Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

12 AUGUST 3, 1959 Television Digest PUBLISHED BY TRIANGLE PUBLICATIONS, INC. WALTER H. ANNENBERG, President PUBLICATION OFFICE JAMES T. QUIRK, Business Manager JAMES B. DELEHANTY, Asst. Business Mgr. Box 700, Radnor, Pa. MUrray 8-3940 MERRILL PANITT, Editorial Director HAROLD B. CLEMENKO, Managing Editor DAVID LACHENBRUCH, Associate Editor HAROLD RUSTEN PAUL STONE WASHINGTON BUREAU Wyatt Building Washington 5, D.C. Sterling 3-1755 ALBERT WARREN, Chief WILBUR H. BALDINGER WM. J, McMAHON Jr. MARTIN CODEL Associate Publisher NEW YORK BUREAU 625 Madison Ave. New York 22, N.Y. Plaza 2-0195 CHARLES SINCLAIR WEST COAST BUREAU 6362 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood 28, Cal. Hollywood 5-5210 DAVID KAUFMAN WEEKLY NEWSLETTER TV & AM-FM ADDENDA AM-FM DIRECTORY Published Mondays Published Saturdays Published in January TELEVISION FACTBOOK Published in March & September Copyright 1959, by Triangle Publications, Inc. Personals: Vincent Francis promoted from regional sales mgr. of ABC-TV western TV regional network sales to sales mgr., western div. and moved from San Francisco to Hollywood ABC-TV Center Aug. 1 . . . John P. Frankenfield, WBAL-TV Baltimore production mgr., named program dir. Stanley J. Cole appointed to new post of operations mgr. . . . Rolland Reichert named night mgr., WNBQ & radio WMAQ Chicago, continuing some of his present duties as TV operations mgr., WNBQ . . . Douglas Rodgers, ex-NBC producer-dir., named WNTA-TV program dir. Ray Schwarz, producer-dir., WJRT Flint, Mich., named production mgr. . . . Dr. Armand L. Hunter named director, div. of bcstg. services of Michigan State U.’s WMSB Onondaga-Lansing; Brice H. Howard, ex-NBC-TV producer, succeeds Dr. Hunter as program mgr. of WMSB . . . James Gerity Jr., Gerity Bcstg. Co. & WNEM-TV Bay City, Mich., pres., will resume his position of WNEM-TV gen. mgr.; Tom Matthews, WNEM-TV operations dir., named station mgr.; Russell A. Gohring resigns as v.p.-gen. mgr., WNEM-TV; Harold Stone named operations administrator & production dir., Vincent Collins appointed program administrator & film dir. . . . C. L. (Chuck) Hinkle named station mgr. of KXII Ardmore, Okla., now that Texoma Bcstrs. Inc. (controlled by KWTX-TV Waco, Tex.) has taken over operation (Vol. 15:25) . . . Ron Scott promoted from chief announcer & sales service mgr. to promotion supervisor, WOI-TV Ames, Iowa . . . Fitz Hooton resigns as program dir. of WPSD-TV Paducah, Ky. . . . Paul S. Karr named production dir. of KLOR-TV Provo, Utah. Chuck King, ex-NTA, rejoins MBS as station relations dir.; Ray Diaz, former station relations mgr., named station services & co-operative programs dir.; Frank W. Erwin named to new post of asst, to the pres. . . . Steve McCormick, MBS news dir., named dir. of network’s Washington operation . . . Wendell B. Campbell, ex-v.p. of RKO Teleradio Pictures, named managing dir. of Storer’s radio KPOP Los Angeles . . . Thomas J. Swafiford, ex-WCBS radio sales mgr., named to succeed Joseph T. Connolly as v.p.-gen. mgr. of CBS-owned radio WCAU Philadelphia. After recuperating from recent surgery, Connolly will assume new duties with CBS radio. Frank L. Marx, ABC engineering v.p., elected a dir. of Foto-Video Labs . . . Jerome A. Barnes, program dir. of Springfield TV Bcstg. Corp., appointed to Springfield Mayor’s Commission on Alcoholism . . . R. R. Macgillivray named counsel, W. I). Mills, sec., Canada’s Board of Best. Governors (BBG). Social center for TV-radio executives in N.Y. has been proposed by RTES, now preparing a $500,000 fund drive for the purpose. “Our aim,” says RTES pres. Frank Pellegrin, “is an attractive broadcast executives club with all the facilities to provide services of the highest standards — dining rooms, bars, conference rooms, and viewing rooms.” Proposed as the means of fund raising is a bond issue to be offered to companies in the broadcasting field. Virginia Payne, Ma Perkins heroine, elected pres, of AFTRA; Art Gilmore, Los Angeles, 1st v.p.; Eleanor Engle, Chicago, 2nd v.p.; Walt Williams, St. Louis, 3d v.p.; Evelyn i Freyman, Washington, 4th v.p.; Hal Newell, MinneapolisSt. Paul, 5th v.p.; Jack Chase, Boston, 6th v.p.; Willard i Waterman, Los Angeles, 7th v.p. Richard N. Beaty leaves Washington office of Cahill, Gordon, Reindel & Ohl, dropping practice of law to become partner in Carl M. Loeb, Rhoades & Co. (investments). i A. D. Ring & Associates, consulting radio engineers, | have moved to 1710 H St., N.W., Washington 6. Obituary William Theodore Ditcham, 78, former asst, to the { engineer-in-chief, Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Co., Eng 1 land, died recently. His voice was the first to be transmitted i across the Atlantic by radio when in 1919 he helped to < establish wireless contact between Ballybunnion, Northern i Ireland and Louisburg, Nova Scotia. The following year, i Ditcham and Captain H. J. Round established the world’s i first radio news service. William C. Gittinger, 62, former CBS v.p. and special M asst, to CBS Inc. pres. Frank Stanton, died July 27 in ■ Southold, L.I. He had retired in 1955 but continued to serve " as a consultant. He is survived by his wife, 2 daughters, J a son, a sister and 4 grandchildren. j Robert H. Dellar, 46, FCC engineer, died July 26 at 1 Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, Va. He was a member i of the National Capital Astronomers and an organizer of 4 Washington area “moonwatch” satellite tracking stations. J He is survived by his wife and son. 1 Edward C. Horstman, 51, engineering dir. & business mgr. of educational WQED (Ch. 13) Pittsburgh, drowned j July 31 while swimming in the Allegheny river. TIO Progress Reports: A director of the TV industry’s I new TV Information Organization (TIO), scheduled to be » gin full public relations “image” operations Oct. 1 in N.Y i (Vol. 15:29), may be nominated this week. Three subcommittees (personnel, structure, program) ; of the NAB’s TV information committee will meet sep i arately Aug. 4 in N.Y. to go over applications for the j director’s job and recommendations on programs & finances i The full committee will meet at the Waldorf Astoria. I “No announcements will be made of the subcommittei t actions,” said committee chairman Clair R. McCullougl | (Steinman stations). “But since every member of the ful committee is also a member of a subcommittee, it may b' possible to hold a committee meeting at the end of th' day and take action on subcommittee recommendations. M Target date for appointment of the TIO dir. is Sepi " 15. He will be named by NAB pres. Harold E. Fellows oij the recommendation of Steinman’s committee — subject t approval by NAB’s TV board. a