v.p., heads combined TV-iadio news & special events dept.; Thomas Velotta is promoted to v.p. & administrative officer under Daly; Don Durgin promoted to director of combined sales development & research dept.. Gene Accas to head new adv. & publicity dept. Robert F. Lewine, eastern program director for TV, promoted to director of TV program dept. Stronach’s replacement hasn’t been chosen. In addition, combined station relations dept, is split up, with .Alfred Beckman handling TV and Charles VV’. Godwin radio, both rejmrting to v.p. Ernest Lee Jahneke. Lease of WILS-TV, Lansing, Mich. (Ch. 54) to Inland TV Co., headed by Thomas B. Shull, NBC film div., Chicago (Vol. 10:36), was approved by FCC Sept. 22. Under terms of assignment, Shull group leases station from Pomeroy family for $5000 a month, has option to buy for $166,254 at end of two years. WILS-TV holds 40% of Ch. 10 apl)lication for Parma-Onondaga, Mich., recently amended to share time with Mich. State College. Also approved this week was General Teleradio’s $260,000 sale of WEAN, Providence (5-kw 790 kc, MBS) to Providence Journal Co. Preliminary study for Bricker probe of networks and vhf-uhf problems swung into high gear this week as Harry Plotkin officially took post as minority counsel. Majority counsel Robert F. Jones took office Sept. 1. Staff level work will be coordinated by Commerce Committee communications counsel Nick Zapple. One of staff’s first actions will be to request large amount of basic data and information from FCC. Letter to Commission has already been prepared, now awaits signature of Committee Chairman Bricker (R-0.). Eric A. Johnston signs new contract to continue as pres, of Motion Picture Assn, of America through Oct. 15, 1961, with an added $5(),0(){) for exi)eiises to his rei)uted salary of $1UU,U0U a year, scotching rumors that post might go to Gov. Thomas A. Dewey.