Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

9 Telecasting Notes: “ Farm TV is on the rise,” says Sept. 25 Tide Magazine on basis of own “farm county” set count projected from NBC & CBS-Nielsen receiver censuses. Best farm TV bets, according to Tide: Midwest — Ohio, where 38 of the 53 farm counties have TV saturation of 60% or more; Indiana, where 29 of 67 farm counties have at least 60% and another 25 have 40-60%. Southeast— Delaware’s 2 fai-m counties and 13 of Maryland’s 17 have saturation of more than 60% ; 46 of Virginia’s 82 have better than 40% . . . When do farm families watch TV? Tide quotes subscriber survey by Farm & Ranch of TV-owning farm families, showing that of those who do have TV, 48% watch in morning, 68% in afternoon, 98% at night. Of all subscribers responding to survey, 75% didn’t have TV and 68% didn’t plan to buy one within year . . . Hollywood is booming as network TV center, notes roundup story in Hollywood Daily Variety: NBC-TV’s Hollj'W'ood originations this season will increase 125% over last, or 25 more broadcasts per week, with number of filmed shows rising from 12 to 17 ; CBS-TV Avill originate 16 filmed shows and 10 live from Hollywood weekly, as opposed to 11 & 10 last season; ABC-TV will be same as last season with 7 film, 2 live . . . How big is TV film? Pres. Milton Gordon of Television Programs of America Inc. says his company has produced and sold 6 program series in aggregate total of 880 mai-kets during its first year, or total of 70,000 half-hours of programming — for gross of $9,000,000 by end of 1954 — “and just one year ago we didn’t have a pencil or a desk” . . . Looking to TV, both political parties in New York state chose convention cities w'here there were plenty of TV facilities — the Demo crats New York, Republicans Syracuse — but when conventions were held this week, no stations carried them live . . . Walt Disney, producer of Disneyland for ABC-TV, ending theatrical film ties with RKO, to distribute all future films in U. S. and abroad through wholly owned subsidiaries . . . Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, named a judge for 4th annual McCall's awards to women in radio & TV, along with Mrs. Doris Corwith, ABC supervisor of public affairs programs; Sigurd S. Larmon, pres.. Young & Rubicam; Mrs. Mai-guerite Rawalt, pres.. National Federation of Business & Professional Women’s Clubs; Otis Lee Wiese, McCall’s editor & publisher . . . Andy Devine takes over for the late “Smilin’ Ed” McConnell in continuation of popular 5-year-old children’s film series produced by Frank Ferrin on ABC-TV for Buster Brown shoes, format unchanged . . . No kidding — Reading to Read By is name of new WNBT early morning program Mon.-Fri. 1-1:15 a.m. beginning Sept. 27, comprising selections from works of world’s great writers read by Tex Antoine while text of selection is shown on screen . . . Teleprompter National Sales Corp. moves N. Y. office to 300 W. 43rd St., Judson 2-3800 . . . U.N. General Assembly meetings being carried live by CBC-TV daily Mon.-Fri. . . . Rate Increases: WTOP-TV, Washington, raises Class A Group I hour from $1250 to $1500, 20 sec. from $225 to $300; WGN-TV, Chicago, base hour from $1320 to $1500, min. $200 to $310; WTWO, Bangor, from $200 to $250 & $40 to $50; WFIE, Evansville, Ind., $200 to $250 & $40 to $50; KVTV, Sioux City, $260 to $300 & $52 to $60; KIDTV, Idaho Falls, $150 to $175; KOPO-TV, Tucson, $225 to $250; CBLT. Toronto, Ont., $800 to $900. Network Accounts: Gillette’s sponsorship of World Series on NBC-TV starting Sept. 29, beginning at 12:45 p.m., will be on 155 stations in 150 cities in all 48 states, plus 8 cities in Canada. It represents investment of $1,750,000 for rights and time. Five states and 50 cities will see series for first time on TV. Agency is Maxon . . . NBCTV’ discloses time sales of $450,000 for Steve Allen’s upcoming Tonight starting Sept. 27, Mon.-thru-Fri. 11:30 p.m.-l a.m., latest sponsors being Peerless Electric (Broilquik), 39 partic., thru Hicks & Greist; Helene Curtis (cosmetics), 39 partic., thru Earl Ludgin Inc., Chicago . . . Corning Glass, in network debut, buys 13 partic. on NBCTV’s Home, 11 a.m. -noon, thru Maxon Inc.; Cameo Curtains buys 6 partic., thru Friend-Reiss-McGlone, N. Y. . . . L&M cigarettes to sponsor Perry Como Show on CBS-TV starting Sept. 27, Mon.-Wed.-Fri. 7:45-8 p.m., thru Cunningham & Walsh . . . Borden’s Instant Coffee buys Mon.VV’ed.-Fri. segments of Time to Live on NBC-TV, Mon.thru-Fri. 10:30-10:45 a.m., thru Young & Rubicam . . . AC Spark Plugs to be alt. sponsor (with Lever Bros.) of Big Town on NBC-TV starting Oct. 6, Wed. 10:30-11 p.m., thru D. P. Brother Co., Detroit . . . Pharmaceuticals Inc., which sponsored One Minute Please on DuMont during summer, Fri. 9-9:30 p.m., continues sponsorship on yearround basis, thru Edward Kletter Assoc. . . . Speedway Petroleum Corp., Detroit (Speedway 79 gasoline) to cosponsor (with Goebel Brewing Co.) Detroit Lions’ road games (except with Green Bay) on DuMont, thru W. B. Doner & Co. Religious programs on TV-radio can be improved to attract “the millions who remain outside the life of the church,” some 60 Protestant ministers were told I’ecently by Marilyn Kaemmerle, NBC Radio supervisor of religious programs, at NBC-sponsored clinic. She suggested more original drama with religious themes; use of religious humorists; commissioning of composers to write religious music; more extensive placement of clergymen on panel shows and other secular programs. Angry slap at TV’ set makers for the quality, quantity and servicing of uhf convertei-s and receivers was administered this week by pres. Walter Reade Jr. of uhf WRTV, Asbury Pai’k, in letter to 13 top receiver manufacturers. In Asbury Park area, Reade wrote, he found “a very, very definite sparsity of sets equipped to receive uhf ... As a matter of fact, most of your dealers have no uhf sets and tell their customers (and our potential listeners) that it will be many months before they can serve them.” As to converters supplied by the set makers, Reade charged they are “admittedly inefficient, and in many cases inoperative.” He added: “This equipment, which in theory is to receive our signal under all normal conditions, is so badly engineered that it takes the optimum conditions of installation to bring in a satisfactory signal.” He lashed out, too, at manufacturers’ service organizations as “badly trained, ill-prepared, disinterested and generally lethargic.” Chapter X bankruptcy hearing for Ozark TV Corp., permittee of KACY, Festus-St. Louis, has been scheduled for Sept. 30 at St. Louis Federal court. KACY is one of 2 St. Louis area uhf outlets to leave air because of financial troubles, a third — WTVI, Belleville, 111. — remaining. Ozark trustee James E. Darst, in report filed with court, said efforts to formulate reorganization plan met with failure because he “found no active interest on the part of qualified businessmen or investors in undertaking the operation of a TV station on an ultra high frequency channel.” Arc Communist candidates barred from broadcasting? FCC isnt sure, has asked Justice Dept, for interpretation, FCC Comr. Robert E. Lee told meeting of public relations men in Washington this week. He said recent outlawing of Communist Party leaves question clouded but that he’s personally satisfied Communi.sts have “lost the right to broadcast time.” Ra\liu-uti d<>iiul«-d microwave relay equipment last week to grantee Lowell Institute for upcoming educational WGBH-TV, Boston.