Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1954)

5 Personal Notes: Slocum (Buzz) Chapin, ABC-TV v.p. , & director of networks, takes over sales functions of I Alexander Stronach Jr., who resigned last week in drastic reorganization (Vol. 10:39). Stronach’s successor, an executive outside network, is due to be named next week. Charles Mortimer has been placed in charge of program production, Richard DePew program operations, both reporting to new program director Robert F. Lewine . . . Jack Gould returned to New York Times this week as TVradio editor after 2 months with CBS as information advisor, saying situation is “amicable all the way around” . . . Dale Ackers assumes duties of gen. mgr. of KBRCTV, Abilene, Tex., of which he is also pres., succeeding Howard Barrett, resigned; Barrett owns 20% of recent grantee KBST-TV, Big Spring, Tex. . . . Ernest Lee Jahncke Jr., v.p. & asst, to pres., designated ABC-TV rep on NARTB board . . . Harry LeBrun resigns as asst. gen. mgr. of WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, to become asst, to Robert Boulware, mgr. of WLWT, Cincinnati, in charge of sales dept. ... Jim Eskilson appointed production mgr., Ray Dietrich film & public events mgr., KEYT, Santa Barbara, Cal. . . . Charles Norwood, ex-WNHC-TV, named news & special '• events director, WGTH-TV, Hartford . . . Gerald Marens, * ex-WEWS, Cleveland, named production mgr. of educa^ tional KQED, San Francisco; Robert Katz, ex-film workshop director of California School of Fine Arts, named film director . . . Glenn Nickell, ex-KFIR, North Bend, Ore., named commercial mgr., KVAL-TV, Eugene, Ore. . . . John H. Battison, ex-WGLV, Easton, Pa. and the Voice of America, appointed gen. mgr. of upcoming CHCT-TV, Calgary . . . Donald G. LeBlanc, ex-radio CHNS, Halifax, N.S., appointed commercial mgr. of CBC’s CBHT, same city, due on air by Xmas . . . Garrett E. Hollihan, ex-KGO, San Francisco & onetime TV-radio director of Brisacher, Wheeler & Staff, named to new post of ABC Radio west coast sales mgr., San Francisco . . . .lames L. Howe, WCTC, New Brunswick, N. J. & WIRA, Ft. Pierce, Fla., named chairman of NARTB’s AM committee; Ben Strouse, WWDC-FM, Washington, named chairman of FM committee . . . Joseph A. Jenkins, ex-NBC & RCA, named program director, WTVN-TV, Columbus, 0. . . . Wayne Oliver, of AP New York staff, will devote full time to TVradio coverage starting next month when Charles E. Butterfield retires after covering broadcasting industry for 27 years . . . Ellison Stambaugh, ex-KCBD-TV, Lubbock, named production mgr. of new KTVX, Muskogee, Okla. ; Albert A. (Bus) Dory, ex-KCBD-TV, film mgr.; Jack Morris promoted from radio KTUL, Tulsa, to news director . . . Lyle B. Hill named TV-radio mgr., Dancer-FitzgeraldSample, replacing David B. Graham, resigned . . . Storrs Haynes rejoins Compton Adv. as TV-radio v.p. after 6 years in McCann-Erickson TV-radio dept. . . . Frank L. North, ex-CBS Spot Sales, named asst. mgr. of CampbellEwald TV-radio dept. . . . Havis Medwick, ex-Foote, Cone & Belding, named business mgr. of Ruthrauff & Ryan TVradio dept. . . . Lawrence E. Sisson, ex-ABC-TV, and Virginia Anne Tardy, ex-WVEC-TV, Hampton, Va., join TVradio dept., N. W. Ayer, N. Y. . . . Harry Wayne McMahan, McCann-Erickson TV-radio v.p., is author of new book. The Television Commercial, published by Hastings House. Ben S. Fisher, 64, partner in Washington communications law firm of Fisher, Wayland, Duvall & Southmayd, died of cancer Sept. 30 at Doctors Hospital, Washington. A native of Portland, Ore., where he was district attorney from 1920 to 1924, he served as FCC asst. gen. counsel from 1930 to 1935, when he entered private practice. He was chairman of American Bar Assn, communications committee at time of death, and was past pres, of Federal Communications Bar Assn. ■ Bert Lytell, 69, veteran actor of all dramatic media, died in N. Y. Sept. 28 after series of operations. Communists in TV-radio and the press are “still dangerously active,” writes FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in Oct. American Magazine, citing this case: “All the programs broadcast by a big TV station in a southern city are under the direction of a man with a record of communist activity stretching back for more than 10 years. A former labor agitator in the north, a leader in redfront organizations and political campaigns, this individual gave up his open party affiliations when he moved south and went to work for the TV station. To most of his fellow townsmen he appears to be a patriotic citizen. But the front he puts up is a sham. He still has secret ' ties with the Party, and a small communist club comprised of local professional people meets regularly in his home. He is too cagey to put any outright red pi’opat ganda on the air, but [he] is in a position where, by the » mere choice of the material he uses, and the emphasis or i, lack of emphasis he places on it, he can subtly shape attitudes in a large audience.” FCC officials said they (I hadn’t read the article, and FBI hadn’t called case to )i their attention. Subscription TV is still insignificant as far as RCA is '•i concerned, pres. Frank Folsom told Investment Analysts <»l Society during question period after talk last week (Vol. F 10:39). “I don’t believe it’s a development that has any *1 importance as far as we’re concerned,” he said, though he » I noted that company had done technical research on it. Fol! som took same attitude expressed at some length by RCA •| chairman David f arnoff in NARTB convention speech last • I year (Vol. 9:18). i Signs of the times: It’s TV-radio dept, at Kenyon A witness testified he saw Edward Lamb give contributions totaling $7 to Communist Party in 1938 & 1940 — and Russell Brown, attorney for the Toledo broadcasterpublisher promised to prove the witness was “paid and inspired to come down hei’e and perjure himself.” Witness was Ernest Courey, Mercer, Wis. resort owner, 5th to appear for Govt, at FCC hearing on renewal of Lamb’s license for WICU, Erie, Pa. Courey said he joined Communist Party in Toledo as undercover agent for private detective agency, and accompanied party official to Lamb’s office to collect contributions of $5 & $2. Under crossexamination, Courey testified that he had served 6 years of a life sentence in Ohio for second-degree murder, that he had no documents to prove he was ever party member, that he couldn’t recall names of any person other than Lamb he had solicited for funds. Hearings were held Sept. 27 & 28, then recessed to Oct. 1 at request of FCC attorneys because of illness of next witness. Courey was on stand all 3 days, will return to stand Oct. 4 when Lamb attorneys resume cross-examination. Responses to Bryson Bill questionnaires have come from only one-third of nation’s TV-radio stations, which have been asked to return data to NARTB by Oct. 10 on length, chaiacter and program description of beer & wine advertisers. NARTB pres. Harold Fellows requested stations to provide data as quickly as possible, declaring “the urgency attending this particular survey is obvious — inasmuch as we can anticipate government intervention if the indu.stry itself cannot supply the answer sought by the [House Interstate and Foreign Commerce] Committee.” I'heatre Network Television Inc. moved Oct. 1 to new offices at 575 Madison Ave., N. Y., Murray Hill 8-3220.