Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1952)

10 Telecasting Notes: Costs-per-thousand sets for placement of 20-second film spots are tabulated by Assn, of National Advertisers 285 Madison Ave., N. Y., and copy is available for $1 ; table shows range from $775 per spot, or 28c per thousand, on New York’s top-priced stations WGBS-TV & WNBT ($4500 per hour) down to $20 per spot, or $1.54 per thousand, on Albuquerque’s KOB-TV. Note: You can make your own analysis of basic TV charges for all time segments from the digests of rate cards of all 109 stations which will be carried in our TV Factbook No. 15 of July 15, 1952, due off presses in about week . . . Daytime TV viewing by women in New York area now averages 13 hours a week per viewer, as against 10 hours year ago. according to WCBS-TV gen. mgr. Craig Lawrence; he says weekday daytime viewing by women totals nearly 15,000,000 hours a week, and number of N. Y. women viewers has increased from 928,250 year ago to 1,148,928 . . . CBS-TV is segmenting its high-budgeted ($66,000 weekly for talent) hour-long Jackie Gleason show into thirds, rather than traditional 15 or 30-min., and offering it thus to sponsors with opening & closing credits for all 3 . . . The Teleprompter, gadget that permits speakers to read their lines without seeming to do so, won its spurs in big way at GOP convention this week; no secret about how it operates, either, for TV viewers could occasionally see it in front of speakers’ rostrum and were told about it several times by admiring commentators . . . As if GOP convention news weren’t hot enough, NBC-TV cut into its Chicago telecasts at 1:55 p.m. July 10 for exclusive pickup of big blaze at Warner Bros, studios in Burbank, Cal. . . . Ethyl Corp. (gas & oil) can’t get saturation coverage via TV of its marketing areas in midwest, south & California, because of paucity of stations, so it’s placing its filmed commercials (sports shorts) in some 550 drive-in theatres in 14 states . . . 20th Century Fox Television Productions Inc., besides UP-Movietone daily newsreel and i-eissue of Crusade in Europe, indicates expansion in TV field by setting for fall production 15-min. weekly Children’s Kcivsreel and Fox Family Quiz and 5-min. daily Sport Show . . . Add radio programs going into TV versions: First Nightcr half-hour film series to be made by Frank Cooper for NBC-TV. n ■■■ — . Best-remembered TV film commercials in New York area, according to study by Advertest Research, are Tide, Philip Morris, Flamingo, Bulova, Muriel Cigars, Chevrolet, Piels Beer, Schaefer Beer, Clorets, Pall Mall, Castro, Ivory, Kools, Motts, Benrus, Raleigh, Heilman’s, Rheingold, Pan-American Airlines, Ideal Dog Food, in that order. Most-liked commercials are Tide, Flamingo, Muriel, Schaefer, Ideal, Philip Morris, Heilman’s, Bulova, Pall Mall, Chevrolet. Most disliked, Advertest says, are Philip Morris, Flamingo, Bulova, Clorets, Pall Mall, Schaefer, Raleigh, Parliament, Serutan, Piels. First Paris-to-London TV program service (Vol. 8:20) began July 8, although opening ceremonies were delayed 20 minutes by thunderstorm over English Channel. While opening telecast of speeches by statesmen and diplomats was somewhat fuzzy and indistinct, observers said pictures of entertainers in cabaret high in Eiffel tower came through clearly and distinctly. Series of programs designed to give Britons picture of “French way of life” will be climaxed July 14 with celebration of Bastille Day. Free films — 2332 titles, what they’re about, where and how to get them — are listed and cross-indexed in 12th annual edition of Educators Guide to Free Films, just published by Educators Progress Service, Randolph, Wis. ($6). Excellent reading: Eric Sevareid’s In One Ear, 258-p. collection of his nightly 4-min. CBS-radio “analyses of the news,” just published by Alfred A. Knopf, N. Y. ($2.95). Five TV-less cities tapped AT&T relay circuits to watch GOP convention via closed-circuit hookups. Residents of Portland, Ore. flowed in endless stream through Armory to watch dozens of sets installed by local TV-radio distributors in cooperation with stations KEX, KGW, KOIN & KPOJ. Large crowds also watched sets in parking lot of Meier & Frank dept, store, and at Portland Public Auditorium where Seattle’s KING-TV sponsored demonstration (Vol. 8:21). In Denver, KLZ & KOA, with 17 TV distributors, took over Empire Room of Shirley Savoy Hotel, installed 17 booths, each with different make TV set; “We couldn’t have jammed in another person with a shoe horn,” in words of KLZ gen. mgr. Hugh B. Terry. In addition, sets were installed in 50 private hotel rooms, rented by dealers, distributors, ad agencies, etc. Waco, Tex. got look at TV, too, when TV applicant KWTX set up 50 sets in front of its studios. Other closed-circuit demonstrations were held in Wichita, Kan. by KANS and others (Vol. 8:26) and Fresno, Cal. by KFRE (Vol. 8:21). First RCA compatible color tests during regular telecasting hours were conducted over WNBT, New York, 9:45-10 a. nr. June 9, under authorization granted by FCC. During tests, viewers were asked to report on quality of reception. Two additional transmissions are authorized in series: 9:45-10 a.m. July 11 & 15. Presumably, permission for further tests will be requested. FCC’s present willingness to permit such tests is regarded as indication that FCC-industry bitterness has been largely dissipated since height of the color war (Vol. 8:26). TV' station-dealer -serviceman liaison in Dallas is provided by WFAA-TV’s TV service engineering consultant, Morris Barton. Appointed a month ago, he has been contacting distributors, retailers and servicemen to advise on questions such as antenna placement for best reception as well as customers’ doubts about uhf and color. Mr. Barton found that some dealers and salesmen — as well as large segment of public — believed set attachments would be needed to receive interconnected network programs which began in Dallas July 1. WFAA-TV says Mr. Barton’s liaison work has been instrumental in boosting TV sales in Dallas area. Republic Pictures has abandoned TV film production, at least temporarily, and RKO has dropped plans to enter the field, according to reports this week from Hollywood and New York. Both reportedly balked at continued demands of James C. Petrillo’s AFM for 5% of grosses realized from showing of films. Meanwhile, Screen Actors Guild (AFL) signed 3-year contract with 17 of biggest Hollywood TV film producers providing for additional payment to actors for re-televising of TV films and higher salary minimums for actors who make more than one film in a week. MGM president Nicholas M. Schenck, in announcing emergency slash of 25-50Cr for all executives earning more than $1000 a week, told mass meeting of employes this week: “We will examine and re-examine the field [of TV] as time goes on, but at the present time we have no present plans nor are we contemplating any plans for TV filming.” As did 20th Century-Fox last summer, MGM also will reduce number of employes. Mt. Sulro is envisioned as another “Empire State” and “Mt. Wilson” for common use of rival stations’ antennas by ABC engineering v.p. Frank Marx, in announcing 10year lease to San Francisco’s KPIX for its re-located transmitter; ABC-TV’s own KGO-TV has been using site for 3 years for 530-ft. tower looming 1360-ft. above sea level. Charges against Robert L. Easley, consulting engineer who was indicted on charge of using mails to defraud (Vol. 8:3-4), were dismissed June 9 in U. S. Court for D. C.