Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1948)

To stimulate lagg^is-j local TV set tales, Wa^fiirffton Star's WMAL (operatlTi^ WMAL-TV), with local radio dealers’ full blessing, is broadcasting up to 20 spot announcements daily, unspcnsored, prepared by own staff, quoting industry auth: cities telling public why they shouldn’t delay buying TV sets. Though sales are in midsummer slump, TV cens'cs of Aug. 1 by local station committee came up with 15..500 count for nation’s capital. Add new TV network sponsors: Bates Fabrics Inc. (textiles) starts “Girl About Town’’ on NBC with Kyle MacDonnell Wed., Sept. 8, 8-8:20 p.m., 62 weeks, thru James P. Sawyer Inc. . . . Mary Margaret McBride goes on NBC Tues., Sept. 21, 9-9:50 p.m., 13 weeks, participations thus far including Sherwin-Williams, Proctor Electric, Sylvania, Infl S2~er, Holmes & Edwards, Sunshine Biscuit — all thru Newell Emmett Co. . . . ABC makes “Break the Bank’’ simultazeous AM-TV show Fri., Oct. 22, 9-9:30 p.m., 52 weeks, wi:h Bristol-Myers sponsor, Doherty, Clifford & Schenfield agency . . . ABC has signed sponsor, reportedly a safe corirany, for “Quizing the News.” Add new TV station sponsors: Lee Hat Co., Disney Hats Div., starts Sun., Sept. 5, 10-min. film “NBC News Review of the Week” on aU TV stations, thru Grey Adv. Agency . . . Macy’s Depn Store to use spots starting Sept. 6 on all 6 New York area stations . . . WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, has sold spot scheiules to Soerems Motor Co., Hixon’s (women’s apparel), Oswald Jaeger Baking Co., Charles Coplin (furs), laner 3 on Nancy Grey’s “What’fe News?” program . . . W?TZ, Philadelphia, with 55 current commercial accounts, claims it has more sponsors than any other TV station, reports latest as J. Lichterman (furs) sponsoring World Video’s weekly film “Paris Cavalcade of Fashion.” Fite nite on TV may be in for tough sledding if recent developments are any criterion. CBS can’t telecast Charles-Bivins Sept. 13 Washington bout within 75 miles of capital (that includes Belumore). In Philadelphia, crying wolf. Promoter Hennnn Taylor won’t stage fights at Philadelphia Arena, ownec by Philadelphia Inquirer whose WFIL-TV has TV rights nt all its events. In New York, Promoter Andy Neiderreitar vowed “no television” for the double-header Zale-Cerden, Lesnevich-Walcott fights in Jersey City in September. If trend continues, TV’s saloon set will really be crying in its beer. Long smouldering gripe against TV manufacturers’ servicing practices came t: head this week when Philadelphia Radio Servicemen’s Assn, (and 8 independent servicemen) filed anti-monopoly suit against RCA Service Co. They ask U. S. District C:urt to force RCA to permit installation and servicing cf its TV sets by any service organization. Present RCA set sales contracts include exclusive RCA servicing pr;vision. Also asked is $210,000 triple damages. RCA pos:h:u is that installation and servicing of TV sets necessiu-tcs skill far above abilities of average local servicemar_ Notes about industry personnel: RCA Princeton labs’ Ray D. Kell, TV research chief, wins 1948 Stuart Ballantine Medal of Franklin lusuitute for pioneering work in TV . . . Henry Grossmaz. CBS director of broadcast operations, names Robert G. rhtmpson manager of network technical operations, Johz D. Gilbert assistant manager . . . Robin D. Compton, ez-'^'C.^U-TV, recently a consultant, named technical dire:* r -,f Bamberger’s now-building WOlC, Washington . . . N-. B names Forney A. Rankin, from State Dept., advis.r international radio. CBS has acquired 26 12-n’z. Pirns featuring Vienna Philharmonic, to be televised Lr. i.*.umn and syndicated to other stations, reports Aug. 21 ’.I. "ion Picture Herald. Tightened multiple ownership rules, proposed by FCC this week, would establish 7 AM stations as limit controlled by any one entity, 14 as limit in which less-than-control interest can be held by any one entity, with specified gradation in between. Parallel figures for FM would be 6 and 12; for TV, 5 and 10. Major outfits affected are CBS (controls 7, owns 45% of another) and Paramount-DuMont, latter already ensnarled in Commission’s present rules. Briefs can be filed until 55ept. 27, If rule goes into effect, organizations have until Jan. 1, 1953 to comply. If you want copy of notice (48-1968) we’ll get it for you. Faces were red around FCC when NAB counsel Don Petty, for one, pointed out that Section 316, under which Commission proposed to rule out giveaway programs (Vol. 4:32), had been pulled out of Communications Act by Congress and put into Criminal Code (Sec. 1304). Section goes into Code, under Department of Justice, Sept. 1, according to provisions of Public Law 772, 80th Congress, enacted June 25, 1948. Harness subcommittee investigating FCC also needled FCC with letter asking, in effect, “What the hell?” Subcommittee, incidentally, plans to get down to meat of its probe — how FCC grants licenses to whom — in September hearings. Other media will be enhanced rather than hurt by TV, ventures Mutual v.p. E. P. H. (Jimmy) James in Aug. 13 Printers’ Ink. He draw’s parallel with radio, concludes: “. . . the time has not yet come to throw up our hands about everj’thing else, and I doubt if it ever will. ... A few shins wall be barked and a few noses will be put out of joint in the process, but I feel very confident that television will prove to be a tide in the affairs of advertising men which will assuredly lead on to fortune.” . From showman Billy Rose’s “Pitching Horseshoes” column of Aug. 18: “Since we got^ the^ television, Eleanor 5 and I have practically stopped going to the local picture house. Every night we see a bum movie on the television, and usually it’s as good as the bum ones Hollywood still wants to charge admission for, I may be wrong, but it’s my hunch that the time isn’t far off when the studios will have a heck of a time selling anything but a first-rate picture . . .” Symptom of TV health is increased number and kinds of surveys by ad agencies. Lennen & Mitchell, itself apparently taken somew’hat aback by its own findings, let out all stops in urging clients to corner choice time even at current time rates. It points to phenomenal sponsor identification, notes how top aural show’s lose at least half of T\’-equipped listeners, etc. Another survey, by CramerKrasselt, Milw’aukee, compares interestingly with its February study when WTMJ-TV had been on air only 6 w’eeks. It shows sponsor identification still high (top show went from 100% to 88.8%), though novelty stage is pretty well gone and set census is now 3,780, up from February’s 950. “Live cash” telecast was unusual stunt pulled by WCAU-TV, Philadelphia. After clearing with Washington, station had Secret Service man show viewers how’ to compare phonej* and authentic bills. Station reports program piqued curiosity of viewers, number of whom phoned in questioning legality; apparently, TV is only medium permitted to picture frogskins since no permanent record is made. Cooler TV’ studios, with no spot over 74 degrees, are being achieved by V\’CBS-TV through use of movie techniq'.:es. Fewer lights, greater flexibility and control are responsible — no new gadgets involved. Credit goes to CBS’s George Stoetzel, who has worked on such films as “House on 92nd St.,” “Miracle on 34th St.,” “Boomerang” and “March of Time.” He went to TV technicians first, found out what camera tube could do, worked out problems.